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Was this an April Fools day question, or would you still like me to keep checking? I may be able to create a statisticly sound v.3.5 one for you if you're truly in need.
The artifact is mentioned in: Baba Yaga's Hut - DMG1 156
"Baba Yaga’s Hut: Ages ago the most powerful female mage ever known spent much of her power in the creation of a magical dwelling of superb character. When she passed to another plane, her hut disappeared and has only been rumored to have been seen once or twice since. Baba Yaga developed a small hut of ordinary appearance - a circular, thatched structure of 15’ diameter and 10’ high. To this dwelling are attached two powerful fowl legs 12’ long, which appear to be stilts. Furthermore, the Hut has intelligence (high) and human senses, plus infravision to 120’ and ultravision. Inside, the Hut is a small palace - garden, fountains of water and wine, and 30 rooms on 3 floors, all lavishly and richly furnished! Despite the commodious interior, the bird legs can move Baba Yaga‘s Hut at up to 48’ speed over swamp, 36’ over rough or normal terrain, 12” over hills, through forests, etc. The Hut will obey commands from 1 person (the one first using a key phrase) and can come to a call from as far away as 1 league. Its legs deliver blows equal to those of a hill giant, 2 attacks per round, to any so rash as to come near without invitation or knowing the command phrase. The legs are armor class 2 and can take 48 hit points damage each, regenerating at 1 hit point/melee round. The walls of the Hut are the equivalent of 5’ thick granite. The Hut has the following additional powers/effects:
4 x I:
2 x (I:
1 x 111:
1 x IV:
1 xv:
1 x VI:"
The Hut is also mentioned in Dragon83 32,
"The Hut's appearance
Baba Yaga spent much of her early life constructing the Dancing Hut, which now serves as her mobile fortress, home, and helper. The Dancing Hut is a small, windowless log cabin, hexagonal in shape, with a decorated wooden roof. Only 15' wide and 12' high at the peak of the roof, with a small chimney on top, the Hut does not appear very impressive--except for the 12' long chicken legs coming out from the bottom.
When first sighted, the Hut will usually be "dancing" by spinning about rapidly on its feet. The Hut will make about one revolution every six or seven seconds, with the feet stamping the ground every half second. If someone is entering or leaving the Hut, the legs will fold up into a 2-foot-deep crawlspace beneath it, so that the Hut rests on the ground. If so commanded by Baba Yaga, the two huge legs can move the Hut at a very rapid pace (48" over smooth ground, 36" over rough terrain or swampland, 24" through woods and mountains). About 2' thick, the legs are treated as AC -2 and may only be struck by magical weapons. Each leg has 45 HP, and if damaged by weapon blows will regenerate 3 HP per round. As noted below, the legs are immune to all magic.
When attacking (if commanded to do so, if attacked, or under other conditions described below), the legs strike as 10 HD monsters, once each per round, for 4-24 HP damage. If a leg catches a victim with a score of 4 or more over the roll needed to hit, the victim's arms are pinned by the claws, and the attacker may be crushed to the ground for 4-40 HP damage (40% chance), or hurled 20-120 feet away for 1d6 damage per 10' thrown (60% chance). Thrown characters must make a saving throw vs. paralysis or be stunned upon
impact for 2-12 rounds, unable to move, attack, or defend themselves. Crushed characters will be hurled away in the following melee round.
No matter whether the Hut is spinning, fighting, or running, the interior will remain stable and calm, because of its extraplanar construction. Other powers of the Hut may be used under Baba Yaga's direction, and they are described in area 46 below.
The Hut itself is powerfully enchanted. Close examination will show fine magical runes covering every square inch of its outer surface. The Hut's exterior (including the legs) is not affected by any magical spell, and it will reflect spells cast directly upon it (such as fireball, lightning bolt, or magic missile), inflicting them on the caster. Area effect spells not centered on the Hut will not be reflected back, but they will not affect the Hut, either. Though the walls are made of wood, the Hut is immune to all forms of fire, acid, cold, water, and lightning. Physical attacks have no effect upon the cabin section of the Hut.
No form of divinatory spell, not even a wish, will reveal the Hut's current location (its protection resembles that offered by an amulet of proof against detection and location).
"You'll find it when you see it," say the sages."
The Hut is also mentioned in BoA 21, The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga adventure
Also try Baba Yaga:The First Setting in Rassiya. It was written by Michael Fiegel and published by the good folks at Dog Soul. It also won a gold ENnie in 2006. I hear it is an excellent supplement and certainly deserved the award.
The best d20/v.3.5/OGL I could find was SHADE's information on EnWorld but unfortunately it is only started and unfortunately incomplete (not sure its edited right, and certainly not playtested)... the final version is saved to a file of homebrews that I can't seem to access right now, but I can try again later. Here is what I can copy over for you for now:
Baba Yaga's Hut
Huge N Construct CR 25
Hit Dice: 40d10+40 (260 hp)
Initiative: +x
Speed: 120 ft. (24 squares)
AC: 22+ (–2 size, +x Dex, +x natural), touch x, flat-footed x
(The legs are really tough, DR 15/adamantine and epic; +20 natural armor)
Climb, Jump, Move Silently, Swim?
Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+x
Attack: Claw +x melee (4d6+x)
Full Attack: 2 claws +x melee (4d6+x)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Crush/pin, improved grab
Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduction x/adamantine and epic;
Feats: (14 total, 7 can be epic); Combat Expertise, Dodge, Epic Fortitude, Epic Reflexes, Epic Skill Focus (Jump), Epic Skill Focus (Swim), Epic Will, Improved Critical (claw), Legendary Leaper, Mobility, Power Attack, Run, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack
All-around vision due to its constant spinning?
__________________
damage reduction x/adamantine and epic, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to acid, cold, electricity, and fire, immunity to magic, "immunity to water", "immunity to divinations", low-light vision, reflective exterior
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +12, Will +14
ABilities: Str 40, Dex 14, Con —, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 11
Skills: - Skills: 4 at 44 ranks
Feats: Improved Grab, hurl, Smash
Environment: x
Organization: Solitary or with Baba Yaga
Challenge Rating: x
Treasure: x
Alignment: Neutral?
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
Immunity to Magic (Ex): Baba Yaga's Hut is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance.
Reflective Exterior (Ex): The Hut's walls are powerfully enchanted, deflecting all rays, lines, cones, and even magic missile spells. There is a 30% chance of reflecting any such effect back at the caster; otherwise, it is merely negated.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the Hut must hit a Large or smaller opponent with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to smash or hurl the opponent.
Hurl (Ex): The Hut can hurl a grappled creature as a standard action. A hurled creature travels 2d6 x 10 feet, and takes 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet traveled. The victim must also succeed on a DC X Fortitude save or be stunned for 2d6 rounds. The save DC is Strength-based.
Smash (Ex): The Hut may attempt to smash a grappled creature to the ground as a free action. With a successful grapple check, the victim takes 4d10+(Str and 1/2?) bludgeoning damage and is considred pinned. The Hut usually hurls a smashed opponent in the following round.
**********************
Depending on the age of the Folklore Baba Yaga changes from being the Mother of the Thunder god, to a Powerful Storm Spirit, to a fey Hag, to an old Witch. You might cast her as a Outsider (so Night Hag with Class levels perhaps? or unique native outsider, but akin to night hags).
It might have been Dragon 344(?) where Baba Yaga is mentioned helpping Kostchtchie get his start. (Thank James & Erik for that.)
Using the "divide old edition hit points by 4.5" method, she'd have 30 Hit Dice. Comparing her 1e hit points to other unique outsider's 1E hit points, she's about on par with Geryon, who has...30 Hit Dice in 3E. So, getting started...
Baba Yaga
Medium Outsider (Evil, Native)
Hit Dice: 30d8+240 (375 hp)
Initiative: +11
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 42 (+7 Dex, +7 natural, +10 deflection, +8 insight), touch 35, flat-footed 35
Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+39
Attack: Claw +39 melee (1d8+9/19-20)
Full Attack: 2 claws +39 melee (1d8+9/19-20) and bite +34 melee (2d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aura of horror, consume spirits, deadly rending, spell-like abilities, spells
Special Qualities: Change shape, damage reduction 15/magic (15/magic and non-metal within her hut), darkvision 120 ft., immunity to mind-affecting spells and abilities, magical aging effects, and necromantic effects, knowledgeable, resistance to cold 10 and fire 10, regeneration 3, scent, "sniff out knowledge", spell resistance 41, tongues
Saves: Fort +25, Ref +24, Will +27
Abilities: Str 29, Dex 24, Con 26, Int 32, Wis 30, Cha 27
Skills: Bluff +41, Concentration +41, Decipher Script +44, Diplomacy +45, Disguise +41 (+43 acting), Hide +40, Intimidate +43, Knowledge (arcana) +44, Knowledge (local) +44, Knowledge (nature) +46, Knowledge (the planes) +44, Listen +43, Move Silently +40, Search +44, Sense Motive +43, Spellcraft +46 (+48 scrolls), Spot +43, Survival +43 (+45 following tracks, +45 on other planes), Use Magic Device +41 (+45 scrolls)
Feats: Brew Potion (B), Empower Spell, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative (B), Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity (x2), Intensify Spell, Maximize Spell, Power Attack, Quicken Spell
Environment: Temperate and cold forest
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 25
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: -
Level Adjustment: -
Baba Yaga stands 5 feet tall and weighs 100 pounds.
Baba Yaga speaks Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal, and Sylvan, but can speak with almost any creature because of her tongues ability.
Combat
Aura of Horror (Su): Baba Yaga can radiate a 15-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. A creature in the area must succeed on a DC 33 Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell (caster level 20th). A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by Baba Yaga's aura for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Change Shape (Su): Baba Yaga can assume the form of any Small, Medium, or Large animal or humanoid.
Consume Spirits (Su): When Baba Yaga slays a humanoid opponent, she can devour its life force, as a full-round action. This prevents any form of raising or resurrection that requires part of the corpse. There is a 50% chance that a wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell can restore a consumed victim to life. Check once for each destroyed creature. If the check fails, the creature cannot be brought back to life by mortal magic.
Baba Yaga heals 10 hit points per Hit Die of the creature whose spirit she consumes.
Deadly Rending (Ex): If Baba Yaga hits with both claw attacks and her bite attack, she latches onto the opponent’s body and tears the flesh. This attack automatically deals an additional 4d6+13 points of damage. Additionally, the victim must succeed on a DC 34 Fortitude save or die. This is a death effect. The save DC is Strength-based.
Knowledgeable (Ex): Baba Yaga makes Knowledge checks for any Knowledge skills as if she had a minimum of 10 ranks in that skill. To surpass the 10-rank minimum, she must assign more than 10 ranks to the skill as normal.
Regeneration (Ex): Fire and acid deal normal damage to Baba Yaga. If Baba Yaga loses a limb or body part, the lost portion regrows in 3d6 minutes. She can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump.
Sniff Out Knowledge (Su): If Baba Yaga successfully detects a creature via her scent ability, she gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Knowledge checks made to identify monsters and their special powers or vulnerabilities. She may also discern the creature's nationality if she succeeds on a Knowledge (local) check (DC equals 10 + creature's HD). With a standard action, she may discern a creatures alignment as if using detect chaos/evil/good/law.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will--comprehend languages, detect magic, discern lies (DC 22), read magic. Caster level 20th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Spells: Baba Yaga casts spells a 25th level wizard. Baba Yaga can also add spells found on scrolls, or other sources, containing divine spells to her arcane spellbook. Baba Yaga can learn and thus prepare divine spells in this fashion as if they were on the sorcerer/wizard spell list at the same level.
Typical Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 25th, save DC 18 + spell level)
0-- arcane mark, ghost sound, mending, prestidigitation (4 total)
1st-- deathwatch, expeditious retreat, mage armor, pass without trace, shield, unseen servant, ventriloquism (7 total)
2nd-- death knell, desecrate, misdirection, spectral hand, tree shape, undetectable alignment, warp wood (7 total)
3rd-- bestow curse, deeper darkness, diminish plants, dominate animal, haste, maximized ray of enfeeblement, nondetection (7 total)
4th-- blight, extended fly, freedom of movement, giant vermin, quickened true strike, rusting grasp (6 total)
5th-- commune with nature, extended greater invisibility, insect plague, maximized lightning bolt, quickened scorching ray, true seeing (6 total)
6th-- geas, greater dispel magic, liveoak, maximized enervation, quickened bestow curse, word of recall (6 total)
7th-- blasphemy, control weather, creeping doom, empowered quickened vampiric touch, heightened dominate person, plane shift (6 total)
8th-- control plants, greater prying eyes, intensified scorching ray, moment of prescience, unholy aura (5 total)
9th-- foresight, quickened greater dispel magic, shambler, weird, wail of the banshee (5 total)
10th -- heightened bestow curse, quickened greater teleport (2 total)
11th -- empowered maximized horrid wilting, intensified cloudkill (2 total)
Tongues (Su): Baba Yaga can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell (caster level 20th). This ability is always active.
Skills: Baba Yaga has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
Hope that gets you started - let me know if you still need someone to go through all this and refine it.? Good luck.
I THINK that someone did a conversion on ENworld. Check the monster version boards.
did you just want the hut itself or the entire module?
Mike
Hi Mike! First off no its not an April Fool's joke! :-) Anyhoo, there was a Dragon #86(?) for first edition and then there was a module for second. Anyway I am looking for either the Hut or the module for 3.XE
This is no lie...
I know this guy, named James Jacobs, who has been quietly doing his own version of Roger Moore's famous 1st edition version of the Hut.
It's on his hard drive right now.
Not making this up.
I was praying before Kingmaker was announced that the next AP would feature Vikings and Witches, and culminate in the Hut...
....but it was not to be.
I am hoping for the AP after Kingmaker.
Dragon #86(?)
While looking through some old Dragon mags for sea based adventures for another Thread I came across Dragon 83 with the "The Dancing Hut" adventure (it's the first of the Chess covers for the mag).
Anyway, I had to share Roger Moore's Thanks To... at the end of the adventure when I saw it again, spunkin' great stuff!:
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to John Helle ("Put a boalisk in there, those things are neat!"), Jim Ward ("How about a casino room run by a night hag, where she's got this magic roulette wheel..."), Penny Petticord ("I always thought Baba Yaga had a nice personality"), Chuck Ramsay ("Those Josef Stalin tanks were pretty common back in'43"), Roger Raupp ("I just don't know about the Russian tank; why not put an aircraft carrier in the big lake, or a MiG-25 with big nukes all over it..."), Andria Hayday ("It's... interesting"), and Will Lonergran ("It's deviant"), whose help and commentary made this module horrifying.
-W. E. Ray
OK, Jacobs, what gives?
So several years ago, not long after we did Maure Castle in Dungeon #112, I got the bug of updating old adventures under my skin. I started doing a similar update of the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan for my home group, but only finished a few rooms before thy got to the adventure and moved on. I also started doing a similar update to Roger Moore's "Dancing Hut" adventure from Dragon magazine; that was my favorite Dragon adventure, after all! I had semi-plans to finish it up and some day put it into Dungeon, but it was never officially on any schedule. As a result, work on it proceeded at a glacial pace, and when we lost the magazine license, I had only converted the pre-hut sections. With the magazine license gone, there wasn't really an outlet to publicly reveal the thing, so it's kinda just lain fallow on my computer ever since. Some day, if and when I have free time again, I might go back to it and convert the rest (to Pathfinder RPG this time). I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to publicly show it off, though, since it's basically a remake of a work that is owned by WotC. I'll certainly look into it, though!
I had only converted the pre-hut sectionsIsn't that literally, like, one page? (I guess it depends if you count the list of "The following spells work differently inside the Hut: ...")
Nope. It's a little longer (currently at 3,000 words, which would be about 3.5 pages in print, and includes:
—A brief introduction
—Four adventure hooks to get the PCs to seek out the Dancing Hut
—History, appearance, and stats for the Dancing Hut (it's CR 15)
—Rules for the Hut's environs (including its skull fence)
—Rules for entering the Hut
—How the Hut's interior works, and how magic is changed and altered within (these rules are a LOT less expansive than in the original adventure's list of altered spells, since 3rd edition already has a lot of that architecture in place already AND because I'm not a big fan of taking away PCs' toys)
—The start of a Random Encounters in the Hut section
It's a start, but not a lot.
I had only converted the pre-hut sectionsIsn't that literally, like, one page? (I guess it depends if you count the list of "The following spells work differently inside the Hut: ...")Nope. It's a little longer (currently at 3,000 words, which would be about 3.5 pages in print, and includes:
—A brief introduction
—Four adventure hooks to get the PCs to seek out the Dancing Hut
—History, appearance, and stats for the Dancing Hut (it's CR 15)
—Rules for the Hut's environs (including its skull fence)
—Rules for entering the Hut
—How the Hut's interior works, and how magic is changed and altered within (these rules are a LOT less expansive than in the original adventure's list of altered spells, since 3rd edition already has a lot of that architecture in place already AND because I'm not a big fan of taking away PCs' toys)
—The start of a Random Encounters in the Hut sectionIt's a start, but not a lot.
Well know that your fans are looking forward to it!
No, I mean, in the original module wasn't it about a page? I guess it might've been two pages.Nope; in the original, that material was just under five pages. MOST of it was spell alterations.
Right -- the pre-Hut stuff is about a 1 2/3 pages, excluding the spell alterations (I have the .pdf in front of me now, so I can check for myself). That's what I meant when I said "Isn't that literally, like, one page?".
Right -- the pre-Hut stuff is about a 1 2/3 pages, excluding the spell alterations (I have the .pdf in front of me now, so I can check for myself). That's what I meant when I said "Isn't that literally, like, one page?".No, I mean, in the original module wasn't it about a page? I guess it might've been two pages.Nope; in the original, that material was just under five pages. MOST of it was spell alterations.
Literally one page would have been one page, though.
Which touches upon one of my (many and numerous) editorial pet peeves of course... use of the word "literally" when that's not literally the word one meant to use.
Misuse of the word "decimate" is up there too, along with its/it's errors.
Will do! :P
Crack that editor's whip, James!
James,
Since I started this mess... (And no regret or shame that I did either..)
I understand that R.M's work is original.. but couldn't you do your own original version of the Hut?
After all, WOTC can not own the right to mythology? Correct?
Granted, it would be a challenge for you, because you have seen a version that you liked quite a bit- but that's always been at the root of my pestering requests.
I have this vision of an AP based around Irrisen, centered around the implication that in the campaign setting that Elvannia's reign is about to come to an end, presumably because a new daughter is about to be installed. The AP would culiminate in a visit to the Hut. This time of confusion is the perfect setting for an AP, because you've already set the stage that Elvannia and her own immediate family do not want to let go of their grasp on Irrisen too easily. A perfect opportunity to weave in the Land of the Linnorm Kings and the Mammoth Lords too. Vikings versus witches!
You've also got instant product tie-in with the Cities of Golarion, which will provide supplemental data on Whitethrone.
I know I'm biased because I'm pitching the idea, but I think it sounds totally bada$$.
Not to be a nag, but you felt comfortable enough to describe the hit and mention outright that it is some sort of extra-dimesnional structure.. why not make your very own legacy?
Please? Time for the 15th Daughter?
...I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to publicly show it off, though, since it's basically a remake of a work that is owned by WotC. I'll certainly look into it, though!
Hey James - I'm still a big fan of your work. If anyone can breathe life once again into the fascinating Baba Yaga mileau - its YOU!
Baba Yaga was around for aeons. I remember hearing stories about Baba Yaga from my grandmother long before TSR was ever formed, and certainly before wotc started "gobbling up" fantasy widgets as their so-called own. I understand you can't redo the bit you worked on previously, so, I welcome you to pitch it into the trash, liberate yourself from limitation, and begin fresh on this wonderfully compelling element for Pathfinder Fantasy Role-playing game right away!
I loved Jason Bulmahn's allusion to Baba Yaga in Hollow's Last Hope, where the old witch in Darkmoon Vale was a descendent from the elusive Baba Yaga.
Thanks for considering. I can't wait to see your all-new stuff!!!
-Pax-
I understand that R.M's work is original.. but couldn't you do your own original version of the Hut?
While I could certainly expand on and do something with Baba Yaga's hut since it's mythological, the concept and contents of her hut as detailed in Moore's adventure is not really from mythology. If I were to do an official Pathfinder version of her and her hut, it'd be something brand new, which is kind of tempting too.
Still... Once we're over the SIGNIFICANT hump that is the RPG and the Bestiary, I'll be getting back some free time and maybe I'll start tinkering with it again. It WOULD be cool to see how the adventure looks with PF RPG rules in place...
Hey James - I'm still a big fan of your work. If anyone can breathe life once again into the fascinating Baba Yaga mileau - its YOU!
Thanks! :)
I loved Jason Bulmahn's allusion to Baba Yaga in Hollow's Last Hope, where the old witch in Darkmoon Vale was a descendent from the elusive Baba Yaga.
I believe it's Wes Schneider's work that put Baba Yaga into that adventure. If I recall right, Jason wrote the dungeon part and Wes wrote all of the rest...
If you have access to the Encyclopedia of Religion at a nearby library, its entry is somewhat short, but good.
Edit: Good as far as info-packed, but not in terms of giving you a run-down of folkloric sources.
Found: Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale
Russian Fairy Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)
If you have access to the Encyclopedia of Religion at a nearby library, its entry is somewhat short, but good.
Edit: Good as far as info-packed, but not in terms of giving you a run-down of folkloric sources.
Found: Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale
Interesting.
As it looks like the ENWorld conversion by Shade was mentioned but the link was never posted, HERE it is.
By the way, having taken some time to digest the materials that are linked from the Sur La Lune page above, I highly recommend them. They'll steer you to the original stories, and there are two excellent critical articles published by Endicott Studios linked on the left side by Helen Pilinovsky.
All this reminded me of the reaction I had to the witch in "Spirited Away" which was doubled to handle the ambiguous side of the Baba Yaga figure.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone.
Here are the finished versions of Baba Yaga and her hut.