The Knurly Witch
Level 20Attacks
Abilities
When the Knurly Witch rolls a success at a Will save, she gets a critical success instead.
Once per day, an annis hag can cause a cage built of cold iron fingernails to spring out of nothingness at a range of up to 30 feet, attempting an Athletics check to Grapple against the target's Fortitude DC; if the target has a weakness to cold iron, the annis hag gains a +2 circumstance bonus to this check. Unlike a normal Grapple, the annis hag doesn't need to be within reach and can move as she pleases, and a successful attempt lasts until the creature Escapes, causing the cage to crumble into rust. Any creature can attempt to destroy the cage by attacking it. It has an AC of 40, Hardness 20, and 80 Hit Points.
The hag can take on the appearance of any Medium female humanoid. This doesn't change her Speed or her attack and damage bonuses with her Strikes but might change the damage type her Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning). The monster changes its shape indefinitely. It can use this action again to return to its natural shape or adopt a new shape. Unless otherwise noted, a monster cannot use Change Shape to appear as a specific individual. Using Change Shape counts as creating a disguise for the Impersonate use of Deception. The monster's transformation automatically defeats Perception DCs to determine whether the creature is a member of the ancestry or creature type into which it transformed, and it gains a +4 status bonus to its Deception DC to prevent others from seeing through its disguise. Change Shape abilities specify what shapes the monster can adopt. The monster doesn't gain any special abilities of the new shape, only its physical form. For example, in each shape, it replaces its normal Speeds and Strikes, and might potentially change its senses or size. Any changes are listed in its stat block.
Claw A Rend entry lists a Strike the monster has. Requirements The monster hit the same enemy with two consecutive Strikes of the listed type in the same round. Effect The monster automatically deals that Strike's damage again to the enemy.
The Knurly Witch has used Gathering Call to bind herself to the House at the Edge of Time (area K16 ).
Requirements The monster's last action was a successful Strike that lists Grab in its damage entry, or the monster has a creature Grabbed or Restrained Effect If used after a Strike, the monster attempts to Grapple the creature using the body part it attacked with. This attempt neither applies nor counts toward the creature's multiple attack penalty. The monster can instead use Grab and choose one creature it's grabbing or restraining with an appendage that has Grab to automatically extend that condition to the end of the monster's next turn.
Description
Annis hags are brutal torturers and murderers, delighting in the musical screams and tasty flesh of young creatures and those who are pure of heart. Annis hags are the most direct of all hags, engaging in physical combat and using their change shape ability to hunt rather than to infiltrate and betray humanoids. But an Annis hag takes a grisly trophy from each kill and uses it to sow discord, sending the trophy to one of her victim's loved ones in a way that implicates another family member in the murder. Also known as iron hags, annis hags have iron-like yet flexible flesh that resists edged weapons, and their own touch is the same cold iron that burns the flesh of other hags. This allows them to bully their way to the leadership of hag covens.
Malevolent crones who lurk at the edges of civilization, hags use their deceptive, magical abilities to prey upon humanoids, manipulating and corrupting them. Some say hags arose from fey that became twisted by their inner selfishness. Hags gather together in covens for greater power, craft unique magical items known as Hag Eyes , and are known to replace infant humanoids with their own offspring-these children are Changelings who have the potential to become hags themselves.