How do I narrate Laeral Silverhand's Silver Hair attack?

Question

Laeral Silverhand's statblock appears in the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure (p. 207). Among her action options, she has an attack option labeled "Silver Hair":

Silver Hair. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) force damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

What is actually happening with Laeral's "Silver Hair" attack?

Is she literally using her hair as a weapon a la Sindel from Mortal Kombat? I'm trying to think of a way to describe this attack to my players if it ever comes up in a manner that doesn't sound absurd.

Answer 1

Laeral Silverhand really can attack with her hair. (Magic is probably involved.)

Chapter 1 of Death Masks demonstrates an example

For some very clear evidence that Laeral Silverhand can use her hair to attack people, see Ed Greenwood's novel set in Waterdeep, Death Masks. The official product page includes a link to a PDF of the "sample" first chapter, "A Nice Night for Murder". It includes several mentions of her hair.

First, Mirt "the Moneylender" and Elminster Aumar arrive at Mirt's former home, which has apparently been given by the Lords of Waterdeep to Laeral Silverhand in his absence (of over a century). They discover 6 assassins trying to kill Laeral, who is horizontally hovering in midair (p. 8-9; bold for emphasis mine):

Floating in midair at about head level for a man taller than Mirt was a sleeping woman, spread-eagled and horizontal and oblivious to all intruders. Her silver hair, the tresses long enough to reach to her ankles if she’d been standing upright, was spread out around her in a lazily restless cloud, almost a sphere of moving silver strands, and she glowed. [...[ Her bare feet were toward Mirt and Elminster as she floated on her back, her tresses drifting around her.

However, the assassins' crossbow bolts ("quarrels") and even a thrown dagger don't seem to reach her:

Mirt’s shout of warning came out as silence, but even as he barked it, those quarrels were slowing in midair, coming to a halt as Laeral’s hair drifted and swirled unconcerned around them.

The 5 assassins using crossbows charge in to try and stab Laeral, but find themselves foiled... by her hair:

Yet a running man, no matter how strong, swift, and agile, can make little headway if snatched off his feet and ensnared by hair as swift as a striking snake and as strong as a swooping dragon. Hair that could strangle and suffocate with ease, but instead merely pinions, ensnaring wrists and ankles and tugging so powerfully that the five owners of those captured limbs were bent over backward in midair, curled up into helpless arcs, like bent and straining longbows.

(The last assassin, who threw the dagger, tries to run away, but Mirt trips him and knocks him out.)

Laeral then opens her eyes. She tells Mirt and Elminster that she was "in reverie" (communing with the Weave), not asleep, and that "None of Mystra’s daughters ever need to sleep." She also praises Mirt on the defensive magic of the house (which may be what prevented ranged attacks from hitting her, given that her hair wasn't moving to stop them). Laeral then manipulates the Weave (without casting a spell) in order to directly probe their minds, but it causes her great pain (because Mystra wanted to disincentivize such a risky act that endangered the minds of both prober and target).

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Lore and the statblock itself suggest that something magical is happening

Anyway, the above quotes make it clear that Laeral Silverhand's hair really is, essentially, able to attack and grab people. This is likely because she is one of the Seven Sisters, immortal daughters of the goddess Mystra that were her "Chosen"; this blessing grants them access to unprecedented magical power. While being a Chosen of Mystra is not known to be specifically connected to magic hair, her status as a Chosen and her own magical talents may have something to do with it.

Going back to Laeral Silverhand's statblock (Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, p. 207), we can see the following entries under "Actions":

Multiattack. Laeral makes three attacks with her silver hair and flame tongue longsword, in any combination. She can cast one of her cantrips or 1st-level spells before or after making these attacks.

Silver Hair. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) force damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Laeral is clearly very capable; she can make up to 3 attacks in a turn with her hair (and cast a cantrip or 1st-level spell on the same turn on top of that). In addition, it's worth noting that her silver hair, if it hits, does force damage, and has a high chance of paralyzing the target.

According to the description of damage types in the rules:

Force. Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile and spiritual weapon.

From this, it's clear that Laeral's hair is not just physically slapping enemies around. Rather, Laeral is able to channel magical energy through her hair to hurt a target she hits with it.

Answer 2

I think there are two pertinent aspects of the attack that you want to communicate to players.

1. The attack deals force damage

The description of damage types in the rules says the following about force damage (PHB, p. 196):

Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile and spiritual weapon.

2. The attack has a paralyzing effect

This effect is similar to a wand of paralysis (DMG, p. 211):

While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 of its charges to cause a thin blue ray to streak from the tip toward a creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute.

These effects might warrant the notion that her hair emits a spell-like effect.

Perhaps you can state that the shine/glimmer produced by Laeral's long, silver hair is so palpable that it actually does damage and so spectacular it leaves creatures frozen in place. Or, more directly, you could explain that she channels her magic through her hair and releases that energy at a nearby enemy in the form of a paralyzing ray.

Answer 3

Depictions of the character have long silver hair, so the assumption that her actual hair is meant is reasonable.

Of course in the real world, hair is not suitable for attacks. But the attack description says the attack deals force damage. The rules on the force damage type state:

Force is pure magical energy focused into a damaging form. Most >effects that deal force damage are spells, including magic missile >and spiritual weapon.

That suggests that even if the attack's damage is not considered magical and it is not a spell attack, it is, in fact, magical.

Concerning the description, you should make sure, the players get that magic is involved. In my games, players usually do not find magical things (such as demons) absurd, they are part of the story's reality. To convey the information that the hair is magically enhanced, you can describe that it glows or that it emits sparks of magical energy when moving. This works as a narrative indicator that the normal physical hair rules do not apply.