Vampires are nothing like zombies. When a dead creature is animated by Animate Dead (3rd level cleric spell), it can be made into either a skeleton or zombie if it is mostly intact. Zombies act as if they are under the constant effect of a Slow spell, have no Int score or skills, gain DR 5/slashing, lose all feats the base creature had (but gain Toughness), and they tend to have a low CR. When creating a zombie, all hit dice gained from class levels are lost (to a minimum of 1) and the remaining HD are doubled and become d12s.
Vampires can be created by other vampires or by the 8th level cleric spell Create Greater Undead. A vampire's abilities increase from the base creature as follows: Str +6, Dex +4, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +4. As an undead creature, a vampire has no Constitution score. All HD of the base creature are retained and increased to d12s. They gain cold and electricity resistance 10, DR 10/silver and magic, and several special abilities. 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. As a standard action, a vampire can assume gaseous form at will as the spell (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability. They retain all skills of the base creature, but also have a +8 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. Unlike zombies, they have +4 to turn resistance. A vampire can assume the shape of a bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf as a standard action. A vampire can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.
Vampires cannot tolerate the strong odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Similarly, they recoil from a mirror or a strongly presented holy symbol. These things don't harm the vampire--they merely keep it at bay. A recoiling vampire must stay at least 5 feet away from a creature holding the mirror or holy symbol and cannot touch or make melee attacks against the creature holding the item for the rest of the encounter. Holding a vampire at bay takes a standard action.
Reducing a vampire's hit points to 0 or lower incapacitates it but doesn't always destroy it. 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).
Zombies can not make other zombies, but vampires can create other vampires if they kill a creature using their energy drain ability. A creature with 4 or less HD rises as a vampire spawn, and 5 or more becomes a vampire.