The oldest and most insidious necromantic secrets are remembered by hag’s covens. Their curses have plagued the likes of elves and humans since before the dawn of history, becoming more malicious and complex with the passing centuries.
Necromancers that consort with hags or join a hag’s coven to learn their necromantic secrets are known as “crones” by their peers and “haglings” by others. For their devotion to the hag’s ancient arts, these necromancers learn to spin terrible curses, brew potions in a cauldron, and even access the mythical Baba Yaga’s arcane secrets.
Crone Spells
When you choose this ambition at 3rd level, you learn additional spells as noted in the table below. Each of these spells counts as a necromancer spell for you, but doesn’t count against the number of necromancer spells you know.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Find Familiar, Hideous Laughter |
| 2nd | Blindness-Deafness, Invisibility |
| 3rd | Bestow Curse, Fly |
| 4th | Banishment, Polymorph |
| 5th | Contagion, Seeming |
Charnel Curse
At 3rd level, your touch bestows curses. When you hit with a Charnel Touch attack and expend 5 or more points, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be cursed for 1 minute. While cursed, the target subtracts 1d6 from any attack rolls, ability checks, or saving throws it makes. At the end of each of the target’s turns, it can make a Wisdom saving throw against the curse, ending the effect on a success.
You can only curse one creature with this feature at a time, and you can end this curse early on your turn (no action required).
Witch’s Cauldron
Beginning at 6th level, you can brew potions in a bubbling cauldron using foul alchemical ingredients. You can spend 10 minutes and expend any number of Charnel Touch points to brew potions. These potions retain potency for 24 hours, after which they become inert. If a potion calls requires a saving throw, it uses your spell save DC.
The potions available for you to brew are given on the Cauldron Potions table below.
Cauldron Potions
| Potion | Charnel Touch Points |
|---|---|
| Potion of Animal Friendship | 10 |
| Potion of Climbing | 10 |
| Potion of Growth | 10 |
| Potion of Healing | 10 |
| Philter of Love | 20 |
| Potion of Heroism | 20 |
| Potion of Poison | 20 |
| Potion of Resistance | 20 |
Walking Hut
By 10th level, you enchant a structure to grow legs and follow your commands. When you perform your Animate Thralls ritual, you can summon a single walking hut. You command this creature as one of your thralls.
Additionally, you can use your action to temporarily dismiss the walking hut to a pocket dimension, or cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 60 feet of you.
Lichdom: Baba Yaga
At 20th level, you have reached the pinnacle of necromancy and transformed yourself into a lich. By mastering the subtle magic of hags and witches, you can wield the full power of a coven and curse others with unparalleled foulness. You gain the following features in addition to the Lichdom feature:
Athame. By enchanting a dagger or similar weapon over the course of a short or long rest you create a ritualistic knife called an athame. You can use your athame as a spellcasting focus.
As an action, you can expend 25 points from your Charnel Touch pool to target a creature that you can see within 60 feet using the athame, which must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, for the next hour, the target loses any resistances to damage and treats any immunities to damage as resistances instead.
Effigy. You can use your bonus action to construct an effigy composed of clay, twigs, or rags of a creature you can see within 60 feet of you, magically linking the creature and the effigy. As long as the creature is within 1 mile of you, you can cast spells and use your Charnel Touch through the effigy to target the creature even if the creature is out of range or you can’t see it.
The effigy retains its potency for 8 hours. Once you use this feature to create an effigy, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Evil Eye. You can expend 20 points from your Charnel Touch pool to cast the spell fear without expending a spell slot. You can also expend 35 points to cast the spell eyebite, or 40 points to cast the spell mirage arcane without expending a spell slot.
Walking Hut Statblock
- Walking Hut Large Construct, Unaligned
- Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 85 (10d10 + 30)
- Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (+4) | 10 (+0) | 17 (+3) | 3 (–4) | 3 (–4) | 1 (–5) |
- Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities: blinded, charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
- Senses: blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 6
- Languages: —
- Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
- Proficiency Bonus: +2
Demiplane Dwelling. The walking hut contains an entrance to a 30-foot radius demiplane furnished as a rustic household. The demiplane is dimly-lit, comfortable, and dry, regardless of the weather outside.
When the hut dies, creatures inside the demiplane are expelled into the open spaces nearest to the entrance. The hut’s creator can also use its action to magically expel creatures it chooses from the demiplane.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.