I'm running a WFRP2 game and am looking for some ideas for throwing in vampires against the PCs. What I specifically need is an adventure (if one exists) that pits the PCs (who could be considered a gang - one of the PCs is on the road to Crime Lord) against a rival group that is, or is lead by, vampires. I have never played anything Ravenloft, but after a cursory glance of the .pdfs available, I don't think that's the theme I'm looking for. Has anyone had experience with a game or adventure like this? Game system doesn't matter, as I'll most likely be scavenging ideas and creating NPCs myself.
RPG Superstar 2013
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.
If you have Forgotten Realms stuff, the Waterdeep suggestion is preetty good. I reember thsoe adventures being very scenic.
But I was thinking also about Westage. My last campaign was set there, and Westgate has issues with the regional thieves' guild. If you're looking for spooky vampires who have a vice grip on their territory, check them out.
All you players who somehow didn't know: your eyes are getting very heavy....
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.
If you have Forgotten Realms stuff, the Waterdeep suggestion is preetty good. I reember thsoe adventures being very scenic.
But I was thinking also about Westage. My last campaign was set there, and Westgate has issues with the regional thieves' guild. If you're looking for spooky vampires who have a vice grip on their territory, check them out.
All you players who somehow didn't know: your eyes are getting very heavy....
There was a 2nd edition source book that detailed the thieves guild in Westgate among other secretive groups. Believe it was "Cloak and Dagger"and it also received another entry in the 3rd edition book "Lords of Darkness"
In the Warhammer fantasy world there are five tribes of vampires; each have similiar abilities, but they are very different in gifts and in behavior; these five tribes are the Von Carsteins - the typical vampire found mostly in the Empire, the Blood Dragons, the Necrarchs, the Strigoi, and the Lahmians.
Depending on how advanced your game is; i would use one or more of these tribes in contention for an adventure; perhaps the easiest would be the Lahmians, which are the most able to pass a humans as they are gifted with beauty and charm/domination powers; they resist direct confrontation, but use intrigue and manipulation to have others fulfill their lavish desires, they surround themselves with art and money and live lavish lives; you could use a Lahmian trall vampire (they are almost exclusively female) as a noble of a few small hamlets that have had lots of trouble with missing livestock and now whole farms of peasants are missing; no goods have been touched - just the people are missing; the local constables are unable to effect a solution so they have brought their troubles to the noble; she doesnt wish any official inquiry and doesnt want to appear weak; so she lets it be known that she is hiring adventurers to find out the problem and take care of it; she is offering both money and a prize of some magic item.
So what might be happening; well; have a Strigoi vampire lord with 2 thralls move into the wilds nearby; Strigoi are horrid looking and beastial; they use no weapons and wherever a strigoi is ghouls tend to gather; Strigoi are outcast vamps hunted and at war with all other tribes; they hate every other vampire and fear getting caught; they hate the living too, but fear reprisal so stay hidden; they were once powerful nobles who led the nation of Strigoi, and sometimes living strigoi natives; like gypsies, can be found working with them; hiding them; whatnot.
anyway; have the vampire move into an old abandoned mansion way back in the wilderness; give it a name the the Marfried House; where wicked and evil things did take place a back in my grandfather day before it was purified by Sigmar's witchhunters; have the place full of old legends of murders, death, cultists; and lots of unmarked graves as this family for generations preyed upon the nearby hamlets.
so the vamp moves in as the place has a dead feel to it and offers shelter; he kills most of the game in the area so the gamewardens have no game and hunters have no food. he then sends his tralls to kill livestock; then takes whole farms for food and sacrifice; well; all these dead bodies start mounting up and ghouls start arriving; Strigoi are called the ghoul kings for a reason; so give the vamp about 15 ghouls + d3 ghouls arrive every day; they eat all the people and begin diggin up all the unmarked graves; so lots of shallow pits are around the semi burnt and wrecked mansion grounds; as more ghouls arrive they take more and more farms; adventually they will be strong enough to attack a hamlet if left unchecked; the strigoi knows there is a Lahmian about and he wants her to suffer before he kills her.
so there you have the basis of an adventure; add some dire wolves to each side and throw the pc's into the mix as the two vampire tribes go to war; the strigoi lord will not show himself and will flee if discovered, he will sacrifice all the ghouls and his tralls to cover his tracks, he can also summon beasts like dire wolves; more ghouls, and giant bats; the lahmian doesnt want to loose face in her tribe; so she tries to avoid direct confrontation and seeks to fight through intermediaries and keep a lid on the whole thing so the dreaded witchhunters or vampire hunters dont come snooping around so she will be very sultry and helpful to the party; every party; throw in a few other adventure groups that she has duped; heck sacrifice a few hehe and have them competing for the prize.
this could be the basis of a single adventure or a long drawn out campaign
Strigoi basic goals - gain power and an army of followers big enough to reconquer their homeland. all stroi have more wounds and higher str and toughness than the normal vampire profile, but use no weapons. they gain lots of animalistic power like track by scent and stuff; the older the more str and toughness they get; also they tend to regenerate.
Lahmians - seek to gain wealth, power and live a lavish undead life of depraved beauty; they always appear young and viral. They are -1 str on normal vamp chart and +2 to initiative; they have lots of charm and domination powers. As they age, their charm and domination powers can entrall entire villages to their will. Also, they can move faster than the mortal eye can see for short distances so are thought to be able to dissappear.
hope this helps.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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Valegrim said: "Lahmians - seek to gain wealth, power and live a lavish undead life of depraved beauty; they always appear young and viral."
nah. The Lahmians are virile. The vampires in Blade and I Am Legend are viral. : }
Using the vampire tribes is a great idea, if a lot of work. My favorites were always the Lahmians (who doesn't have a weakness for hot, fast vampire chicks). But the game is supposedly balanced such that all the trbies are equslly powerful. I don't really think that's true for necrarchs (them wizard levels are expensive and make your boss an even bigger target) or the strigoi (no wight heavy cavalry?). The Lahmians and Blood Dragons have the love from GW sewn up.
But an interplay of desperate heroes trapped between ruling, feuding vampire factions is the stuff for a great DND campaign. You're gonna do really well and your players will remember it. Buy the vampire counts GW book and steal from art and fluff. Yummy!
I know this isnt a full game/camp[aign, but you might consider using the story behind that fake vampire from Dungeon issue 136. She had a thieves guild working for her.