Summary

  • The Tarokka Deck reading in Barovia determines NPC companions.
  • Character creeds differ, with some having conditions or drawbacks.
  • The Dungeon Master must consider roleplay potential, stat blocks, and conditions of NPC companions.

Early in your adventure through Barovia, your Dungeon Master should perform a Tarokka Deck reading, which can inform many elements of your Dungeons & Dragons campaign through the Curse of Strahd module. One of the elements this reading informs is which NPC companion your party will get to travel with.

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But be warned, not all of these companions are as good as the others. Some have specific conditions that must be met in order for them to travel with you, while others are just downright evil. Here's a complete list of every NPC companion you can have in Curse of Strahd, ranked.

20 Sir Klutz

Phantom Warrior via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Crypt 33, Castle Ravenloft

Key Boons

Decent Stats

Conditions

None

Sir Klutz is, you guessed it, a clumsy knight who is buried inside Castle Ravenloft. He fell on his sword, meeting an untimely end. This character has the stats of a phantom warrior, making him decently strong, but there are a few downsides to having him as a companion.

First, he's inside Castle Ravenloft. The Castle Ravenloft dungeon can prove dangerous for any level of character, but if the players want to have a companion early, they'll need to go to the castle earlier than may be necessary. He's also just a bit silly, which doesn't always suit the tone of the adventure.

19 Nikolai Wachter

Swamps of Barovia via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Master Bedroom, Wachterhaus, Vallaki

Key Boons

Morally Upright

Conditions

Must be resurrected

Nikolai Wachter not only has an incredibly weak stat block for an NPC companion, but he's dead when the players first meet him. To win him to their side, players must cast a Raise Dead or Resurrection spell, which can prove tricky at lower levels.

Beyond that, Nikolai only has the stat block of a human noble, which isn't going to prove much help in the long run against Strahd. Plus, his roleplay potential is relatively weak.

18 Parriwimple

Tsolkena Pass via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Bildrath's Mercantile, Barovia Village

Key Boons

Good Stat Block

Conditions

Must convince Bildrath

Parriwimple is a large human male with the stats of a gladiator. He is not very intelligent and works as a stock boy at Bildrath's Mercantile. While he has great stats, his conditions for travelling with the party are a bit nebulous and hard to work out.

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First, players must convince Parriwimple that someone needs rescuing in Castle Ravenloft for him to join them. Second, players must convince his employer, Bildrath, to let Parriwimple go, which is no easy task. And again, roleplaying Parriwimple isn't all that enjoyable since he's so low-intelligence.

17 Pidlwick II

Pidlwick II via Wizards of the Coast

Location

High Tower Peak, Castle Ravenloft

Key Boons

Knows the layout of Castle Ravenloft

Conditions

Must be kind to Pidlwick

Pidlwick II is a marionette puppet come to life. This marionette has a long, storied history with Castle Ravenloft and Strahd himself, and therefore knows his way around the castle, which can prove extremely helpful for the late-game dungeon crawl that is Castle Ravenloft.

However, Pidlwick II's stat block isn't very good, and if the party is inadvertently or intentionally cruel to him, he will turn on the party and betray them while inside Castle Ravenloft. Plus, Pidlwick II cannot speak, limiting his roleplay potential.

16 Arrigal

Vistani Wagon via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Vistani Tent, Vallaki

Key Boons

Very powerful stat block

Conditions

Players must mention Tarokka reading

Arrigal is a Vistani NPC that players may have first met if their Dungeon Master uses the 'Plea for Help' adventure hook from the beginning of the module. He has the stat block of an assassin, making him extremely powerful. If players explain the reading to Arrigal, he will accompany them on their quest to defeat Strahd.

However, if players defeat Strahd, even with Arrigal's help, he will eventually betray them and fight them, believing that he is supposed to take Strahd's place. Frankly, this can prove anticlimactic in the fight against Strahd, and oftentimes is frustrating to roleplay.

15 Clovin Belview

Clovin Belview via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Loft & Belfry, Krezk

Key Boons

Good stat block, range of abilities

Conditions

The Abbot must be dead

Clovin Belview is one of the mongrelfolk who live in the Abbey of St. Markovia. He has two heads and is often drunk on wine. While Clovin has a good stat block and some great abilities gifted to him, he can prove tricky to persuade.

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This is because, unless the Abbot of the Abbey is dead, Clovin will not accompany the characters no matter what. Killing the Abbot doesn't always make sense depending on the party's adventure and their alignments, so this can prove tricky for good-aligned characters. Plus, the Abbot is a deva in disguise, which is a tough combat encounter.

14 Vasilka

Flesh Golem by Bjorn Hurri

Location

Main Hall, Abbey of St. Markovia

Key Boons

Good condition immunities

Conditions

Must persuade the Abbot

Vasilka is a flesh golem who is under the care of the Abbot of St. Markovia. Similarly to Clovin, it will prove difficult for players to take Vasilka with them on this journey unless they can properly persuade the Abbot. Otherwise, players must kill the Abbot, which, once again, can prove to be a difficult combat encounter.

However, if they do get Vasilka, she can prove helpful in the fight against Strahd thanks to her condition immunities, which are plentiful. Again, though, her roleplay potential is quite limited for Dungeon Masters.

13 Arabelle

Strahd's Organ via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Lake Zarovich

Key Boons

Good-Aligned

Conditions

Must not be returned to her father

If players travel to Lake Zarovich, they'll find a young Vistani girl named Arabelle who has been kidnapped. If they rescue her, she'll gladly join the party and travel with them to Castle Ravenloft in the fight against Strahd.

However, Arabelle doesn't really have a stat block. For all intents and purposes, she is essentially a commoner with one HP. She can be trusted, but if the party brings her back to her father, Luvash, he will refuse to let her travel with the party, and they'll wind up with no companion at all.

12 Donavich

Father Donavich via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Church, Barovia Village

Key Boons

Provides Useful Insight

Conditions

Doru must be dead and buried

Donavich is a priest with the stat block of an acolyte, who can be found in the village of Barovia. He has a son, Doru, who has become a vampire spawn and will attack players if pressed.

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Though his stat block is relatively weak, Donavich will help the party willingly so long as Doru is dead and buried. He can also provide useful insight into Ireena, the nature of Strahd, and the lands of Barovia, meaning he can prove himself useful in many ways. Ultimately, though, because he's so weak, he's not all that helpful in the fight against Strahd.

11 Stella Wachter

Vallaki via Wizards of the Coast

Location

Stella's Bedroom, Wachterhaus, Vallaki

Key Boons

Good-aligned

Conditions

Madness must be cured

Stella Wachter is the daughter of Lady Wachter and has been afflicted with madness. In order for her to travel with the party, the group must cure her of her madness, typically through the use of a Greater Restoration spell. However, this can prove difficult to do for lower-level parties.

Plus, Stella only has the stats of a commoner. She can be trusted, though, which is always helpful in a module like Curse of Strahd, in which many higher-level companions will try to betray the party, despite their stronger stat blocks.