Yesterday I suddenly discovered that no matter what bed I picked to sleep in -- mages guild beds or inns or bedrolls in caves -- I was attacked by the vampire. I need to level up but can't find a safe bed. What's the deal? Ido NOT want to go through the vampire cure quest.

PS, yes, I know I posted this under another heading but didn't get a direct answer to the "avoiding" question.

Thanks in advance.

It's very simple and easy to avoid being a vampire.

To become a vampire you need to have gotten the Porphyric Hemophilia disease (it will show up on your spell effects tab and will slightly decrease "fatigue"). If after a few days with that disease you sleep, then you will become a vampire (if you haven't already been cured).

So all you need to do is cure the disease before sleeping. You can do that through any standard cure disease method like: eat a Mandrake root, drink a cure disease potion, cast a cure disease spell, use a church, etc.

Once cured you can sleep.

By the way that message you get when you sleep is not a Vampire attacking you. It is a nightmare. That's why you get it in any bed. So if you don't want it and vampirism, then just cure the disease before sleeping.

Many thanks, Savlian. Now I can backtrack through my saves and find the spot where I picked up that accursed disease.

All you need is the last save from before you slept. You can cure it then. You don't need to go back all the way.

However, there is apparently a timer that does not get reset. In theory you should have to have the disease for 3 days before it will cause your character to turn into a vampire. But that timer, as I understand it, is not reset. So if you first get the disease and have it for over 3 days, then cure it, the next time you get the disease it will turn your character into a vampire the next time you sleep.

What I usually do is make sure I check for the disease and cure it every time I fight some Vampires. You can only get that disease from close contact with vampires, like melee combat (I guess some of that icky vampire blood could splatter on your character).