Pesta Hag

Family: Hags

Medium fey, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 105 (14d8 + 42)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 17 (+3) 15 (+2)

Saving Throws Str +5, Wis +5
Skills Intimidation +4, Medicine +5, Perception +5, Stealth +4
Damage Vulnerabilities radiant
Damage Resistances necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Giant, Sylvan
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Disease Sense. The pesta hag can pinpoint the location of poisoned creatures or creatures suffering from a disease within 60 feet of her and can sense the general direction of such creatures within 1 mile of her.
  • Pestilence Aura. At the start of each of the pesta hag’s turns, each creature within 10 feet of her takes 4 (1d8) poison damage. If a creature remains within the aura for more than 1 minute, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or contract a disease of the hag’s choice. The disease’s saving throw DC is 13, regardless of the disease the hag chooses.
  • Plague Carrier. The pesta hag is immune to diseases.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The pesta hag makes two Pestilence Rake or Poison Bolt attacks.
  • Pestilence Rake. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 5 (2d4) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its hp maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and it contracts sewer plague, sight rot, or another disease of the pesta hag’s choice. The disease’s saving throw DC is 13, regardless of the disease the hag chooses.
  • Poison Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) poison damage.
  • Curative Touch (3/Day). The pesta hag touches another creature. The target magically regains 10 (2d8 + 1) hp and is freed from any disease or poison afflicting it.
  • Summon Plague Rats (1/Day). The pesta hag magically calls 1d3 swarms of rats. The called rats arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of the hag and obeying her spoken commands. The swarms carry a terrible disease. If a creature takes damage from the swarm’s Bites, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or contract the disease. Until the disease is cured, the creature can’t regain hp except by magical means, and the target’s hp maximum decreases by 3 (1d6) every 24 hours. If the creature’s hp maximum drops to 0 as a result of this disease, it dies. The rats remain for 1 hour, until the hag dies, or the hag dismisses them as a bonus action.

ABOUT

This hideous crone is wrapped in tattered, black garments and carries a large, wooden rake. Her pale skin is blackened on her nose and fingertips, and her exposed flesh shows open, weeping sores.

Pesta hags, also known as plague hags, are physical manifestations of disease. As a pesta hag wanders, disease spreads in her wake, especially where folk antagonize her. A pesta hag will cure diseases from petitioners that come bearing gifts or even on a whim. The gifts demanded vary widely, depending on the hag’s mood. She may demand the grandest horse in a lord’s stables, for example, but accept a fresh pear or a scarf full of berries from a poor leper. Or she may turn away both without explanation.

Ghost Ships. Occasionally, a pesta hag takes passage on a vessel. Inevitably, the crew falls victim to disease. If the entire crew succumbs, the ghost ship continues on its course, often with the body of a determined captain slumped over the wheel to keep the vessel on course. When it docks, the pesta hag slips ashore amid the confusion, leaving the ship and its grisly cargo behind.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 3 © 2022 Open Design LLC; Authors: Eytan Bernstein, Celeste Conowitch, Benjamin L. Eastman, Robert Fairbanks, Scott Gable, Basheer Ghouse, Richard Green, Jeremy Hochhalter, Jeff Lee, Christopher Lockey, Sarah Madsen, Ben Mcfarland, Jonathan Miley, Kelly Pawlik, Sebastian Rombach, Chelsea Steverson, Brian Suskind, Mike Welham

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