# The Coven of Ravenloft

##### As Strahd's first and most powerful wife, ##### Ludmila Vilisevic has followers of her own. ##### Two Annis hags form a coven with her.

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## Ludmila Vilisevic The oldest of Strahd’s brides, Ludmila is sometimes referred to as *The Lady of Castle Ravenloft*. She acts as matron to his younger brides and keeps them in line. Strahd may jokingly tell visitors not to sit before the lady of the house arrives. Confident, calm, calculating and cruel. All smiles and politeness while she kills you slowly and intimately. ***You are what you eat.*** Before Strahd, Ludmila was a bright peasant girl set on learning the art of magic. Ambitious and fearless, she left her safe life in Vallaki to seek education from a hag. The hag took her in as a servant whose main purpose was cleaning the house and luring unsuspecting children to her master's lair. Witnessing these children being torn apart and devoured turned Ludmila cold and ruthless. One early morning, Ludmila murdered the hag in her sleep. She then boiled stew out of her and ate it for breakfast. Entertained by this power move, the other hags in Barovia congratulated her. The word spread, and Strahd soon found out about this powerhungry young woman. He invited her to study magic in his library at Castle Ravenloft, and Ludmila accepted. One thing led to another and eventually, Ludmila's wits, beauty and ferocity won Strahd over, and she became his consort. She was attracted to his power and knowledge foremost, but she also enjoyed his well-spoken charms and dark sense of humor. Her love for her husband has after centuries mellowed into fondness and loyalty. ``` ```

*Photo credit: Anastasia Kole / Model: Lorelei Black* ### Ludmila's Traits ***Ideal.*** "Power is power." ***Bond.*** "My husband needs me, as I need him." ***Flaw.*** "The weak deserve to die."

___ ___ > ## Ludmila Vilisevic >*Medium undead (vampire bride), lawful evil* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 15 > - **Hit Points** 113 (15d8+45) > - **Speed** 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|12 (+1)|14 (+2)|16 (+3)|19 (+4)|15 (+2)|15 (+2)| >___ > - **Saving throws ** Int +7, Wis +5 > - **Skills ** Arcana +7, Perception +4 > - **Senses** Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 > - **Languages** Abyssal, Common, Infernal > - **Challenge** 9 (5,000 XP) > ___ > ***Regeneration. *** Ludmila regains 10 hit points at the start of her turn if she has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in sunlight or running water. If Ludmila takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of her next turn. > > ***Spider Climb.*** Ludmila can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. > >***Spellcasting.*** Ludmila is a 5th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). >She has the following wizard spells prepared: > >***Cantrips (at will):*** *chill touch, message, minor illusion.* > >***1st level (4 slots):.*** *chromatic orb, expeditious retreat, ice knife, magic missile.* > >***2nd level (3 slots):*** *acid arrow, heat metal, web.* > >***3rd level (2 slots):*** *erupting earth, haste.* > >***Vampire weaknesses.*** Vampires have the following flaws: > >*Forbiddance.* Ludmila can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants. > >*Running Water.* Ludmila takes 20 acid damage when she ends her turn in running water. > >*Stake to the Heart.* Ludmila is destroyed if a piering weapon made of wood is driven into her heart while she is incapacitated in its resting place. > >*Sunlight Hypersensitivity.* Ludmila takes 20 radiant damage when she starts her turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, she has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. > > ### Actions > ***Multiattack. *** Ludmila makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack. > > ***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 6 (2d4+2) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, Ludmila can grapple the target (escape DC 11). > > ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by Ludmila, or restrained. Hit: 4 (1d6+1) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and Ludmila regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. \page

*Photo credit: Silvano Candeo*

### Ludmila's followers Few things attract hags like power does. Like moths to a light they were drawn to Ludmila's magical abilities **Fekla Ribgnawer and Yesfir Blackbile** are two Annis Hags that spent much of their dreadful lives terrorizing the village of Barovia, corrupting children and adults alike. This until a feud with Morgantha and her daughters drove them off. Instead they found themselves at Castle Ravenloft, offering Ludmila their servitude in exchange for security. At Ludmila's order, the hags shapeshift into human women for special occasions (such as the adventurers coming over for dinner). During such an event they act as her ladies-in-waiting and dress up in masks and gowns. ***A feather in her cap***. Fekla and Yesfir enjoy slaughtering both murders and kindnesses of ravens. They pluck the birds' feathers to decorate masks and create magical tokens.

### Fekla Ribgnawer's Traits ***Ideal.*** "While the Devil Strahd rules the land, the people of Barovia live in misery. I must uphold this status quo." ***Bond.*** "My view of Ludmila almost resembles respect." ***Flaw.*** "I will do whatever it takes to survive." ### Yesfir Blackbile's Traits ***Ideal.*** "I was born to wreak havoc, and have fun doing it." ***Bond.*** "The coven keeps me alive and entertained." ***Flaw.*** "Nothing enrages me like a pretty boy. If I can get away with it I will kill Escher dead." ___ > ## Fekla and Yesfir: > ## Annis Hags >*Large fey, neutral evil* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 17 > - **Hit Points** 75 (10d10 + 20) > - **Speed** 40 ft. >___ >|**STR**|**DEX**|**CON**|**INT**|**WIS**|**CHA**| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|21 (+5)|12 (+1)|14 (+2)|13 (+1)|14 (+2)|15 (+2)| >___ > - **Saving Throws** Con +5 > - **Skills** Deception +5, Perception +5 > - **Damage Resistances** cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks > - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 > - **Languages** Common, Giant, Sylvan > - **Challenge** 6 (2300 XP) > ___ > ***Innate Spellcasting. *** The hag's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13). She can innately cast the following spells: > > 3/day each: *disguise self* (including the form of a Medium humanoid), *fog cloud* > ### Actions > ***Multiattack.*** The annis hag makes three attacks: one with her bite and two with her claws. > > ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. *Hit:* 15 (3d6 + 5) piercing damage. > > ***Claw.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. *Hit:* 15 (3d6 + 5) piercing damage. > > ***Crushing hug.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. *Hit:* 36 (9d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15) if it is a Large or smaller creature. Until the grapple ends, the target takes 36 (9d6+5) bludgeoning damage att he start of each of the hag's turns. The hag can't make attacks while grappling a creature in this way. \page

##### Lair Actions: Lady of Castle Ravenloft While Ludmila is in Castle Ravenloft, she can take lair actions as long as she isn't incapacitated. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Ludmila can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects, but can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

Until initiative count 20 on the next round, Ludmila can pass through solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors as if the surfaces weren't there.
Ludmila targets any number of doors and windows that she can see, causing each one to either open or close as she wishes. Closed doors can be magically locked (requiring a successful DC 20 Strength check to force open) until she chooses to make them unlocked, or until she uses this lair action again to open them.
Ludmila targets up to three creatures that she can see within 60 feet of her. Each target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be flung up to 30 feet through the air. A creature that strikes a solid object or is released in midair takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet moved or fallen.

### The third eye of Strahd Ludmila and her coven are most of the time left to their own bidding, but will never turn Strahd down if he asks for any assistance. If he is occupied at the moment Ludmila will cast *scrying* to spy on adventurers or inhabitants of Barovia. Due to this occasional service, the Coven of Ravenloft have partly focused their spellcasting on the power to affect the future or perceive things out of the norm. They have the following Coven spells: 1st level (4 slots): *bane, inflict wounds* 2nd level (3 slots): *augury, flaming sphere* 3rd level (3 slots): *clairvoyance, dispel magic, lightning bolt* 4th level (3 slots): *phantasmal killer, polymorph* 5th level (2 slots): *contagion, scrying* 6th level (1 slots): *circle of death* For casting these spells, each member of the coven is a 12th-level spellcaster that uses Intelligence as her spellcasting ability. Due to Ludmila being the leader of the coven and the most well-read of the three, she is usually the one who casts the coven spells. The spell save DC is 12 + her Intelligence modifier (16), and the spell attack bonus is 4 + her Intelligence modifier (8). ***Hag Eye.*** The *hag eye* is often entrusted to Strahd for safekeeping and transport. He may place it in a location he wishes to watch over more closely. Sometimes, Fekla and Yesfir carry it with them while out hunting ravens, allowing Ludmila to keep an eye on them. A member of the coven can take an action to see what the *hag eye* sees. The *hag eye* has AC 10, 1 hit point, and darkvision with a radius of 60 feet. If it is destroyed, each coven member takes 3d10 psychic damage and is blinded for 24 hours.

### Tactics During her first round, Ludmila casts *haste* on one of the hags and moves to a strategic position, remaining within 30 feet of the hags so that she has access to coven spells. She will attack with spells and Lair Actions. Fekla and Yesfir remain in the form they're currently in (Medium or Large) and start pummeling the creature they deem to be most dangerous. They leave the spellcasting to Ludmila but may cast touch-spells. When the hags start taking serious damage, Ludmila may polymorph them into creatures to keep them fighting. As the battle goes on, Ludmila may use Lair Actions to temporarily leave combat to regenerate some health, but she will not run. She sees worth only in power, and if she isn't strong enough to defeat her enemy then she deserves to die at their hand. The hags are much more likely to flee. If the player characters have the *Holy Symbol of Ravenkind* or the *Sunsword*, she will focus her attacks on their carriers and attempt to steal them. Ludmila will only engage in melee combat if she runs out of spell slots, and then she will attack the strongest, most successful warrior in the group. If she is going to die, she will die at the hand of someone worthy.

***Spellcasting.*** Ludmila is a 5th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following wizard spells prepared: ***Cantrips (at will):*** *chill touch, message, minor illusion.* ***1st level (4 slots):.*** *chromatic orb, expeditious retreat, ice knife, magic missile.* ***2nd level (3 slots):*** *acid arrow, heat metal, web.* ***3rd level (2 slots):*** *erupting earth, haste.*

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