Fantasy Monster: Bonepicker Hag

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Hag, Bonepicker
A twisted old woman with definitely too big fangs, and too long talons, adorned with jewelry made of bones.

CR 5; XP 1,200
NE Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., ghost scent; Perception +11

Defense
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 57 (6d10+24)
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +7
SR 16 vs. necromancy

Offense
Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +8 (1d6+2), 2 claws +8 (1d6+2)

Special Attacks ghost collection, ghost touch

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th, concentration +8)

At Will—gentle repose, speak with dead (DC 15)

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 18, Wis 15, Cha 15
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 20
Feats Acrobatic Step, Great Fortitude, Nimble Moves
Skills Disguise +8, Heal +8, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (religion) +10, Perception +11, Spellcraft +10, Stealth +11

Languages Aklo, Common, Giant
SQ invocation of ghostly vengeance

Ecology
Environment forest, hills, always near a settlement
Organization solitary, or coven (3 hags of any kind)
Treasure standard

Ghost Collection (Su) A bonepicker hags keeps a collection of miniature fetish dolls made from pieces of bone, hair, and skin of the deceased, binding vestiges of their spirits into eternal servitude. As long as the fetish remains whole (hardness 1, 1 hp), the vestigial spirit is forced to serve the hag. These bound spirits are incorporeal creatures that vanish when they are successfully hit with an attack capable of harming incorporeal creatures (AC 12), fail a saving throw against a magical effect (+4 bonus), or are repelled with various mystical or folk remedies against hauntings—only to reform by their fetish by the next nightfall. They can move small objects around and make combat maneuvers (dirty trick, disarm, drag, push, pull, trip, etc.) with a +5 bonus without provoking attacks of opportunity as a standard action and have fly speed of 30 ft., though they can't cause direct harm. When accompanying the hag, they can also distract her enemies granting her benefits of Aid Another and flanking. Within the hag's adobe they can move objects more reliably, acting as menial servants for her. A bonepicker hag can keep any number of fetishes, though only one per her HD can be active at the same time. She needs to hold inactive ones in a chest or other container to keep them in check.

Ghost Scent (Su) A bonepicker hag nose detects corpses, places, recently marked by death, haunts, and incorporeal undead creatures as if using scent. She can make a Knowledge (religion) check to discern between various types of incorporeal undead by smell alone. Corporeal undead register to this sense the same as corpses, though moving usually betrays their true nature.

Ghost Touch (Su) A bonepicker hag can touch and harm incorporeal creatures with her natural attacks.

Invocation Of Ghostly Vengeance (Sp) A bonepicker hag can be bargained with to devise a personalized occult ritual for a malicious (or desperate) petitioner wishing to enact an act of ultimate retribution. The petitioner has to have greater desire for vengeance for a real or an imagined crime than will to live. The ritual takes days or weeks to complete, forces the petitioner to perform services to the hag and debase oneself, showing absolute dedication to the act of the vengeance—and culminates with the death of the petitioners. If the tasks composing the ritual were successful and the petitioners' wills are completely focused on the act of vengeance, they raise as incorporeal undead (usually wraiths or specters, though particularly willful and dedicated petitioners might become ghosts). If the ritual tasks were flawed or incomplete, or the petitioner's dedication to vengeance falters, a haunt may be formed instead, or the petitioner might return as a minor ghost, bound either by regret or confusion.

Bonepicker hags loathe loneliness so they haunt village graveyards to steal pieces of bone, skin, and hair from the recently dead to trap their spirits into servitude and companionship. The vestiges of the dead are tied to serve her for a generation or two, until their memories of life and emotional bonds fade leaving little more than unresponsive outlines. Occasionally, bonepicker hags go as far as to infiltrate a wake or funeral to put her hands on materials for her fetish-dolls. At other times they visit gallows regularly.

While the bonepicker hag holds great power over the bound spirits, commanding them and tormenting them as she pleases, they can slip away from her for a short time at night, haunting places and people that had great emotional importance for them in life (positive or negative) for a few minutes each night. While in such state, the vestigial spirit can't communicate meaningfully, though it can occasionally whisper threats, promises, or please related to their emotional bond with the person or the place haunted. They often just appear staring at their beloved, or harassing those they hated in life. Their are not powerful enough to cause direct harm, unless they manage to trip or push someone down the stairs or from a ladder. Once a year, all the spirits from a bonepicker hag collection are released to haunt their quarries for a whole night, usually at the time of major holiday related to death.