So I'm about to make my first vampire character for Skyrim to have a character for each side when Danwguard comes out on PC, but I've always had this underlying issue with the way vampirism works in the Elder Scrolls games.

That is, the way it works for feeding/power seems to be reversed - you get more powerful the less you feed, when logically (and vampire lore-wise) you should get weaker the less you feed.

Since blood is essentially a vampire's primary food/power source, depriving a vampire of this should make them weaker, not more powerful - a human won't get stronger if you deprive them of food, succubi won't get stronger if you put them in isolation; so why does depriving a vampire of blood make them stronger?

And it seems to kind of skew vampire lore/traditions. I thought a big challenge and conflict for vampires was controlling their desire to feed and gain more power so that they weren't discovered and didn't cause suspicion; self-control vs. the primal need to feed and get more powerful. In the Elder Scrolls, not feeding basically turns you into a walking death-dealer, Sure, everyone gets mad at you, but you can kill most of them just by thinking about it at that point - or make them kill each other just by thinking about, in this case.

Maybe I'm being too picky, but its' just always not sat right with me.

you do gain some more weaknesses. Maybe you can account for the extra powers as something a vampire would not normally use to prevent exposure. You are just so hungry you are willing to do anything.

This has bugged me for a long time. It made more sense with the Cyrodiilic strain of vampirism, but for the other ones it makes no sense.

I just get a special ring that allows you to feed off fallen enemies. That way I stay at Stage 4 and my Vamp character actually gets stronger from feeding.

Yeah I hate that it's reversed like that. I had hoped the system would make more sense in Skyrim but it's still the same unfortunately. The backwards feeding is the only reason I don't really like being a vampire in TES games.

Being on the PC you should run with...this. I can't play a vampire character without it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybh6IIenkGo&feature=player_embedded

-Sigh- what a wonderful mod. And I can't have it .

I do admit VGM...I am smitten by the modding community. Some of the stuff coming out is nothing short of DLC Expansions. And the really big stuff is still in development until this fall.

Sorry, OP. I didn't mean to derail the thread.

Oh sure just continue to rub it in. I swear one of these I'm getting a decent PC.

OP: The backwards feeding doesn't make much sense. Aren't the Cyrodillic Clan the only ones who uses this? I admit I'm not a lore-head.

It makes sense if you think of it this way. Vampirism is a disease. The "treatment" for this disease, is fresh blood. It does not cure it, only suppresses it. You remain closer to life/mortality this way. However, the further your Vampirism progresses, the more Undead you become, therefore gaining the supernatural strength, resilience and powers associated with undeath, but you also gain the drawbacks as well. Eventually however, over time, the disease will become too advanced for the "treatment" to work anymore.

Ha! And I will be happy for you and with you when you do, my friend.

And I agree with Korbu. The TES lore is rather confusing and even contradictory but it is a disease and it makes some sense if looked at that way.

It was fine before dawnguard. The less you fed the stronger you got yes, but at stage 4 everyone attacked you and the slightest bit of fire was potentially deadly. Now there are absolutely no drawbacks whatsoever to not feeding and being a vampire is no longer fun. I have to do some serious RPing to enjoy vampirism.

I see Blood not as food for Vampires, they are undead after-all and don't necessarily need to eat, but more like medicine. The more blood you have in your system the less the disease grips you, and the longer you go without medicine you have in your system the more it grips you. The strengths and weaknesses brought on by Vampirism get stronger, and when you feed it repairs the damage.

That makes much more sense now .

I agree that it doesn't make much sense. But I suppose they were trying to make it so when you're hungry you become more ferocious in order to obtain food. When you're fat and happy you're not as dangerous. Makes a little bit of sense, but is not very logical.

Ha! That's a good way to look at it. I know I get pretty dam cranky when I go without for a while....I mean food, of course.