Running a RPG with lycanthropes? Perhaps you want silver to be the element that can harm werewolves. That would make sense… but why? What world building reason can you think up to explain silver’s ability?
If you’ve got a great answer to this challenge why not pop it in the comments below? In the meantime; here are a few suggestions.
- Western alchemy connects silver to the moon. It is the mutual connection that allows silver to harm lycanthropes
- Silver isn’t from Earth. All the silver on the planet actually comes from the moon after a comet strike… or perhaps the comet itself contained all the silver
- Silver forms a poisonous compound when it comes into contact with proteins unique to lycanthropes
- Lycanthropy is a disease and silver acts as a disinfectant or even cure
- Silver partly exists in the spirit world
- Silver is moonlight given solid form by magic (gold is daylight)
- Werewolves were created on purpose and that their weakness to silver was part of their design
- Were-creatures are a cursed bloodline – cursed by a moon/silver god
- Silver halide is photosensitive and so werewolves with silver in the body are night being with sunlight trapped in them
- Silver is a conduit to positive spiritual forces – bad news for corrupt werewolves
- Silver was created by powerful beings/gods as the magic-slaying metal
- The dead are buried with silver pieces to pay their way into the underworld. This association combats the lycanthropes’ mystical healing
Would you suggest any other interesting reasons?
(Image by: Nikonov Aleksandr (more). Original idea via Reddit)
Silver has anti-infective properties and lycanthropy is clearly a bite-transmitted infection
One I’ve heard, directly linked to the Underworld film franchise, has werewolves being genetically allergic to silver. Though in said franchise both lycanthropy and vampirism transformations are fueled by a gene rewriting virus that has lengthy origins.
30 pieces of silver to make a man into martyr