Aquatic vampire?

[Jon_Dahl]

I've been comtemplating a monster idea for my players. Something supposedly fresh and new
A merfolk Vampire bard

I was thinking that the guy got bit (somehow) years ago and been travelling river to river for years. Players go and investigate a certain area around a river where people have gone missing...

But few questions:

Like their creators, spawn remain bound to their coffins and to the soil of their graves

My brain exploded here So what does coffin and soil have to with merfolks? I guess my vampire has never left the area where he "buried" because he is bound to the "soil". Hmm. Any advice here is much appreciated.

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.

gaseous form: it can’t enter water or other liquid

Hmm tough luck?

Children of the Night (Su)

Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world and once per day can call forth 1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as a standard action. (If the base creature is not terrestrial, this power might summon other creatures of similar power.)

Alternate Form (Su)

A vampire can assume the shape of a bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf as a standard action. While in its alternate form, the vampire loses its natural slam attack and dominate ability, but it gains the natural weapons and extraordinary special attacks of its new form. It can remain in that form until it assumes another or until the next sunrise. (If the base creature is not terrestrial, this power might allow other forms.)

Ok, but since merfolk is amphibious meaning that he is more aquatic than terrestrial, he is STILL terrestrial too. So what do you think of this?

Generally I'd really love to hear good pointers about creating a merfolk vampire. Or is this idea completely retarded and stupid and I deserve a smack in the face? That would be fine, I have other ideas. Plenty

 

[frankthedm]

Dirt from the grave becomes the muck it's corpse came to rest in on the sea floor. Perhaps supernaturally dense so it does not float away too easily, but it would be quite wise to keep such material in a convenient box like container. Like an oversized chest.

Gaseous form becomes Sludge form. Flowing, not flying, but otherwise similar.

Summons
1d6+1 Diseased lamprey swarms, [just change land speed to swim speed]
1d4+1 Leech swarms, [just change fly speed to swim speed]
or a pack of 3d6 Medium sharks [same CR]

Alternate forms
Change speeds to swim, describe as aquatic monster.

 

[Jhaelen]

Actually, one of the TSR adventure modules for AD&D 1e (or maybe it was 2e?) featured an aquatic vampire. I'm pretty sure it was able to turn into a shark and was (obviously!) immune to running water, but I don't remember a lot about it otherwise.