Vampires are creatures with a long and complex mythology. However, there are some basic rules that never change and are part of what makes them vampires. You must know them to kill them if you try to include them as part of a novel or as part of a cosplay or role-playing game. Even though there can be many variations, there are some basic rules that you must follow in order to kill them. You can even adapt some of these tactics by using clever wordplay or modern technology to expand the possibilities of your vampire story.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Killing a Vampire in Fiction
Step 1. Identify the vampire
Your audience needs to know that the character is a vampire. You can express it directly or you can give some clues for the reader (and perhaps the characters in the story) to discover if you want to be more subtle. It's better to show that a character is a vampire, rather than saying it, if you want to create some mystery and suspense, which is always recommended when it comes to writing about vampires.
- You can ignore some rules. You can ignore or modify some characteristics of the vampire character to make your work stand out. Unpredictability can be a good element in fiction. Just be sure to explain yourself to your audience at some point.
- There must be a way to kill the vampire if this is an integral part of the story. There will be some suspense if the vampire is the hero and cannot die. However, you will have given the heroes an impossible task if the vampire is the villain, and the story will only end with a misfortune.
Step 2. Drive the vampire away
The character does not have to kill the vampire immediately, especially if he is the main villain. You want the hero to be able to keep the vampire away while looking for what is necessary to kill him. Some of these actions are the following:
- Holding sacred objects, such as a cross or a Bible. Vampires are evil creatures, so they reject holy items in general. They also resist holy places, so churches and other religious buildings can represent a safe place. They do not have to be exclusively Christian, so the constructions of Judaism, Islam or other religions can work. It is important to remember that the symbol itself is not as important as the faith of the person using it.
- Spread some small, grainy items, like salt and sand. Traditionally, vampires obsessively counted the objects they came across, so something small that can be dropped in large quantities can slow the enemy down. Similarly, you can use some fine grains, such as oatmeal or rice.
- Like fine grains, vampires will also count the knots in a net for fishing. Hanging one on doors and windows will buy some time if the vampire tries to enter where the characters are.
- Place some plants. Vampires resist plants that generally symbolize new life, such as roses, thorns, or holly. Other traditions use some other plants, such as hawthorn, juniper, sloe or rowan. The character can keep them at home or take them with him.
Step 3. Behead the vampire
A good way to kill him (or some other creature) is to cut off his head. In some genera, your mouth is filled with garlic to prevent it from coming back to life.
Step 4. Attack the vampire with other objects
There are some objects, such as bullets or wooden stakes, that can be embedded in your heart or chest, which will kill you.
- Use a wooden stake. There may be something special about the wood as it is from a particular tree or in the shape of a sacred object, such as a cross, or it can be sharpened. Some vampire stories set in modern times use ordinary wooden objects, such as pool cues or coat racks.
- Like some wooden stakes, there is something special about certain bullets that kill vampires. They can be silver bullets (as with werewolves), or a priest may have blessed them as sacred objects.
Step 5. Sprinkle the vampire with holy water
Vampires are evil creatures and can react badly to holy objects. Sprinkle holy water on them to burn or boil them. You will have to decide if the vampire will have to immerse himself in this or it will only be enough to splash it on him.
Step 6. Bring the vampire into the sunlight
In some traditions, vampires have to avoid daylight. Otherwise they turn to dust. In other jobs, vampires move around in broad daylight with no problem. Remember that most of the act with the vampire will have to take place at night or in dark areas if you decide to kill him in sunlight.
Step 7. Equip the hero with the appropriate tools
The characters who will kill the vampire have to be able to do the job, so they need a way to get the necessary items. They may need access to a church or priest if they only need a few sacred items. Trees must grow in the environment if your weapons require a certain type of wood.
Method 2 of 3: Kill a Vampire in an RPG
Step 1. Discuss the methods with the other participants
The vampire and the vampire hunter should discuss the fight and murder scenes in advance to make it look more realistic and to make sure no one gets hurt.
Step 2. Bring garlic
One of the most effective ways to kill a vampire (or any creature) is decapitation. After cutting off its head, fill its mouth with garlic. Having it on hand is a good way to show that you can kill vampires as you will not cut off anyone's head during role play.
Step 3. Take a wooden stake
Punching a vampire through with a wooden stake is a traditional method of killing vampires, often by piercing their hearts, but not always. You can decide if there is something special with the stake you use. It can be something that comes from some kind of tree or that a priest blessed it. Just be careful not to stab the real person.
Step 4. Bring holy water
Find a fancy bottle and pour water into it for role play or fancy dress up. Add a little glitter to it for a special effect. Not all vampires die with the holy water, but they barely run away, so you need to know how the vampire will react.
Step 5. Have other tools to hunt vampires
You can carry other items that do not kill vampires, but rather stop them if you impersonate a vampire hunter or vampire killer. Some of these objects are the following:
- You can have some sacred objects, like a cross or a Bible. Vampires are evil creatures, so they reject holy items in general. They don't have to be exclusively Christian, so symbols of Judaism, Islam, or other religions can work.
- You can have a few small, grainy items, like salt or sand. Traditionally, vampires obsessively counted the objects they came across, so something small that you can drop in large quantities can slow your enemy down.
Method 3 of 3: Find other methods
Step 1. Fire a wooden bullet
Many countries have used them for training rounds, although abundant rumors indicate that they were fragmented within the victim. This creates the possibility that the vampire could be killed when one of the shards pierces his heart.
Step 2. Use the flash of a grenade
The explosive will not necessarily kill the vampire, but the flash can produce enough light to cause it to disintegrate.
Step 3. Turn on an artificial light
You can use the technologies that generate powerful lights if the vampire does not like light, but you are trapped in the dark.
- An ultraviolet laser can use concentrated UV rays that create a glow. This also prevents the victim from seeing the direction of the beam, which is more helpful to the suspected killer. This means that you can attack him from any angle.
- A battery-powered lamp or flashlight can be effective if the goal is to use brightness. A military lamp may be preferable, but you will have to decide how powerful or concentrated the light will need to be.
Step 4. Create an artificial cross
Since the cross is more important for symbolic reasons, an item or setting that looks like a cross (like the shadow of a windmill in the movie "Dracula's Girlfriends") can defeat the vampire.