How do Vampires travel???

[Thunderfoot]

The supplement to read is Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula." Not any movies, sequels or reimaginings. How a vampire travels takes up a good portion of the book, and the log of the Demeter is one of the best horror tales in the English language, for my money.

I don't know - there are several movies, novels and other sources that give perfectly good ways to get from place to place for a vampire.

And just so I don't make this a one sided 'help' I'll even include the modern stuff so you d20 Modern folks can have some refs.

There was a an old movie called "Vampires from Space" that was really horrible, however, the alien vamps landed during several times in history (that was how vamps came to exist on the earth) each time they used different methods to move during the day and relocate their sarcophogi during the middle ages the black coach (used by nobility) was a great way for thralls to move their master around, during the US Civil War, vamps were hidden in supply trains, air, ship and train shipping were all used in modern day applications, just large crates containing their sarcophogi within them.
The train method was also used in "Abbot and Costell meet Dracula".
In "Fright Night" a moving company moved the coffin in a crate along with the furniture and other 'houshold' items via a moving truck.
I can't recall the name of the novel, but I remember reading somewhere one myth where the "coffin" wasn't needed just a phylactraty or majic jar like box that contained the grave dirt that the vampire 'essence' could form near. Obviously stakes through the heart didn't work, the box had to be destroyed and the dirt sake in a 'natural' body of water such as a lake, stream, river or ocean (so that it would be scattered and be unrecoverable).

I've used all of these at some point - mostly to provide variety, but in the case of the last one, to throw a twist at the characters, just so that 'player knowledge' doesn't interfere with 'character knowledge'.
Hope this helps - Happy Gaming.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't know - there are several movies, novels and other sources that give perfectly good ways to get from place to place for a vampire.

All of which are so derivative of "Dracula," often by multiple generations, that a lot of the original's power and quality have been watered down to the level of water with red food coloring in it.

Instead of going after something terrible like "Vampire of the Mists," it's worth going back to the source, especially since the novel directly addresses the OP's question in detail.

 

[Thunderfoot]

All of which are so derivative of "Dracula," often by multiple generations, that a lot of the original's power and quality have been watered down to the level of water with red food coloring in it.

Instead of going after something terrible like "Vampire of the Mists," it's worth going back to the source, especially since the novel directly addresses the OP's question in detail.

I will give you that. However, sometimes you have to work with what you have.

 

[Warbringer]

Bag of holding full of grave dirt with continual darkness? Carried by minions

How about ethereal travel or planeshift ...no sunlight

Teleport?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula," online, free and uncut. Friends don't let friends read crappy vampire books.

 

[kolikeos]

What would happen to a vampire if its coffin/grave is destroyed or if it was never buried?

 

[Mycanid]

Back in my original D&D group, we had a BBEG who had his coffin built into the bottom of an animated stagecoach

It was dubbed the "batmobile" by the group, much to the DM's annoyance.

Eventually, the batmobile was destroyed by the party, but the vamp was able to relocate his grave dirt into a spider-like golem eventually, which was kinda cool. It's kinda hard to stake the vampire when the coffin fights back.

ARGH! Horrific pun!

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula," online, free and uncut. Friends don't let friends read crappy vampire books.

Or watch crappy movies (I'm looking at you, Coppola!)

 

[Mycanid]

Teleport?

Of course, not all vampires are wizards, but teleport seems a mighty useful thing to me in a pinch. :\

 

[Klaus]

What would happen to a vampire if its coffin/grave is destroyed or if it was never buried?

If it was never buried, it'd die on the next morning, when the sun came up.

If the vampire doesn't reach his coffin in time (or if the coffin is destroyed), he is destroyed for good. Lots of vampires keep more than one coffin ready (notice how Dracula hauled several crates of dirt from Castle Dracula to London).