Backstabbing gaseous vampires with Magic Missiles [3.5e]

[Adumbration]

Just out of curiosity. This situation has come up twice so far, in two different campaigns, with two different rulings. After an Epick (k is there on purpose) battle against the vampire, it finally faulters and goes poof into it's gaseous form, fleeing in holy terror.

Then the warmage fires a salvo of Magic missiles at it's back, and poof goes the recurring villain. The first time, we got away with it after a few spot checks we triangulated it's position and the warmage did his thing. It was a one-shot adventure anyway, so no further business about it.

So, did we get it right? Is it a valid use of Magic Missile? On the second time we were up against a vampire spawn, and there was a vague argument about it - "you can't see it, it's gone" - no spot checks, nothing, the vampire poofs, combat is over. Then again, that time it was near the end of a different DM's adventure, it was getting late, and we just went on and pawned the crystal psion thingie that was trapped in the mansion and wanted to possess an NPC - naturally leaving no witnesses.

So, what's the general consensus?

[Moriato]

Fast Healing (Ex)

A vampire heals 5 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, it automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. It must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (It can travel up to nine miles in 2 hours.) Any additional damage dealt to a vampire forced into gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its coffin, a vampire is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round.

Emphasis mine, so no, it doesn't matter how much extra damage you do to a vampire after reducing it 0 hp, it still does not destroy it, by RAW. You should still be able to see it, and even attack it, but it's a moot point since it wont have any effect unless you expose it to sunlight, running water, or keep it trapped, away from its coffin for long enough to kill it.

Interestingly enough, the fast healing entry for vampire spawn (different than vampire) does not have the same wording.


Fast Healing (Ex)

A vampire spawn heals 2 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, it automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. It must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (It can travel up to nine miles in 2 hours.) Once at rest in its coffin, it is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 2 hit points per round.

I assume that's just an oversight, however, since undead are normally destroyed at 0 hp and not -10, it doesn't make much sense otherwise.

[Iku Rex]

The missiles should not have had any effect.


Fast Healing (Ex)

A vampire heals 5 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, it automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. It must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (It can travel up to nine miles in 2 hours.) Any additional damage dealt to a vampire forced into gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its coffin, a vampire is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round.

To slay a vampire:

Slaying a Vampire

Reducing a vampire’s hit points to 0 or lower incapacitates it but doesn’t always destroy it (see the note on fast healing). However, certain attacks can slay vampires. Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight disorients it: It can take only a single move action or attack action and is destroyed utterly in the next round if it cannot escape. Similarly, immersing a vampire in running water robs it of one-third of its hit points each round until it is destroyed at the end of the third round of immersion. Driving a wooden stake through a vampire’s heart instantly slays the monster. However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless the body is destroyed. A popular tactic is to cut off the creature’s head and fill its mouth with holy wafers (or their equivalent).

The usual tactic with a vampire is to reduce it to gaseous form and then follow it back to its coffin and put a stake though its heart.

[Blood_Lord]

Another fun Vampire kill is to surround the Gaseous Form with Windwall/Wall of Force. But only if in a Dungeon, so you can get it to the ceiling.

[Llama231]

Does disintegrate work?

[Eldariel]

Disintegrate works just fine. Anything that destroys the body works. It cannot assume Gaseous Form if it doesn't exist.

[Flickerdart]

I think he meant Disintegrate on the Gaseous Form, in which case no. It's still a creature, and a creature needs to be reduced to 0 by the damage to be disintegrated.

I wonder if you can Baleful Polymorph the gas into a squirrel and then sit on it. Would it still die when the 2 hours are up?

[Blood_Lord]

I think he meant Disintegrate on the Gaseous Form, in which case no. It's still a creature, and a creature needs to be reduced to 0 by the damage to be disintegrated.

I wonder if you can Baleful Polymorph the gas into a squirrel and then sit on it. Would it still die when the 2 hours are up?

Yes. It would.

[Moriato]

I think he meant Disintegrate on the Gaseous Form, in which case no. It's still a creature, and a creature needs to be reduced to 0 by the damage to be disintegrated.

I wonder if you can Baleful Polymorph the gas into a squirrel and then sit on it. Would it still die when the 2 hours are up?

Wouldn't work once it's in gaseous form


Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to baleful polymorph

Before, however, I suppose it would.