Running a Hag encounter

[sharp anchor]

So, here's the situation: the druid in my party is a genasi who is looking for her brother, who vanished looking for their genasi tribe a year ago. I've decided that the enchanted forest to the northeast of the city is where he is, along with all the other genasi who have been lured there. I'm thinking the culprit is a hag who is harvesting the genasi's elemental essence for...something. Not sure yet.

However, I don't want this to be a straight up combat encounter. At this point in time the party doesn't know to suspect a hag, but hags are supposed to be tricky, right? They don't fight unless they need to and they always have a backup plan. I'm trying to figure out how to play this hag intelligently so they don't go in guns blazing and steamroll her.

This idea is still very new in its concept, so I'm sorry I don't have more details yet, but if anyone's run a had encounter or an encounter with a similarly tricky opponent, do you have any advice?

[eternal fulcrum]

Perhaps the first thing the hag needs is information on these new adventurers. See what they're made of, send them on a quest as a test of their abilities/morals/gullibility/etc

Figure out if the party is a threat, useful, harmless, etc

[sharp anchor]

Right now I'm not sure she's aware of the party yet, they haven't done anything to make waves in the city, but I'll keep that in mind when they start building notoriety

[eternal fulcrum]

Maybe hag has some divination to get a hint, get interested in the party

[mint fox]

What kind of city is this, to begin with?

And how influential/powerful might the hag potentially be?

[sharp anchor]

The city encompasses pretty much the entire playable world, and it's very large. The forest the hag lives in is technically outside its borders, but only just.

The hag is pretty powerful. I'm still building her statblock, but she's supposed to be strong enough that she has dominion over the whole forest and controls it uncontested.

Additional information: the hag is harvesting the genasi because the (enchanted) forest is dying due to the nearby mining of (also enchanted) minerals. She's using the genasi's elemental essence to stave off the slow death of the forest. This is mainly for self-preservation and her being territorial, not because she cares about the plants and animals being harmed. But she would definitely use that angle to garner sympathy if she thought it could work.

[mint fox]

I like this idea first. Send them into the forest where the mining operations are and show the effects they’re having on the forest. Keep them away from the Sympathy effect or whatever similar thing keeps the other genasi trapped there. Perhaps then the hag can deceive them into acting against the mining operations in some way, and create a moral dilemma

[sharp anchor]

i like that too! that's good

[mint fox]

Hags generally are reasonable even if evil, and they like to bargain. If the party manages to gain enough power and influence to actually shut down mining she could possibly even ally with them in secret.

Not necessarily something the party needs to know, mind you

And this potential alliance could then be tested once the party finally learns of the genasi’s fate at her hands

[sharp anchor]

Knowing the druid, a non-negotiable condition of any alliance would include the release of her brother and her people, which...I don't want to say convincing her of that would be impossible, but they'd need to offer something of similar value to several hundred people

Ah! That's a good point too