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Sea Hag 5e: Death Glare, Horrific Appearance and Running Her
A sea hag is a CR 2 Medium fey with AC 14, 52 hit points, a 40-foot swim speed and one of the scariest combos at low level. Horrific Appearance frightens anyone who sees her true face, and Death Glare lets her stare at a frightened creature and drop it to 0 hit points on a failed DC 11 Wisdom save. In the 2014 rules she can do that every turn. The 2024 sea hag's glare recharges on a 5 or 6 and only drops creatures with 20 hit points or fewer outright; anyone with more takes 13 psychic damage instead.
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Sea Hag Stat Block (2014)
The SRD 5.1 sea hag.
Sea Hag
Medium fey, chaotic evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (7d8+21)
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR
16 (+3)
DEX
13 (+1)
CON
16 (+3)
INT
12 (+1)
WIS
12 (+1)
CHA
13 (+1)
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Aquan, Common, Giant
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Amphibious.The hag can breathe air and water.
Horrific Appearance.Any humanoid that starts its turn within 30 feet of the hag and can see the hag's true form must make a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the hag is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the hag's Horrific Appearance for the next 24 hours. Unless the target is surprised or the revelation of the hag's true form is sudden, the target can avert its eyes and avoid making the initial saving throw. Until the start of its next turn, a creature that averts its eyes has disadvantage on attack rolls against the hag.
Actions
Claws.Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Death Glare.The hag targets one frightened creature she can see within 30 ft. of her. If the target can see the hag, it must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or drop to 0 hit points.
Illusory Appearance.The hag covers herself and anything she is wearing or carrying with a magical illusion that makes her look like an ugly creature of her general size and humanoid shape. The effect ends if the hag takes a bonus action to end it or if she dies. The changes wrought by this effect fail to hold up to physical inspection. For example, the hag could appear to have no claws, but someone touching her hand might feel the claws. Otherwise, a creature must take an action to visually inspect the illusion and succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the hag is disguised.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
Her claws (+5, 10 slashing) are ordinary for CR 2. Everything dangerous about her comes from two features that feed each other:
•Horrific Appearance. Any Humanoid that starts its turn within 30 feet and can see her true form makes a DC 11 Wisdom save or is frightened for 1 minute. It repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, with Disadvantage while she's in its line of sight. Success, or the effect ending, makes it immune for 24 hours. A creature that isn't surprised can avert its eyes to skip the first save, but then has Disadvantage on attacks against her until the start of its next turn.
•Death Glare. As an action, she targets one frightened creature she can see within 30 feet. If it can see her, it makes a DC 11 Wisdom save or drops to 0 hit points.
Her Illusory Appearance makes her look like an ugly but ordinary person. Seeing through it takes an action and a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check, or physical contact. The key word is "sudden": a hag who drops her disguise in the middle of a conversation forces the first save with no chance to look away.
Sea Hag in the 2024 Rules
SRD 5.2.1 keeps her body and claws and reins in the glare.
Sea Hag
Medium Fey, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 14
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 52 (7d8 + 21)
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR
16 (+3)save +3
DEX
13 (+1)save +1
CON
16 (+3)save +3
INT
12 (+1)save +1
WIS
12 (+1)save +1
CHA
13 (+1)save +1
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Giant, Primordial (Aquan)
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Amphibious.The hag can breathe air and water.
Coven Magic.While within 30 feet of at least two hag allies, the hag can cast one of the following spells, requiring no Material components, using the spell’s normal casting time, and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 11): Augury, Find Familiar, Identify, Locate Object, Scrying, or Unseen Servant. The hag must finish a Long Rest before using this trait to cast that spell again.
Vile Appearance.Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 11, any Beast or Humanoid that starts its turn within 30 feet of the hag and can see the hag’s true form. Failure: The target has the Frightened condition until the start of its next turn. Success: The target is immune to this hag’s Vile Appearance for 24 hours.
Death Glare (Recharge 5–6).Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 11, one Frightened creature the hag can see within 30 feet. Failure: If the target has 20 Hit Points or fewer, it drops to 0 Hit Points. Otherwise, the target takes 13 (3d8) Psychic damage.
Illusory Appearance.The hag casts Disguise Self, using Constitution as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13). The spell’s duration is 24 hours.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014 Sea Hag
2024 Sea Hag
Fear aura
Horrific Appearance: Humanoids, Frightened 1 minute, repeat saves with Disadvantage
Vile Appearance: Beasts or Humanoids, Frightened until the start of the target's next turn
Averting eyes
Allowed, with Disadvantage on attacks against her
Not mentioned
Death Glare
At will, drop to 0 HP on a failed DC 11 Wis save
Recharge 5–6; 20 HP or fewer drops to 0, otherwise 13 (3d8) psychic
Disguise
Illusory Appearance, DC 16 Investigation
Disguise Self for 24 hours, DC 13 (Constitution)
Coven Magic
Not in SRD 5.1
Augury, Find Familiar, Identify, Locate Object, Scrying or Unseen Servant when within 30 ft. of two hag allies
Languages
Aquan, Common, Giant
Common, Giant, Primordial (Aquan)
The 2024 hag is less of a party-killer and more of a bully. At levels 1 and 2, nearly every character has 20 or fewer hit points, and at level 3 most casters still do, so a failed save still drops them outright. Past that, it's a 13-damage psychic blast she can't use every turn. The fear itself lasts one round at a time, but it re-rolls every turn the target starts near her until they succeed once.
How the Sea Hag Fights
Talk first, unmask second. A sea hag wants a deal: a firstborn child, a sailor's voice, a ship's figurehead. She approaches disguised. If talks fail, she ends the illusion (a bonus action in the 2014 stat block) at a moment that counts as a sudden reveal. Every Humanoid within 30 feet makes the save at the start of their next turn.
The 2014 kill loop. With Wisdom saves of +1 (common for fighters and rogues at level 2), a character fails DC 11 on a 1 to 9, 45% of the time:
Step
Chance
Fails Horrific Appearance
45%
Then fails Death Glare
45%
Dropped to 0 HP in the first exchange
about 20% per character
Still frightened after a repeat save with Disadvantage
about 70%
The hag can glare every turn. In a party of four level 2 characters with +1 Wisdom saves, there's about a 90% chance at least one is frightened after the reveal, and each glare at a frightened target is a 45% chance to end their fight. She never needs to touch anyone.
Fight from the water. With a 40-foot swim speed and Amphibious, she starts on a pier, glares, then slips under the surface. Characters without a swim speed spend double movement chasing her, and anyone who can't see her can't be targeted by Death Glare, but also can't hit back.
Pick the target that can't take a hit. In the 2024 rules, a failed save against the glare drops anyone at 20 hit points or fewer, no matter how high their maximum is. She uses her claws on the fighter to soften them under 20, then glares when it recharges.
Running a Sea Hag Encounter
The sea hag is worth 450 XP. For four characters under the 2024 rules:
Party (4 characters)
Low
Moderate
High
One sea hag is...
Level 1
200
300
400
Above High
Level 2
400
600
800
Moderate
Level 3
600
900
1,600
Low
Under the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines (used by our encounter calculator), one sea hag against four level 2 characters is Medium (400 to 600 XP). That understates the 2014 version: the at-will glare makes it play closer to Hard for parties without a Wisdom-save class.
Covens. SRD 5.2.1 gives the 2024 sea hag Coven Magic: when she's within 30 feet of at least two hag allies, she can cast Augury, Find Familiar, Identify, Locate Object, Scrying or Unseen Servant, each once per Long Rest, at DC 11. That's all the SRD says about covens. Fuller coven rules (shared spell lists, hag eyes) come from the 2014 Monster Manual, not the SRD. A coven of three 2024 sea hags is 1,350 XP, a High encounter for four level 3 characters.
How Players Beat a Sea Hag
•Avert your eyes (2014). Taking Disadvantage on your attacks for a round beats a coin-flip at 0 hit points. A creature that doesn't see her true form can't be frightened by it.
•Darkness cuts both ways, in your favor. Both her features need line of sight. Death Glare needs a target she can see that can see her. A Darkness spell centered on her blocks her darkvision as well as yours, which shuts off the glare entirely.
•Boost Wisdom saves.Bless adds 1d4 to saves. At DC 11 with a +1 save, Bless turns a 45% failure chance into about 33%.
•Burn her down fast. 52 hit points at AC 14 isn't much. Her Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma saves are all +1, so almost any save spell works. Hold Person won't, because she's Fey.
•End the fear.Dispel Evil and Good can end the Frightened condition caused by a Fey with its Break Enchantment option. In 2024, the condition ends by itself at the start of the target's turn, so focus on making that save instead.
•Kill her in the water at your peril. If she dives, let her go and guard the shore. She'll come back for whatever deal she wanted.
The sea hag is the brute of the three: the fewest tricks and the deadliest single action. The green hag wins by deception and never needs to be seen. Run the sea hag when you want one terrifying round the players remember.
Sea Hag Encounter Ideas
The figurehead. A fishing village's boats come back empty. The old woman who sells charms on the docks is a sea hag who sinks any boat whose captain didn't buy one. The party is asked to escort the next boat out. The hag comes aboard as a stowaway, disguised as a crewman's grandmother.
The bargain. A desperate bard begs the party to win back her voice, traded to a sea hag for the song that made her famous. The hag will return it for one memory from each party member. If they refuse, she drops her illusion mid-negotiation inside a sea cave where the tide is coming in.
The mirror pool. A tide pool shows anyone who looks into it their own face, ruined. It's a sea hag lying just under the surface. Rule that anyone who looks into the pool sees her true form and must save against her fear; the rest of the party only hears a scream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a sea hag in 5e?
A sea hag is CR 2 (450 XP) in both editions, with AC 14 and 52 hit points.
How does the sea hag's Death Glare work?
She targets one frightened creature she can see within 30 feet that can also see her. In the 2014 rules, it makes a DC 11 Wisdom save or drops to 0 hit points, and she can use it every turn. In the 2024 rules, it recharges on a 5 or 6, and only a creature with 20 or fewer hit points drops to 0; anything else takes 13 (3d8) psychic damage on a failure.
Can you avoid a sea hag's Horrific Appearance?
In the 2014 rules, yes: unless you're surprised or the reveal is sudden, you can avert your eyes and skip the save, taking Disadvantage on attacks against her until the start of your next turn. The 2024 Vile Appearance has no avert-your-eyes option, but anyone who can't see her true form isn't affected.
Do sea hags form covens?
In the 2024 rules, sea hags have Coven Magic, which lets them cast a short list of divination and utility spells while within 30 feet of two hag allies. The detailed coven rules of the 2014 Monster Manual are not part of either SRD.
Is a sea hag a fey or a fiend?
A sea hag is Fey in both editions. The night hag is the hag that's a Fiend.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.