Equipment

T he various equipment used in the hunting of vampires is wide and varied, but a few items stand out above the rest. For a more detailed explanation on these and other weapons please refer to David Drake's book "The Complete Hunter."

W ooden Stake. This item is first and foremost THE traditional weapon of the vampire hunter and no hunter worth his name will be caught without one. The main drawback of the stake is that it requires that one get up close and personal with the vampire in question. The upside is that if you are accurate it is 100% fool proof. You can never go wrong with staking a vampire through the heart. This weapon is best used against sleeping vampires during the day or after you have otherwise incapacitated your target.

C rossbow. The crossbow has the distinct advantage of being able to kill a vampire at a much greater distance than arm's length. The very nature and design of the crossbow make it very easy to learn how to use and master, and it can easily be fitted with telescopic sights and/or laser sights. The down side is that you will more than likely have to craft your own bolts as the norm for this day and age is to use aluminum shafted bolts, and if you use wood you will have to dial down the tension so that they do not shatter when fired. You must also take care lest your bolts actually fire through the vampire. This has been known to happen on occasion.

H oly Water. Another traditional weapon, though this item can sometimes be difficult to acquire as many churches are loathe to give it out to just anyone. Sadly the number of church sponsored vampire hunters has dwindled to almost none. If you can get holy water, though, always keep some on you. A small vial can hurt a vampire long enough for you to get in and stab them with your stake or to get away if you need to flee. There are many various delivery methods for holy water, the most famous method being the squirt gun (known as the Frog Brothers Method). The advent of high power "super soakers" over the years has greatly enhanced the use of holy water. More cumbersome but still highly effective are water balloons.

G arlic. Garlic is virtually useless as an offensive weapon but it is great as a defensive weapon. Garlic cloves around your neck will ward off most vampires if they get in close enough to bite you. The garlic must be fresh, though. Older garlic loses its potency. Garlic juice can be splashed on your neck, too, and while more effective than straight up garlic it only lasts for a couple of hours. Garlic juice is often used during daylight raids into the lairs of sleeping vampires. Garlic juice can also be splashed on vampires but this doesn't really hurt them. It only causes some discomfort. About the only use for garlic juice as an offensive weapon is if you are trying to get away. The major downside of wearing garlic is, of course, that you will reek of garlic.

F irearms. Firearms unto themselves cannot kill a vampire. However, bullets do hurt vampires. They do not hurt them long (a vampire can recover from a single gun shot wound in a couple of seconds) but with enough fire power a vampire can be temporarily incapacitated for up to a couple of minutes. This requires a lot of firepower, though, and such firepower will quickly draw the attention of mortals, especially the police. A back up gun, such as a powerful handgun, can buy you enough time to get in closer or to get away. Louis Nichols, a vampire hunter from Western New York, developed a technique that involves using a hinged shotgun with a standard shotgun shell that has been fitted around the end of sharpened broom handle. This Stake Gun has a very limited range but is very effective.

T ranquilizer Gun. Very difficult to get, but highly effective when filled with holy water. Holy water injected into the veins of a vampire can cause so much pain that the vampire will be incapacitated for up to 5 to 10 minutes. In lieu of holy water you can use garlic juice, but this will only cause the vampire pain. While this can sometimes be debilitating it occasionally enrages the blood sucker. This weapon is also very effective when the darts are filled with acid.

F lare Gun. Fire is one of the few natural elements that will harm a vampire. But, it requires a very intense heat. Splashing some gas on a vampire and igniting it will hurt the vampire but there is a good chance that the vampire will still be able to attack you, or at least get a way. A standard flare, though, is hot enough to cause serious damage to the vampire. There may be some difficulty getting flare guns in some land locked areas but are relatively easy to come buy from boating supply stores. In a pinch a standard road flare strapped to a stake can be used to keep a vampire at bay.

S words.This category includes any bladed weapon such as swords, axes, and machetes. These weapons can kill a vampire if you decapitate it, but that is hard to do against a vampire who is fighting at peak efficiency. Bladed weapons can slow down a vampire as they can cause a lot of damage, especially if you can remove a limb. A vampire can reattach and heal a severed limb in less than a minute, but during that time it can be vulnerable. The down side is that you have to get in close to attack the vampire, and vampires are very fast. Only attack with a bladed weapon if you are highly proficient in the weapon (such as a black belt or master fencer), as a last ditch effort, or in conjunction with other weapons, such as firearms and/or holy water.