Killing a vampire might seem like a contradiction, since vampires are already dead, but in this case, we’ll be talking about taking the vampire off the board for good.

Legends abound regarding how to kill a vampire. I’m going to sift through some of the information out there in an attempt to come up with a coherent set of rules for the OtMH universe. Along the way, I may choose to ignore some others’ suggested vampire-killing methods. Oh well. Consistency is the thing here.

Opinion appears to be divided on the efficacy of fire for killing vampires. Some suggest that the flames must be blessed by a holy person (e.g., get a priest to bless your torch before going after the vampire). Others say that the fire has to be pretty intense. It might take a while in a hot fire, since vampires are said to heal very rapidly. They might be able to heal themselves if the fire doesn’t burn long enough or hot enough.

Sunlight will weaken, maim, or kill vampires, depending on who you talk to. According to some people, any sunlight will make vampires burst into flames. Others say that old, powerful vampires will be weakened by sunlight.

Vampires are vulnerable to silver. It is said to burn them, like sunlight. Or, you could try to get a vampire to ingest colloidal silver (which has been used for some time to treat infections and wounds of mortals).

Of course, vampires are weakened by garlic (as with silver and sunlight). Perhaps you could inject vampires with colloidal silver or with garlic oil to finish them off.

Speaking of ingestion, certain blood is said to be deadly to vampires. One source mentioned angel’s blood or Sasquatch blood would be deadly to vampires. Another source suggested tricking vampires into drinking the blood of another vampire would finish the vampire off, since it would be drinking the blood of something already dead. What about werewolf blood? One source opined that drinking werewolf blood would be beneficial, since werewolves are magical creatures.

Ripping off a vampire’s head should finish it off, however. Vampires are very strong and tough, though. Beheading a vampire is not as easy as you might think. A silver sword might make the task easier.

Finally, the rules for the OtMH universe:

• Vampires, like werewolves, are stronger than mortals. They also heal very fast. You have to be deliberate about killing a vampire, so he or she doesn’t quickly heal.
• A wooden stake through the heart will fell a vampire, but old, powerful vampires might be able to recover enough to pull out the stake (or have an associate pull the stake out). To be sure, it is best to burn the body after you put a stake through the vampire’s heart. Oh, and just to be safe? Scatter the ashes in the wind.
• Since vampires can heal themselves quickly, a stake anywhere else but the heart probably won’t slow them down as much. In this case, the vampire might have the wherewithal to pull the stake out. Better get that stake through the heart!
• Sunlight is deadly to “young” vampires (less than a few decades a vampire), but older, more powerful vampires can stand some sunlight. They favor sunglasses and large hats, long sleeves, etc. Powerful magicians can conjure strong light, storing it in a sunstone until needed. This magical sunlight will slow down or paralyze a vampire.
• Vampires are vulnerable to silver, though less so than werewolves. (Silver being the lunar metal, after all.) Cutting off a vampire’s head with a silver knife would be a good strategy. Similarly, silver bullets or darts would slow down a vampire or slow the vampire’s healing. However, vampires could just wear gloves if, for example, they wanted to load a gun with silver bullets and shoot werewolves.
• Since vampires heal quickly, you can’t just tear off their limbs; they might be able to reassemble themselves. However, if you ripped off a vampire’s arm, for example, and dragged the arm far enough away, it couldn’t reattach it. However, the vampire might regrow the arm.
• Tearing off a vampire’s head and then making sure the head is separated from the body will finish off a vampire. Just to be sure, burn the head and body separately in a hot fire.
• If a vampire does manage to bite a werewolf and drink werewolf blood, it leads to weakness and possibly madness, similar to rabies, from which the vampire may not recover.