Additional Random Encounters for Curse of Strahd

Credits • If the characters are on a road, an encounter occurs

Written by: Sveinn Olafur Arnorsson on a roll of 18 or higher on a d20.
Playtesters: Halldor H Arnorsson, Lucas Bartolini, Mattias Storm,
• If the characters are in the wilderness, an encounter
Marcus Söder.
Additional feedback provided by: Tonje Lagnestål Melhuus occurs on a roll of 15 or higher on a d20.
Special thanks: To my first Curse of Strahd group for one of the
best experiences of my DM career. If an encounter occurs, roll on the daytime or on the
nighttime encounter table, depending on the time, or
Legal have one of Strahd’s spies appear (see the Strahd’s
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Spies sidebar on p29 of the Curse of Strahd book).
Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and
all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective Daytime Random Encounters in Barovia
logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other
countries. d12+d8 Encounter
2 Lost child
This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast
and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under 3 Limping mastiff
the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
4 Bones
All other original material in this work is copyright 2017 by Sveinn 5 1d6 phantom warriors*
Olafur Arnorsson and published under the Community Content
Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. 6 Lone raven
7 Vistani wagon
Contacting the Author
I welcome any feedback or questions anyone may have, and I 8 1 barovian witch*
would love to hear from anyone who tries out my material. 9 Hunters
Twitter: @DungeonSmithRPG
Email: [email protected] 10 1d6 mongrelfolk*
Tumblr: dungeonsmith.tumblr.com 11 2d4 cultists and 1 cult fanatic
If you enjoy my work, feel free to check out my YouTube Channel
focused on DND content aswell: 12 1d4 giant spiders

W
youtube.com/dungeonsmith 13 1d6 ghouls

ith the help of the Tarokka card 14 2d4 giant wolf spiders
system to randomize some of the most 15 1d6 dusk elf scouts
crucial elements of the adventure, Curse
16 2d4 vine blights
of Strahd is at its core designed to be
easy to replay and to offer a different 17 3d6 skeletons
experience each time it is played. The 18 1 wood woad˅
adventure is a personal favorite of mine
and I have run it a few times and it is my genuine hope 19 1d4 wights
to return to Barovia many more times in the future. 20 1 flesh golem
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.
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 a ˅ after their name.

Outdoor Random Encounters

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.

2
Nighttime Random Encounters in Barovia Bones
d6 Encounter
d12+d8 Encounter
1-2 The bones belonged to either an elk or a deer.
2 Lost child
They are old and overgrown with moss. Anyone
3 Bones who investigates the bones and succeeds with a
4 1d6 phantom warriors* DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) roll can determine
from damages to the bones that the animal
5 2d6 giant wolf spiders was not felled by an ordinary wolf but by an
6 Lone raven unusually large and powerful predator of some
kind with a similar bite.
7 2d4 cultists and 1 cult fanatic
8 1d6 giant spiders 3-4 The remains are humanoid and old. The back of
the skull is completely caved in. A character that
9 3d6 skeletons succeeds with a DC 15 Intelligence (Medicine)
10 1d8 ghouls roll reveals strange deformities in the bones, as
if the person in life had legs that bent the wrong
11 1 barovian witch* way.
12 1d6 mongrelfolk*
5-6 The bones are in surprisingly good condition.
13 1 specter A detect magic spell reveals a lingering aura
of necromantic magic about the bones. If any
14 1 banshee
character approaches within a few feet the
15 1d4 wights skeleton animates and attacks.
16 2d6 vine blights 7-8 The skeleton of a wolf is covered in a strange
17 1 wood woad˅ mold. The mold is mechanically identical to
yellow mold, see the Dungeon Masters Guide,
18 1 flesh golem
page 105 should anyone touch it or disturb the
19 1d4 vampire spawn bones.
20 Full moon
Cultists and Cult Fanatic
Banshee |Several individuals in long black robes with their hoods
|A mournful wail escapes the mist. In its wake you can up are moving quickly down the road .|
hear a female voice sobbing in distress out in the forest.|
These cultists (LE male and female) belong to Lady
This banshee is all that remains of one of the dusk Wachter’s cult of devil worshipers in Vallaki, although
elf women murdered by Strahd. She has sensed the only the cult fanatic (LE male or female) is a part of
presence of the party and their very existence pains her. Lady Wachter’s book club and they would rather die
She tries to draw them off the road and into less open than reveal the name of their mistress. The cultists
terrain where she has the advantage. If she can catch do not wish their secrets to be revealed and will fight
one of them alone then even better. If the party doesn’t if they believe the party may identify them later, ask to
take the bait then she comes flying out of the forest many questions or threaten to expose them. But they
screaming in anger as she attacks them. 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.
Barovian Witch Cultists around lake Zarovich are seeking the Mad
|You can hear rustling in the bushes and the sound of
Mage of Mount Baratok in the hopes of converting him
quiet muttering. A hunched figure is moving through the
to their cause or learning his arcane secrets.
underbrush, searching for something along the ground.|
Cultists near the Amber Temple have
heard whispers of a dark place of power
The barovian witch* is foraging for ingredients and
and have taken it upon themselves to
reagents for her spells and rituals and is carrying a
claim its power.
sack containing mushrooms, herbs and whatever spell
Cultists encountered close to Castle
components the DM finds appropriate. Although the
Ravenloft are on their way to the
witch is distracted, her familiar is keeping watch for
castle to offer their loyalty to the
danger. Roll a d6 to determine the nature of the familiar
vampire. Lady Wachter knows
and DC of any attempts to surprise or avoid the witch
nothing of any of these plans.
with stealth.

Familiar
d6 Encounter
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.

3
 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 Ghouls
lead to the mountainside beneath the abbey where the A pack of ghouls have caught the scent of the party and
golem climbed down, following the same path as the are tracking them. Roll a Dexterity (Stealth) check for
mongrelfolk who escaped. Neither the golem nor the the ghouls and compare it to the characters passive
mongrelfolk passed through the village proper. Wisdom (Perception) scores. If the characters score
beat the ghouls, read:
Full Moon
|Without warning the night grows brighter and as you |You hear the sound of something sniffing behind you.
glance up towards the skies you see the clouds part and As you turn about you see a humanoid shape on all
a pale full moon appear in the now clear night skies. fours emerge from the mist. You see its impossibly long
Within moments you hear the first wolf howl, which is tongue flow out and lick along one of your footprints
quickly followed by another, and another, until the night before it lifts its head and looks up at you with hungry
is filled with the music of the children of the night.| dead eyes.|

Perhaps by the blessing of Mother Night, the whims The rest of the ghouls come rushing
of nature or more likely by the will of Strahd, the out of the mist soon after.
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.


4
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 make a fine companion, however it is known in Vallaki

|As you glance of to the side you see movement within and questions may be raised as to how the party came
the hollow trunk of a tree. Two large spider legs slowly across it. Once encountered this encounter cannot
creep out and eight dark eyes blink at you from out of happen again. Treat this result as no encounter or roll
the darkness .| again.

A group of giant wolf spiders emerge and pounce on Lone Raven

the party, emerging out of hollows and burrows they |A lone raven sits in your path, it appears to be pecking
were hiding in. The spiders care little for each other, as at something on the ground.|
they normally do not hunt in packs but have been driven
together by the dangers of Barovia. As such individual The raven lets out a squawk and flies of if disturbed.
spiders can be can be made to flee if they fear for their Roll a d6 to determine the nature of the object that had
own lives. caught the ravens attention.

Hunters Object of Interest

|A surprisingly pleasant smell hits your senses, the scent d6 Encounter
of roasting meat.| 1-2 A shiny platinum coin stamped with the
symbol of a sun.
The smell is coming from a nearby campfire that can
be easily spotted through the trees. If the characters 3-4 A small plush dire wolf, one of its button eyes
approach they find two hunters (N male or female has been pecked out by the raven and lies
human scouts). One of the hunters is busy preparing nearby. Attached to one of the hind legs is a
some lunch over an open fire while the other is tending small cloth tag with the slogan “Is No Fun, Is
to the carcass of a wolf they felled. If it fits the story and No Blinsky!” stitched into it.
location these hunters could be Szoldar Szoldarovich
and Yevgeni Krushkin from Vallaki. Regardless the 5-6 A badly hurt toad. As a character approaches
hunters are cautious but not outright hostile. They are it the toad lets out one last croak and then
willing to serve as guides for the party for 5gp per day dissolves as it dies.
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


5
 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.

Lost Child Phantom Warriors

|A soft, quiet sobbing breaks the eerie silence of the |Shimmering blue spectral figures march slowly down
mists| the road towards you. As they see you one of them
raises their sword towards you and calls out to you in
The child (LG male or female noncombatant) is cold, a hollow, echoing voice “Who goes there! State your
dirty and scared but unhurt. Roll a 1d6+6 to determine allegiance or face our wrath!”. |
their age. If encountered near Barovia, or Vallaki then
the child has gotten lost in the mists and wandered off These men and women once served the order of the
from the village. silver dragon in Argynvostholt and were tasked with
If the party is accompanied by Barovian scouts (see patrolling the roads, keeping them free from Strahd’s
the random encounters in the curse of Strahd book) or forces, bandits and monsters. Although long dead they
if they encounter Barovian scouts later, then this child still perform their solemn task, marching up and down
could be the person they are looking for. the roads of Barovia. They will attack any who claim
If this encounter happens near Krezk then the child allegiance to Strahd but can be convinced or tricked to
was one of the children being held by the werewolves leave the party alone. If they attack or are attacked the
in their den who managed to escape. The child is warriors fight until they are destroyed. If destroyed the
extremely traumatized but if calmed down can give a phantom warriors* cannot be encountered again. Treat
rough description of the location of the werewolf den. any further encounters as no encounter or roll again on
More than likely the child is being hunted by members the table.
of the pack and 1d6 werewolves descend upon the
group shortly after discovering the child. Skeletons
If encountered near the Bonegrinder mill, then the |The rustling of chainmail and the clattering of bones
child has escaped from the hags who make it their warns you that something approaches.|
home. Although traumatized they can tell the party that
they were held prisoner in a cage in a mill by a group of This group of skeletons have been sent out into the
hideous crones. (If you have access to Volo’s Guide to land on some dark mission for Strahd. Perhaps they
Monsters then the hags summon a banderhobb˅ and seek the party, perhaps they are to reinforce a location
send it to retrieve the child. It will arrive whenever you Strahd suspects the party will soon attack or they have
deem it appropriate). Only one child has managed to been sent to destroy one of Strahd’s enemies. The
escape the hags, if encountered again near Bonegrinder skeletons were once guards at castle Ravenloft and
then the child is a lost child from Barovia or Vallaki (see are dressed in tattered remains of armor and march
above) or treat the result as no encounter or roll again. in military formation, as if some lingering echo of their
If encountered near Berez then the child is in fact a former selves remained. If the party are quick to get off
Ghost. The child knows that it lived in a village by the the road they can hide with a Dexterity (Stealth) against
river and that the rains wouldn’t stop, causing the river the skeletons passive Wisdom (Perception) of 9. The
to rise. The ghost tried to run but got lost. They don’t skeletons will attack the players if they spot them. Half
remember much of their life but will try to convince the of the group fall back to use their bows while the others
party to bring them home, possessing a party member if rush in to attack in melee.
needed. If it cannot convince the party to help they will
disappear with a shriek. If the ghost is brought back to Specter
Berez they will thank the party for bringing them home |A baleful light approaches quickly through the trees.|
and fade away with a smile, finally able to rest. Once the
ghost has been brought home, it cannot be encountered Once a hunter from one of the settlements in Barovia
again. 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.


6
Vampire Spawn wagon) are making their way towards the closest vistani
camp (either the Tzer pool encampment or the one
|The light of a campfire catches your eye. Sitting around outside of Vallaki) after returning from a trip abroad.
the fire is a motley crew of humanoids, not too unlike They will stop if flagged down and they offer to sell one
yourselves. Their dress and armor don’t match what you or more “magical” potions to anyone showing interest
have seen in use by the people of this land.| in their wares for 3 times what they are worth in the
Players Handbook unless a different price is stated
The setup is a ruse to lure the party in. This group of below. They have 1d4+1 potions for sale. Roll 1d8 to
vampire spawn were once adventurers before they determine the nature of each potion.
were felled by Strahd. They have now been sent out by
their master to test the strength of the party and their Potions
tactics. If defeat seems unavoidable they will try to flee d8 Item
back to castle Ravenloft so they can report back what
they have learned to Strahd. On subsequent encounters 1 Acid
with vampire spawn they will attempt other ways to 2 Alchemist’s fire
ambush the party and to undermine their trust in the
3 Antitoxin
people of Barovia.
4 Holy water
Vine Blights 5 Concoction of burning (Oil, 50g)
This encounter only occurs if the characters are
6 Potion of charm (Fine Perfume, 50g)
travelling through wilderness and not on a road.
Otherwise treat this encounter as no encounter or roll 7 Potion of healing
again on the table. The vine blights are hiding amongst 8 Potion to escape the mists around Barovia
the underbrush close to the path, some of their tendrils (colored water, 50g)
stretched out across it, appearing as normal roots and
vines. When the party passes through the middle of At the DM´s discretion they may have other rare items
the blights the plants will suddenly animate and attack, that may be hard to usually find in Barovia for sale such
read: as spell foci, weapons and armor.
|The roots around your feet suddenly start moving,
Wights
wrapping themselves around your legs as vines shoot
|Dark silhouettes approach out of the mist, their
out of the nearby bushes. Several vaguely humanoid
weapons drawn and at the ready.|
creatures made from twisting vines slowly rise all
around you.|
These wights have been tasked by Strahd to seek out
the party. If the party isn’t considered much of a threat
Vistani Wagon they will simply charge out at them and attack. However,
|You see a horse-drawn barrel-topped wagon make its should they have made a name for themselves, the
way up the road. Sitting on the box are two colorfully wights will first have spent some time creating fodder
dressed humans.| for their confrontation. Should that be the case 3d4
zombies will emerge out of the mist to attack the party
The Vistani (1d6+1 CN male and female bandits, two first while the wights harass them from afar with their
are on top of the box, the rest of them are inside the 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.


7
 Castle Ravenloft Random Encounters 4 A nutcracker doll carved and painted to
The first time characters enter an area of the castle that isn’t look like Strahd von Zarovich.
otherwise occupied check for a random encounter. Also check for a 5 A pinwheel. Its blades are modeled after
random encounter every 10 minutes the characters spend resting the Old Bonegrinder.
in the castle.
In most cases a random encounter should occur on a roll of 18 6 A small wooden box in the shape of a
or higher on a d20. To determine what the characters encounter, coffin with a set of jacks made out of bones
consult the table below. inside of it.

Daytime Random Encounters in Barovia

d12+d8 Encounter
2 Pidlewick II*
3 Glyph of warding
4 1d6 swarms of rats
5 Corpse
6 1 mimic
7 Blinsky Toy
8 1d4 animated armors
9 Book
10 1d6 Strahd zombies*
11 1d6 skeletons
12 1d4 ghouls
13 1 giant spider
14 1d4 gargoyles
15 1 specter
16 1 ochre jelly
17 1 ghost
18 1 wraith
19 1 shadow demon
20 Lone bat

Animated armors
|Several well polished suits of armor line the walls.|

These animated armors have been created by Strahd and sent Book
to hinder the party. They remain still and lifeless until a character |You see a discarded tome lying on the floor, it is covered by a thin
approaches within 5 feet of them, attacks them or half the party layer of dust.|
has passed by them. The armors fight until they are destroyed.
Someone left a book here some time ago, there is nothing sinister
about its nature, although a party that have faced mimics and traps
Blinsky toy
may believe so. Use the table on page 66 of the Curse of Strahd to
|An odd looking toy lies discarded in the dust ahead.|
determine its subject matter.
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.

Toys
d6 Item
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 hobby-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.


8
Corpse Ghouls
|A still figure lies ahead.| |A hunched figure sits in the darkness ahead of you,
facing away. A chomping and tearing sound tells you
The characters have found a corpse. Roll a d6 to that they are eating something.|
determine the nature of the body.
Corpse A pack of ghouls are feasting on the remains of
d6 Encounter unfortunate villager who wandered into the castle.
If there is more than one ghoul the rest of the pack
1-2 The body belongs to someone the party
are further ahead with the rest of the body. They are
knows. Their face frozen in horror, their neck
currently distracted but approaching them or making
broken. Choose an NPC the characters would
any noise or sound will alert them to the party. If that
recognize. They have been brought here and
happens adjust the description as needed and read:
killed to taunt the party.
3-4 The remains of a vampire feeding. The corpse |As you approach the figure it goes silent and slowly
is that of a barovian villager whose throat has turns around to face you. The creature’s face is covered
been ripped out. There is surprisingly little in blood, pieces of flesh hanging out of its mouth. In its
blood for such a violent death and the body is clawed hands it holds a partially eaten severed human
still warm. arm. Its maw descends into an unnaturally extended
5-6 The corpse is a strahd zombie*. It radiates gape as it screams.|
necromantic magic to anyone using detect
magic on the body. As soon as a character The rest of the pack will rush to join their comrade as
moves within 5 feet of it or it is attacked, the soon as combat breaks out, either hearing its cry or the
zombie animates and attacks. sound of battle. The ghouls fight until they are destroyed.

Gargoyles Giant spider

|With the sound of heavy wings beating a demonic The giant spider is moving quietly along the ceiling,
looking creature comes barreling out of the darkness.| scanning the passages underneath it for prey. After
spotting the party it will attempt to move down behind
This pack of gargoyles have been relieved of their guard them and pick off any stragglers. Roll a stealth for the
duty on top of the walls or roofs of castle Ravenloft and spider and compare it to the characters passive Wisdom
sent to hunt the party down. The gargoyles are eager to (Perception) scores. If any character beats the spider’s
inflict pain on behalf of their master and will fight until result, read:
they are destroyed.
|An impossibly large spider is slowly and silently
Ghost creeping along the ceiling, its numerous back lifeless
|There is a flicker of pale light as a translucent figure of eyes staring down towards you as it hungrily gnashes its
a woman dressed in a suit of plate appears. A hollow fangs together. |
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.

Ghostly destination
d6 Location
1 Heart of sorrow (Area K20)
2 Audience hall (K25)
3 hamberlain’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.


9
 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 Ochre jelly
them to gather some hair or blood and then swoop The ochre jelly is hiding somewhere safe as the
away back into the castle. If he has no need of any such character’s move in closer, either squeezed into a large
material he will instead use his form to take the party crack, inside some piece of furniture or on the other
by surprise and attack them. If the characters encounter side of a nearby door. As the party passes by it will
this result more times then repeated encounters emerge and start to follow its next meal. As the party is
will simply be normal bats flying through the castle, faster the jelly won’t attack until the next time they stop
although the players may believe otherwise. for a moment, to rest, investigate or battle some other
monsters perhaps or if the party decides to backtrack.
Mimic Roll a stealth for the jelly as it emerges. If its roll is less
|You see a small chest standing of to the side.| than any characters passive Wisdom (Perception) score,
read:
The characters have encountered a mimic. Although the
default form is a chest, It will take whatever form it finds |You hear a squelching sound coming from behind and
will most likely attract the party. If the party is resting it as you turn around you see a thick yellow substance
could be a chair that one of the characters sits down in, oozing out into the passage behind you.|
if they are walking through the castle it could take the
form of a door they try to pass through. If encountered Pidlewick II
again each future mimic should have a new unique form |The sound of bells tinkling precedes the appearance of
to try to trick the party. 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.|


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Skeletons Swarms of rats
|With a rattling of bones and a rustling of chain a |You hear the skittering of untold tiny clawed feet
skeletal figure appears out of the darkness.| approaching quickly.|

These skeletons once served in the guard of castle These swarms of rats are servants of Strahd and rush
Ravenloft before they were killed by Strahd. They have to attack the party.
been brought back to serve once more and mimic the
duties they had in life. The skeletons will attack any Wraith
intruders and fight until destroyed. |The temperature of the room seems to fall as a dark
figure emerges from out of the wall.|
Specter
|A spectral figure emerges with a shriek of anguish The wraith is a faithful servant of Strahd and will do
and rage out of the floor, its eyes burning with hatred its best to end their existence. If it has the chance it will
towards you.| convert any fallen characters into specters. Unlike many
other foes the party risk facing in castle Ravenloft the
This specter was once a soldier of castle Ravenloft or wraith is intelligent and cunning. It will retreat if it is
an adventurer who came here seeking their fortune. close to destruction so that it can return later to harass
Nothing remains of them now but hatred for the living them. If destroyed this wraith cannot be encountered
and it will fight until it is destroyed. again. Treat this result as no encounter or roll again for
a different encounter.
Strahd Zombies
|You hear slow-moving footfalls and the sound of
dragging feet approaching. Then the smell hits you, the
More Like this
smell of rot and decay.| If you enjoyed this product then you may also enjoy
some of the other titles that I have released on the DM’s
These strahd zombies* are patrolling the castle and Guild.
have yet to discover the party. If the characters are quick • Additional Random Encounters
they can attempt to hide. The zombies will attack any for Out of the Abyss
living creature they find and will fight until destroyed. • The Hags of Red Rocks
• Mythic Demon Princes
Or if your looking for a player option that fits into a
Ravenloft game, why not take a loot at:
• Mongrelfolk Player Race


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