Rise of the vampire

[Doc Feral]

I'm trying to make a vampirish custom mode. The idea is to have little resources, but a truckload of fauna, low struggle damage (the dead shouldn't bleed), ravenous hunger, being able to eat raw flesh, no condition recovery when active but very high when resting. Of course I'm not going out from dawn to dusk, I selected no cabin fever and frequent auroras. Freezing is very high but no frostbite, dead flesh stiffens quickly in the cold but it's already dead after all.
I want to roleplay it with the objective of racking up level 5 in harvesting (since there's no "melee fighting") and archery, packing weapons (bow and hatchet are great for staking and beheading) and a heavy hammer and then call it completed, declaring I'm ready to challenge my sire and have my vengeance for being left alone in some forsaken place surrounded by the already drained corpses of his other victims.
Churches are no-go areas.
It doesn't seem too difficult even if probably violent,  I'll try to roleplay it right. I just have to figure out how to punish myself if dawn surprises me. Maybe I should just pass time till dusk, which is probably suicidal enough.

Only runner and walker feats allowed, and recommended since the undead shouldn't get tired.

[NardoLoopa]

Interesting.  Since nobody gave you permission, maybe RP that you cannot enter anyone's House, only Public Buildings (Dam, Camp Office, Hybernia, Quonset, Barn, Lighthouse, Riken, Maintenance Shed, Poacher's, Radio Towers, Outlooks, Bank, PostOffice, Orca)

[Doc Feral]

Nice idea, I forgot that part because I was a White Wolf gamer and that was just an optional flaw. Indoor spawn is ok, so that house may be the only exception.

The front path for the Trapper's cabin is obviously unaccessible, too many crosses. And walking down the road between Milton's church and graveyard is out of the question, it reeks of faith.

I forgot: the only allowed food is raw animals.

Now that I think about it, the "vampires in the arctic" idea sounds like "30 days of night". Oh, well. Since most buildings are becoming unaccessible resources should be quite good for balancing, and thinking that a rampaging vampire shouldn't have picked up everything before siring and abandoning some unlucky guy.

[Doc Feral]

Ok, let's start with my sorry attempts at unlife.

Gangrel 1

What's happened? Where am I? All I remember is fear. Pain. And pleasure. And then cold. Not the usual cold of the snow and wind. The cold of death. The warmth of life abandoning me. Am I alive? Am I dead?

I'm quite sure I have no pulse. I don't feel the cold, but I feel my blood freezing like water. That's scary, I have to find shelter. Going back to my second question, where am I? Surely not where I was before... before what? Anyway, I'll try to investigate my condition as soon as I find some safety. I'm on a frozen river and I'm dressed for being at home. I'll be frozen solid before long. Let's follow the river. There are cat tails I could pick up, but I know they won't be any good. At least they can be used to light a fire. If only I had matches or something.

I hear rabbits hopping. They're quite far, but I've heard them. The sun was already below the horizon when I woke up, so light is scarce. I pick up some stones. I never thought I could hit running rabbits with stones, my senses and reflexes are better than ever. As I catch them I feel a burning thirst. They have the warmth of life, and I need it... I somehow manage to control myself, stuff the little bodies in my backpack and move on. I need to find a warm shelter. My movements are slowing, my skin seems about to crack. It's not really painful, but surely not good. I still have to figure out my position. I crawl under a rock near a waterfall. A herd of deer runs towards me. Something must have scared them. Darkness is thicker, the cold is numbing all my senses. I catch a glimpse of something big. It roars. A BEAR! I turn to flee, but it's ridiculous. Even dropping a rabbit is pointless, the beast is upon me. The hatred in its eyes... it clearly wants to destroy me, is it trying to preserve the natural order? I try to fight, but to no avail. The pain is less than expected, but my bones and tendons cannot withstand the assault. The cold prevents my wrecked flesh from moving. There's nothing I can do. The sun will find me here, and my instincts scream in terror.

...

Ok, It didn't go well. Being sired and dumped in HRV with summer clothes and no tools is quite bad, even worse for someone like me who never tried that place before.

Gangrel 2

Not much to say. Spawned in DP, missed a rabbit, found a bow and arrow in Katie's garden, went to the bay where I've seen deer, found wolves. Fought one, wounded another (and fought it too), fought another (maybe it was the first, don't nknow nor care), became a dismembered corpse waiting for the sun. Really, too short and embarassing to waste time roleplaying it.

[Doc Feral]

By the way, if someone wants to try it the code is oxB0 - D1MV - GDRw - p8dN - KwEA.

Rules:

Never go outside when the sun is above the horizon. If you can't find or build a shelter in time you have to pass time till dusk. Caves, fishing huts with a door, the crawlspaces in Spence's and in the granary near the Trapper's cabin, train cars are ok. Cars and tractors are not. Doorless fishing huts, hunters' blinds and ruins such as the one in the Deadfall Area (ML) are not. Crawling into pipes is ok. Hollow trees are not. The natural tunnel in the Ravine is ok. Inside the plane is ok.

Private houses aren't accessible, since you're not invited, apart from the one you may spawn in. Lakeside cabins in ML may be, they're not anyone's home, after all. Same goes for the Hunting Lodge. Your choice. Offices, stores, the bank, gas stations, lookouts, train cars, mines, the lighthouse, the Riken are accessible. Churches are not. You can't pass between Milton's church and graveyard, nor use the front path near the Trapper's cabin. Trailers may be accessible, they're either offices or a temporary accomodation for workers, not someone's home. Again, your choice. Basements are part of the house, so no.

Only eat raw flesh and fish, only drink water. (alas, thirst can't be deactivated). Teas are allowed only for healing purposes. Of medicines, only bandages, antibiotics (pills or reishii) and antiseptics (bottle or old man's beard) are allowed. Painkillers (or rosehip tea) can only be used in case of broken ribs. You can't use the magnifier to light a fire (it may be possible in some places, but you're supposed to stay away from sun beams).

The objective is having level 5 archery, carcass harvesting and archery, having a bow, arrows, an hatchet, a heavy hammer (for staking).

Only free runner, snow walker and book smarts feats allowed, and recommended.

If I've forgotten something important, feel free to add.

[Doc Feral]

Even if it was quite a sorry ending, Gangrel 1 died in a most scenic way. The running herd of deer, the search for whatever scared them, seeing a blurry shadow of something big moving, and then the roar... at the moment I was too busy thinking "oh Crappy mcCrap, I'm soo dead" to appreciate it, but now I reckon it was one of the best death scenes I've had in the game.

[Doc Feral]

Gangrel 3
Night 1
I found myself under a destroyed bridge. The frozen sea under my feet. Twilight allows me to judge my position. Desolation Point. I don't know why am I here, but I know I have to move. The cold is making me shiver. No, wait. No shivers. Cold is just... well, cold. I feel I'm stiffening. That's ridiculous. Was I drugged? I'm so shocked I'm not even breathing. I try to relax and inhale deeply. Nothing changes. What's going on? I start moving along the coast. As I see the derelict factory looming in the dim light I try to remember. Nothing makes sense. And I'm not even breathing, unless I really concentrate about it. I feel no pulse, and I'm not shivering for the cold. What the hell? Hell. Am I dead? I never thought Hell looked like this. Surely not pleasant, and the loneliness, the lack of explanations and purpose... Yes, this may even be Hell, for what I know. I never thought I'd end up that bad. Anyway, since I'm not sure about anything I'd better move on. I see crows circling. I go to check what's going on and there's a deer carcass. The thing leaves me totally indifferent. But it may mean wolves are around. I'd better find shelter. As I circle the small rocky island I notice a wolf. I distract it throwing a stone, it follows the noise and disappears behind some rocks. I start towards the factory, but as I come near I hear another wolf coming from behind me. I keep moving hoping it will decided to go back chewing the deer, but to no avail. It attacks. I feel an unknown fury growing in me as I strike at the wolf, and I manage to drive it away. It looks surely more scared than hurt, so I march towards the factory and enter.
The twilight turned to night, I can't see a thing. I exit again from the same door and circle the building. Some office trailers are ahead, I head there. Maybe I'll find something useful. Darkness is complete but I manage to find my way in the trailers. The temperature is high enough to warm me up a bit, but I still have a hard time findin anything.
I rest to keep warming up. The sun rises, and something warns me that I'd better avoid it. I look around in the partial light, and staying away from the windows I find some clothes, papers, books and matches. I find food, but I don't feel like eating would do any good. In the back of my mind I know what I need. Anyway, I'm trapped in here. I wait for the sunset.
Night 2
I cross the yard and get to a side entrance. I light a fire (never been so scared of a campfire before) and take a flaming stick to light my way. I go upstairs and enter the door. As I look around I find a lantern. Finally some proper light. As my makeshift torch dies I light the lantern and explore the place. More clothes, some tools. A corpse sitting in a corner. It looks dry. The marks on his throat are quite obvious. I still refuse to admit it but there's little doubt about my fate. Anyway I take what I may need and leave the factory.
I follow the road heading for the tall shadow of the lighthouse. The frost is gnawing at my already cold skin, and the hunger burns. I'm starting to panic. I'm getting weak. Nothing interesting in the lighthouse, so I move on, heading in the general direction of the wrecked ship I've seen before the nocturnal darkness could hide everything. As I'm circling a small island a rabbit runs past me. I feel the warmth of its life and need it. I try to follow it but it ran too fast, and in the dark i can't see very far. Damn. In desperation I make it to the ship. It's too cold. I'm weak. My frozen skin is cracking, my flesh is getting stiff. I take a few steps, my vision is blurred. Probably my eyes are becoming frozen too. Warming up wouldn't be enough now. It's not the unliving heat of fire I need. The flowing warmth of life, that's what I crave. I'd dare challenging wolves, if I had the strength. But it's too late. With my last remaining bits of strenght I crawl to the opening in the hull. I can't move anymore. Let the sun touch me one last time.

Side notes. This one managed to starve to death on night 2. I'm starting to think this is too damn hard. I've changed the settings, less variability in weather combined with frequent auroras should give more clear nights, since being called Gangrel doesn't give you Protean. New code: oxBw-D1MR-GDRw-Zytl-KwEA

Now that I think about it, Gangrel 1 saw a herd of FOUR deer. It's the first time I see four of them at once.

[Doc Feral]

Gangrel 4

Not much to say... Had the brilliant idea of climbing down from the mountain area over Milton. Climbing steep rocks with no light at night may turn even a vampire into a pile of broken bones and squashed flesh.

[Doc Feral]

Gangrel 5, that was embarassing

I spawned in the Quonset. Didn't find A SINGLE TOOL anywhere, and that's wasting the first night kicking crates and shredding boxes and passing the day inside carefully inspecting the place with a lantern. On the second night I started roaming around, found some clothes, and there was an aurora too, so everything started looking decent. I found a crowbar in a fishing hut, so I thought fish blood would be acceptable but still moved on. And then my son walked by and asked me if it was Wintermute or Sandbox. I said it was my TLD vampiric survival and he pointed out "Hey, you're in a house, you violated the rules!".

I was in the Misanthrope's cabin. I recalled entering several houses before and just resorted to quit & delete save...

Aaargh!

[Doc Feral]

I give up. Starvation and cold almost destroyed Gangrel 6 before he decided to end it with style and set himself on fire. I'm starting to think I should set a decent starting equipment, since it's always the same: have no light, enter some building, wait till dawn for some light, spend the day inside looting and making torches, go out already starved to low condition, die. Should I try again I'll have better starting gear.