incap -- why an immortal won't die from an ordinary killing blow
Supernatural beings do not die the way mortals do. A Vampire, Shifter, Leviathan, Djinn, Wendigo/Ghoul, Arachne, or a ghost driven to 0 HP does
NOT truly die unless the finishing blow used a kill method that fits their nature. Anything less and they only fall INCAPPED -- a short in-place stun. You see:
How you play
1. Fight until they drop ([INCAP] or [KO]).
2. Use the proper kill for their nature (below) while they are down.
3. Miss the window and they stand again -- try once more.
[INCAP] <name> drops, stunned and helpless -- but not truly dead.
While they are down you have a brief window to finish them properly.
They stay helpless until the window ends -- they do not walk or flee mid-stun. Dead man's blood drops a vampire even at full strength and holds them much longer (help dmb). If nobody finishes them, they shudder back up at low health (and NPCs flee):
[UP] <name> shudders back to their feet -- battered, but far from finished.
Hitting an incapped immortal with the WRONG method just re-drops them and refreshes the stun -- you cannot grind one to death with a plain weapon. Bring the right tool.
Proper kill methods by nature
Vampire -- decapitation or living fire after dead man's blood (help dmb).
Wooden stakes do not proper-kill vampires (SPN TV).
Shifter (werewolf / skinwalker) -- decapitation, or a silver weapon.
Shapeshifter (motel face-thief) -- silver through the heart.
Djinn -- silver knife dipped in lamb's blood (not decapitation).
Wendigo -- living fire only (ignite, immolate, or a flame weapon) --
decapitation fails.
Ghoul -- decapitation (extreme head trauma -- not fire).
Arachne -- clean decapitation (blunt / bullets rarely finish).
Leviathan -- the deep's own maw (crush / consume) -- decapitation only
contains.
Ghost / haunt -- salt or iron, exorcism, or banishing (no neck to cut).
Demons and Leviathans decapitated without Host steel behave differently:
* Leviathan -- headless containment (not true death until finished).
* Demon -- smoke evicts unless you trap-brand the meatsuit first
(trapbrand <target>, then decapitate) -- the Abaddon Protocol.
* Angel -- grace evicts the vessel; Host steel true-kills.
Allies may reattach head <name> only after Abaddon containment (trap-brand + behead on a Knight-of-Hell-or-above Demon, or Leviathan decap).
Angels, Demons, and other Celestials are a separate case -- a killing blow ejects the Mantle from its vessel (help vessel); it does not incap.
Offline Echoes usually go to Lebanon Hospital at 0 HP (help echo | help hospital). A stake, decapitation, or living-fire finish on a monster soul still true-kills -- the spirit goes to Purgatory (help death).