So, if you get into the World of Darkness game Vampire: The Masquerade, this is at least in the ballpark.
Different clans of vampires have different vulnerabilities typically tied back to their origins. For the most part, this all comes out of the Semitic religions, because the OG Vampire is the Biblical Caine who was cursed into immortality for the crime of committing the First Murder. But the Kuei-jin - an eastern variant of the vampire myth - are more in line with the Buddhist / Animist ideas of reincarnation with their curse being a permanent exclusion from the Karmic Cycle. Different curse means different rules.
The Dresden Files series (which cribs heavily from WoD’s Vampire) introduces similar ideas, with individuals of strong faith all enjoying supernatural power against vampires and other boogeymen that pays no respect to denomination. One of Dresden’s on-again off-again allies is a trio of legendary swordsmen who use the nails from the crucifix to enchant their blades. But their actual faiths vary heavily - from traditional conservative Christianity to Buddhism to Communist-flavored Atheism to Work-a-holism to Geeky Sci-Fi fascination with the Star Wars Jedi. Only when a knight’s faith wanes does the blade ever fail them. And the antagonists (demons, more often than vampires) are more fixated on tempting them to sin or disabusing them of their faith than of outright killing them.
The last point was, IIRC, because killing a sword-bearer would just cause the sword to get passed to someone else and become a threat again. “Betraying” the sword (by turning away from one’s faith) would actually make the weapon itself able to be damaged or destroyed, potentially ending the threat for good.
The sword of faith was physically destroyed by the enemy only to be recreated as a freakin’ light saber due to the faith of the new holder. Polka Power!
You didn’t mention True Faith!
In WoD only people with True Faith could ward off vampires using a holy symbol or prayer; and seriously damage them, when on the offensive. Needless to say, having True Faith was fairly uncommon.
This was back in the nineties, BTW.
So, if you get into the World of Darkness game Vampire: The Masquerade, this is at least in the ballpark.
Different clans of vampires have different vulnerabilities typically tied back to their origins. For the most part, this all comes out of the Semitic religions, because the OG Vampire is the Biblical Caine who was cursed into immortality for the crime of committing the First Murder. But the Kuei-jin - an eastern variant of the vampire myth - are more in line with the Buddhist / Animist ideas of reincarnation with their curse being a permanent exclusion from the Karmic Cycle. Different curse means different rules.
The Dresden Files series (which cribs heavily from WoD’s Vampire) introduces similar ideas, with individuals of strong faith all enjoying supernatural power against vampires and other boogeymen that pays no respect to denomination. One of Dresden’s on-again off-again allies is a trio of legendary swordsmen who use the nails from the crucifix to enchant their blades. But their actual faiths vary heavily - from traditional conservative Christianity to Buddhism to Communist-flavored Atheism to Work-a-holism to Geeky Sci-Fi fascination with the Star Wars Jedi. Only when a knight’s faith wanes does the blade ever fail them. And the antagonists (demons, more often than vampires) are more fixated on tempting them to sin or disabusing them of their faith than of outright killing them.
The last point was, IIRC, because killing a sword-bearer would just cause the sword to get passed to someone else and become a threat again. “Betraying” the sword (by turning away from one’s faith) would actually make the weapon itself able to be damaged or destroyed, potentially ending the threat for good.
Dresden Files
The sword of faith was physically destroyed by the enemy only to be recreated as a freakin’ light saber due to the faith of the new holder. Polka Power!
(IIRC)
A knight is a knight
You didn’t mention True Faith!
In WoD only people with True Faith could ward off vampires using a holy symbol or prayer; and seriously damage them, when on the offensive. Needless to say, having True Faith was fairly uncommon. This was back in the nineties, BTW.