D&D 5E Hags - Something doesn't add up.

[Tonguez]

Why ask if there are stories about solitary hags that curse when you acknowledge they exist in the second half of your sentence? The question is not whether the Coven also exists - it is whether there are folklore origins that are the solitary hag, and we both agree there are.And the Hags discussed in the monster manual lack key features common to their folklore origins, the Hags in the monster manual differ from the common Hag of folklore. That is the issue we're raising.

What I’m suggesting is the Hag race in the MM and the Unique Crone with curse powers might be similar but dont have to be the same creature. You can make a new monster, use a different creature or give a hag class levels that access bestow curse.

Your Goblin example kind of illustrates the point too - afterall Bugbears and Goblins dont have much similarity at all yet both are called goblins, then you expand to Orcs and Ogres in the same ‘goblin’ horde.

Also I chose Baba Yaga as to illustrate my point both because she is so well known and because she is a powerful ‘Hag’ who could be made using the Hag stat block or as a unique creature.

In some folklore She is a group of three sister all known as Baba Yaga (so the Coven fits, with RP such that only one sister appears at a time) but She was also probably more goddess than witch and so setting her up as such is also appropriate.

 

[Kodiak3D]

This has really ballooned into more than I expected it to. I just felt that their stats and abilities were lower than what they are hyped up to be.

Yes, a creative DM (which I consider myself to be after nearly 30 years of DM'ing) can easily get around such an issue. Also, yes, hags are still a GREAT RP opportunity to put in a game. Whether solo (think Hansel and Gretel) or coven (Clash of the Titans, anyone?), they can be very fun to throw at a party.

One fun thing to do is to let the NPC's of a village tell the players about the hag. Build her up. Let them tell the party about the powers she has, and make sure some of them are NOT part of the MM stat block. It may just be rumors, or it may be true. The party won't know, and they'll be that much more cautious.

 

[SkidAce]

Best typo ever. And so true.

Why is this a typo?

I took stools to be a "they weren't sitting in either chair" statement.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Why is this a typo?

I took stools to be a "they weren't sitting in either chair" statement.

I assumed he meant to type “schools”.

And I interpreted “stool” in the sense of the thing your dog leaves in the yard.

 

[Charlaquin]

Is it really news to anyone that D&D monsters aren’t exact reflections of the folklore that inspired them?

 

[Asisreo]

Quite often, its not actually the hag's own innate magic that puts curses or effects on whatever they're doing.

Alot of hags in media rely on their equivalent of Magic Items. Things like crystal balls, voodoo dolls, and flying brooms come to mind immediately.

Some ask for a diety's or Patron's assistance when cursing. You can consider that as cleric or warlock class levels, but if its not something they'll be doing often then you can easily skip that and literally have the hag ask their patron for something in a direct, nonmechanical way. "I offer the beak of a chatterbird to still their tongue!" "I exchange this lion's heart for you to invoke the curse of cowardice on my foe, O great one!"

There's also potion-brewing which is also the essence of classical witches from folklore. Potions are also technically magic items and typical potions I'd imagine hags frequently use are Potions of poison and Philters of Love

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Best typo ever. And so true.

But how is it a typo? There isn't another way to spell stool. I'm not complaining just confused!

 

[Guest 6801328]

But how is it a typo? There isn't another way to spell stool. I'm not complaining just confused!

I thought you meant "school" as in, "in between two schools of thought".

"In between two stools" isn't a figure of speech I've heard. But "in between two piles of dog poo" would have been poetic.

 

[Democratus]

No reason a hag can't be part of a coven and still live alone. The coven could be spread across the continent. But they can all go to their cauldrons and cast spells together via ZBroom.

 

[jgsugden]

Is it really news to anyone that D&D monsters aren’t exact reflections of the folklore that inspired them?

News? No. Disappointment? Yes. Of course. If you want to play against homebrew monsters the players do not know, we can make things up. If we want to capitalize upon the existing lore taken from the real world, we want the expectation to match the game experience as much as possible. Those of us expressing frustration or disappointment are doing so because this gap exists. We can obviously change monsters to suit our needs. Hags, in my world, exist as written in the DMG, but they do not use the name Hag. They often go unnamed, but when I do use a name I call them Tsiraki, and their lore is a bit different (they are lesser spirits summoned by a Hag to do their bidding or represent their interests). I added Hags inspired by folklore from the real world because it was a gap. It would just be nice to have the gaps filled from the start.