Page 33 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

I This wereraven in raven form watches the characters
SWARMS OF BATS WERE RAVEN

The stillness of the night is shattered by the shriek of from a distance. Compare its Dexterity (Stealth) check
result to the characters' passive Wisdom (Perception)
I bats and the flapping of tiny black wings.
scores to see whether it remains hidden from the party.
If one or more characters spot the creature, read:
These bats are the servants of Strahd. They attack the
characters without provocation. Through the mist, you see a black bird circling overhead.
SWARMS OF RAVENS When it feels your eyes upon it, the raven flies away, but
it's back before long, keeping its distance.

Your presence in this dreary land has not gone unno­
The wereraven belongs to a secret order called the
ticed. A raven follows you for several minutes while keep­
Keepers of the Feather. If the characters don't spot it,
ing a respectful distance.
the wereraven shadows them for ld4 hours. At the end
of that time, or anytime sooner if the characters attack
The raven doesn't caw or try to communicate with the it, the creature flies home to report what it has seen.
If the party has a second random encounter with a
characters. If they leave it alone, read:
wereraven, this one presents itself to the characters as
an ally and requests that they travel to the Blue Water
More ravens begin to take an interest in you. Before long, Inn in Vallaki to meet "some new friends." It then flies
their numbers swell, and soon hundreds of them are off in the direction of the town.
watching you.
WEREWOLVES
If the werewolves are in human form, read:
The ravens fly away if attacked. If they are left alone,
they watch over the party, remaining with the characters A deep voice calls out, "Who goes there?" Through the
until they reach Castle Ravenloft or a settlement. If the
chill mist you see a large man in drab clothing wearing a
characters have a random encounter with hostile crea­
tures, the raven swarms aid the characters by attacking tattered gray cloak. He has shaggy, black hair and thick
and distracting their enemies. muttonchops. He leans heavily on a spear and has a
small bundle of animal pelts slung over his shoulder.
TRINKET
I You find something on the ground. I If the werewolves are in wolf form, read:

I You hear the howl of a wolf some distance away. I
A random character finds a lost trinket. Roll on the Trin-
kets table in appendix A, select a specific trinket from
the table, or create one on the fly. How the werewolves act depends on the form they
I be trappers. If more than one is present, the others are
VISTANI BANDITS have taken.
Human Form. Werewolves in human form pretend to

You catch a whiff of pipe smoke in the cold air and hear within whistling distance.
I laughter through the fog. They try to befriend the characters to see if they are
carrying silvered weapons . If the characters appear to
.
have no such weapons, the werewolves assume hybrid
form and attack. Otherwise·, they par c 0' pariy with the
t
These evil Vistani march through the Barovian wil­ 111 . •
characters and leave well enough alone:';:·
derness without concern for thei;_w_ell-beii;i-g;.s[I\oking
· Wolf Form. Werewolves. in wolf form folio� the party .
pipes, drinking froi:n wiries�rn� •• and�telfi11g gliost stii­
from a safe distance for s$yei-�! 'hours. If their Dc,xterity
ries. They are searching fo g(ay.�{to, pl�nder �r hunting-_
�
small game. For_'a pri¢� 9ppb,gp/they:offer'to· serve (Stealth) checks exceed the:Ch_ara�ters' passi_vy Wisdom
(Perception) scores, the werewolves. attack :with sur-
as guides. As long a� these Yiit�p:i _at'� with the .i>arty,
, prise when the characters de�ide;tohke a sliort or long
roll a dl2 instead of a dl2 + dB when_ d�terminfng ran-
rest. Otherwise, they wait untirthe' characters·are �eak­
• do,m encounters in the wilderness.'In addition� wolves
ened by anothe ranqom �n�6·tl�Jer" before m9viI1g in for
., , •.•.. * , . .,_ ·:· �pg dire wolves don't threaten the char�cte�s as long .. ; · ·. ·
_
����/_=:.ff:� · s the Vistani .are travelirig with them and aren't thei� . the easy kill. . · · . · . . ; . ·
J. .
The werewolves' faii is a c;ave complex that overlooks
,·._::._·,, •. ,.,:., ·pnsoners. ·. · Lake Barat9k (area Z). If you\ised the "Werewolves in
-: _ / · tlie M.ist·advep,ture hook to lure the characters to Baro-
_
_
:.t\{'rt·t}\ Treasure. One Vistani bandit carries a pouch that
·y:·,:._., ;:;holds 2d4 small gemstones (worth 50 gp each).
_ . · . _
CHAPTER 2 I THE LANDS OF BAROV1A