Can a werewolf lose the ability to shift?

[Figarou]

Any suggestions?

Old age? loss of memory? disease? lack of shifting?

[TakeWalker]

I think this would depend directly on what causes the shift: whether it's inborn, a disease, what have you. Ignoring that, I could see a few reasons for loss of shifting. Certain diseases might compromise the body's systems enough that it needs all the energy it can get in order to fight off the infection. A shame, too, because the person in question would be better off getting rid of the disease while in werewolf form. I could see old age as a factor, but more that it would just make the transformation become more painful. I'm invisioning here an old man making the transformation, taking two or three times longer than his younger companions, finally sitting down after it's over and rubbing at his back, complaining about being 'too old for this'.

[ShadowWolf]

I'd agree with disease and old age. But I also think that, depending on the specific rules, silver could also be a factor. Now bare with me on this, I've seen a few posts around here saying that silver would be more like an allergen than a method of killing. Isn't it possible that not being able to shift out of whatever form the werewolf was in at the time could be a temperary side effect?

[Figarou]

I've been thinking on this after I posted the question.

The human body can lose abilities on certain factors. There is many ways to lose your eye sight. You can be born blind, develop problems later in life, injury, disease, chemical splashed in the face, and so on.

A werewolf could lose the ability to shift on many factors. Thing is, what causes the shift? What does a pure born werewolf have to do in order to change into a werewolf? Is it a chemical reaction? A simple motion like body movements? If I want to move my arm, I don't have to think about it before I can move it. You see quarter on the ground. You just reach down and pick it up. Didn't have to think and concentrate about how to move the body parts to make that motion of picking up the quarter.

If the shift is just a plain and simple motion as body movements, A cut to the nerve can prevent brain functions from reaching that part of the body. We know that nerve cells don't heal in the human body. Same goes for the wolf. Break the spine, and you're paralyzed. I can't see a werewolf regenerating nerves in the body.

[CrewWolf]

Hm. If we're thinking of werewolfism ( ) as a curse then there could be a way to cure it. Like a special spell or a potion or bat's blood and wolfsbane smoothie. If we're thinking of it as a disease, well we could think its possible to cure that too (whether its a curable disease or not would be up to question then). If its mostly mostly a mental thing that causes the shift then something in the mind could happen to stop the shift. A blow to the head, hormonal imbalance, angry spirits, whatever. As for old age, I don't think that'd be the direct cause of the loss of ability. I think it'd be more that it'd be too painful to change or they lack the strength or willpower. In that case, if an old werewolf transforms into a wolf, it could also be possible that they'd lack the power to change back and they'd be stuck that way for their last years.

[Bete]

I would say "no" a werewolf would never lose it's ability to shift.

[Scott Gardener]

Whether or not it can be "cured" or "put into remission" would depend on what's causing it in the first place.

Hereditary lycanthropy would probably not be curable, unless it's a metaphysical sort of thing. Changing one's spiritual identity might surpress it, but one can always expect it to come back up sooner or later. (Interesting story idea here.)

Infectious lycanthropy with a metaphysical cause might be curable. Again, if it's metaphysical, then it's as curable as it is causable, depending on whatever sort of plot device you consider appropriate.

Infectious lycanthropy with a biological cause--which would, by the way, take work not to make hereditary as well--would be much harder to cure. Whoever or whatever first made it might have the technology to cure it. But, it would involve removing the viral modifications, a huge amount of genetics, from every cell in the body, and removing every virus, otherwise the person would just get reinfected all over again. And, the person being cured would have to stay in human form throughout the process, otherwise he or she could get stuck looking like a creature without the ability to shift back!

As far as something artifically stopping a werewolf from being able to shapeshift, without neccessarily removing the underlying lycanthropy, that's totally up to your own plot requirements.

According to one legend, you can force a werewolf to revert to human form by calling out his "Christian" name. (Tee hee! I was never Baptized! Of course, according to one legend, not being Baptized would make me into a werewolf! If it did, however, one wonders how one is supposed to call me by my Christian name if I don't have one?)

And, there's always the full moon bit. Go to a place where there is no full moon. How about on the moon itself? The dark side of the moon? (The lunatic is on the grass... (sings Pink Floyd))

[Silverclaw]

I really like the idea of silver affecting shifting. If it was a serious injury like being stabbed with something silver or shot with a silver bullet, it could happen. Not only will their fast healing be slowed down, but whatever form they were injured in, they would not be able to change for a while. If stuck as a human, they would be really vunrable to enemies. Stuck in werewolf form, they would have to hide out for a few days or so; a packmate would have to come up with an excuse for where they are, ex:sick. I also agree that old age would be a factor. A head injury as well.

[Terastas]

It certainly seems like a possibility, though as most have already stated, it mostly depends on what version of lycanthropy we are dealing with.

The main aspect I'd factor in is the idea that a lycanthropic shift is painful and is only unfatal due to the lycanthrope's enhanced healing. An older werewolf might have a harder time shifting by that mentality, but then again, that would only be if the symptoms of old age are not counteracted by lycanthropy. Wether it does or not is also debatable, of course, but if lycanthropes could die of old age, shifting would be harder as they grew older.

Another possibility might be if the werewolf sustained a serious injury in one form. If a werewolf had a broken leg, for example, it might not only be more painful to shift, theoretically the bones might not reallign properly and cause a deformity. What I imagine is that, if the werewolf's injury was severe enough, s/he would have to remain in that form until the injury had healed.

As for memory loss... Well, technically he wouldn't lose his physical ability to shift. He just wouldn't remember how to control it.

Diseases and "cures" could also be a possibility, but those would variate from one version to the other. Silver and Belladonna, for example, could have some potential.

[Darth Canis]

Maybe not loose the ability entirely but instead perhaps get caught in between shifts. Also taking longer to shift and not as fast or stealthy when they do entirely change. Many reasons could cause this old age a sickness. I think though if they loose the ability to shift entirely wouldn't that mean that they are no longer a werewolf.

[WolfVanZandt]

I've always thought in ters of....

The less frequent a Werewolf shifts, the harder and more painful it is. The only way for them to lose the ability is by breeding it out over long periods of time.

If lycanthropy is a genetic alteration and the shift is a factor (maybe a virus) in the body, then it's possible that slver wuld turn the Werewolf's shifting factor against itself in a particularly virulent autoimmune reacton. Silver's toxxicity in normal humans comes from it's abity to bind and "denature" certain proteins in the body. It's only a small step to have it interact with the shifting factor.