Baba Yaga's Hut

Baba Yaga's Hut looks like a small, hexagonal hut with a thatched roof that is no more than 12 feet high and 10 feet across. A rickety chimney juts from the top. At a distance it seems to be mounted on stilts, though closer inspection reveals that they are giant chicken legs, fully another 12 feet long. It has a single door and two windows. The Hut is almost always found in the deep woods, surrounded by a picket fence topped with skulls.

The Hut is seldom still and is often seen spinning or capering about. Even when not dancing, the Hut bobs up and down, sways from side-to-side, or swivels about as if looking at things.

History

Baba Yaga and her Hut are unique among all the artifacts in that there are two histories for them. The first history is of Baba Yaga the fearsome ogress who comes straight from Slavic folklore. The second history presents a fantasy Baba Yaga for those DMs who prefer not to have the "real world" intrude upon their games.

In folklore, Baba Yaga was a fearsome ogress (as in a hideous greater-than-human creature, not the AD&D® game ogre). Not only was she strong, but Baba Yaga also possessed great magical power. She cooked children, caused storms, and traversed the country with Death at her side. Her appearance was horrid, with wild hair, a bony body, fangs, and claws and teeth of stone. According to some, she protected the waters of life, while according to others she was a spirit of the forest.

Equally amazing were Baba Yaga's magical items. It is said that the ogress flew through the sky in a mortar of iron, poling it with the pestle. Some say that thunder was the clamor of the mortar and pestle as she flew. At her hand she always had a great club that could turn men to stone. Without a doubt, though, the greatest of her treasures was her Hut.

For those who wish to maintain a purely fantasy explanation for this artifact, Baba Yaga was an evil sorceress of great skill, perhaps the greatest female mage who ever lived. More ruthless, far-sighted, and determined than most of her counterparts, male or female, Baba Yaga spent a good number of her last years in a single-minded effort to create the Hut. Although many wizards of that time derided her as obsessed, Baba Yaga did not relent and eventually finished her finest creation. Although she seemed ancient beyond belief, the sorceress lived for a good number of years after this, travelling the countryside in her strange conveyance. Although she grew aged, Baba Yaga hinted that she had found a way to survive. Then, one day, she entered her Hut and never returned. Capering and dancing, the Hut disappeared from sight and vanished from the realm.

Since that ancient time, the Hut has been seen only a few times, always dancing. The reports of those who tried to enter it only reveal what most already know—that Baba Yaga's Hut is an item of great power.

Campaign Use

Whether based on the real folklore or a fantasy background, there is no reason Baba Yaga's Hut or even Baba Yaga herself cannot appear in a campaign. In either guise, Baba Yaga can inspire the peasants of the countryside with great terror at the mere mention of her name, for even though she has long been absent, the memory of Baba Yaga and her Hut still linger on.

Baba Yaga's Hut is more than just an artifact waiting to be used. It is almost a living thing, a monster of sorts. It can move about, fight, and do other things of its own accord, thus making it one of the most difficult artifacts to control and use.

Generally, the player characters should only discover the Hut if the DM is willing to introduce Baba Yaga into the campaign. The player characters should always feel like trespassers onto her property, so it is important to keep players guessing as to whether Baba Yaga is alive, dead, or undead. If they do encounter her, the DM should prepare a suitable foe—certainly no less powerful than a lich.

The Hut can be the source of several related adventures. First there is the task of finding the artifact. This can both easy and hard. Local farmers might report sightings and attacks, but the characters still have to hunt down the roaming device. Once found, the characters have to enter and explore the Hut, since it is much larger on the inside than it should be. The Hut—being quasi-alive—will do what it can to hamper and resist the characters. It may even have guardians living inside it. Whether or not the characters gain control of the artifact, a final adventure would center around the return of Baba Yaga. She is certainly going to take a dim view of others stealing her Hut!

Powers

Constant. The inside of Baba Yaga's Hut is a palace far larger than the outside. Enclosed within the walls are over 30 rooms, including indoor gardens, kitchens, a library, laboratory, armory, bedrooms, and even an observatory. Many of the rooms have windows, but they all give the same view; that of the two front windows of the Hut. Within the Hut, only the master can use summoning, interdimensional travel, or teleportation spells. This master functions at two levels greater than normal (including extra hit points, spells, etc.) and gains a 20% magic resistance. In addition, the Hut has full senses of its surroundings (hearing and sight, including infravision) shared telepathically with its master.

Invoked. Before any of the Hut's invoked powers can be used, the character must use a key phrase establishing control over the Hut, which only recognizes one master at a time. Thereafter the Hut can be commanded to run across any surface including water (movement 48), come when called (up to 7 miles distant), hop up to 500 yards in a single bound, or kick at any target within 10 feet (#AT 2, THACO 9, Dmg 4d6, and pin to the ground on a roll of 18 or greater and causing 4d10 points the next round). Each leg can only be hit by +2 weapons or better, has an AC of -2, 48 hit points, and regenerates 1 hit point per round. When a leg loses all hit points, the Hut settles to the ground, totally regenerated.

Random. The master gains 2 abilities from Table 25: Major Spell-Like Powers.

Curse. The curse of Baba Yaga's Hut is Baba Yaga herself. Sooner or later she will come to get it back. Since it is her home, it is likely to have secrets known only to her.

Suggested Means of Destruction

• The interior pocket dimension must be swallowed into another one.
• the Hut's hidden inner brain must be found and destroyed.