Of all the hags, green hags offer the most variety in terms
of plots. There are many reasons
for this: They live closer to their victims and intrude in their affairs. They are more likely to hide their
identities and take human lovers.
They are more likely to spawn changeling (Pathfinder Adventure Path 43) offspring or create manikins such as
leshys or soulbound dolls. They
often team up with ogre or giant thralls.
And they are the most likely to form covens.
For players new to fantasy, the discovery that hags gain
more power when they form a coven is novel in and of itself. But if your players have fought hags
before—or if they’re big folklore buffs—feel free to explore the coven aspect
further. You might play up the
maiden/mother/crone roles (see the annis hag entry for an idea in this vein),
explore vile (from Monte Cook’s 3.0 Book
of Vile Darkness) or sin magic (from the Rise of the Runelords Adventure
Path), or invite other species to join the trio. As long as at least one hag is present, nagas, powerful fey,
select oni, and witches of any race may have the necessary malevolence and
chthonic female energy needed to complete the circle.
Raven is said to
have once plucked the sun out of the sky.
Two green hags and a tengu witch emulate the act, plucking out the eyes
of a lurker in light in order to gain more power over light and darkness.
When a changeling
refuses the dark call of her mother, the green hag strikes back—in court,
suing for custody. She uses
mimicry and disguise self at first,
but even if exposed will pursue her practically airtight case in full view of
the horrified town.
A green hag has been
a thorn in the side of adventuring friends since before they slew their
first goblin. Now powerful enough
to retaliate, they find their own community stands in their way. The green hag is part of a coven that
has offered dark aid to the surrounding countryside for generations, trading
spells like control weather, speak with dead, commune, and even reincarnate
for silence, loyalty, and protection.
—Pathfinder Bestiary
167
Hat tip to deathkraiser for suggesting I link to the SRD.
As mentioned before, Classic Horrors Revisited is worth a look if you want to customize your green hag
covens a bit more.
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