Black Annis

Large Fey (witch), Chaotic Evil

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Armor Class: 18 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 152 (16d10 + 64)
Speed: 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
22 (+6)	14 (+2)	18 (+4)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	18 (+4)

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Saving Throws: Con +8, Wis +7, Cha +8
Skills: Deception +8, Perception +7, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances: Cold; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 17
Languages: Common, Sylvan
Challenge: 9 (5,000 XP)

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Traits

• Legendary Resistance (3/Day):
  If Black Annis fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
• Innate Spellcasting:
  Black Annis’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
  • At will: Disguise Self, Minor Illusion
  • 3/day each: Bestow Curse, Hex
  • 1/day each: Hold Person, Fear, Phantasmal Killer
• Hag’s Cunning:
  Black Annis has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Dark Charisma:
  Her mere presence unsettles foes. Every creature that starts its turn within 10 ft. of her must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of its next turn.

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Actions

• Multiattack:
  Black Annis makes two attacks—one with her Iron Claws and one with her Nightmare Gaze.
• Iron Claws:
  Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 18 (2d10 + 6) slashing damage.
• Nightmare Gaze:
  Black Annis fixes her baleful gaze on one creature within 30 ft. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed with terror for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
• Fetid Aura (Recharge 5–6):
  A repulsive stench emanates from Black Annis. Every creature that starts its turn within 10 ft. of her must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn.

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Legendary Actions

Black Annis can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time, and they can only be taken at the end of another creature’s turn. She regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.

• Claw Attack:
  Black Annis makes one Iron Claws attack.
• Cast a Spell (Costs 2 Actions):
  Black Annis casts one of her innate spells—either an at-will option (Disguise Self or Minor Illusion) or one of her 3/day spells (Bestow Curse or Hex).

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Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Black Annis can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; she cannot use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• Ebon Shadows:
  Dark, twisting shadows surge from the ground at a point Black Annis can see within 60 ft. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, every creature within a 30-foot radius of that point has disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and ranged attack rolls that rely on sight.
• Whispers of Dread:
  Haunting, disembodied whispers echo throughout the lair. Every creature of Black Annis’s choice within 60 ft. must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of its next turn.
• Toxic Miasma:
  A cloud of noxious fumes billows from a point Black Annis chooses within 60 ft. Each creature within a 10-foot radius of that point must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is poisoned until the start of its next turn; on a success, the creature is unaffected.

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Tactics

• Ambush & Deception:
  Black Annis often uses Disguise Self to blend into the shadows of her lair—a cursed forest or decrepit ruin—before ambushing unsuspecting travelers.
• Area Control:
  By leveraging her Fetid Aura, Dark Charisma, and lair actions, she creates zones of fear and confusion that disrupt enemy formations and sap their will to fight.
• Debilitating Magic:
  She targets key opponents with Bestow Curse or Hex, weakening their defenses and making them vulnerable to her brutal melee strikes with Iron Claws.
• Psychological Warfare:
  Her Nightmare Gaze and the unsettling effects of her lair actions instill terror, often paralyzing foes and rendering them helpless as she closes in for the kill.

Black Annis: The Clawed Crone of Leicestershire

Black Annis is a terrifying figure from English folklore, particularly associated with Leicestershire. She is described as a monstrous, blue-skinned hag with a single piercing eye, iron-like claws, and a taste for human flesh—especially that of children. According to legend, she lurks in the dense forests and caves of the countryside, emerging at night to snatch unsuspecting victims.

Her most infamous lair is Black Annis’ Bower, a cave said to be clawed out of rock by her own talons. From this shadowy den, she would creep into villages, stealing away children from their cradles and livestock from their pens. She was said to tan the skins of her victims, hanging them outside her cave as grisly trophies.

Some versions of the myth suggest she was once a real woman, possibly a reclusive or feared wise woman who became demonized in folklore. Others claim she was a cursed fae or a spectral entity tied to the land itself.

To ward off Black Annis, villagers would traditionally hang protective herbs over their doors or carve protective symbols into their thresholds. During certain festivals, they would even mockingly “chase” her out of town, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness.

Over time, Black Annis has become a symbol of the dark, lurking fears of the wild—an ancient, primal nightmare of something watching from the trees, waiting to strike when night falls.

Annis Hag

Large Fey (Witch), Chaotic Evil

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Armor Class: 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 115 (17d10 + 34)
Speed: 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)

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Saving Throws: Con +7, Wis +6, Cha +7
Skills: Deception +7, Perception +6, Stealth +5
Damage Resistances: Cold; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 16
Languages: Common, Sylvan
Challenge: 7 (2,900 XP)

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Traits

• Hag’s Cunning.
  The Annis Hag has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Innate Spellcasting.
  The Annis Hag’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
  • At will: Disguise Self, Minor Illusion
  • 3/day each: Bestow Curse, Hex
  • 1/day each: Hold Person, Fear

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Actions

• Multiattack.
  The Annis Hag makes two attacks—one with her Iron Claws and one with her Maddening Gaze.
• Iron Claws.
  Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 15 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage.
• Maddening Gaze.
  The hag fixes her baleful stare on one creature within 30 ft. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
• Fetid Aura (Recharge 5–6).
  The Annis Hag exudes a noxious stench. Every creature that starts its turn within 10 ft. must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of its next turn.

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Unique Action

• Dark Conjuration (Recharge 6).
  The Annis Hag calls forth a spectral manifestation of terror. Choose one creature within 30 ft.; that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of its next turn as it is overwhelmed by visions of unspeakable horror.

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Tactics

• Ambush & Deception:
  The Annis Hag often begins combat using her Disguise Self to blend into the environment, ambushing unsuspecting prey from the shadows.
• Area Control:
  She leverages her Fetid Aura and Maddening Gaze to sow fear and disarray among enemies, softening them up for her brutal melee strikes with Iron Claws.
• Debilitating Magic:
  By targeting the most vulnerable foes with Bestow Curse or Hex, she undermines enemy strength, ensuring that her physical prowess can deliver finishing blows.
• Mobility & Retreat:
  Utilizing her knowledge of the terrain and innate magical abilities, she is adept at repositioning, retreating into darkness if overwhelmed, and then reengaging her foes on her own terms.

Annis Hag

This has deep blue skin and filthy black hair. They often use their ability to change forms to imitate that of an exceptionally tall and fair human.

Also known as black hags or iron hags, annis hags are the largest and most physically intimidating of their foul brood. Known for their iron-hard, wart-covered skin that varies from shades of deep blue to black and their claws like rusty blades, annis hags forgo much of the cunning and deceptiveness of their kind to revel in the more visceral evils of torture and slaughter. The typical annis hag stands just over 8 feet tall and weighs upward of 300 pounds.

Dwelling in dark caves, tangled hollows, and cursed ruins deep within frozen swamps or icy moors, annis hags stalk forth by night to sow fear and hunt the unwary. Although possessed of cunning minds, annis prove more decadent than most other hags, frequently indulging in their taste for living flesh and the music of pleading screams. Unlike green hags, they use their ability to assume humanoid form via alter self not to infiltrate societies but to lure victims into a false sense of security before attacking—often posing as travelers in need of aid or pilgrims seeking to share a camp.

Annis hags find the flesh of children, young animals, and the pure of heart particularly pleasing, both for the tenderness of such meals and for the sorrow such murders spread. After gorging themselves, these hags delight in stripping the skin from their victims, often garbing themselves in the grisly trophies. They are also known to retain and even preserve identifiable portions of their victims (such as heads) for later use in spreading misery. An annis who eats the children of a local farmer might keep the heads (or at least the faces) handy to return to the victims’ parents, for example ‘often in the guise of an anonymous gift. The most insidious of annis hags present these gifts in ways that implicate friends or family in the victim’s death.

Like most hags, annis sometimes join covens of their repulsive sisters, though many prove resistant to such cooperation. They are particularly unlikely to join covens that already include other annis, though groups of related annis ‘typically horrible triplets’ are not unknown. A typical annis coven consists of one annis leader along with two green hags or sometimes even a witch or two. Annis covens often seek to recruit additional creatures as guardians and are particularly fond of trolls and ogres for such roles.

An annis stands some 8 feet tall and weighs about 325 pounds.

Source(s) 3.5E Monster Manual I, 3E Monster Manual I, Monstrous Compendium Volume 2, 1E Monster Manual 2, Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, Tales of the Lance, Monstrous Manual

Rarity	Very Rare
Large monstrous humanoid
Hit Dice	7d8+14 (45 hp)
Initiative	+1
Speed	40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class	20 (-1 size, +1 Dexterity, +10 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple	+7/+18
Attack	Claw +13 melee (1d6+7)
Full Attack	2 claws +13 melee (1d6+7) and bite +8 melee (1d6+3)
Space/Reach	10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks	Improved grab, rake 1d6+7, rend 2d6+10, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities	Damage reduction 2/bludgeoning, Darkvision 60 ft., Spell Resistance 19
Saves	Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities	Strength 25, Dexterity 12, Constitution 14, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 13, Charisma 10
Skills	Bluff +8, Diplomacy +2, Disguise +0 (+2 acting), Hide +5, Intimidate +2, Listen +10, Spot +10
Feats	Alertness, Blind-Fight, Great Fortitude
Environment	Cold marshes
Organization	Solitary or covey (3 hags of any kind plus 1-8 ogres and 1-4 evil giants)
Challenge Rating	6
Treasure	Standard
Alignment	Usually chaotic evil
Advancement	By character class
Level Adjustment	–

Combat

Though physically powerful, these hags do not favor simple assaults but try to divide and confuse their foes before combat. They love to pose as commoners or gentlefolk to lull their victims into a sense of false security before they attack.

Improved Grab (Ex) : To use this ability, an annis must hit a Large or smaller opponent with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

Rake (Ex) : Attack bonus +13 melee, damage 1d6+7. An annis can attack a grappled foe with both claws at no penalty.

Rend (Ex) : An annis that hits with both claw attacks latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an extra 2d6+10 points of damage.

Spell-Like Abilities 3/day: –disguise self, fog cloud.

Caster level 8th.