Cheiromancer said:
I read this as saying that vile damage can only be healed by magic, and furthermore the magical healing must take place in a holy place. So no natural healing, no fast healing, no regeneration- only magical healing, and only in a holy place.
Undead or fiends who receive vile damage are unlikely to be able to go to a holy place to receive healing- thus they bear the damage permanently.
The consecrate spell, for example, does not explicitly say that undead cannot enter the area. They suffer minor disruption (-1 penalty to attacks, damage, and saves). Other than that, they should be able to enter the area and heal without a problem. Fiends are not affected by the consecrate spell (at least according to its descript....it mentions nothing about fiends at all).
Course the easiest thing might be to just rule that since vile damage "represents such an evil violation to a character's body or soul..." that particularly evil creatures, such as fiends and undead, are immune to the "vile" effects (meaning they can just heal it like any other damage).
Is that right? Can a vile weapon permanently kill a vampire?
Nope. A vampire could enter a consecrated area, it would just suffer the penalties above (to attacks, damage, and saves).
Or does vile damage only interfere with magical healing; i.e. magical healing is ineffective against vile damage unless it takes place in a holy place, but natural healing still works.
Nope- natural healing doesnt work. Check page 34 in the BoVD..."Unlike regular damage, vile damage can only be healed by magic..."
Or does vile damage affect fiends and undead differently than it does normal folk?
Nope- not that I know of or it would say so in the descript of vile damage. As far as I know, vile damage can be healed on fiends and undead within a consecrated area (again, the consecrate spell does not preclude undead from entering the area and says nothing at all about fiends).