The Encounter
Old Bonegrinder is an abandoned windmill on the road between the Village of Barovia and Vallaki. It’s now home to a coven of three night hags — Morgantha, Bella Sunbane, and Offalia Wormwiggle — who grind children’s bones into dream pastries.
Why This Encounter Matters
Old Bonegrinder is often the first “reality check” in Curse of Strahd. A level 4 party walking in expecting a standard fight will face a CR 15 coven. This teaches two critical lessons:
- Not every fight is winnable at your current level
- Barovia is genuinely dangerous — the horror isn’t just flavor
The Night Hag Coven
When three night hags are within 30 feet of each other, they form a coven with shared spellcasting:
| Spell | Tactical Use |
|---|---|
| Sleep | Incapacitate low-HP characters |
| Lightning Bolt | 8d6 damage in a line — devastating in tight quarters |
| Polymorph | Turn a fighter into a frog mid-combat |
| Eyebite | Frighten or put to sleep repeatedly |
Running the Encounter
If the party investigates cautiously
- Morgantha greets them as a sweet old woman selling pastries
- The upper floors reveal increasingly disturbing evidence
- Give perceptive players a chance to notice something is wrong before combat
If combat breaks out
- The hags fight smart — they go ethereal to escape if losing
- They target the weakest party member to make examples
- If a hag dies, the coven breaks and the others flee
If the party retreats
- This is the intended outcome for most level 4 parties
- The hags become a recurring threat, appearing in dreams
- The party can return at higher level for a satisfying rematch