Café de Nuit

Night of the Vampire, 1994 Mystara adventure that is more fit for Ravenloft than Mystara. Though for low levels, 1 to 3, fighting the vampire(s) directly is in effect certain death or extremely tough. The maps it has are great, also has a cd (i would rather describe things myself). So its missing those voice recordings as text (unless i missed something).

This is the final fight; Giant Rats (12), plus (partly stab blocks to show the danger)
Laina (minion vampire): AC 5; hp 22; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+2; SA drain 1 level per hit, SD magical weapon to hit, undead immunities, regenerate 1 hp per round

Andru (vampire): AC 1; Fl 18; HD 8+3; hp 41; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+4; SA drain 2 levels, charm gaze, shape change ; SD gaseous form THACO 11

Has anyone managed to adapt or run this in Ravenloft, and making the vampire a darklord? Its kind of messily written, have you played it? Seems like something that can be modified into an amazing Ravenloft adventure.



Mystara monsters general link
https://www.completecompendium.com/catalog/ms/

Adding this to my digital library for sure. Definitely seems like it has potential and all the makings of a fine ravenloft adventure.

Needs some work but its a very good foundation and the cover art is super cool.

Yeah the cover art is wonderful, and who doesn't love a good masquerade?

Has anyone noticed any other adventures that fit more in Ravenloft than in other settings? Before 2e, during 2e or after?

Isolde wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 4:05 am Has anyone noticed any other adventures that fit more in Ravenloft than in other settings? Before 2e, during 2e or after?

Whispers of the Vampire's Blade set in Ebberon features another masquerade ball.

Isolde wrote: Fri Mar 07, 2025 12:04 pm
This is the final fight; Giant Rats (12), plus (partly stab blocks to show the danger)
Laina (minion vampire): AC 5; hp 22; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+2; SA drain 1 level per hit, SD magical weapon to hit, undead immunities, regenerate 1 hp per round

Andru (vampire): AC 1; Fl 18; HD 8+3; hp 41; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+4; SA drain 2 levels, charm gaze, shape change ; SD gaseous form THACO 11

Unless there is some heavy help from items / allies, this is a death sentence. Andru alone would kill a 3rd level char in one blow with his thac0 11, 5-10 damage + 2 energy drain.

Also, did that say "levels 1 to 3" ? Cause at level 1, the 12 giant rats would be a tough encounter for 5-6 1st level chars. Without the vampires.

From the description on the back page, I believe that ESCAPING from the vampires, not defeating them, should be the goal. If someone thinks that 5 2nd level characters could beat the vampires (unless they are given a necklace of fireballs or something while cornering the vamps with mirrors / holy symbols), that someone could run as many simulations and mock rounds as he or she wants.

Direct combat is just the curtain falling for the wannabe heroes.

http://www.pandius.com/notvtrns.html
Night of the Vampire - Audio Transcript by Mike Harvey

from

I played this game back in the year it was released. Though I played it as written for the Mystara campaign setting. This very generic, (yet nicely themed) adventure can easily be it's own domain. On Mystara its set in the Kingdom of Karameikos in the small barony of Vandevicsny. The barony is really just the village of the same name and Lord Vandevic's manor house, on a lonely stretch of coastline surrounded by thick, dark forests. The story is a simple, straightforward vampire tale. So you may need to beef up the evil committed by the "darklord" of the land. It's played out as a murder-mystery and then a vampire hunt. The game takes place over a weekend engagement party at a manor house. There's a tournament of games, a getting to know you tea party, a masquarade ball, all the elements are there for a fun one or two session game.

The mystery of who the vampire is is very easy to figure out. It's almost like "cue the bad guy music." However, there is another murder committed over a weekend party that actually is done by another guest. This is actually what kept my players interested and the culprit turned out to have quite a personality that the group had to make the decision to arrest or let them go.

Many of the guests have secrets or are up to shady things over the weekend. I would add to these, flesh them out a bit more. For example there's a gruff old guest that arrives in a dark carriage and the way his intro is written he stays in the shadows and hurries into the manor. I would give him a medical condition that makes him loathe sunlight to make him a potential vampire suspect. The various party guests are lords and ladies of the area so I'd give them more connected backgrounds to the barony. In a sense, this setting is more like Strahd and the old families of Barovia that inhabited the lands years ago. Though this lands histories are not as detailed as in Strahd's long history.

Google search alternative endings to this game and you'll find the Vaults of Pandius have some ideas for switching who the actual vampire is. It also suggests making them nosferatu vampires (these were vampires in the Mystara setting that could stand the sunlight) as this will help throw off suspicion at least early on as to who is the vampire. Then lay your clues throughout the game to narrow the suspects.

It has great potential as a Ravenloft adventure.