[RPG] If one of the hags in a coven dies how is a hag eye affected

dnd-5emonsters

It is very clear that it takes all 3 hags from a coven to create a new Hag Eye but if afterwards one of them dies, ending the coven, are the other 2 hags still "linked" to the previously created Hag Eye? That is to say:

  1. Can the 2 remaining hags still use an action to see through the Hag Eye?
  2. If the eye is destroyed are they blinded for 24 hours?

I think it is unlikely to influence answers but in my case the coven had 3 night hags.

Best Answer

RAW, they are not still linked once one is dead.

Here's the relevant passage describing the rules for Hag Eyes:

Hag Eye. A hag coven can craft a magic item called a hag eye, which is made from a real eye coated in varnish and often fitted to a pendant or other wearable item. The hag eye is usually entrusted to a minion for safekeeping and transport. A hag in the coven can take an action to see what the hag eye sees if the hag eye is on the same plane of existence. A hag eye has AC 10, 1 hit point, and darkvision with a radius of 60 feet. If it is destroyed, each coven member takes 3d10 psychic damage and is blinded for 24 hours. A hag coven can have only one hag eye at a time, and creating a new one requires all three members of the coven to perform a ritual. The ritual takes 1 hour, and the hags can't perform it while blinded. During the ritual, if the hags take any action other than performing the ritual, they must start over. (MM p. 176)

So this question can be answered by answering whether the two remaining hags are still in a coven after one dies. It's clear from the text that neither of the effects you asked about applies if there is no coven.

Here's the text describing covens:

A coven consists of three hags so that any arguments between two hags can be settled by the third. If more than three hags ever come together, as might happen if two covens come into conflict, the result is usually chaos. (MM p. 176)

So a coven is three hags. Once one is killed, they are no longer a coven, and the Hag Eye can no longer be seen through by the hags or destroyed to hurt the hags.

Further RAW support

Volo's Guide to Monsters describes the situation you're describing where one of the hags in a coven is killed:

If a member of a coven is killed and the surviving members intend to keep the group from dissolving, they immediately attempt to recruit a replacement. This process involves each prospective member committing cruel acts with the aim of impressing the remaining coven members. Adventurers who slay only one member of a coven might deal a blow to it in the short term, but later on the surrounding region is wracked with plaguest curses, and other disasters as the applicants attempt to outdo one another. (VGTM p. 57-58)

So the surviving two hags try to find a third as soon as possible if they intend to continue the coven - since they cannot do so with just the two of them.

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