Looking for a fun campaign that turns my PCs into vampires

[corcio]

Wow
sorry for the long title
but basically here is what i was looking for
i have an idea in my head...here it is

the pcs are already well off and have a small keep at the edge of the forest...the local king/duke whatever requests they investigate a deserted town...of course at the bottom of the church basement they run afoul an evil vampire...theydont know its a vampire but they get bitten and slowly become vampire spawn...imchanging it up a little...and of course it will be much better written than it is here....eventuallythye either embrace their new evil form...im sure they will i know i would...or they try and find a cure while avoiding being killed by the townsfolk and clerics of good....etc...if they become evil then well thats easy..go kill everything...BUT ANYWAYS im just looking for advice with this sort of thing....heres some questions i have

1. how would you enjoy a campaign like this
2. what would you change
3. any specific module that might be useful with this.
any problems you could forsee in the future
etc

 

[shilsen]

I personally wouldn't enjoy a campaign like that, as either DM or player, since it seems dependent on some serious railroading. It seems like you've decided beforehand that the PCs, whatever choices they make, will become bitten and turn into vampires. That, for me, is a huge no-no.

I think I'd hate that even more as a DM, since what I much prefer is to set situations and events in motion, with little or no preplanned conclusions, and let the choices and actions of the PCs determine/affect the results. If I was running the above, I'd have them encounter the vampire and have a LOT of options in there, including peaceful interaction (few things confuse/worry PCs more than supposedly evil monsters who turn out to be fairly normal and nice).

If the PCs fight it and get bitten and turn into vampire spawn, so be it. But don't assume that they will and force them to be.

 

[corcio]

no no
of course they will start off that way
after that its their choice
i will give their characters the vampire spawn template as theyr next level and theyll aadvance through it
but thats the only thing they wont have control over

 

[tenkar]

Ah, but you see, you are taking away their biggest choice... who and what their characters are. If one or two PC's become vamps due to how the dice fall it can be an interesting campaign. Turning them all into vamps against their wishes is railroading to my eyes, and my players always rebelled against railroading.

 

[shilsen]

no no
of course they will start off that way
after that its their choice
i will give their characters the vampire spawn template as theyr next level and theyll aadvance through it
but thats the only thing they wont have control over

The only thing?! That's a huge aspect of the character to completely remove all player input and choice from.

 

[Rackhir]

Don't have them make up characters expecting a normal D&D campaign and then spring this on the characters as a surprise. Ask the players if they would be interested in a campaign with this as the premise. If you force this kind of campaign on the players and they want/expect a different kind of campaign you are risking outright rebellion.

 

[dinsdale]

As long as you think the players will have fun with the vampire aspect and warn them in advance that there will be some non-standard things happening, I don't have as much difficulty with it as some previous posters.

However, you talked about the players either embracing their evil selves or trying to find a cure. What happens if the party doesn't all agree on which way to go? You could have things self-destruct fairly quickly.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Honestly, I'd do this in a World of Darkness game instead. Not only is it set up mechanically to do it much more elegantly than "hey, here's a nice fat template for ya," it would also fit in with player expectations better.

 

[fafhrd]

When do you play? I've got a CON dumpstatted character all ready and willing.

 

[JustKim]

1. how would you enjoy a campaign like this

Don't.

2. what would you change

Stop it.

3. any specific module that might be useful with this.

No.

Your players are going to know they're being railroaded when each and every one of them gets bitten. No vampire of reasonable challenge to a party will last long enough to grapple, pin and bite every single party member. Your PCs will be fighting it every step of the way, you will be waving away their efforts, and they will know it if they've ever played D&D before. This does not even accomodate the fact that vampirism in D&D is not transmitted through a simple bite, a fact that your players will realize if they ever read the vampire entry (and they will if they become vampires).

When you tell them how to advance, things get really ugly. Advancing is probably the player's biggest thrill in D&D and you're taking it away from them. Bad idea. Go back to the drawing board.