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Sorry if this is a stupid question, but does Undeath to Death destroy a vampire utterly or does it just force the vampire to assume gaseous form?
Only reducing to 0 hit points (or lower) makes a vampire assume gaseous form. Undeath to Death does not affect hit points; the spell directly destroys them.
But keep in mind, most vampires (not including lesser spawn) are likely above the maximum 8 hit die.
I would say Undeath to Death "destroys" Vampires in the same way that Vampires become "destroyed" by direct exposure to Sunlight; a Vampire does not enter Gaseous Form unless they're reduced to 0 HP-- and Undeath to Death doesn't reduce to 0HP, it destroys. Bestiary Vampires are 8 HD, so they would satisfy the "8 HD or less" requirement for Undeath to Death being able to affect them, but if you've added any HD onto your Vampire to beef up his CR then he would obviously be immune to this spell as soon as he hits 9HD. Although, Mythic tiers can increase whether your Undeath to Death affects higher HD Vampires, so that's something to keep in mind if you're playing Mythic.