Common Werewolf and Vampire Myths Dispelled
Written by Harry
November 11, 2008
In the genre of horror, there are many common werewolf and vampire myths. We’ve all heard a few of them, like myths that claim silver bullets kill a werewolf and garlic repels vampires.
When it comes to Escaping Reality and the World of Darkness, though, some of these myths apply and others don’t.
Werewolf Myths and Facts:
True or False? Silver bullets kill a werewolf.
True: Silver harms a werewolf or other shifter. The slightest contact causes a burning sensation. A small cut heals slowly as if the werewolf were only a human and may leave scars.
If a werewolf is shot or attacked with silver, results can be deadly. The injury won’t heal quickly and the werewolf could die if the wound is serious enough
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True or False? Werewolves only change at the full moon.
False: Werewolves can change forms any time they please. It’s best they do it when there is no one around to witness it except other shifters. We wouldn’t want people to know, now would we?
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True or False? A character can become a werewolf by being bitten by a werewolf
False: The ability to become a werewolf is part genetic and part connection to the spirits. A bite won’t do it.
However, the Forsaken do mark potential shifters with a bite or scratch so the person can be tracked through a spiritual link to the blood once the Forsaken has tasted it.
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True or False? It’s easy to spot a werewolf.
False: Nope. Sorry. Forsaken and other shifters look the same as everyone else. However, their actions, words or behaviors might give them away, especially those of inexperienced shifters.
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True or False? Kill or dismember a werewolf while in wolf form and the body or appendage reverts to human form.
True: Cut off a piece of a werewolf in one of its non-human forms and that piece turns back into its human form. The body also reverts to human form upon death.
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True or False? Werewolves always travel/work alone.
False: The Forsaken are pack-minded creatures. They can’t go for extended periods of time without the support or contact of their kind.
Vampire Myths and Facts:
True or False? Vampires have an aversion to garlic.
False: The only aversion a vampire will have to garlic is if the individual never liked the smell or taste of it in their previous life.
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True or False? Vampires have an aversion to crosses and holy water
Partially true. If there is enough belief in the heart of the individual wielding the cross or water, then that object burns the vampire. If the character never believed in those things or has doubts, the objects are not going to have an effect at all.
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True or False? A stake through the heart kills a vampire.
False: A stake through the heart won’t kill a vampire, but it will incapacitate him. When staked, a vampire goes into a state called torpor. The vampire can see/hear/feel everything but is basically paralyzed and can stay in this state indefinitely until the stake is removed.
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True or False? Cutting off a vampire’s head kills him.
True. Cut off a vampire’s head and your character destroys him.
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True or False? Vampires turn to dust in the sunlight.
Partially true. Sunlight has to touch the vampire’s exposed skin. Vampires with the ability to “stay up late” can walk in the daylight, but they have to be very well covered.
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True or False? Fire kills a vampire.
Fire kills a vampire. Many vampires have such an aversion to fire they can’t even tolerate a lighted match. Some, like those in the Ordo Dracul, work hard to overcome this primal fear of fire, but the action is one that needs a roll of the dice to determine success of action.
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True or False? Vampires have to sleep in coffins.
False. That’s a vampire’s personal preference. Some (the Gangrel) go underground and sleep in a hole. Others might have an elaborate lair tricked out with more security than Fort Knox.
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True or False? The bite of a vampire turns a character into a vampire.
Partially true. A single bite won’t do it. The change only happens with what the Kindred call the Embrace. This is a process where the the vampire sucks out all the blood from the victim to the brink of death and then the victim is forced to drink the blood back from the vampire.
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True or False? Vampires live forever.
Partially true. A vampire can survive forever, if he’s smart, but there are ways to destroy him.
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True or False? Vampires can shape-shift and fly.
True. Some vampires have Disciplines (supernatural abilities) that allow them to change forms (wolf, bat, mist). With practice, they can fly in bat form.
Any other questions?
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What about the one in Bram Stoker’s book about (Vampires) not being able to cross running water - rivers, seas etc?
Hey Marc, looks like I missed a myth. And how could I forget that one since Bram’s story is a favorite of mine.
In our game running water has no effect at all on vampires. Can you think of any others?
Another Stoker piece of vamplore: If a vampire chooses to sleep in a coffin, and someone places a sprig of wild rose on top of it, does that keep the vampire contained?
Ravyns last blog post..Cultivating Mentor-Student Relationships
@Ravyn: I’m afraid our vampires would wake up, push the lid back and wonder which human had a crush on them.
Harry,
It would have to be Selene, she is the one living in the Rose cottage…
Wendi Kelly-Life’s Little Inspirationss last blog post..Passionate Friends
Alright, I’m writing a story and I’m having problems working out various details of it. Any answers, opinions, etc, you might have would be appreciated. =)
When a child is born a werewolf, they wouldn’t start shifting until about the time they hit puberty(12-13 years old), right?
How would they age? Would a werewolf stop aging once their bodies have fully grown and matured? (About mid twenties). Or would they continue to grow old like a normal human? Most of the people I roleplay with have characters that were turned by a bite, and they always appear to be the age they were when they turned. So I’m confused how it would work with a full blooded lycan.
@Raven: In this system a First Change can happen anywhere from age 13 to age 65, so yes, most do happen at the onset of adolescence.
Weres and other shifters don’t age the same as humans do. Since they have amazing regenerative abilities, this slows down the aging process and most look a lot younger than they really are. No one knows how long a shifter can live, their lives are full of violence and danger so very few ever die of old age or natural causes like disease. In this game, becoming a shifter is genetic. A character can’t “get it” from a bite or a scratch.
Well, with the bite thing I was only referring to the way my pack has chosen to play out their own character’s stories. Didn’t mean to go against the article. Sorry for the confusion.
Thanks a bunch for your help, though. =) I sincerely appreciate it. It makes planning and writing my story much easier.