# Monster Weaknesses or Weak Sauce?



## Rojack79 (Jul 18, 2019)

So what are some abcure weaknesses that monster's seem to have? I know of the obvious overarching weaknesses that a lot of monster's are vulnerable to like holy water, fire, and silver. But what about those rare occasions were some creatures only have one weakness or a strange weakness like vampires having the compulsive need to count rice that's been scattered around on the floor? Anyone have any insights into the wonderful world of monster's and the many methods of there untimely or timely demise?


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## seigfried007 (Jul 18, 2019)

As monsters are fictitious, you can feel free to edit the myth, so to speak. So long as you can find an in-world reason, you can make it stick. Obscure weaknesses others have made might be explained as either true or false in your story. 

For instance, vampires in general might not be any more or less compulsive than humans, but a famous vampire might've been so compulsive, so it stuck around as a stereotype, and now non-vampires throw rice around, even though it doesn't work (but might be considered a derogatory remark). Vampires also have a "weakness" to garlic, but maybe that's because they have a keen sense of smell and garlic makes people really stinky and unappetizing (like the cannibals who don't eat smokers). Or maybe they have an allergy, and it makes them sneeze, throw up, have horrible body swelling and anaphylaxis. Maybe sunlight gives them sunburns (like gingers), so they avoid it--but you can just as easily make vampires that burst into flame near windows or sparkle. 

The key is all in how you write it. 

I don't think anyone's gone through all the weaknesses of every monster--because each new retelling of the myth involves another bunch of weaknesses, strengths, new abilities.  No one's going to make a total composite (particularly when the myth has contradictory weaknesses), and even if one did, what's the fun in that?


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## Rojack79 (Jul 18, 2019)

seigfried007 said:


> As monsters are fictitious, you can feel free to edit the myth, so to speak. So long as you can find an in-world reason, you can make it stick. Obscure weaknesses others have made might be explained as either true or false in your story.
> 
> For instance, vampires in general might not be any more or less compulsive than humans, but a famous vampire might've been so compulsive, so it stuck around as a stereotype, and now non-vampires throw rice around, even though it doesn't work (but might be considered a derogatory remark). Vampires also have a "weakness" to garlic, but maybe that's because they have a keen sense of smell and garlic makes people really stinky and unappetizing (like the cannibals who don't eat smokers). Or maybe they have an allergy, and it makes them sneeze, throw up, have horrible body swelling and anaphylaxis. Maybe sunlight gives them sunburns (like gingers), so they avoid it--but you can just as easily make vampires that burst into flame near windows or sparkle.
> 
> ...



Foe me I know a vast majority of the weaknesses of a vast number of monster's but I know for a fact that there are some monsters and weaknesses that I don't know about. For example the rice trick not a whole lot of people know about that because it hasn't been used in Vampire fiction for a good long while. I do plan on taking my own liberty's with these monsters but for now I want to get my bases covered in terms of how to stop them.


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## Bard_Daniel (Jul 19, 2019)

seigfried007 said:


> As monsters are fictitious, you can feel free to edit the myth, so to speak. So long as you can find an in-world reason, you can make it stick. Obscure weaknesses others have made might be explained as either true or false in your story.
> 
> The key is all in how you write it.



I agree 100%.


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## Rojack79 (Jul 21, 2019)

You know I could just come up with my own in universe guide to hunting monsters. That would solve everything. Of course I'd have to write that up in it's entirety so that whenever the group comes across a new monster Socrates could just pull it out and flip through the pages to find out just what there going up against. But that should be fun and informative at the very least and insanely helpful at most.


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## seigfried007 (Jul 21, 2019)

Rojack79 said:


> You know I could just come up with my own in universe guide to hunting monsters. That would solve everything. Of course I'd have to write that up in it's entirety so that whenever the group comes across a new monster Socrates could just pull it out and flip through the pages to find out just what there going up against. But that should be fun and informative at the very least and insanely helpful at most.



Nah. There are lots of fictitious books that were absolutely not written in their entirety. Lovecraft quotes all kinds of evil books and poetry (like the Necronomicon). Frank Herbert quotes fake history books of all sorts during the Dune books. Martin quotes fake books, songs, myths in A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm sure Tolkien references all kinds of books, poetry, songs, myths in his stuff, too. 

Just make notes of these works, what's in them. Anytime you quote said fake work, make detailed notes about what and where that reference is so you don't contradict yourself later. 

Although, I think it could be more interesting if Socrates is working on the book or directly comes into conflict with it (because some "facts" are wrong). That monster guide might've been written by a monster under a pen name, after all


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## Rojack79 (Jul 21, 2019)

seigfried007 said:


> Nah. There are lots of fictitious books that were absolutely not written in their entirety. Lovecraft quotes all kinds of evil books and poetry (like the Necronomicon). Frank Herbert quotes fake history books of all sorts during the Dune books. Martin quotes fake books, songs, myths in A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm sure Tolkien references all kinds of books, poetry, songs, myths in his stuff, too.
> 
> Just make notes of these works, what's in them. Anytime you quote said fake work, make detailed notes about what and where that reference is so you don't contradict yourself later.
> 
> Although, I think it could be more interesting if Socrates is working on the book or directly comes into conflict with it (because some "facts" are wrong). That monster guide might've been written by a monster under a pen name, after all



That would be a very interesting twist. One that i may or may not snag for future use.


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## Triffids (Jan 7, 2023)

The golem, more specifically in the tale The Rabbi of Judah is shown to deactivate when the 'shem' ( a piece of paper with probably the jewish prayer the Shema  written upon it) is taken from his mouth
Western dragons have weak soft stomachs they cover with jewels
There is a version of trolls ( I forget the name) that will eat you, but if it bites you and you escape will turn you into itself, it turns to stone at sunrise


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