Quote from: Cave Bear;1083352I don't believe I've ever actually fought a vampire in any roleplaying game, but I like the idea of biding one's time and fighting to stay alive until sunrise.

We had a standing joke that nay party arriving to fight Vampires would always arirve "Just before sunset".

Quote from: Cave Bear;1083352What are some useful tactical considerations and game mastery tricks you've picked up for these kinds of scenarios?

We game using RuneQuest variants, usually in Glorantha, so our Vampire-fighting is slightly different from the norm.

• Vampires cannot cross holy water, so sprinkling holy water across a threshold traps them in the building.
• Vampires can be damaged by presenting a Death Rune (Cross), doing 1D3 damage that cannot regenerate, so a band of Humakti hold up their swords and concentrate really hard.
• Vampires cannot cross running water, so if you hide across a stream then you should be OK, unless they have boatmen.
• Blessed earth weapons can do unregenerable damage to a Vampire, so pack your shovels and picks
• Holy water can destroy a vampire's grave earth, so stopping it from regenerating, so it is sometimes worth spiking the coffin with holy water
• A Sylph can be used to disrupt a Vampire who has turned into mist
• In Glorantha, Vampires can walk around in the sun, but can't regenerate or turn into mist, useful to know if you have a gang of newbies who don't know that

Quote from: Cave Bear;1083352I think it's funny when vampires are blindsided by the sudden and fortuitous arrival of dawn. Did they lose track of the time?

Probably, it's one of the disadvantages of being immortal, time doesn't mean much any more. Also, they are so arrogant that they can be goaded into making long speeches and toying with their victims.

Let's be real here: vampires would be ACUTELY aware of sunrise. They can feel it on their skin. So - the vampire villain(s) might escalated the combat trying to kill the PCs quickly OR move the combat somewhere indoors or underground where the sun wont hurt them (as much).

I use "moving combat" with my encounters: the NPC attacker(s) run or position themselves towards what gives them advantage. It forces the players to think a little more. Don't make the combat setting static - the fight starts
in a room, then moves down a hallway/somewhere else that shifts tactical advantage.

Archers have, historically, shifted position based on cover, because it makes their attackers' adjustment different. DO that.

I would suggest making a vampire fight just what you want: the undead fight, then as the sun rises, they move into shadows, then they move inside/underground. They would push any advantage. As a GM, you need to make
combat intimately EPIC.

You can do that with terrain shifts.

Quote from: David Johansen;1083390When fighting vampires be sure to bring lots of orange juice.  It's like liquid sunshine!

That provoked an honest-to-goodness LOL from me. Well done.