Hild’s Brood

Family: Hags

Small humanoid, neutral

Armor Class 15 (Dex + natural armor)
Hit Points 4 (1 HD)
Speed 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	18 (+4)

Condition Immunities unconscious, Incapacitated
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Undying. If one of the brood is physically attacked they suffer the damage, torn flesh, broken bones, etc. They shout in pain and call for aid from their mother, the witch or hag who binds them. They weep and ask for pity. But they do not die, though they may lie still as if dead or crawl off into the darkness, they quickly rebound and return as if healed. The only way to kill them or rather, to release their soul from bondage is to slay the witch or hag who binds them.

ACTIONS

• Regretful Laughter. Any creature that comes within 50 ft. of one of a child must make a successful DC 16 Charisma save or succumb to a nagging regret of lost youth and happiness. If the save is successful, the laughter and cries become a distraction only. 8 hours later, any who have heard the child’s laughter must make another DC 16 Charisma Save, going to the child and beginning to play with them on a failure, laughing and shouting as any child would do. 10 rounds later, the victim who failed the check must make another DC 16 charisma check. Failing that they descend into madness, dancing and capering about like a lunatic, screaming and laughing all the while. An insane creature can’t take actions, can’t understand what other creatures say, can’t read, and speaks only in gibberish. The GM controls its movement, which is erratic. After 10 more rounds, they pass out, becoming unconscious and incapacitated, easy prey for the witch or her minions. If the victim survives for the duration of a long rest after falling unconscious, they awaken, sane once more.
• Summon Witch. A brood child that is reduced to 0 hit points will summon the witch or hag who binds them on a roll of 6 on 1d6.

ABOUT

Lost children. Hild’s Brood are apparitions that dwell as much in the mind of a witch or hag as they do in the world at large. They are the stolen dead, children laid aside by their loved ones for illness or death, and commended to the gods for care. These, the witch steals during their passage to the other world and she takes them to her abode, binding them to her, corrupting them in such a way that salvation lies only in the witch’s death. The stolen child joins the witch with no understanding of where it came from or where it is, living only in the moment, playing or roughhousing, or doing what normal children do. There are usually half a dozen of these children and they all know one another’s name and pleasures, but they have little memory of what came before. Only powerful priests can draw that out of the wayward spirit.

Deceptive innocence. These creatures are children between the ages of 6 and 10. There is nothing unusual about their appearance. They dress as children do, the boys in wool pants and long-sleeved shirts, the girls in full skirts, and both wear simple leather shoes. They are not filthy, but are dirty, as children who play outside all day tend to be. They carry few items beyond the occasional wooden toy, a doll or horse, or some such. Sometimes one will have a tool, such as a hammer or saw, but they never carry weapons or anything of that nature.

Mindless play. The brood is mindless, concerned only with their play. If engaged, they laugh only and continue to play, trying to induce any who are not playing to join them. Their activities, laughter, and mindless joy are infectious, distracting any who listen to it or engage them from more important tasks. This is where the true danger in the brood lies, for once one succumbs to their joyful diversions, it is difficult to do anything else. Engaging them is challenging. When playing together the brood often torments each other with a singular game. They do not answer questions beyond a very shallow, child-like response. They always act as if they know the correct answer but often answer with a nonsensical response. The brood responds with only joy and merriment to any who join them, though redirecting them toward other tasks is impossible. Though they may seem interested in other’s speech or concerns for a moment, they quickly revert to their games and pursue them with joy.