Monster Building

[MedievalMan]

Hey guys, I am in the process of writing an adventure for the setting I am working on and needed a little help with this monster that appears at the end of the adventure. See the final showdown takes place in a marsh where the party faces off against a Bog Hag. Now seeing as their are no stats for such a beast i went ahead and started writing them myself. Here is what I have so far along with what I need.

Bog Hag
Armor Class: 13
Hit Dice: 3+3
No. of Attacks: 2 claws
Damage: 1d4+1/1d4+1
Movement: 30', Swim 40'
No Appearing: 1
Save As: Fighter 3
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: ?
XP:

I haven't written the descriptive text yet, nor have I figured out how much treasure and xp values. Treasure is an area where I need some help.

I have a list of possible abilities that the bog hag may possess and need to choose one or two. Any suggestions would also be great. They lack any sort of fluff text at this point as well.

Evil Eye 1: 3/day, single target, save vs spells +2, on a failed save 25% chance to die from fright otherwise character rendered catatonic with fear for 1d4 days.

Evil Eye 2: 3/day, single target, save vs spells +2, target suffers a -2 on all d20 rolls and AC for 1d4 turns.

Unwholesome Presence: Characters only benefit from half the normal amount of magical healing they receive while within 30' of the hag.

Rending Claws: A hag that successfully strikes a single target with both its claws in single round may make a third claw attack against the same target.

That is what I have so far. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

EDIT
Here is the final version of the Bog Hag. Feel free to use it or whatever.

Bog Hag
Armor Class: 15
Hit Dice: 5+2**
No. of Attacks: 2 claws
Damage: 1d4+2/1d4+2
Movement: 30', Swim 40'
No Appearing: Solitary
Save As: Fighter 5
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: C; E, N in lair
XP: 450

Bog Hags are loathsome and repugnant crones with blueish-green skin and long black hair. They are cunning and cruel, toying with their prey before moving in for the kill. Bog Hags are not as magically inclined as their sisters, but more than make up for it with their fearsome physical attributes. Bog Hags are master potion makers, and their huts and caves are usually festooned with potions of all varieties. As their name suggest Bog Hags prefer to live in swampy, overgrown environs. They are aquatic and can breathe underwater.

Bog Hags are cunning foes and use the terrain of their marshy homes to their advantage. They are capable of moving in near complete silence while in swampy terrain, surprising opponents on 1-3 on 1d6. A favored tactic of Bog Hags is to surprise a single opponent and drag them away into a deep pool of water where they then drown the individual. Bog Hags have fearsome talon like claws that they use to rip apart their victims. If a Bog Hag manages to hit a single enemy with both claw attacks in a single round, they may make a third claw attack against the same target. Bog Hags exude an aura of unwholesomeness. Near their lair animals grow sick and die, plants wither, and water turns foul. This aura of evil even effects magic and any healing spell cast upon a target that is standing within 30' of the Hag only heals half the normal amount.

[SmootRK]

I like it so far. I just watched Legend (w/ Tom Cruise) last week, and my children really got scared of the Hag that appears in that movie! Must be good!

[MedievalMan]

I still have no idea which abilities to use. Hmmm.

[Steveman]

The name, Bog Hag, makes me thing of Sea Hags/Dark Hags/Annis/Crones of Chaos from various other types of the deeundees. Which then makes me think of the wicked old witch from fairy tales.

So, maybe some minor spell-casting, or at least a note on how she can brew potions and much of her treasure will be tied up in potions she has made. Maybe also she can use a Crystal Ball-type Magic Item.

The Crones of Chaos from the 1986 Creature Catalog (found it for $7 in a used books bin at a comic shop!!) has a spell-like where it can conjure magical flying daggers. Maybe not the same flavor as you're going for, but some sort of environmental control might be useful. Like a swarm of bugs that obscures vision or some such.

[MedievalMan]

The Bog Hag is essentially 4E language for the sea hag. I was thinking about giving them some sort of spellcasting ability. Maybe a few spells a couple times per day. Like Charm Person. The potions idea is a good one, I will need to check the treasure tables.

[MedievalMan]

Alright so I just looked at the treasure charts. Looks like the best combo is F and N for lair treasure. What they carry personally I am still not sure.

EDIT

Alright looking at the Sea Hag as already written for BFRPG I am thinking I will do something different than what it already does. So drop the Evil Eye for starters. Maybe I will go back and look at the Bog Hag from 4E again, that was a good reference.

[Steveman]

All this talk of Bog Hags, followed up with a replay of Final Fantasy 4 (a yearly ritual, I play it once a year every year and have since it was released on the SNES as FF2 - this time doing the DS remake) had me encountering a different Bog Hag. A female wizard who showed up with a screen full of Bog Toads that constantly cast (b)Toad on the party, which set me to converting. >,>

As for the name, from wikipedia "A group of toads is called a knot.[3]"

Sorry if this feels like a derail, it is not intended to be one.

Knot Hag
Armor Class: 13
Hit Dice: 4+1*
No. of Attacks: 2 claw or daggers
Damage: 1d4+2/1d4+2
Movement: 30', swim 30'
No Appearing: Solitary
Save As: Fighter: 4
Morale: 7
Treasure Type: A, E, N
XP: 280

Knot Hags are twisted withered beings with scraggly hair, violet oily skin and dressed in soaked and often rotted robes. They love toads and frogs, and often make their homes secluded deep in marshes and bogs filled with them. A hag will never be encountered with fewer than a dozen toads and frogs, she calls her chorus, often crawling on her body or living in her hair.

Knot hags are able to cast the following spells, each once per day at the 8th-level of ability; Charm Person, Detect Magic, ESP, and Ventriloquism. She can also brew magical potions, and much of a hag's treasure will be potions she has made or the equipment of those added to her chorus. If pressed into combat, she will call for her chorus to sing, then strike with her daggers or claws, which hit for +2 damage due to the tremendous strength hidden within her withered frame. While the hag is evil, she is not mad and can be parlayed with.

Sing My Pretties!: The hag calls to her chorus of toads to sing their song. The song of a hag's chorus is magical enchantment that beguiles the mind and over time changes the body – transforming victims into more toads for the hag's chorus. The song can be heard, under normal conditions, out to 120 feet, and living creatures with an Intelligence of 3 or greater that hear the song must make a saving throw vs. Spells. Failure means the creature is charmed by the song, compelling them to actively seek out it's source. This charm lasts for 10 minutes, or until the character has laid eyes on the hag and her chorus.
At this point the character must make an immediate saving throw vs. Spells or be further charmed into protecting the hag from harm. One a creature is fully charmed, they then make a saving throw vs. Polymorph or be transformed into a toad (as the Polymorph Other spell) and be added to the hag's chorus – the character's clothes and equipment fall to the ground and are usually added to the hag's treasure. This change is a magical curse, and can be dispelled (Dispel Magic) or be lifted (Remove Curse.) If a character passes a saving throw renders the character immune to that effect of the song for the rest of the day.

[MedievalMan]

Sweet all we need is one more person to write up an as yet unseen type of hag and we can start a covey! Swag.

[MedievalMan]

Alright here is the cleaned up most recent version of the Bog Hag. I might reduce the claw damage back to 1d4, though I am not sure as of yet.

Bog Hag
Armor Class: 15
Hit Dice: 5+2**
No. of Attacks: 2 claws or by weapon +2
Damage: 1d6+2/1d6+2
Movement: 30', Swim 40'
No Appearing: Solitary
Save As: Fighter 5
Morale: 10
Treasure Type: U; F, N in lair
XP: 450

Bog Hags are loathsome and repugnant crones with blueish-green skin and long black hair. They are cunning and cruel, toying with their prey before moving in for the kill. Bog Hags are not as magically inclined as their sisters, but more than make up for it with their fearsome physical attributes. As their name suggest Bog Hags prefer to live in swampy, overgrown environs. Bog Hags are aquatic and can breathe underwater.

Swamp Stealth: In swampy environs Bog Hags can move with near complete stealth, surprising opponents on 1-3 on 1d6. Bog Hags love to ambush their enemies and drag away a single victim to drown in a pool.

Rending Claws: Bog Hags have fearsome talon like claws that they use to rip apart their victims. If a Bog Hag manages to hit a single enemy with both claw attacks in a single round, they may make a third claw attack against the same target.

Unwholesome Presence: Bog Hags exude an aura of unwholesomeness, animals grow sick and die, plants wither, and water turns foul. This aura of evil even effects magic and any healing spell cast upon a target that is standing within 30' of the Hag only heals half the normal amount.

[MedievalMan]

Final version of the Bog Hag is in the first post if anyone cares.