Naked and Afraid Challenge
Greetings Everyone. Starting Sunday, January 31 and ending on February 7, there will be a week long challenge. This challenge will consist of writing 5,000 words over the course of 8 days. The theme here is survival.
Overview
Your character wakes up one morning in a completely different place; a foreign environment. They have no idea where they are, why they are there and no way of figuring it out. You as your PC, will awake completely naked with no clothing or possessions. Rather quickly you will find a burlap bag with a strap hanging on a nearby tree. That bag will contain 4 items that you may use for survival in addition to a very roughly sketched map. The map depicts very rough, vague locations of natural landmarks such as mountains, forests, bodies of water, etc. It will also show, through rough drawings, potential animal threats. Your current locations is marked with a small "x" while a larger "X" marks a points farther away. You will have 8 in-game days to reach the large "X". Upon reaching the large "X", I will jump into that thread and post what you find there.
Details
Before you start writing, log into discord and make a few dice rolls. You will need to roll 1D6 and consult the following list to determine what environment you wake up in. Then, roll another 1D6 to determine what you find in your burlap bag.
In the course of writing for this challenge, know that you will not find any man-made items or structures.
Write to your skill levels. Wilderness Survival is very important however low skill levels in this skill or no skill levels will not disqualify you from the challenge. It only means that you will have a much more difficult time at survival.
Address the challenges. Push your character to their limits. Torture them if it it contributes to the story and the overall challenge.
You have only your physical self and your skills to guide you through this challenge. Magic or magical abilities that aid in otherwise unnatural travel will not work upon your PC waking up in their new environment. Other magical or gnosis related skills will still function.
You may team up with other PCs or bring along one of your already approved NPC or pet. However, your PC must be the one driving this challenge. As such, any NPC or pet brought along will have an affliction of some sort that diminishes their contribution to survival. Their knowledge and skills are still useful but you will have to contend with their affliction which can add more of a challenge. Said affliction cannot be cured or healed through magic or gnosis, only through the use of skill and the environment. If bringing an NPC or pet into the challenge, roll another 1D6 to determine the affliction they suffer from.
Special Note
Ghost PCs are also encouraged to attempt this challenge. If your PC is a ghost, they lose consciousness at some point and regain it in the rolled-for environment. When you "awake" you will find yourself possessing a human body. You have no access to who they are but you do have access to a handful of useful skills and lore. You cannot leave the body and will experience everything the body experiences as if you were alive. This in itself could prove to be a challenge. A Ghost PC in this challenge will not be able to access their racial skills. Instead, you will have access to the following:
Wildnerness Survival 20, Leatherworking 5, Unarmed Combat 5, Weapon: Whatever is found in your bag 10, Herbalism 5, Fishing 5. Lore: Basic Shelter Building, Lore: Basic Firestarting, Lore: Basic Food Harvesting, Lore: Basic Clothing Crafting.
Rolls
Environment
1 - Swamp - This environment is extremely hot and humid. The majority of the region is covered in shallow swamplands. The water is stagnate with little to no runoff feeding or draining it. Mosquitos are a constant threat and the any water is unsafe for drinking. The swamp is ripe with disease and toxic plants and poisonous animals. Staying dry is extremely difficult and starting fires is equally so. There are poisonous snakes aplenty along with alligators and crocodiles resting just below the water's surface. Challenges include avoiding dangerous animals, finding enough dry ground and materials to start a fire, defending against the ever present nuisance of biting insects, finding safe drinking water and a respite from the oppressive heat and humidity.
2 - Forest - This environment is moderate as far as temperature is concerned. There is plenty of material for shelter building and fire starting. There are streams and a small pond present in the region. While finding water may not be as difficult as it is in other environments, it is not always safe to drink without boiling. Plants can be toxic but there are also many others that are safe to eat if you know what you are looking for. Animal threats include bears, wolves, cougars and snakes. There are plenty of trees, branches and underbrush for shelter building. Animal threats are perhaps the greatest challenge in this environment as they are plentiful and aggressive. While temperature, insects and toxic plants are less prevalent, the animal threat is rather high.
3 - Island - This environment ranges from very hot and humid during the day to very cold at night. You find yourself on a small secluded island with a scattering of palm trees and a few rock formations. There are tidepools that may harbor valuable food sources but also bring the risk of toxic animals. All the water around you is salt water and thus unsafe to drink. Fishing and scavenging the tidepools are your best source of food although there are rats on the island that mainly come out at night and in force. They make sleeping difficult and they can be aggressive while also taking their share of any food you may gather. Challenges in this environment include dealing with the rats, finding safe food without being hurt or poisoned, creating safe drinking water and moving on to the other islands that are just within eyesight. Boatbuilding or swimming to another island is necessary to move on toward the large "X" on the map. This creates the challenge of sharks which are also present around the waters surrounding the islands.
4 - Desert - This environment is oppressively hot and dry. Water is difficult to find as are oasis'. They are few and far between and are not very big. Plantlife is sparse with a few cacti making up most of what you may find. Animal threats include aggressive packs of coyotes and rattlesnakes. The daytime is horrifically hot and at night it is almost freezing. There are a few scatterings of dead trees and brush that may make for firebuilding material or very simple shelters. The occasional rocky formation may grant some shade and shelter from the heat. Challenges of course include finding water and enough food to sustain yourself as well as battling the extreme dry heat and freezing cold.
5 - Winter Highlands - This environment is brutally cold. You are in a mountainous region covered in snow with powerful freezing winds and even blizzards. There are some shallow caves that may provide shelter from the winds but the cold will persist. There is no liquid water, only snow and ice. There are few if any plants. The environment is populated by rabbits that may provide fur and food although the food is not much. Animal threats come in the form of packs of wolves and there are many. Eating snow lowers the body temperature and increases the everpresent threat of hypothermia. Challenges include drinkable water, protection from the cold, finding a way to start a fire and dealing with the prevalent wolf packs.
6 - Plains - This environment has a relatively moderate climate. There are no large trees however, just wide open grasslands. There are smaller trees that may provide a bit of shade but no real shelter. Heavy rainstorms blow across the area. There are a few birds and rabbits populating the area as well as packs of aggressive coyotes. Unlike the desert, the temperatures are not as extreme. The lack of natural landforms that could provide shelter is a challenge as you are very exposed. Water sources are deep underground which limits your ability to find adequate sources for drinking. Challenges include finding water, defending against coyote packs and finding enough food
to sustain yourself.
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Contents of Your Bag
1 - Flint and Steel, Stone Dagger, Metal Cooking Pot, Wolf Pelt
2 - Flint and Steel, Crude Bow with 4 stone head arrows, Clay Mug, Rabbit Pelt
3 - Flint and Steel, Crude Stone Axe, Pair of Deerskin Moccasins, Small game snare
4 - Flint and Steel, 20' of rope, basic fishing line (10') and lure, deerskin bedroll
5 - Flint and Steel, thread-bare cotton cloak, broken metal shortsword, leather waterskin
6 - Flint and Steel, one tinder bundle, a fresh dead rabbit, a short (3' long) wood spear
NPC/Pet Afflictions
1 - Broken leg - This will reduce the NPC/Pet's ability to move and will require some sort of stabilization in order for them to move at all. They will suffer from no small amount of pain no matter what is done to treat it. Travel will be severely reduced.
2 - Broken arm - This will limit the NPC/Pet's ability to move, life or do anything that requires two hands or otherwise free mobility. They will suffer from pain and distress no matter what is done to treat it.
3 - Intestinal Parasites - This causes vomiting and diarrhea and will weaken the NPC/Pet immensely. They will need increased amounts of water to avoid dehydration and death and will be uncomfortable at best throughout the challenge.
4 - Concussion - The NPC/Pet has suffered a mild concussion. This affects balance and overall ability to think straight. They will be slow and confused and unable to undergo prolonged travel without frequent stops to rest and sleep.
5 - Infected Wound - The NPC/Pet has suffered a wound that has become mildly infected. They are slow to react and move and suffered extreme pain. If not cleaned and tended to regularly, they will grow sick and potentially die.
6 - Blindness - The NPC/Pet has been stricken with a strange form of blindness. They are limited by their inability to see.
Final
There are no word requirements per day. You must write 5,000 words over the course of one or more threads while keeping in mind that upon reaching the marked destination, I will post in your thread with a resolution. Please write to your skills, address the challenges of your environment and address the fact that your PC is naked and exposed to the elements. You do not know where you are, why you are there or if you will ever get back to the life you know. Death is always on the periphery and survival is the name of the game. Any questions, please ask.
Rewards for completing this challenge will be announced later but will reflect the challenge itself. Post your discord rolls and the results in this thread. Also, keep track of your threads and word counts here as well. If you team up with other PCs, note that each of you will have to post 5,000 words for the challenge.
Enjoy!
Looks like it should be fun!
