Do OOTS vampires die permanently to beheading alone, or must stakes be used as well?

[Yirggzmb]

Does it mean all of Durkon's stuff is destroyed?

Probably. Although when he got dusted, he was wearing robes instead of his usual armor, and I think his weapons were left behind post-vampirism anyway.

I wouldn't be surprised if there turned out to be some spare armor in the bag of holding, or something. Also they're currently in a dwarven city - probably wouldn't be too hard to find some replacement stuff for him regardless.

[Sylian]

Does it mean all of Durkon's stuff is destroyed?

Maybe, but his shield and armor should be somewhere else (unless he put it in a Bag of Holding that was destroyed too). It seems he left his hammer behind in the pyramid though, so he probably doesn't have that. If he's Resurrected he might be due for a new weapon.

[Kardwill]

So Malack left stuff behind because he was killed by the sun, but if was killed by being reduced to 0hp he would have misted out to try and reach his coffin with his stuff. Meanwhile quick-raised vampires mist when dying (and so don't leave anything behind) but since they don't have a coffin they instantly croak as well.

Do I have that right?

Nope, as I undertstand it, if they don't have a coffin-link to preserve them, they're immediately dusted, Buffy style (we can see the difference : they have x for eyes before they disappear, and the cloud of dust don't have eyes like the cloud of fog). The "don't leave stuff behind" part is just because The Giant didn't want to draw a bunch of empty robes and armor scattered everywhere in this chapter (whereas for Malack, it made sense to draw it since it was just one vampire, and the empty robe was a nice dramatic touch to underline Nale's rash act).

[GregTD]

It counts as destroying the body only if there's a stake through their heart. Otherwise, it's just a graphic way of reducing them to 0 (or negative) HP. Anything that would otherwise count as "destroying the body" is useless if there's no stake (except the other methods to kill a vampire, such as sunlight or running water).

Also, Belkar didn't fill the vampire's mouth with holy wafers, which is mentioned as a necessary part of destroying their body by decapitation, so it's pretty clear that was not what happened.

"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)."

"A popular tactic" != "required"

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: No More Night of the Living Thread.