Moving on to 3rd edition OA there are a few new monsters in this book that were not in 2e or 1e. Converting them here.
HANNYA
Aversion to Violets. A hannya does not voluntarily enter a home or any other building surrounded by beds of violets, nor does she attack a character carrying a bouquet of violets, either physically or with spells. In fact, a character carrying violets is immune to the detect thoughts and suggestion abilities of a hannya. In such a case, polymorphed into the form of an old woman, she sweetly asks her intended victim to put the flowers in a vase where she can admire them, or claim that she is allergic to violets and ask the victim to put them away.
Shapechanger. The hannya can use its action to polymorph into a Medium female humanoid or back into her true form. her statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment she is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. If she dies, she reverts to her true form.
Innate Spellcasting. The hannya’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13). The hannya can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will:detect thoughts, suggestion (a hannya can use this ability as often as she desires, but it does not function on a creature that knows the hannya’s true nature or views her as a threat).
Spellcasting. The hannya is a 6th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). She regains her expended spell slots when she finishes a short or long rest. She knows the following warlock spells:
- Cantrip (at will): chill touch, eldritch blast (range 300 ft., +3 bonus to each damage roll), mage hand, message, poison spray, prestidigitation
- 1st–3rd level (2 3rd-level slots): arms of Hadar, darkness, fear, hex, hold person, hunger of Hadar, witch bolt
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The yuan-ti makes one constrict attack and one claw attack. If already constricting a target she can instead cast a spell.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is a Large or smaller creature. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the hannya can’t constrict another target.
DESCRIPTION
A distant cousin to the hags of the Monster Manual, the hannya is a female human wu jen, sorcerer, shaman, or shugenja who has made an unholy pact with a dark spirit to effect her perma- nent transformation.
The upper half of a hannya’s body is that of an elderly human female, with a long, hooked nose, a forked tongue like a snake’s, and beady black eyes covered with a milky film. Her body is lean and bony, and her flesh is a sickly green. Sharp, yellow teeth line her mouth. Her black, greasy hair dangles in long curls over her hunched shoulders. Her thin fingers end in sharp claws.
The remainder of a hannya’s body is that of a thick serpent, covered in green or black scales and cold to the touch.
A hannya is a devious, cruel fighter, preying almost exclusively on the weak and helpless. When confronted by an opponent that might be a match for her, she withdraws at the earliest opportunity. When a hannya detects the presence of a suitable victim, such as a traveling priest or a lost child, her typical strat- egy is to assume the form of an old woman with a kind face and pleasing manner, then plant a suggestion in her victim’s mind that a lonely old lady needs help or desires company, or can pro- vide the victim with shelter or food. If the victim is drawn to her, the hannya engages in pleasant conversation until the victim trusts her, then attacks.
A hannya often has levels in a spellcasting class, such as shaman, shugenja, sorcerer, warlock, or wu jen.
Banner Credit: “Hannya” by Daniel Martos.