7 Alternative Random Encounters for Curse of Strahd - Cool, Barovia-Friendly Monsters to Put in CoS

When your PCs wander along Barovia's Svalich Road or venture into the Svalich Woods, Curse of Strahd DMs are meant to roll on a random encounter table. The table is pretty decent, but it can get a bit samey after a while, and become particularly unchallenging for higher-level parties.
In this video, I share my favorite Barovian random encounters resources (links to which are further down in the description), and detail 7 monsters you could add to your game, most of which I threw at my players when I ran CoS. I also give lore and flavor suggestions for some of them, such as how and why they're in Barovia, and which locations or monsters/factions they're tied to.
Four of them are from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, one is from Volo's Guide to Monsters, one is from the Monster Manual, and one is from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. The ones from MTF and VGM also appear in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, where they're updated and modified. So if you already own MTF or MotM, then hopefully you have access to most of them already.
Got any to add? What did you throw at your players in your CoS game? Let me know in the comments - I'd love to know! Thanks!
00:00 Intro
02:14 Resources for Barovian random encounters
05:21 Disclaimers, etc.
07:37 1. Corpse Flower
08:54 2. Wood Woad
10:06 3. Mimic
11:34 4. Allip
12:49 5. Skulk
15:21 6. The Lost (a.k.a. Lost Sorrowsworn)
18:59 7. Gallows Speaker
20:36 Bonus mention: The Monsters Know What They're Doing
21:31 Outro
Resources list:
- Barovian Nights - 101 Ravenloft Encounters: www.dmsguild.com/product/2797... (my fave!)
- Curse of Strahd Companion 2: The Lands of Barovia: www.dmsguild.com/product/3741...
- Additional Random Encounters for Curse of Strahd: www.dmsguild.com/product/2188...
- Barovia Random Encounters on the Old Svalich Road: www.dmsguild.com/product/3165...
- Encounters in the Mists - Additional random encounters for Dungeon Masters: www.dmsguild.com/product/1806...
I also mentioned some of Wyatt Trull's other resources:
- Curse of Strahd Companion: The Complete Edition: www.dmsguild.com/product/4498...
- The Wedding At Ravenloft: www.dmsguild.com/product/2499...
And I also mentioned the amazing books and blog called The Monsters Know What They're Doing: www.themonstersknow.com/
Music credits: "Ghostpocalypse - 6 Crossing the Threshold", "Dreams Become Real", "Mary Celeste", "Lost Time", "This House" and "Myst on the Moor" by Kevin MacLeod (a.k.a. Incompetech); licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/...
All images, logos, etc. are the copyright of their respective creators, the vast majority of which will be from Wizards of the Coast, as per their Fan Content Policy.

[@dario5178]

I like the idea of a monster only children can see, very creepy

[@DMoftheMists]

Indeed! Very Ravenloft. 😈 And I like the idea that the children have to try and communicate where it is to the PCs so they can fight them off. I really enjoyed it when I ran it for my players.

[@robbieabel9053]

My players are in the process of trying to adopt an orphan that they grew attached to after saving him from the Old Bonegrinder. Despite warnings that I was not above having enemies attack the kid (if they bring him with them) they seem intent on the idea.
This monster sounds perfect to use after lil Justy joins the group!