MOUNTAIN HAG
FREQUENCY: Very Rare
No. APPEARING: 1-3
AC: 7
MV: 15"
HD: 5+5
% IN LAIR: 65%
TREASURE TYPE: R,S,T
#AT: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: by weapon type
SA: see below
SD: see below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 5%
INTELLIGENCE: Average-High
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: nil
Attack/Defence modes: nil
LEVEL/xp VALUE: VI/650+6/hp
The Mountain Hag is a relative of the Sea Hag, inhabiting mountains and dismal rocky wastes. The lair of the Mountain Hag is typically a cave in a mountainside. Like all other Hags, they hate beauty and goodness, and when they come out of their caves it is always to commit some act of evil.
The appearance of a Mountain Hag is so hideous as to require any character of less than 5th level to save vs magic or lose 1-10 strength points for 1-8 turns; Clerics and Paladins are allowed a bonus to this saving throw equal to their level.
The Mountain Hag fights using a filthy, jagged and rusty dagger (D 1-4), which has a 75% chance of carrying a disease (treat as chronic, severe, affecting blood and gastro-intestinal organs - see Dungeon Masters Guide p14). However, a Mountain Hag will rely whenever possible on followers and on her magical abilities, fighting hand-to-hand only as a last resort to clear a path for her escape.
A Mountain Hag can fly, 1/day, paralyse (as a wand of paralysation) by touch, 3 times/day, and cause darkness, 3 times/day. She can use magic-user scrolls as a 10th level thief, and can also speak with animals at will. There is a 30% chance that a Mountain Hag will have a familiar, of a type determined as for the first level magic-user spell find familiar.
A Mountain Hag may call down a terrible curse on one victim, who must save vs magic or lose 1-4 constitution points, and must make all subsequent saving throws vs poison or disease at -2 while the curse is in effect. Any wound sustained during this period will heal at half the normal rate, and has a 25% chance of becoming infected. The curse lasts for one lunar month or until the victim dies or receives a remove curse spell. A Mountain Hag may only have one curse in effect at any given time.
Finally, Mountain Hags are immune to poison and disease, and make all saving throws against mind-influencing spells at +2.
Originally appeared in Imagine Magazine #5 (1983).