# The eternal battle: Vampires vs. Werewolves **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178 "2003-09-02T17:49:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/1 "2003-09-02T17:49:27Z")
Okay, so with the coming of the movie **Underworld** , I’m a little curious about something. In the movie, it seems like the Vampires are able to dispatch there werewolves rather easily. Sure, these are supposed to be highly trained vampires who deal with this kind of thing, but still…I always figured werewolves were a hell of a lot toughter and nastier than the general, run-of-the-mill vampire, so I’m curious as to what everyone else thinks. Put a vampire and a werewolf in a box, shake it up till they’re both so angry they fight, who’s still moving when you tip the thing over? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/2 "2003-09-02T18:13:39Z")
From my regrettable years as a RPGer with both vampires and werewolves, I’d have to say that from my experience, the werewolf has the upper hand every time…in a hand-to-hand fight. Unless the vampire is Batman…wait… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/3 "2003-09-02T18:32:08Z")
I find one thing about the movie trailers pretty funny: I guess they think the term ‘werewolf’ is uncool, so they refer to them as “lycans” (short for lycanthropes)… proncounced “lichens,” just like the moss. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/4 "2003-09-02T18:36:50Z")
Actually, in the 19th century there was a considerable overlap between vampires and werewolves. Dracula, you will recall, in Bram Stoker’s novel, can take the form of a wolf, and does so more than once. A lot of the “ancient lore” about vampires only began to coalesce in the 19th century, with a huge part of it being solidified by Stoker’s novel, and a lot of the rest by the movies. Our contemporary “werewolf” mythology is almost wholly the creation of Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/5 "2003-09-02T18:46:57Z")
Yeah, mano a mano, I would have to say werewolf would win hands down. Vamps aren’t totally helpless though, they are smarter and able to use weapons. I’ve always thought a vamp would be to a lupe as a human would be to a bear. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/6 "2003-09-02T19:13:13Z")
Darn it - stupid hamster ate my post! I was saying… Werewolves tough. But they are brute-force, cunning, but often stupid and foolsih killing machines. They count on ferocity, srength, and sheer melee firepower to kill. Vampires don’t have that. But, particularly in the modern world, they have allies, modern arsenals and mechanized firepower, advanced skills and training, and large city porperties and safehouses. In the long run, they can win, win, and win again, and they are unlikely to let werewolves ever get into an upper-hand position. In a pitched fight, you remove the Vampire’s biggest weapons. Against such enemies, they would try to retreat and reutnr in force. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/7 "2003-09-02T19:56:06Z")
So in an Angel vs. Oz battle… Would Oz win? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/8 "2003-09-02T20:14:34Z")
It depends on the exact vampire and werewolf mythologies involved. Some vampires have considerable strength and speed, as well as the ability to pretty much shake off any injury (except a stake or sunlight, or something magic like that). They also have a grabbag of other powers, flight, mind control, invisibility. Werewolves are big and nasty. How nasty? Well, some werewolves are really just extra-large wolves. Others are 8-foot tall killing machines. They usually don’t have extra powers. They are often active only 1-3 nights a month (whereas vampires are up and at full power every night). Somtimes they don’t have human intelligence, in fact, if a person knows he’s a lycanthrope, he may actively plot against his feral alterego. They’re also mortal. Silver works best, but sometimes lots of plain old bullets will do the trick just as well. In any event, if teh vampire can wait a century or two, he wins by default. To sum up, Angel and Spike would get tehir ass handed to them by a Crinos form werewolf from the game _Werewolf: The Apocolypse_, but could prbably beat Lon Chaney. Dracula, OTOH, would whup a Crinos like the pup he is. ---
**Author:** ![Anniee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Anniee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anniee)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/9 "2003-09-02T20:40:16Z")
No contest; the vampire is superior. It’s the classiest and most enticing of all the legendary villains. Whether it’s the scariest book ever written (Salem’s Lot) or Anne Rice’s world, or Bram Stoker’s Victorian optimism, I don’t think any supernatural villain has the cultural impact of the vampire. And keep in mind, no one wants to have sex with a werewolf. There isn’t a dark underworld culture in the US spawned by the werewolf. That belongs to the vampire. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/10 "2003-09-02T21:43:36Z")
Could there be a vampiric werewolf? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/11 "2003-09-02T21:58:36Z")
According to some legends, don’t werewolves _become_ vampires after death? ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/12 "2003-09-02T23:35:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anniee \* > \*\* And keep in mind, no one wants to have sex with a werewolf. . \*\* What about furries? 😃 Anyways, this whole debate depends on which vampire and werewolf mythologies your draw from. Alucard from the anime Helsing would kick just about any werewolfs furry hind, but the generic vampires from Buffy would probably lose to most werewolves. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/13 "2003-09-02T23:49:34Z")
I have the feeling i’m going to despise this film despite wanting to see something like it for a while, because it looks like it will be Matrix with werewolves and vampires (making Harry Knowles happy) and the stupid term Lichen for the wolves. Damn, you, Hollywood, for giving me sugar coated poison!!! (or poison coated sugar!) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/14 "2003-09-03T00:28:13Z")
This calls for a little March Madness style tourney brackets (sorry Blade and Vampire Hunter D, purebloods only.) ROUND 1 - MENS American Werewolf In Paris VS Deacon Frost (Blade) The Wolfman VS Det. Nick Knight (Forever Knight) Werewolf Flanders VS Blackula Werewolf from The Howling VS The Count (Sesame Street) Manimal VS Nosforatu Werewolf from The Howling III: The Marsupials (dude…so not scary) VS Lastat (dude…soo gay) The American Warewolf in London VS Valek (John Carpenter’s Vampire$) Will Randall (Jack Nicholson - Wolf) VS Count Chocula Werewolf Shaggy from Scooby Doo VS. Dracula Teen Wolf VS. David (Kiefer Sutherland - The Lost Boys) Eddie Munster VS Sex Machine (From Dusk till Dawn) The Brotherhood of the Wolf wolf VS. Angel Already, I can tell you that it’s a lot easier to find vampires than warewolves. Mostly it’s just “warewolf from xxxxx” and they all are pretty much identical. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/15 "2003-09-03T00:34:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > I have the feeling i’m going to despise this film despite wanting to see something like it for a while, because it looks like it will be Matrix with werewolves and vampires \*\* More like Blade meets Dark Angel ---
**Author:** ![Nichol\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nichol\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nichol_storm)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/16 "2003-09-03T00:58:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \* > **This calls for a little March Madness style tourney brackets (sorry Blade and Vampire Hunter D, purebloods only.) > Werewolf from The Howling III: The Marsupials (dude…so not scary) VS Lastat (dude…soo gay)** Are we talking movie!Lestat or book!Lestat? Because movie Lestat, whether portrayed by Stuart Townsend or Tom Cruise, might give the werewolf a good rumble. On the other hand, by the time Anne Rice got through with him, book Lestat is about one step from a god so matching him up with anyone less than Jesus or Vishnu is a slaughter waiting to happen. > [@](#): > > Teen Wolf VS. David (Kiefer Sutherland - The Lost Boys) \*\* David, hands down. I’d like to see him take on his clone Spike from _B:TVS_, actually. David would probably win on sheer coolness alone, but never underestimate the power of Hormonal!Fangirls to sway a fight. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/17 "2003-09-03T01:42:24Z")
> [@](#): > > No contest; the vampire is superior. It’s the classiest and most enticing of all the legendary villains. Whether it’s the scariest book ever written (Salem’s Lot) or Anne Rice’s world, or Bram Stoker’s Victorian optimism, I don’t think any supernatural villain has the cultural impact of the vampire. And keep in mind, no one wants to have sex with a werewolf. There isn’t a dark underworld culture in the US spawned by the werewolf. That belongs to the vampire. Someone hasn’t read Anita Blake. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/18 "2003-09-03T02:35:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Menocchio \* > \*\*It depends on the exact vampire and werewolf mythologies involved. > > Werewolves are big and nasty. How nasty? Well, some werewolves are really just extra-large wolves. Others are 8-foot tall killing machines. They usually don’t have extra powers. They are often active only 1-3 nights a month (whereas vampires are up and at full power every night). Somtimes they don’t have human intelligence, in fact, if a person knows he’s a lycanthrope, he may actively plot against his feral alterego. They’re also mortal. Silver works best, but sometimes lots of plain old bullets will do the trick just as well. In any event, if teh vampire can wait a century or two, he wins by default. > \*\* Though in at least one mythology, Werewolves are immortal as well. You have to damage the heart or brain or Doggie doesn’t die, EVER. That and there’s probably at least one mythology where werewolves have the best of both worlds. Animal cunning and strength with Human intelligence and planning ability, at the same time. Also, hypotheically, couldn’t a werewolf use a machine gun in human form and then switch to wolf form when s/he runs out of ammo/wants to make a quick gettaway. Some werewolves can change anytime they want, not just when the full moon is out. Again, it depends entirely on what set of rules is in place. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/19 "2003-09-03T02:43:52Z")
Arrg, internet hamsters lost my post. 1st Ed AD&D Monster Manual says: Vampire:8+3 HD, 5-10 damage Werewolf: 4+3 HD, 1-4/1-4/1-12 damage Vampires need a +1 or better weapon to hit, werewolves need that or silver. Both have speacial attacks which I’m too lazy to re-look up. Brian ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178/20 "2003-09-03T02:56:29Z")
> [@](#): > > So in an Angel vs. Oz battle… Would Oz win? I’d give it to Oz unless Angel was evil at the time. Oz as a werewolf is just pure killkillkill most of the time, I don’t think Angel would be able to react fast enough to keep from getting ripped to shreds. In _Beauty and the Beasts_, Angel and WolfOz face off against the same monster and seem to do equally well, but Angel is still in a rabid state after being pulled out of Hell. Now, Oz vs., say, The Master would be a different story, I think. I’d say it depends on the specific vampire (and wolf, too, I guess, we don’t see too many of them on Buffy). Even Drusilla might be able to take one down if her hypotism affected them. I’d like to think that Spike would get killed by a sufficiently large and angry werewolf. Of course, I’d like to _see_ Spike get killed by a sufficiently large and angry anything. That guy from _Big Wolf on Campus_ is a good one to match up against _Buffy_ vamps, because he retains intelligence (such as it is) while in wolf mode. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eternal-battle-vampires-vs-werewolves/199178.md?page=2)