Additional Random Encounters

for Curse of Strahd

By Sveinn Olafur Arnorsson

For use with the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons

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All other original material in this work is copyright 2017 by Sveinn Olafur Arnorsson and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4
The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
 Credits  If the characters are on a road, an
encounter occurs on a roll of 18 or
Written by: Sveinn Olafur Arnorsson
higher on a d20.
Playtesters: Halldor H Arnorsson, Lucas
 If the characters are in the wilderness,
Bartolini, Mattias Storm, Marcus Söder. an encounter occurs on a roll of 15 or
Additional feedback provided by: higher on a d20.
Tonje Lagnestål Melhuus
Special thanks: If an encounter occurs, roll on the daytime or
To my first Curse of Strahd group for one of on the nighttime encounter table, depending
the best experiences of my DM career. on the time, or have one of Strahd's spies
appear (see the Strahd's Spies sidebar on p29
With the help of the Tarokka card system to of the Curse of Strahd book).
randomize some of the most crucial elements
of the adventure, Curse of Strahd is at its core Daytime Random Encounters in Barovia
designed to be easy to replay and to offer a
different experience each time it is played.
The adventure is a personal favorite of mine
and I have run it a few times and it is my
genuine hope to return to Barovia many more
times in the future. Something that I found
could use a bit of expanding however are the
random encounters. There are many great
encounters in the adventure already but after
a while I found myself running out of new
ones to throw in my players' way. So I wrote
up a list of encounters to complement the
ones in the adventure. Below you will find
new lists of both outdoor encounters and
encounters for Castle Ravenloft itself.
Hopefully these will help you to keep the ˅
dangers of Barovia fresh and surprising to
players who may have already dared to step
into the mists once before.
Nighttime Random Encounters in Barovia

Most stat blocks for NPC´s and monsters can

be found in the Monster Manual. All such
creatures names are marked in Bold. If the
creature can be found in Appendix D of the
Curse of Strahd their name is followed by an
asterix (*). A few mostly optional monsters
are from Volo´s Guide to Monsters. These are
marked with an ˅ after their name.

The Barovian countryside can be a dangerous ˅

place to visit. Check for random encounters
every 30 minutes that the adventurers spend
on the road or in wilderness. Do not check for
random encounters if the adventurers have
already had two random encounters outdoors
in the past 12 hours.
Banshee
|A mournful wail escapes the mist. In its wake
you can hear a female voice sobbing in distress
out in the forest.|
This banshee is all that remains of one of the
dusk elf women murdered by Strahd. She has
sensed the presence of the party and their
very existence pains her. She tries to draw
them off the road and into less open terrain
where she has the advantage. If she can catch
one of them alone then even better. If the
party doesn't take the bait then she comes
flying out of the forest screaming in anger as
she attacks them.
Barovian Witch
|You can hear rustling in the bushes and the
sound of quiet muttering. A hunched figure is
moving through the underbrush, searching for
something along the ground.|
The barovian witch* is foraging for
ingredients and reagents for her spells and
rituals and is carrying a sack containing
mushrooms, herbs and whatever spell
components the DM finds appropriate.
Although the witch is distracted, her familiar
is keeping watch for danger. Roll a d6 to
determine the nature of the familiar and DC
of any attempts to surprise or avoid the witch
with stealth.
1-2 Cat Passive Perception 13
3-4 Snake Passive Perception 10.
5-6 Toad Passive Perception 11
Bones
|A flash of white in the underbrush catches your
eye.|
The characters have come upon a skeleton on
their travels. Roll a d8 to determine the
nature of the bones.
1-2 The bones belonged to either an elk or a
deer. They are old and overgrown with moss.
Anyone who investigates the bones and
succeeds with a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature)
roll can determine from damages to the bones
that the animal was not felled by an ordinary
wolf but by an unusually large and powerful
predator of some kind with a similar bite.
3-4 The remains are humanoid and old. The
back of the skull is completely caved in. A
character that succeeds with a DC 15
Intelligence (Medicine) roll reveals strange
deformities in the bones, as if the person in
life had legs that bent the wrong way.
5-6 The bones are in surprisingly good
condition. A detect magic spell reveals a
lingering aura of necromantic magic about
the bones. If any character approaches within
a few feet the skeleton animates and attacks.
7-8 The skeleton of a wolf is covered in a
strange mold. The mold is mechanically
identical to yellow mold, see the Dungeon
Masters Guide, page 105 should anyone touch
it or disturb the bones.
Cultists and Cult Fanatic
|Several individuals in long black robes with
their hoods up are moving quickly down the
road .|
These cultists (LE male and female) belong to
Lady Wachter's cult of devil worshipers in
Vallaki, although only the cult fanatic (LE
male or female) is a part of Lady Wachter's
book club and they would rather die than
reveal the name of their mistress. The cultists
do not wish their secrets to be revealed and
will fight if they believe the party may
identify them later, ask to many questions or
threaten to expose them. But they are equally
happy just going their own way if left alone.
Depending on where they are encountered
these cultists have a different destination in
mind.
Cultists around lake Zarovich are seeking
the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok in the hopes
of converting him to their cause or learning
his arcane secrets.
Cultists near the Amber Temple have
heard whispers of a dark place of power and
have taken it upon themselves to claim its
power.
Cultists encountered close to Castle
Ravenloft are on their way to the castle to
offer their loyalty to the vampire. Lady
Wachter knows nothing of any of these plans.
Dusk Elf Scouts
These dusk elves (N male dusk elf scouts) are
out looking for a missing vistani girl but do
not trust strangers easily. They will attempt
to hide and only approach the characters if
they believe them to be honorable folk. If
spotted, read:
|You catch sight of a grey cloaked figure leaning
out from behind a tree, the figure seems to be
holding a bow, and although an arrow is
nocked, the bow is relaxed for the moment.|
If the elves believe themselves spotted or if
they think it safe to approach the party they
will announce themselves and one of them
will step out to speak while any others cover
them from the trees. The elf will explain that
they are searching for a vistani girl by the
name of Arabelle and will ask the characters
to return her to the vistani camp near Vallaki
should they encounter her.
Flesh Golem
|Heavy footsteps echo out of the mist soon
followed by a 8-feet tall figure walking with
single minded determination towards you.|
When the Abbot found that several of his
beloved mongrelfolk had gone missing he
tasked one of his creations to find them and
bring them back home. The flesh golem is
tireless and will search the entire land until it
succeeds or is destroyed. It won't attack the
party unless they attack it first or they try to
keep it from its mission. Should they be
travelling with some mongrelfolk the golem
will move to grab them and immediately start
dragging them back to the abbey. It could be
possible to track the golem´s path back
towards Krezk if you need a hook for the
players to travel there. A path of broken trees
and trampled bushes lead to the
mountainside beneath the abbey where the
golem climbed down, following the same path
as the mongrelfolk who escaped. Neither the
golem nor the mongrelfolk passed through
the village proper.
Full Moon
|Without warning the night grows brighter and
as you glance up towards the skies you see the
clouds part and a pale full moon appear in the
now clear night skies. Within moments you
hear the first wolf howl, which is quickly
followed by another, and another, until the
night is filled with the music of the children of
the night.|
Perhaps by the blessing of Mother Night, the
whims of nature or more likely by the will of
Strahd, the moon has been allowed to shine
down freely upon the lands of Barovia. The
moonlight makes it easier to navigate without
using light sources, giving of a dim light,
however there is added risk as all the those
who worship Mother Night run out to bask
under the full moon. The clear skies last for
1d4 hours. During that time, check for
encounters every 15 min instead of every 30
min. In addition, check for encounters even if
the party has had two random encounters in
the last 12 hours. Should the players end up
having more than four random encounters in
a 12 hour period, then stop checking for more
random encounters.
Ghouls
A pack of ghouls have caught the scent of
the party and are tracking them. Roll a
Dexterity (Stealth) check for the ghouls and
compare it to the characters passive Wisdom
(Perception) scores. If the characters score
beat the ghouls, read:
|You hear the sound of something sniffing
behind you. As you turn about you see a
humanoid shape on all fours emerge from the
mist. You see its impossibly long tongue flow
out and lick along one of your footprints before
it lifts its head and looks up at you with hungry
dead eyes.|
The rest of the ghouls come rushing out of
the mist soon after.
Giant Spiders
This encounter only occurs if the characters
are travelling through wilderness. If the
characters are travelling by road, then treat
this result as no encounter or roll again on the
table. The players have stumbled into a nest
of giant spiders. If the lead character has a
passive Wisdom (Perception) of 15 or more
they manage to spot a spider web blocking
the path ahead in time to stop. If not then the
character stumbles into the web. See the
Dungeon Masters Guide page 105 for the
effects of giant spider webs. Regardless, read:
|A chittering sound echoes through the forest as
several dark shapes lower themselves down
from the canopy above on nearly invisible
strings of webbing.|
The giant spiders have the players surrounded
and scattered through the nearby terrain are
several more web clusters. The spiders try to
use the terrain to their best advantage, luring
the party into their webs if they can.
Giant Wolf Spiders
|As you glance of to the side you see movement
within the hollow trunk of a tree. Two large
spider legs slowly creep out and eight dark eyes
blink at you from out of the darkness .|
A group of giant wolf spiders emerge and
pounce on the party, emerging out of hollows
and burrows they were hiding in. The spiders
care little for each other, as they normally do
not hunt in packs but have been driven
together by the dangers of Barovia. As such
individual spiders can be can be made to flee
if they fear for their own lives.
Hunters
|A surprisingly pleasant smell hits your senses,
the scent of roasting meat.|
The smell is coming from a nearby campfire
that can be easily spotted through the trees.
If the characters approach they find two
hunters (N male or female human scouts).
One of the hunters is busy preparing some
lunch over an open fire while the other is
tending to the carcass of a wolf they felled. If
it fits the story and location these hunters
could be Szoldar Szoldarovich and Yevgeni
Krushkin from Vallaki. Regardless the hunters
are cautious but not outright hostile. They are
willing to serve as guides for the party for 5gp
per day but will under no circumstances brave
the Barovian night. Should the party be
caught without supplies, the hunters are
willing to sell some food to them but will
charge as much as they think they can get
away with, between 1gp and 5gp per person.
Limping Mastiff
|You hear a soft whining up ahead as a large
dog slowly walks out from behind a tree. The
mastiff seems to be hurt as it has one of its
front legs pulled up against its body and is
hobbling along on three legs.|
This mastiff is a hunting dog owned by a
hunter who lived in Vallaki. It and its master
were part of a group of hunters that ran into
a few more wolves than they could handle on
their last hunting trip and only the mastiff
survived. The mastiff has 1 hp remaining and
can only move at half speed until fully healed
because its front leg is mangled. If healed and
cared for the dog may make a fine
companion, however it is known in Vallaki
and questions may be raised as to how the
party came across it. Once encountered this
encounter cannot happen again. Treat this
result as no encounter or roll again.
Lone Raven
|A lone raven sits in your path, it appears to be
pecking at something on the ground.|
The raven lets out a squawk and flies of if
disturbed. Roll a d6 to determine the nature
of the object that had caught the ravens
attention.
1-2 A shiny platinum coin stamped with the
symbol of a sun.
3-4 A small plush dire wolf, one of its button
eyes has been pecked out by the raven and
lies nearby. Attached to one of the hind legs is
a small cloth tag with the slogan “Is No Fun,
Is No Blinsky!” stitched into it.
5-6 A badly hurt toad. As a character
approaches it the toad lets out one last croak
and then dissolves as it dies. The toad is in
fact the familiar of a barovian witch sent out
to spy for her.
Lost Child
|A soft, quiet sobbing breaks the eerie silence of
the mists|
The child (LG male or female noncombatant)
is cold, dirty and scared but unhurt. Roll a
1d6+6 to determine their age. If encountered
near Barovia, or Vallaki then the child has
gotten lost in the mists and wandered off
from the village. If the party is accompanied
by Barovian scouts (see the random
encounters in the curse of Strahd book) or if
they encounter Barovian scouts later, then
this child could be the person they are
looking for.
If this encounter happens near Krezk then
the child was one of the children being held
by the werewolves in their den who managed
to escape. The child is extremely traumatized
but if calmed down can give a rough
description of the location of the werewolf
den. More than likely the child is being
hunted by members of the pack and 1d6
werewolves descend upon the group shortly
after discovering the child.
 If encountered near the Bonegrinder mill,
then the child has escaped from the hags who
make it their home. Although traumatized
they can tell the party that they were held
prisoner in a cage in a mill by a group of
hideous crones. (If you have access to Volo's
Guide to Monsters then the hags summon a
Banderhobb˅ and send it to retrieve the
child. It will arrive whenever you deem it
appropriate). Only one child has managed to
escape the hags, if encountered again near
Bonegrinder then the child is a lost child from
Barovia or Vallaki (see above) or treat the
result as no encounter or roll again.
If encountered near Berez then the child is
in fact a Ghost. The child knows that it lived
in a village by the river and that the rains
wouldn't stop, causing the river to rise. The
ghost tried to run but got lost. They don't
remember much of their life but will try to
convince the party to bring them home,
possessing a party member if needed. If it
cannot convince the party to help they will
disappear with a shriek. If the ghost is
brought back to Berez they will thank the
party for bringing them home and fade away
with a smile, finally able to rest. Once the
ghost has been brought home, it cannot be
encountered again.
Mongrelfolk
|The sound of branches breaking and the
rustling of the underbrush draws your gaze into
the forest. You spot several hunched, misshapen
figures moving through the fog.|
After much arguing this group of
mongrelfolk* have found the courage to
escape from the monastery in Krezk to brave
the wilds of Barovia and are currently
searching for food and shelter. Although
desperate they do not pose much of a danger
to others at the moment as they are terrified
of the strange new world they have found
themselves in and its inhabitants but will
defend themselves if attacked. Like all
Belviews these mongrelfolk are insane. Roll
on the indefinite madness table on page 260
of the Dungeon Masters Guide to determine
what individual madness inflicts them.
Phantom Warriors
|Shimmering blue spectral figures march slowly
down the road towards you. As they see you
one of them raises their sword towards you and
calls out to you in a hollow, echoing voice
“Who goes there! State your allegiance or face
our wrath!”. |
These men and women once served the order
of the silver dragon in Argynvostholt and
were tasked with patrolling the roads,
keeping them free from Strahd's forces,
bandits and monsters. Although long dead
they still perform their solemn task, marching
up and down the roads of Barovia. They will
attack any who claim allegiance to Strahd but
can be convinced or tricked to leave the party
alone. If they attack or are attacked the
warriors fight until they are destroyed. If
destroyed the phantom warriors* cannot be
encountered again. Treat any further
encounters as no encounter or roll again on
the table.
Skeletons
|The rustling of chainmail and the clattering of
bones warns you that something approaches.|
This group of skeletons have been sent out
into the land on some dark mission for
Strahd. Perhaps they seek the party, perhaps
they are to reinforce a location Strahd
suspects the party will soon attack or they
have been sent to destroy one of Strahd's
enemies. The skeletons were once guards at
castle Ravenloft and are dressed in tattered
remains of armor and march in military
formation, as if some lingering echo of their
former selves remained. If the party are quick
to get off the road they can hide with a
Dexterity (Stealth) against the skeletons
passive Wisdom (Perception) of 9. The
skeletons will attack the players if they spot
them. Half of the group fall back to use their
bows while the others rush in to attack in
melee.
Specter
|A baleful light approaches quickly through the
trees.|
Once a hunter from one of the settlements in
Barovia who was betrayed and murdered by
his partner, this specter now only exists to
bring pain and suffering to the living, rising
from its shallow grave each night to hunt
once more.
Vampire Spawn
|The light of a campfire catches your eye.
Sitting around the fire is a motley crew of
humanoids, not too unlike yourselves. Their
dress and armor don't match what you have
seen in use by the people of this land.|
The setup is a ruse to lure the party in. This
group of vampire spawn were once
adventurers before they were felled by Strahd.
They have now been sent out by their master
to test the strength of the party and their
tactics. If defeat seems unavoidable they will
try to flee back to castle Ravenloft so they can
report back what they have learned to Strahd.
On subsequent encounters with vampire
spawn they will attempt other ways to
ambush the party and to undermine their
trust in the people of Barovia.
Vine Blights
This encounter only occurs if the characters
are travelling through wilderness and not on
a road. Otherwise treat this encounter as no
encounter or roll again on the table. The vine
blights are hiding amongst the underbrush
close to the path, some of their tendrils
stretched out across it, appearing as normal
roots and vines. When the party passes
through the middle of the blights the plants
will suddenly animate and attack, read:
|The roots around your feet suddenly start
moving, wrapping themselves around your legs
as vines shoot out of the nearby bushes. Several
vaguely humanoid creatures made from
twisting vines slowly rise all around you.|
Vistani Wagon
|You see a horse-drawn barrel-topped wagon
make its way up the road. Sitting on the box are
two colorfully dressed humans.|
The Vistani (1d6+1 CN male and female
bandits, two are on top of the box, the rest of
them are inside the wagon) are making their
way towards the closest vistani camp (either
the Tzer pool encampment or the one outside
of Vallaki) after returning from a trip abroad.
They will stop if flagged down and they offer
to sell one or more “magical” potions to
anyone showing interest in their wares for 3
times what they are worth in the Players
Handbook unless a different price is stated
below. They have 1d4+1 potions for sale. Roll
1d8 to determine the nature of each potion.
1 Acid
2 Alchemist's fire
3 Antitoxin
4 Holy water
5 Concoction of burning (Oil, 50g)
6 Potion of charm (Fine Perfume, 50g)
7 Potion of healing
8 Potion to escape the mists around Barovia
(colored water, 50g)
At the DM´s discretion they may have other
rare items that may be hard to usually find in
Barovia for sale such as spell foci, weapons
and armor.
Wights
|Dark silhouettes approach out of the mist, their
weapons drawn and at the ready.|
These wights have been tasked by Strahd to
seek out the party. If the party isn't
considered much of a threat they will simply
charge out at them and attack. However,
should they have made a name for
themselves, the wights will first have spent
some time creating fodder for their
confrontation. Should that be the case 3d4
zombies will emerge out of the mist to attack
the party first while the wights harass them
from afar with their bows, charging into
combat once the characters have tired
themselves out by dealing with the zombies.
Wood Woad
This wood woad˅ was created by the druids
of the land long ago and the secret to create
more may have been lost with time. It still
serves the druids of the land and is out on
some dark mission on behalf of them, perhaps
to seek vengeance on the party. As the
characters draw near it will attempt to hide
using its natural camouflage and catch them
by surprise. If spotted, read:
|At the edge of the forest you see a small
misshapen tree that looks surprisingly
humanoid in its shape, a dark hollow where its
face should be. As you stare at it two bright
lights appear inside of the hollow where its eyes
should be and the creature lurches towards
you.|
The woad has no fear but will retreat if it
believes itself to be close to defeat so it can
rest up and try to kill the characters another
day. If you roll this encounter again then the
woad has returned to finish its task. If
destroyed then this encounter cannot occur
again. Treat further encounters of the wood
woad as no encounter or roll again. Wood
woads are described in Volo´s Guide to
Monsters, should you not have access to that
book then treat this result as no encounter or
roll again.
Castle Ravenloft
Random Encounters
The first time characters enter an area of the
castle that isn't otherwise occupied check for
a random encounter. Also check for a random
encounter every 10 minutes the characters
spend resting in the castle.
In most cases a random encounter should
occur on a roll of 18 or higher on a d20. To
determine what the characters encounter,
consult the table below.
Animated armors
|Several well polished suits of armor line the
walls.|
These animated armors have been created
by Strahd and sent to hinder the party. They
remain still and lifeless until a character
approaches within 5 feet of them, attacks
them or half the party has passed by them.
The armors fight until they are destroyed.
Blinsky toy
|A odd looking toy lies discarded in the dust
ahead.|
The toy has a slogan stitched or printed on it
in tiny letters: “Is No Fun, Is No Blinsky!”. Roll
a d6 to determine the specific toy.
1. Randomly determine one of the
characters. This toy is a doll that looks exactly
like that person, with the exception that
someone has violently twisted the head
around to face backwards. The doll's face has
an expression of pain and fear.
2. A stick horse that is carved and painted to
look like as if it was made from a horse's skull
and spine.
3. A spinning top. When it spins fast enough
it lets out a sound much like that of a terrified
human shriek.
4. A nutcracker doll carved and painted to
look like Strahd von Zarovich.
5. A pinwheel. Its blades are modeled after
the Old Bonegrinder.
6. A small wooden box in the shape of a
coffin with a set of jacks made out of bones
inside of it.
Book
|You see a discarded tome lying on the floor, it
is covered by a thin layer of dust.|
Someone left a book here some time ago,
there is nothing sinister about its nature,
although a party that have faced mimics and
traps may believe so. Use the table on page 66
of the Curse of Strahd to determine its
subject matter.
Corpse
|A still figure lies ahead.|
The characters have found a corpse. Roll a d6
to determine the nature of the body.
1-2 The body belongs to someone the party
knows. Their face frozen in horror, their neck
broken. Choose an NPC the characters would
recognize. They have been brought here and
killed to taunt the party.
3-4 The remains of a vampire feeding. The
corpse is that of a barovian villager whose
throat has been ripped out. There is
surprisingly little blood for such a violent
death and the body is still warm.
5-6 The corpse is a strahd zombie*. It
radiates necromantic magic to anyone using
detect magic on the body. As soon as a
character moves within 5 feet of it or it is
attacked, the zombie animates and attacks.
Gargoyles
|With the sound of heavy wings beating a
demonic looking creature comes barreling out
of the darkness.|
This pack of gargoyles have been relieved of
their guard duty on top of the walls or roofs
of castle Ravenloft and sent to hunt the party
down. The gargoyles are eager to inflict pain
on behalf of their master and will fight until
they are destroyed.
Ghost
|There is a flicker of pale light as a translucent
figure of a woman dressed in a suit of plate
appears. A hollow voice echoes out as she turns
towards you “Quickly, this way. We haven't got
much time” .|
Once an adventurer who died trying to free
the land from Strahd, this ghost doesn't
realize that she is dead and has mistaken the
characters for her party. She won't listen to
them and will try to lead the characters to a
place of importance she was trying to reach in
life. As she moves she seems to flicker in and
out of existence, sometimes appearing further
ahead and urging them to keep up. She will
wait for them if they stop but will disappear if
the characters move too far away from her.
Roll a d6 to determine where the ghost leads
them if they follow.
1. Heart of sorrow (Area K20)
2. Audience hall (K25)
3. Chamberlain's office (Area K72)
4. South dungeon (Area K75)
5. Brazier room (Area K78)
6. Catacombs (Area K84)
Note that if she leads them to the catacombs
she will descend down the high tower
staircase (area K18) and disappear through
the bricked up section. Once the ghost
reaches her destination she disappears.
Ghouls
|A hunched figure sits in the darkness ahead of
you, facing away. A chomping and tearing
sound tells you that they are eating something.|
A pack of ghouls are feasting on the remains
of unfortunate villager who wandered into
the castle. If there is more than one ghoul the
rest of the pack are further ahead with the
rest of the body. They are currently distracted
but approaching them or making any noise or
sound will alert them to the party. If that
happens adjust the description as needed and
read:
|As you approach the figure it goes silent and
slowly turns around to face you. The creature's
face is covered in blood, pieces of flesh hanging
out of its mouth. In its clawed hands it holds a
partially eaten severed human arm. Its maw
descends into an unnaturally extended gape as
it screams.|
The rest of the pack will rush to join their
comrade as soon as combat breaks out, either
hearing its cry or the sound of battle. The
ghouls fight until they are destroyed.
Giant spider
The giant spider is moving quietly along the
ceiling, scanning the passages underneath it
for prey. After spotting the party it will
attempt to move down behind them and pick
off any stragglers. Roll a stealth for the spider
and compare it to the characters passive
Wisdom (Perception) scores. If any character
beats the spider's result, read:
|An impossibly large spider is slowly and
silently creeping along the ceiling, its numerous
black lifeless eyes staring down towards you as
it hungrily gnashes its fangs together. |
Glyph of warding
A glyph of warding has recently been cast
here. It can be spotted by a character who has
a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or
more. If spotted, read:
|There is a faint symbol drawn on the floor in
front of you, it is nearly invisible but it appears
to be some kind of arcane rune or glyph.|
The glyph is an explosive rune and will
detonate if anyone passes over it. If triggered
the glyph explodes in a 20-foot radius sphere.
Any creature caught in the radius must make
a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5d8
cold damage on a failure or half as much
damage on a successful one.
Lone bat
|A small dark figure flies out of the shadows,
letting out a high pitched shriek.|
The first time the characters encounter a lone
bat it will in fact be Strahd von Zarovich* in
his bat form. If he does not already have
something of the characters to aid him in
scrying he will fly into one of them and
scratch them to gather some hair or blood
and then swoop away back into the castle. If
he has no need of any such material he will
instead use his form to take the party by
surprise and attack them. If the characters
encounter this result more times then
repeated encounters will simply be normal
bats flying through the castle, although the
players may believe otherwise.
Mimic
|You see a small chest standing of to the side.|
The characters have encountered a mimic.
Although the default form is a chest, It will
take whatever form it finds will most likely
attract the party. If the party is resting it
could be a chair that one of the characters sits
down in, if they are walking through the
castle it could take the form of a door they try
to pass through. If encountered again each
future mimic should have a new unique form
to try to trick the party.
Ochre jelly
The ochre jelly is hiding somewhere safe as
the character's move in closer, either
squeezed into a large crack, inside some piece
of furniture or on the other side of a nearby
door. As the party passes by it will emerge
and start to follow its next meal. As the party
is faster the jelly won't attack until the next
time they stop for a moment, to rest,
investigate or battle some other monsters
perhaps or if the party decides to backtrack.
Roll a stealth for the jelly as it emerges. If its
roll is less than any characters passive
Wisdom (Perception) score, read:
|You hear a squelching sound coming from
behind and as you turn around you see a thick
yellow substance oozing out into the passage
behind you.|
Pidlewick II
|The sound of bells tinkling precedes the
appearance of a strange little man. He is
dressed like a jester and as he approaches you
can just make out the muffled sound of
grinding gears as he descends into an awkward,
stiff bow.|
Pidlewick II* is moving about the castle,
looking for a new hiding place. To his surprise
and joy he has stumbled into some guests and
he is eager for their attention.
Shadow Demon
The shadow demon will attempt to
stealthily follow the characters until they are
at their most vulnerable before attacking.
Perhaps when the characters are already
engaged in combat with another of the
castle's denizens, they attempt to rest or if
the terrain is to its advantage. The demon will
be especially cautious if it sees that they
possess the sunsword as it is vulnerable to its
light. Roll a stealth roll for the shadow demon
and compare it to the character's passive
Wisdom (Perception) scores. If any character
beats the demon, read:
|One of the shadows leans out and away from
the wall. As it emerges you see that it is vaguely
humanoid and it has two large horns that curve
out from its head and a pair of large wings that
flair out behind it as it detaches from the wall.|
Skeletons Wraith
|With a rattling of bones and a rustling of chain |The temperature of the room seems to fall as a
a skeletal figure appears out of the darkness.| dark figure emerges from out of the wall.|

These skeletons once served in the guard of
castle Ravenloft before they were killed by
Strahd. They have been brought back to serve
once more and mimic the duties they had in
life. The skeletons will attack any intruders
and fight until destroyed.
Specter
|A spectral figure emerges with a shriek of
anguish and rage out of the floor, its eyes
burning with hatred towards you.|
The wraith is a faithful servant of Strahd and
will do its best to end their existence. If it has
the chance it will convert any fallen
characters into specters. Unlike many other
foes the party risk facing in castle Ravenloft
the wraith is intelligent and cunning. It will
retreat if it is close to destruction so that it
can return later to harass them. If destroyed
this wraith cannot be encountered again.
Treat this result as no encounter or roll again
for a different encounter.

This specter was once a soldier of castle

Ravenloft or an adventurer who came here
seeking their fortune. Nothing remains of
them now but hatred for the living and it will
fight until it is destroyed.

Strahd Zombies
|You hear slow-moving footfalls and the sound
of dragging feet approaching. Then the smell
hits you, the smell of rot and decay.|

These strahd zombies* are patrolling the

castle and have yet to discover the party. If
the characters are quick they can attempt to
hide. The zombies will attack any living
creature they find and will fight until
destroyed.

Swarms of rats
|You hear the skittering of untold tiny clawed
feet approaching quickly.|

These swarms of rats are servants of Strahd

and rush to attack the party.