Hag Matron (Pathfinder Prestige Class)

Hag Matron

Many evil witches are referred to by their detractors as hags—albeit, not when there is any chance of those witches overhearing such insults—but some witches do indeed draw strength from a connection to these hideous monsters that so insidiously disguise themselves in humanoid society. Making a dark pact with these monsters, the witch slowly transforms, taking on some of their power, and eventually even taking up lesser hags to serve in her coven.

Requirements

To qualify to become a hag matron, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment:	Any evil.
Base Attack Bonus:	+5.
Class Features:	Coven hex, oracle’s curse.
Spellcasting:	Able to cast 3rd-level spells.
Special:	Must perform a special ritual with the aid of a hag, hag matron, or some other hag-related creature.

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level)
Bluff, Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Spellcraft, Stealth.

Table: Hag Matron

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	dual identity, hex power	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	claws	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	hex	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	hex power, undetectable alignment	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	spell resistance	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	darkvision, hex	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	hex power	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th	+6	+2	+6	+6	coven, deadly allure	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th	+6	+3	+6	+6	hex	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
10th	+7	+3	+7	+7	gruesome transformation, hex power	+1 level of existing spellcasting class

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Hag Matron.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A hag matron gains no additional weapon or armor proficiency.

Spells per Day: At the indicated levels, a hag matron gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained. If she had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a hag matron, she must decide to which class she adds each level of hag matron for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Dual Identity (Su): A hag matron is able to transform herself between a hideous and inhuman hag and a beautiful and attractive human, referred to as her hag form and her comely form, respectively. Transitioning between these two forms is a standard action. While in her hag form, the hag matron is obviously recognizable as a monstrous creature, and suffers a –4 penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Perform checks, but gains a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks. When in her comely form, she is supernaturally beautiful, and these bonuses and penalties are reversed. Additionally, while in hag form, the hag matron is treated as a monstrous humanoid for the purposes of whether spells that only affect certain creature types, such as hold person, affect her. Finally, certain class features can be used only if the hag matron is in a specific form.

Unless the hag matron’s nature is well-known, knowledge checks made about her hag form do not reveal information about her comely form, and vice versa. Similarly, attempts to scry or otherwise locate the hag matron work only if she is currently in the form that the creature is attempting to locate (or if the creature knows that the two identities are the same individual). Otherwise, the spell or effect has no effect, revealing nothing but darkness, as if the target were invalid or did not exist.

Hag Blood: Whether it is their birthright or gained through a special blood-sharing ritual, all hag matrons bear the blood of one or more hags within her veins, which serves as a source of additional power. A hag matron must choose a particular type of hag whose blood she shares, and this choice determines several benefits that she gains. At 1st level, and every 3 levels thereafter, a hag matron gains a hag power, determined by what type of hag she is bonded to.

Claws: Beginning at 2nd level, a hag matron can cause her hands to become gnarled claws, and her fingernails to grow razor-sharp. She gains two primary claw natural attacks, which deal 1d4 points of slashing damage for a Medium creature (1d3 points of slashing damage for a Small creature). If the hag matron already has claw attacks from another source (such as the nails hex), she can instead use this ability to cause her claw attacks to deal damage as though she were one size category larger than she actually is. Activating this ability is a move action if the hag matron is currently in her hag form. If the hag matron activates this ability while in her comely form, doing so is a standard action, but she also transforms from her comely form to her hag form as part of the same action. The hag matron can return her hands to normal as a swift action (she remains in hag form).

Hex: At 3rd level, and every three levels thereafter, a hag matron gains a new hex. This hex must be chosen from among the hexes available to the hag matron from whichever class she gained the coven hex from, and she must meet all prerequisites for the chosen hex. She adds her levels in hag matron to her levels in her previous class for the purposes of determining the DCs of her hexes, as well as any level-dependent effects of the hexes, but not for the purposes of determining which hexes she qualifies for.

Undetectable Alignment (Sp): At 4th level, when a hag matron is in her comely form, she is able to hide the ugliness of her spirit nearly as well as she disguises her body. As long as she is in her comely form, she is constantly affected as though by the spell undetectable alignment.

Spell Resistance (Su): At 5th level, a hag matron gains a hag’s resistance to magic. She gains spell resistance equal to 10 + her hag matron level, or 10 + 1/2 her total Hit Dice, whichever is lower.

Darkvision (Ex): Beginning at 6th level, whenever she is in her hag form, a hag matron gains darkvision to a range of 60 feet.

Coven (Ex): At 8th level, a hag matron attracts two or more hags who join her in a coven, over which she presides. The exact nature of the hags that she attracts depends on the type of hag she selected for her hag blood class feature, but in all cases, the hags serve the hag matron loyally. If the hag matron has the Leadership feat, these hags replace the hag matron’s cohort, murdering the cohort and preventing her from gaining another one (the hag matron may choose to retain her cohort, instead, but in this case she does not gain any benefits from this class feature). The hags otherwise function in a manner similar to cohorts, although they do not gain experience or class levels.

Deadly Allure (Su): Beginning at 8th level, a hag matron is particularly alluring in her comely form. The bonuses she gains on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Perform checks while in her comely form are doubled against creatures that are normally attracted to creatures of her race and gender, and such creatures also suffer a –1 penalty on saving throws made to resist her spells and hexes while she is in comely form.

Gruesome Transformation (Su): At 10th level, whenever a hag matron transforms from her comely form to her hag form, the transformation is shocking to all who behold it, forcing all creatures within 30 feet that observe the transformation to succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + the hag matron’s class level + the hag matron’s Charisma modifier) or be shaken for 1 minute.

Hag Blood Types

The following represent some of the most common types of hags whose blood may be in a hag matron’s veins. Unless otherwise note, the caster level for any effect that replicates a spell is equal to twice the hag matron’s class level, and any saving throw DCs are Intelligence-based.

Annis
The brutes of the hag brood, annis hags are far more physically intimidating than others of their kind, and tower over their lesser cousins.

Hag Powers: Like an annis hag, your body is swollen with brutish muscles and your skin as tough as iron.

Hag Strength (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, as long as you are in your hag form, you gain a +2 enhancement bonus to your Strength score. At 5th level, this bonus increases to +4.

Tough Skin (Ex): At 4th level, as long as you are in your hag form, your skin is as particularly tough and leathery, and your natural armor bonus to AC increases by 1. At 8th level, your natural armor bonus to AC increases by 2 in hag form, instead.

Rend (Ex): At 7th level, whenever you hit a creature with both of your claw attacks in the same round, you can rend your victim, inflicting an amount of slashing damage equal to 2d4 + 1.5 times your Strength modifier (or 2d3 + 1.5 times your Strength modifier, for a Small creature).

Horrible Growth (Ex): At 10th level, whenever you transform into your hag form, you can choose to grow one size category, adjusting your space and reach, as well as your size bonuses to AC, CMB, and CMD, as well as on attack rolls, Fly checks, and Stealth checks, as appropriate for your new size, and also gaining a +4 size bonus to your Strength score, and suffering a –2 penalty to Dexterity.

Coven: You attract 2 annis hags. At 10th level, you attract a third annis hag to your coven.

Green Hag
Lurking in fetid swamps and dark forests, green hags are known for luring wanderers to their deaths, and draining the strength of their victims, leaving them helpless even in the hands of the relatively feeble hags.

Hag Powers: Like a green hag, you are able to stalk the swamps with impunity, drain strength from your foes, and confound others with your voice.

Hag Whispers (Ex and Sp): You have a knack for ventriloquism and mimicry. You can cast whispering wind as a spell-like ability three times per day. Additionally, you have an extraordinary ability to mimic voices. While in your hag form, you can perfectly mimic the sounds of nearly any animal, magical beast, or vermin, and while in your comely form, you can mimic the sounds of voices. In order to fool listeners with your mimicry, you must succeed on a Bluff or Disguise check, opposed by the listener’s Knowledge (nature) or Survival check (for animal sounds) or the listener’s Perception or Sense Motive check (for voices). You gain a +20 racial bonus on your check. If you attempt to mimic the voice of a specific person, listeners familiar with that person receive a +10 bonus on their checks.

Weakness (Su): Beginning at 4th level, as a full-round action, while in hag form, you can attempt a melee touch attack against a single creature in order to sap its strength. If the touch attack hits, the target must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + your hag matron level + the highest of your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma modifiers) or suffer 2d4 points of Strength damage. Regardless of whether or not the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you cannot use this ability on the same creature again for 24 hours.

Swamp Hag (Su): By 7th level, you are at home in swampy marshlands. While in hag form, you are constantly affected as though by the spell pass without trace as long as you are in forests, marshes, or swamps. Further, you gain a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks, and are constantly affected as though by the spell water breathing.

Weakening Claws (Su): At 10th level, your claws can sap strength from your foes even as you rend their flesh. Whenever you damage a creature with one of your claw attacks while in hag form, the creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + your hag matron level + the highest of your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma modifiers) or suffer 2 points of Strength damage. You cannot inflict more than 10 total points of Strength damage to any given creature in a single 24-hour period, including Strength damage inflicted by your weakness ability.

Coven: You attract 3 green hags. At 10th level, you attract a fourth green hag.

Night Hag
Terrible crones that stalk the night and prey upon the helpless, these terrible hags collect souls from the Material Plane and barter them to fiends, or use them for their own nefarious purposes.

Hag Powers: Like a night hag, you carry a special heartstone that allows you to become ethereal, torment the dreams of your victims, and consume souls.

Resistances (Ex): Like a night hag, your body resists extreme temperatures, and your mind resists extreme emotions. While in hag form, you gain resist cold 5 and resist fire 5. You also gain a +4 racial bonus on saving throws made to resist charm, fear, and sleep effects.

Heartstone (Su): At 4th level, you craft a lesser version of a night hag’s heartstone. As long as this stone is worn by you, it grants a +4 bonus on saving throws made to resist diseases, and allows you to become ethereal, as the spell ethereal jaunt, once per day. Additionally, once per day, you can use the heartstone to trap the soul of a recently deceased creature, as the spell soul bind. Trapped souls are stored inside the heartstone, which can hold a number of Hit Dice worth of souls equal to 5 times your hag matron level at any given time. Your heartstone does not grant any benefits to any other creature that wears it, but you lose these benefits any time it is not in your possession.

Dream Haunting (Su): At 7th level, while ethereal, you can ride on the back of a sleeping creature, inflicting tormenting dreams upon it. Mounting a sleeping creature in this way is a move action, and time spent mounted on a creature does not count against the duration of the ethereal jaunt effect granted by your heartstone ability. You must remain mounted on the creature until it awakes, at which point it suffers 1 point of Constitution drain, and you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to its Hit Dice, which last until the next time you rest and regain your spells.

Consume Souls (Su): At 10th level, you can consume the souls you store in your heartstone. Whenever you cast a spell, you can choose to consume one soul currently trapped in your heartstone. This increases the spell’s caster level by +4 and increases its saving throw DC by +2, but destroys the soul forever, necessitating a wish or miracle spell to restore it to existence before the creature can be resurrected.

Coven: You attract a night hag and a sea hag. At 10th level, you attract either an annis hag or a green hag (your choice), who kills and eats the sea hag and replaces it within your coven.

Sea Hag
The talk of numerous tales of terror told in whispers by event he most stalwart of sailing crews, sea hags are monsters of the deep, dragging sailors to water graves and fomenting chaos and discord in the oceans.

Hag Powers: Like a sea hag, you are most comfortable beneath the waves, and can use your horrific, piscine appearance to weaken and subdue your foes.

Amphibious (Ex): You are as at home in the water as a fish. While in hag form, you gain a swim speed of 40 feet or your base land speed, whichever is greater. Additionally, you can breathe water as easily as air.

Evil Eye (Su): Beginning at 4th level, three times per day, while in hag form, you can cast your dire gaze at a single creature within 30 feet, forcing that creature to succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + your hag matron level + the highest of your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifiers) or be staggered for as long as it can see you. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Horrific Appearance (Su): Beginning at 8th level, three times per day, while in hag form, you can dramatically flaunt your hideous visage, forcing each creature within 60 feet that can see you to succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + your hag matron level + the highest of your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifiers) or suffer 1d6 points of Strength damage. Creatures that are affected by this hag power or which successfully save against it cannot be affected again by this hag power for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting effect.

Greater Evil Eye (Su): At 10th level, you can direct your evil eye at a creature that is already staggered by it. If the creature fails its saving throw, it falls comatose and sleeps for 2d4 days, during which time it cannot be awakened. This consumes a daily use of your evil eye hag power.

Coven: You attract 3 advanced sea hags. At 10th level, you attract a fourth advanced sea hag.

Winter Hag
Arrogant crones that live to spread winter’s chill desolation throughout the land, these hags are petty and cruel tyrants with no more compassion or warmth than the season they embody.

Hag Powers: The forces of winter’s gales are yours to command, and ice and snow hold no terror for you.

Icy Step (Su): While in hag form, you are able to traverse ice and snow with even greater ease than normal terrain. You ignore difficult terrain caused by ice and snow, and are affected as though by pass without trace whenever you are in icy or snowy environments. Further, you can climb on any icy surface as though with the spell spider climb, and you do not need to make Acrobatics checks to run or charge on ice.

Wintry Breath (Su): Beginning at 4th level, while in hag form, you can exhale a gust of arctic winter wind, which takes the form of a 30-foot cone that deals 4d6 points of cold damage to each creature in the area. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + your hag matron level + your Constitution modifier) halves this damage. Creatures that fail their Reflex save are also blinded by snow and ice for 1d6 rounds. At 6th level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the amount of damage inflicted by this ability increases by 1d6. You can use this ability 3 times per day.

Ice Staff (Su): At 7th level, you learn a special hour-long ritual that you can perform once per week, allowing you to create a staff made of black ice that is as hard as steel and functions as a +2 frost quarterstaff. As long as you are holding this staff, you can use cone of cold once per day as a spell-like ability. The staff melts after 1 week.

Winter Body (Su): At 10th level, while in hag form, your body is inured to the cold, although it is vulnerable to flames. You gain the cold subtype.

Coven: You attract a winter hag and a green hag. At 10th level, you attract a second winter hag, who kills and replaces the green hag in your coven.

Source Wicked Witches by Legendary Games

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