"Cause everyone knows, just who you are-are!" Ava Sharpe drunkenly sings, passing the microphone to an equally inebriated Bobby Drake as the mutant belts out the pop song's chorus. "So live your life! HEY, AY AY!"
For her part, Sara Lance puts her palm to her face, shaking her head in mock shame. "Don't try to act tough, Lance. I saw that smile," Jason Todd taunts, putting on his jacket as he prepares to close. Sara smiles in spite of herself, raising her near-empty glass of whiskey to Jason, who responds by clinking it with his own.
"I'll give you this Jason - you can throw one hell of a bachelorette party." She responds, throwing her own white longcoat on as well. "I'm sure everyone enjoyed it - even if they're not willing to show it." She says, jokingly glaring at their last remaining companion. Fenris, who had been brooding with a glass of wine in the corner, merely growled as he likewise stood.
"Pleasure was all mine. Never thought that I'd see Sypha drink, let alone watch her put Trevor himself under the table." Jason whistles at the two singers, who groan in annoyance as he turns off the karaoke machine. Ava stumbles down from the stage into her fiance's arms, laying her head on Sara's shoulder and sighing in content.
"I can..can...hic...cannot wait to marry you!" Ava fumbles out as the two couples and Jason leave. "Just you and me and-" Ava continues, only for Sara's hand to cover her mouth. Ava throws it aside, indignantly stating "Sara what the hell?" before a thunderous boom and shaking ground jostles her awake. Sara points across the street from the Iceberg Lounge, deathly silent, where a Hammerhead Titanothere lazily walks forward.
"No. Sudden. Moves." Fenris orders, with most of the group quietly attempting to avoid its gaze - except for Bobby, who laughs loudly. "Come on, you're scared of this ugly old thing? I've beaten bigger monsters than this as a middle schooler!" he jokes, drunkenly forming an ice spike. Before his boyfriend can stop him, Bobby shoots the projectile at the creature. As it pierces its hide, the beast turns to Bobby and bellows, raising onto its back legs before charging in anger.
"Everyone scatter!" Sara yells, tackling Ava out of the way, with the others also moving. Jason watches in dismay as the Hammerhead barrels towards his bar, with his fear turning into confusion the charge suddenly stops.
The Hammerhead grunts in confusion, as it hovers slightly in the air. A dark glow surrounds it, and a small, purple ghost floats down to its eye level. "GENGAR!" it yells, sticking out its tongue and giving a devilish laugh. A small red-and-white object hits the Hammerhead, before its enveloped in a red aura and shrinks inside the Pokeball.
"Gengar, return!" Red orders from atop his Charizard, pulling another Pokeball from his DFederal Zoo uniform. He lands, offering a hand to Jason. "Sorry about that. Homeless Zoo just had a breakout, and Animal Control's a bit scattered without a competent boss."
Jason nods in thanks, taking the kid's hand. As he stands, he hears distant roars and explosions, likely the sound of the rest of the stampede. Red grimaces, climbing onto Charizard's back. "We've already had to reach out to the Hunter's Guild and DFPD for help on this one, so let's hope this time we got the users' attention." Red says, waving good-bye as he goes back to catch more of Pandora's homeless creatures.
Courier's Team[]
| “ | Full circle, walked your road - now back again.
— Ulysses
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” |
The Courier's Team is a group of individuals gathered by Courier 6 over his adventures in the Mojave Wasteland. Initially consisting of just the Courier himself, he meets his companions as he travels south to find information about his attempted assassination. He meets the robot ED-E in Primm, repairing it and taking it with him to Novac, meeting the former NCR sniper Boone, who also joins the Courier. The group slowly grows as the Courier continues his travels, including the Brotherhood scribe Veronica, the Follower of the Apocalypse Arcade Gannon, the Nightkin Lily, the cyberdog Rex, the merchant Rose of Sharon Cassidy, and former vigilante Raul. The team makes their mark on the wasteland, before eventually going their separate ways after the Battle of the Hoover Dam.
Members[]
| “ | No offense, but you look like you've traveled a long way down some bad roads. Where'd you come from?
— Veronica Santiago
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” |
Originally a courier working for the Mojave Express, Courier 6 was robbed and left for dead by Tops Chairman Benny near the town of Goodsprings. Brought back to life and with a case of amnesia, the Courier traveled the Mojave Wasteland searching for clues about his attempted killer. He eventually winds up in New Vegas, purchasing a fake passport to get into the city, where he is recruited by the city's mysterious overlord Mr. House, his original client. The Courier infiltrates the Tops Casino, tricking Benny into returning to the presidential suite where the Courier kills him and retrieves the Platinum Chip.
Having made a name for himself in his adventures, the Courier plays all the factions of New Vegas against each other with the aid of Yes Man. He robs Caesar's Legion of their White Glove Society, Omerta, and Great Khan allies, while tricking the NCR into believing the Boomers and Brotherhood of Steel are allies when they actually work for the Courier. He kills House on Caesar's orders, before uploading Yes Man's consciousness into House's mainframe. At the Battle of the Hoover Damn, the Courier expelled both the NCR and the Legion from the Mojave, claiming the land as a truly independent wasteland, with his personal army of Securitrons ready to maintain peace.
Equipment:
- Nephi's Golf Driver: A golf club formerly wielded by Fiend leader Driver Nephi. The golf club does more damage per swing, but is also more brittle than the average golf club.
- That Gun: A unique double-action revolver, stolen from Cliff Briscoe. That Gun utilizes 5.56mm rounds in a five-round speed loader, weighs a hefty 5 pounds and has a motorized cylinder and crane for quicker shooting and reloading than a typical revolver. The Courier utilizes basic 5.56mm rounds, high-power rounds that do more damage to unarmored targets, and armor-piercing rounds that do less damage overall but shatter armor. The Courier will have 1008 rounds of regular ammo, and 112 each of the special ammo.
- Dinner Bell: A unique-pump action hunting shotgun, gifted to the Courier from Red Lucy. Dinner Bell uses 12 gauge shotgun shells in a five-round tube and weighs seven pounds. The Courier utilizes basic 12 gauge shells and incendiary "dragon's breath" slugs, which light a target on fire and go further. The Courier will have 595 regular shells and 150 dragon's breath shells.
- The All-American: A unique semi-automatic marksman carbine, found in Vault 34. The All-American uses 5.56mm rounds in a 24-round banana magazine, weighs six pounds, and is equipped with a scope. The Courier uses basic 5.56mm rounds, high-power rounds that do more damage to unarmored targets, and armor-piercing rounds that do less damage overall but shatter armor. The Courier will have 1008 rounds of regular ammo, and 112 each of the special ammo. Yes, the All-American and That Gun share ammo.
- Mercy: A unique semi-automatic grenade machinegun, found on the corpse of a Brotherhood of Steel paladin in a Deathclaw cave. Mercy uses 40mm grenades in an 18-round drum magazine and weighs 15 pounds. The Courier utilizes basic 40mm grenades and incendiary grenades, which do burning damage. The Courier will have one drum magazine of each type of ammo.
- Pimp-Boy 3 Billion: A unique Pip-Boy 3000, modified with a bunch of jewels and sexy time music playing upon its activation. The Pimp-Boy 3 Billion tracks the Courier's radiation levels, acts as a miniature storage unit, has a flash light, contains a map, and allows the usage of V.A.T.S.
- Remnants Power Armor: The Courier wears a set of Remnants Power Armor, a unique set of power armor he was given by the remnants of the Enclave. Although the armor itself is slightly less durable than other power armor sets, it compensates by protecting the Courier significantly more. The power armor also boosts his strength and protects the Courier from radiation. It provides significant protection for the Courier, allowing him to shrug off explosions and blows from creatures as powerful as deathclaws.
Abilities:
- Cybernetic Implants: The Courier uses multiple cybernetic enhancements, with each providing a significant boost to his physicality. These include implants that improve his agility, endurance, intelligence, perception, strength, charisma, and luck, as well as one that slightly heals him every ten seconds and sub-dermal armor that boosts his damage threshold.
- V.A.T.S.: The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or VATS, is an assisted aiming system used by the Courier, presumably built in to his Pip-Boy wrist-mounted computer. The system in compatible with any weapon in the Courier's arsenal, and allows him to accurately aim his weapon at any location on the enemies body and will even predict the probability of a hit on a given target. The system can also detect distant enemies, highlighting the even if they are too distant to reliably hit.
- Expert Marksman: The Courier is a highly skilled marksman, being an expert wielder of all sorts of firearms. He's skilled in the usage of multiple firearms, from long-range rifles to quickdrawing with pistols to grenade rifles.
- Skilled Survivalist: The Courier is a good survivalist, capable of surviving the Mojave Wastelands with minimal resources.
- Expert Strategist: The Courier is a skilled strategist, capable of outthinking warlords with massive armies like Caesar, Mr. House, and technically Lee Oliver, keeping one-step ahead of them while appearing to work with them.
| “ | Which means this little "Duraframe" sucker somehow managed to survive for over two thousand miles. Certainly lives up to its model name.
— Arcade Gannon
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” |
An Enclave eyebot from the East Coast, ED-E is a prototype duraframe model built by Whitley, designed for combat. ED-E became the last surviving model of this Eyebot, and was uploaded with massive amounts of data and sent to the Navarro. After some misadventures outside Chicago and in the Mojave Wasteland, ED-E was shot by a sniper near Primm, where it deactivated. The Courier encounters ED-E in his quest to find Benny, and he fixes ED-E and takes it along as his first travel companion.
After encountering a trigger location, ED-E activates a recording of its creator to the Courier, where the Courier learns of its initial mission. The duo travel to the Brotherhood of Steel, where another trigger occurs that reveal the information ED-E contains. The Brotherhood of Steel and the Followers of the Apocalypse both reach out to the Courier asking for its data. The Courier gives it to the latter, who utilize its databank to harness more solar energy for the Mojave. ED-E rejoins the Courier afterwards as his permanent companions, going with him on more adventures.
Equipment:
- ED-E's Zapper: ED-E uses a zapper as its primary weapon, which either shoots out energy bolts over long range or acts as a built-in taser in short range. Thanks to modifications from the Followers of Apocalypse, ED-E's zapper does more damage and fires faster than previously.
Abilities:
- Manufacturing: ED-E can act as a workshop to make items such as weapon repair kits, stimpaks, or recycling energy ammunition if given the right materials.
- Levitation: ED-E floats.
- Scanning: ED-E's enhanced sensors allow it to detect enemies over a wider range, even ones outside the Courier's field of view. ED-E also allows the Courier to use his VATS to scan for invisible enemies.
| “ | Life has a way of punishing you for the mistakes you make.
— Craig Boone
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” |
A former member of the New California Republic Army, Craig Boone enlisted at a young age to escape poverty and a criminal lifestyle along with his best friend Manny Vargas. Proving his marksmanship, Boone was assigned to the 1st Recon Battalion, an infantry unit of skilled marksmen. Boone was present at the Bitter Springs massacre, where he and other members of the NCR opened fire on Great Khan civilians. The massacre haunted Boone, who was discharged from the army after meeting his wife Carla. He, Carla, and Manny moved to Novac, where Carla's disapproval of the town earned her enemies. Carla was kidnapped by Legion members, and Boone tracked her to a legion camp in the hundreds, leading to him mercy killing her from afar.
The Courier meets Boone in Novac, where they discover who sold Carla to the Legion and assassinate her. Boone joins the Courier, partly out of gratitude and partly on a suicide mission to kill as many legionnaires as possible. After growing closer to the Courier, Boone reveals his role in the Bitter Springs massacre. The two travel to Bitter Springs, where they repel an attack from Caesar's Legion. Boone reminisces about his actions, where the Courier encourages him to try to atone for his actions in the wasteland. He does so even after the NCR leave the region, working as a guard or scout for different caravans along the highway.
Equipment:
- Liberator: A unique machete looted off the corpse of Dead Sea. It does significantly more damage than a regular machete, and weighs two pounds.
- Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle: A unique bolt-action sniper rifle built before the Great War, found in a locked chest near Cottonwood Cove. The Gobi Campaign Scout Rifle uses .308 rounds with a six-round box magazine. It does slightly more damage than the average sniper rifle, has a lower weapon spread, and is a more durable rifle. Boone will have 795 rounds.
- NCR Ranger Combat Armor A set of military-grade combat armor equipped with a helmet, gas mask, and heavy duster.
Abilities:
- Expert Marksman: Boone is a highly skilled sniper and marksman, capable of hitting single targets from a mile away with ease. He is also a good spotter, helping the Courier locate and hit enemies from a distance himself.
| “ | Yeah, everything's coming up Veronica!
— Veronica Santangelo, best girl
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” |
A former scribe in the Brotherhood of Steel, Veronica Santangelo was born and raised in the order, where she became the personal assistant to Father Elijah after her parents died. Her natural aptitude towards engineering made her ideal for the scribes, while her guidance under Elijah encouraged her sense of curiosity about the world and to question the dogma of the Brotherhood. She went with Elijah when he led a chapter into the Mojave, but soon grew to distrust Elijah as he became absorbed in research at HELIOS One. When Elijah went missing after the devastating attack and the Brotherhood went into hiding, Veronica found herself working as a scavenger to bring supplies back to the group, one of the few members allowed to leave their shelter.
While scavenging, Veronica met the Courier, who she joined out of curiosity. As they travel together, she begins to question the Brotherhood's teachings, leading to her approach Elder McNamara when the Courier finds himself tasked with making contact with the Brotherhood. She attempts to convince him to abandon their isolation and become more egalitarian, but he rebuffs her advice. Frustrated with the order's refusal to change, Veronica leaves the Brotherhood, attempting to join the Followers of the Apocalypse until discovering that Brotherhood members have killed her contacts in the order. Disheartened, Veronica decides to wander the wastelands alone, aiding scientists and social workers she finds along the way.
Equipment:
- Pushy: A unique displacer glove that, in addition to doing the blunt damage of a regular power glove, creates a sonic blast upon impact that causes the target to move away from the attacker.
- AER14 Prototype: A unique laser rifle hidden in Vault 22. The AER14 Prototype has a capacity of 24 microfusion cells. The AER14 utilizes two cells per shot, leading to greater damage at the cost of quicker ammunition consumption. Veronica will have 990 cells.
- Brotherhood T-51b Power Armor: Veronica wears the most advanced Brotherhood Power Armor in the game. The armor provides significant protection from all types of trauma, and increases Veronica's already impressive strength.
Abilities:
- Expert Engineer: Veronica is a skilled engineer and technician, capable of building small objects such as weapon repair kits, stimpaks, or recycling energy cells if given the materials.
- Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Veronica is a deadly hand-to-hand fighter, combining her strength, her power fist, her armor, and her skill making her a difficult foe to take on in a close-range fight. She's shown to be capable of fighting a deathclaw up close without difficulty, although numbers of foes that powerful can overwhelm her.
| “ | I'm not exactly a mercenary, but taking out scumbags of this magnitude wouldn't cause me to lose any sleep.
— Arcade Gannon
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” |
The son of an Enclave officer killed in action, Arcade Gannon became close with the Enclave remnants, a group of survivors who had previously served with his father. The group eventually split apart upon settling in the Mojave Wasteland, abandoning their association due to the NCR's hatred of the Enclave. Gannon, by now an adult, decides to join the Followers of the Apocalypse in Old Mormon Fort, utilizing his skills to help the poorer survivors of Freeside.
While in the Old Mormon Fort, Arcade became acquainted with the Courier after he delivered medical supplies to the Followers. Arcade grows close to the Courier, eventually confiding his past Enclave membership with him. The Courier and Arcade then decide to recruit the Remnants to his side, traveling across the Mojave to reunite the faction. Arcade helps Courier find each member, with the old squad joining together. Arcade temporarily leaves the Courier's side to work with the Remnants, but joins him once again during the Battle of the Hoover Damn, bringing the Remnants in power armor and a vertibird with him. After the war, Arcade returns to Freeside to continue helping the locals govern themselves.
Equipment:
- Gehenna: Gehenna is a flaming sword, consisting of a saber attached to a tank that can light in on fire when equipped. Gehenna's flame is noticeably hotter, burning bright blue instead of orange.
- Q-35 Matter Modulator: A unique plasma rifle found in the ruins of REPCONN headquarters, locked away in a hidden room. The Q-35 utilizes plasma cells, with a capacity of 12-cells. The Q-35 consumes less ammo per shot, fires at a much faster rate of fire, and fires cells at a faster speed than the standard plasma rifle, doing slightly less damage as well. The Q-35 weighs 7 pounds. Arcade will have 1,245 cells.
- Gannon Family Tesla Armor: Arcade wears his father's old set of Remnant power armor, which offers significant protection to its wearer. In addition to the typical blunt and ballistic trauma of any set of power armor, the Gannon Family Tesla Armor provides extra resistance to radiation and energy weapons, although it does reduce his strength and natural damage threshold.
Abilities:
- Skilled Doctor: Arcade is well-trained in medicine and science, making him a highly competent doctor while in the field. His skill as a medic let him heal wounds for the Courier and the party faster than they would be able to without him. He's also claimed he's smart enough to make medicine from limited resources, such as an effective stimpak from cactus juice, but these claims have gone unproven so far.
| “ | Second, he doesn't like hats, or the people wearing them. Don't ask, I have no idea why. Maybe because it rhymes with rats.
— The King
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” |
A cybernetic dog born and enhanced before the war, Rex has wandered the wastelands for several years, serving as companions to multiple people. He first was a regular dog in Denver, serving in the Denver Police Department before being enhanced into a cyberdog. He survived the apocalypse and wandered the wastelands, eventually being recruited by Caesar. Rex served faithfully at the side of Caesar until he was lost in battle, and made his way to Freeside. There he met The King, who loved and raised him as his own pet. Rex eventually develops neural degeneration as a result of his aging brain, and the King begins to worry about Rex's health just as the Courier arrives to Freeside.
As a reward for helping Freeside and in hopes of helping Rex, the King gives Rex to the Courier. After asking for help from the Followers, the Courier and Rex travel to Jacobstown to meet Doctor Henry. Henry tells the Courier to find a healthy dog brain for Rex to use, ensuring most of his personality will be kept in tact. The Courier and Rex travel to The Fort, where Antony allows the Courier to kill Lupa in the arena to harvest her brain. The pair return to Jacobstown and Henry installs the brain, making Rex a happy and healthy dog to wander the wastelands with the Courier again. He eventually meets the Courier's other canine companion Roxie, and the two have a litter of cyberpups to raise.
'Abilities:
- Canine Senses: Rex is a dog, which gives him a heightened sense of smell and hearing.
- Cybernetic Body: Rex is a cyberdog, which means his body is much more durable than the average dog's. He can withstand a substantial amount of small arms fire and blunt trauma. This is further boosted by Lupa's brain, inheriting her Legion training to make himself more durable and willing to fight longer.
| “ | Grandma's got a present for you!
— Lily Bowen
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” |
A Nightkin bighorn rancher from Jacobstown, Lily Bowen began life just after the Great War. She lived in Vault 17 for most of her life, when the Unity raided her vault. As one of the few captives taken alive, Lily was exposed to the FEV that turned humans into super mutants. Lily emerged as a Nightkin, where she worked for The Master as an assassin and spy. While serving The Master, Lily developed her split personality and skills in battle. With the Master's death, Lily was able to return to the Mojave a changed woman. She eventually settled in Jacobstown, overseeing the bighorners for the group.
When the Courier arrives in Jacobstown, Lily assists him in his mission to discover the local mutated night stalkers. While traveling together, she reveals her past to him and her usage of medication, which keeps her calm but induces memory loss. The Courier encourages her to continue her current half-dosage plan. The duo eventually help Doctor Henry discover a cure for nightkin schizophrenia, with Lily serving as a temporary test subject. Satisfied with her time at Jacobstown and beginning to piece her memory back together, Lily eventually departs from the Courier's group to return to Vault 17 to rediscover her past.
Equipment:
- Oh, Baby!: A unique super sledge, Oh, Baby! is a sledgehammer with a small rocket thruster attached to it to give it more power when hitting. Oh, Baby! also has a larger head than the typical super sledge, giving it a further power boost. Oh, Baby! weighs roughly 20 pounds, although this means little thanks to Lily's super mutant strength.
- CZ57 Avenger: The CZ57 Avenger is a unique minigun. It has a custom cooling and barrel system, giving the Avenger a greater range than the typical minigun. The Avenger uses 5mm rounds in a 120 rounds drum. It is lighter than the average minigun, weighing only 18 pounds, thanks to its smaller magazine. Lily will have 2400 rounds.
- Stealth Boy: Lily utilizes a stealth boy, which renders her practically invisible.
Abilities:
- Nightkin Physicality: As a Nightkin, Lily exhibits a superhuman physicality that far surpasses any normal human in the Mojave. She is strong enough to wield large weapons like vertibird wings or super sledges with one hand. She also possesses significant durability, shrugging off cuts, blunt trauma, fire, and acid without breaking a sweat, and even capable of taking sustained gunfire for a brief period of time.
- Skilled Assassin: Thanks to her training, Stealth Boy, and great physical ability, Lily is a skilled assassin and spy. Despite her size, she's shown the ability to sneak into sophisticated compounds like Tabitha's without getting caught, as well as conducting similar missions while working for The Master.
- Berserker Rage: Thanks in part to her half-dosing her medicine, Lily is susceptible to allowing her alternate personality "Leo" to take over. While in this mode, she tosses aside her sense of survival in exchange for a more vicious and bestial fighting style. She typically enters this mindset when she becomes significantly hurt.
| “ | I'm going to get some extra ammo, a few bottles of whiskey, then show them how Cassidys settle accounts.
— Rose of Sharon Cassiy
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” |
The owner of the Cassidy Caravan company, Rose of Sharon Cassidy is the daughter of the late John Cassidy, a former travel companion of the Chosen One. With her father's disappearance, Cass takes over Cassidy Caravans, where her tough grit only results in the company's slow but steady decline. After the misfortune of her caravan papers being stalled, Cass drowns her sorrows at the Mojave Outpost when she meets the Courier. Initially rebuffing him, she changes her mind when he offers her a chance to sell her company's deed to Crimson Caravans, and joins the Courier out of boredom.
Cass asks the Courier to visit the site of one of her caravans being ambushed to pay respects, and when they arrive she begins to suspect that foul play is involved. Cass and the Courier investigate further to discover the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan worked together to shove her out of the business. They hand the evidence over to the NCR, with Cass mostly satisfied.
Equipment:
- Love and Hate: A unique pair of brass knuckles with spiked knuckles on them.
- Medicine Stick: A unique lever-action brush rifle bought from the Gun Runners. The Medicine Stick uses .45-70 Govt. rounds in an eight-round tubular magazine and does more damage than the average brush rifle. Cass will have 995 rounds
- Gecko-Backed Leather Armor, Reinforced: A set of reinforced leather armor made from gecko-backed leather, which adds resistance to fire, poison, and radiation to its wearer.
| “ | Oh, good. Now there's an army of robots. You don't do things by halves, do you, boss?
— Raul Tejada
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” |
A wandering ghoul born in Mexico City, Raul Tejada was born in 2047 before the Great War. Raul's youth was spent as a delinquent learning how to shoot and repair. When the bombs fell, Raul and his family tried to take in as many refugees as they could, eventually turning some away. This group of refugees returned, killing all of Raul's family in a fire except for Raul and his sister Rafaela. They fled to Mexico City, where the leftover radiation ghoulified Raul, who had become a vigilante to protect civilians from raiders, with the resulting sickness incapacitating him and forcing his sister to scavenge, which resulted in her death.
Abandoning his life behind completely, Raul started to wander the Mojave, eventually finding himself at Black Mountain. He was taken hostage by the Nightkin Tabitha, who had tasked him with maintaining repairs on her radio station. He was discovered by the Courier while the latter was investigating Black Mountain, who freed Raul and recruited him as a reluctant companion. Raul travels with the Courier, revealing the truth of his past to him as they encounter multiple old soldiers. He reminisces about his past, and begins to question his place in the world a functional immortal. The Courier encourages him to continue to protect people, and Raul takes up his guns once again as a wandering vigilante after the Battle of the Hoover Dam.
Equipment:
- Blood-Nap: Blood-Nap is a unique Bowie Knife. The blade is particularly effective as a stealth weapon, improving Raul's natural stealth abilities.
- Mysterious Magnum: A unique .44 magnum revolver, which uses .44 magnum rounds in a six-round cylinder. The Mysterious Magnum is a double-action revolver, firing faster than the traditional 44. magnum, and does significantly more damage than the average revovler. The revolver weighs four pounds. Raul will have 750 rounds.
It also plays music when drawn. - This Machine: A unique battle rifle received from NCR quartermaster Contreras. This Machine utilizes .308 rounds in an 8-round clip. This Machine does more damage than the average battle rifle. It weighs 9.5 pounds. Raul will have 1,200 rounds.
- Vaquero Armor: A custom-vaquero costume worn by Raul during his vaquero career. In addition to being cool to look at, the Vaquero Armor includes a leather pauldron over Raul's shoulder and two bandoliers to hold his ammunition. It's also got a sick sombrero.
Abilities:
- Expert Mechanic: Raul's a very skilled mechanic, capable of repairing almost any piece of equipment regardless of its complexity. He has repaired weapons as complex as laser rifles and plasma guns, as well as complex armor like power armor, with minimal resources and time.
- Expert Gunslinger: Raul's a highly skilled gunslinger, skilled in quickdraw and capable of hitting his shots with ease.
Pandora[]
| “ | You're not in Kansas, anymore. You're on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact, people. Every second of every day. If there is a hell, you might want to there for some R&R after a tour on Pandora. Out there beyond that fence every living thing that crawls, flies, or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes out for jujubes.
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” |
Pandora is an enormous moon that orbits the planet Polyphemus, and is home to a wide host of unique natural creatures that have evolved to inhabit specific biological niches necessary to the continued survival of Pandora's ecosystem. Pandora is notable for its dense jungles and steep mountains, as well as floating land masses that house individual, smaller ecosystems. The native intelligent species of Pandora are known as the Na'vi, who have developed their own culture centered around the ritualized worship of nature. Although isolated in space, humans from Earth were able to make contact with the natives of Pandora and embarked on an ultimately unsuccessful attempt at conquest, leaving the moon to itself.
Species[]
Jake Sully is a former human and Marine veteran, and current and only remaining Na'vi Avatar. Suffering a crippling injury while fighting in Venezuela, Sully agreed to join the Avatar program after his twin brother's death to take his place. Sully travels to Pandora, where he enlists in the Avatar program overseen by Dr. Grace Augustine. As a Na'vi Avatar, Sully infiltrates the local tribe, meeting the chieftain's daughter Neytiri and bonding with her. He learns the way of the Na'vi, growing to identify with them and even becoming lovers with Neytiri.
This ends when his affiliation with the RDA is revealed, and he is exiled from the tribe. Returning to the RDA, he discovers Quaritch's plan to destroy the world tree to cripple the Na'vi and Pandora. He and others in the Avatar program defect, with Sully leading the resistance against Quaritch. Initially struggling, Sully reaches out to Eywa, who allows the planet's animals to join them and repel the invaders. Sully's human body is wounded in the fight, and Sully permanently transfers to his Avatar body, becoming the leader of the tribe.
Jake is a skilled soldier and fighter, having become accustomed to his new body. He is a skilled archer and banshee rider, while his military training gives him a keen mind for small-scale tactics and firearms. He is noted to be bad at riding direhorses however.
The Na'vi are a blue humanoid tribal species native to the jungle moon of Pandora. They came into conflict with the Resources Development Administration (RDA) when they arrived in Pandora to mine the moon of natural resources and were eventually able to drive them off with the aid of human deserters and sympathizers. After repelling the invaders from Pandora, the Na'vi have exiled humans and thus will likely attack humans on sight, although it is possible for the Courier's Crew to reason with them.
The Na'vi utilize stone weapons, utilizing longbows for their primary ranged weapons and stone knives or spears for melee fights. These bows are powerful enough to penetrate through bulletproof glass, as well as pierce (although not completely) the hull of the RDA's aircrafts. They tower over humans at being three meters tall, and far more agile, strong, and durable than the average human. The Na'vi are at least four times stronger than a regular human, and their bones are sturdier than a human's. They are still susceptible to firearms however, falling rather easily to small arms fire.
Mountain Banshees are the primary aerial predator of Pandora. In addition to being found naturally in the wild, Banshees are often raised by Na'vi to act as aerial mounts in battle and hunting. A banshee and a Na'vi bond for life, making it difficult for a banshee to find a new rider if their original one dies.
The natural weapons of the banshee include its massive wingspan, approximately 14 meters wide to travel large distances with ease, its teeth, and a single finger-like claw on its wings to travel cliffs or slash opponents. It is a dangerous aerial threat, but clumsy on the ground.
The Thanator is the apex predator on Pandora's land. They are powerful and dangerous enough to strike fear even in the Na'vi, who tend to run away upon encountering one. Roughly two meters tall, the thanator has an armored neck and back, a massive distensible jaw, and twenty-three centimeter long sharp teeth.
The thanator is a solitary creature, rarely venturing outside of its hunting grounds. It tends to hunt at night, although they have been spotted during daylight as well.
The Direhorse is a herbivore found on Pandora. When wild, the animals move together in a loose herd through the forests, feeding on tree bark and shrubs. The typical herd is roughly a dozen or more animals, but larger ones of more than one hundred have been sighted as well. The direhorse stands approximately 4 meters tall, and can run miles very fast.
Direhorses are also used as mounts by the Na'vi, where a neural interface between the Na'vi's queue and the direhorse's allows the two to share neural functions. This allows the Na'vi to seemingly control the direhorse by thought, freeing them to use a bow while riding at top speeds.
The Hammerhead Titanothere is a massive herbivore on Pandora, standing at roughly 6.5 meters tall. The Hammerhead Titanothere travels in herds of 10-20 creatures, and the hostile environment of Pandora has made them territorial and quick to anger although not immediately hostile. They have poor eyesight, but compensate with an effective sense of hearing and smell.
The animal's overlapping body plates and large, bony shoulder and back offer protection during battles with other titanotheres or large creatures such as the leonopteryx or thanator. Their armor, however, only covers the front of their bodies. Their hindquarters are relatively unprotected.
The viperwolf is a small carnivore that has six legs, a lean, powerful torso and has evolved to travel swiftly over long distances in search of prey. Very few predators will attempt an attack on a viperwolf. Viperwolves almost always move in packs that can mass together into a highly cooperative hunting party within seconds of finding prey.
Roughly one meter tall, the viperwolf has six legs, with each paw having three toes and an opposable thumb. This allows it to climb trees as well as stalk from the ground and, thereby, creates a three-dimensional hunting field. The viperwolf has distensible snakelike jaws with obsidian teeth, capable of crushing stone, and a paddle-like tail for stability.Notes[]
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The Courier's Team has been hired by the RDA to mount a rescue mission for some of its expeditionary forces in preparation for the second invasion of Pandora. Recruiting his old team, the Courier accepts the job and the group travel to Pandora. They're given a week's worth of supplies in food, oxygen, and water for their journey, as well as ample ammunition and five stimpacks per party member (45 total). Veronica and ED-E will be able to remake ammunition if necessary, as long as someone collects the materials necessary,
The Courier and his crew must accomplish the following objectives:
- Proceed from the landing zone to the RDA facility, roughly two days travel.
- Collect the data from the RDA facility.
- Rescue captives from the Na'vi encampment, located roughly one day from the RDA facility.
- Escort captives to extraction point, roughly one day from the RDA facility.
- Survive until extraction, which will take one day.
At least one member of the Courier's Team must survive in order for the team to win.
Battle[]
Part i: Welcome to the Jungle[]
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The Courier wearily opens his eyes as the sound of the helicopter's blades slow down. Cracking his neck, the Courier's eyes go wide with wonder beneath his sunglasses as he spots the lush, green jungles of Pandora. Beside him, Raul lets out an impressed whistle. "I haven't seen that much green since before the bombs dropped, boss," he says, a wistful tone in his voice. "Hell, not even then - Mexico ain't exactly known for its forests."
Veronica and Arcade similarly ogle the surroundings, first to step off as the helicopter finishes its descent onto the cliff's peak. "Astounding. Can you imagine how what we'd be able to accomplish if we had a fraction of this topographical diversity?" The latter asks, bending down to examine a bright blue glowing flower. The Courier shrugs as he and the rest of his team step into the field. ED-E happily chirps as he floats ahead to scan the environment, while Rex wanders off to relieve himself.
"Here's hoping we make it off-world to talk about it." Boone replies, finger already hovering over the trigger of his rifle. Cass nods her head in agreement, mumbling "How did I get my ass dragged back into this shit..." under her breath.
"Don't go too far from Grandma, sweetie," Lily says, putting a protective hand on the Courier's shoulder, who buckles slightly under the Nightkin's grip. They all quiet down as the RDA pilot drops the last of their supply packs on the ground, nervously looking at the endless jungle below. "Good luck, strangers. You're gonna need it on this hellhole."
"How reassuring," Veronica sarcastically says, patting the returning Rex on the head. The dog barks in content, sniffing the air and then turning to face a bush. He begins to growl lowly, glaring into the unknown, before barking at the unseen threat. Veronica walks forward, displacer glove already in hand, as the rest of the team equip their weapons and wait in anxiety. Rex continues to bark, before suddenly stopping and sitting back down, whatever he'd smelled before going away.
"Screw this; I got you on-world," the pilot says, practically leaping into the cockpit. "I'll see what's left of you in a week."
The Courier stares out into the valley below, pulling out his binoculars. He grimaces as he surveys the land, the jungle's ambient noise already stirring with agitation at these alien invaders' arrival. This job better be worth it he mutters to himself, before handing Boone the binoculars and unslinging his rifle.
"Tight quarters, unknown terrain, lots of distance to cover - this isn't going to be easy." Boone states, permanent frown growing deeper. "Not to mention a bunch of tribals willing to kill us on sight."
"And don't forget a planetary nervous system that can control all the wildlife to swarm us like an immune system!" Arcade adds.
"When has anything we've done been easy?" the Courier quips as ED-E floats up to him and shakes sideways, indicating a clear path. The Courier whistles, getting his team's attention, and points into the valley. "Out of the frying pan?" he asks, earning a humorless laugh from Raul.
"Into one helluva fire, boss."
(Cut the music. Or don't. Up to you, although it should be done by now.)
As she finishes stringing her bow, Neytiri looks up as her lover, Jake Sully, walks out of their tent. She stands and puts her forehead on his, nuzzling as a greeting. "Good morning, Jake Sully."
"I told you, Jake is fine," he replies, running a hand through his braid. "My kind didn't do the one name thing, at least not my "clan", if you can call it that." She chuckles at his visible unease, before gesturing for him to follow.
"Speaking of your "kind", scouts have spotted more of them arriving on one your metal banshees."
"Helicopters, Neytiri. I thought we already captured the ones at the base." Jake and Neytiri climb down the clan's new home tree, reaching its base where an improvised cell holds a dozen scientists, oxygen masks on their faces. Jake looks inside, a pang of guilt passing on his face as he spots the fear in their eyes, before turning away and continuing.
"New ones. A smaller group...different." Neytiri nods her head towards the direhorse pens, where several graze on the grass below. A dozen Na'vi riders mingle about, waiting for their new clan leader's orders.
"How so?" To answer his question, another Na'vi walks towards him, a young man barely past maturity. He bows his head in respect, with Neytiri stifling a laugh as Jake awkwardly pats him on the shoulder. "Go ahead, tell me...er, kid."
The scout eagerly nods. "One of them was huge. Taller than one of us, with thick black skin. They had a small animal with them, but it was made of metal, and one's skin was all wrinkled and burnt."
Jake nods, his forehead creasing in contemplation. "Neytiri, you take some direhorses and go with the scouts back to Hell's Gate. See if you can't find and track these new people. I'll take some banshees and do the same. We meet back here in two days."
Neytiri nods, beginning to yell orders at the assembled Na'vi, who begin to get ready for battle. Jake walks back into his tent, grabbing his bow and sparing a glance at his bed. He walks over and pulls out a metallic crate, opening it to reveal an M60 Machine Gun, one of the tribe's few firearms scavenged from the new RDA troops. He picks up and slings it the strap over his shoulder, grabbing two belts of ammo and walking out.
The scout from before greets him as they walk to the top of the top of the home tree, where the mountain banshees lazily circle or eat in the sky. Jake's banshee lands as he arrives, clicking and giving an affectionate screech at his arrival. "That's a good girl," he says, petting the large aerial beast. He connects his cord to the banshees, and she lowers herself, allowing Jake to mount her. Four other Na'vi join him, and he looks over his scouting party once more.
"Don't engage if you can avoid it. We're just doing recon, and I don't wanna get into a firefight if I can help it."
Satisfied with their response, Jake clicks his tongue. His banshee leaps into the air and dives towards the ground, before spreading her wings and taking off into the sky.
As his eyes glare into the campfire, the Courier's fingers hover ever so slightly over his pistol, eyes falling but sleep just out of his reach. The rest of his team slept quietly, save for ED-E who occasionally chirped or buzzed as he detected some life form out in the wilderness.
The trek down the cliffside had already been a hassle, with winged beasts harassing them the entire way down. Cass had been bitten in the shoulder, the serrated teeth ripping her armor to the point that Raul could barely repair it, while Boone's leg was wrapped in a bandage from when a banshee's claw had grazed him.
Just as he finally starts to nod off, ED-E lets out a series of beeps, while Rex immediately leaps up and barks into the wilderness. The others quickly stir, grabbing their weapons. ED-E's the first to attack, shooting out several small zapper bolts into foliage. A viperwolf breaks into their camp, easily dodging each bolt and leaping at the Courier. He draws and fires his pistol, hitting it in the thigh, before Rex's metallic body slams into the viperwolf. The viperwolf nips at his metallic body, claws sliding useless against his flank before Rex pins him down, tearing out the viperwolf's throat. Rex looks up and barks as three more approach, surrounding the cyberdog.
"Rex, get back boy!" the Courier screams, aiming his pistol. The viperwolves charge at all sides, two grapping Rex down as he lunges at the third. Rex once again tears into a viperwolf's throat, but the weight of the other two holds Rex down. The viperwolf viciously bites into Rex's brain case, the glass beginning to crack before the Courier shoots them off him. Rex whines, shaking the two viperwolf corpses off him and uneasily swaying.
"Everybody up!" The Courier yells, turning on his VATs. He spotted at least another half dozen at the edge of the clearing, waiting for a chance. He fires into the jungle, more as a warning than to hit, hitting one while sending the rest back. He reloads, screaming orders over the sound of ED-E's zapper.
"Boone, Cass, climb up the tree. You two're on overwatch. Raul, Arcade, and Lily, you're on that side. Veronica and ED-E, you're with me. Let's go!" The Courier holsters That Gun and takes out his shotgun, the light of his Pimp-boy lighting up. Dozens of green eyes greet the light, glaring into the clearing, before a cacophany howls and barks breaks the silence of the night.
Four viperwolves charge, two going for the Courier and two for Veronica. The Courier dispatches the first with one squeeze of the trigger, before pulling the pump and clipping the other in the side. Veronica manages to hit one with her laser rifle before tossing it aside, raising her arm in defense as the viperwolf lunges for her, teeth wrapping around Veronica's hand. She lifts the still-dangling viperwolf up and tosses it off of her, before another one sneaks beside her and bites at her leg. She stays in place and punches it with Pushy, the blow knocking it out cold and the sonic wave slamming it into the ground, its head breaking open with a sickening splat as it hits the ground.
The distinctive PING! of Raul's rifle sounds, and he tosses it aside as he draws the Mysterious Magnum. He unloads the revolver, and six more viperwolves fall as they charge, to be replaced by several more. As Raul loads more ammo into the cylinder, he's shoved aside as Lily charges in. She swings her super sledge, easily smashing aside a couple viperwolves before they can halt, before grabbing another one mid-leap. She lets out a roar as it whimpers in her grip, before throwing it headfirst into the ground. She stomps down, crushing its skull, before kicking its corpse towards the rest of the pack, knocking a few down.
Up above, Boone and Cass' rifles flash as they shoot viperwolf after viperwolf. "Almost like shooting fish in a barrel, aye Boone?" she jokes, lowering her rifle for a second to reload. Boone grunts in response as he slams another magazine into his own, before lining up another shot. He scopes in, dispatching a viperwolf just as it dropped from above to pounce on Arcade. The Enclave member shoots Boone a thumbs up as he continues spraying with his plasma rifle. Lowering is rifle, Boone's frown goes deeper. Where the hell...
A low growl from above answers his question, and Boone aims his rifle above as a viperwolf drops onto him. He raises his rifle as a shield, tossing it and the viperwolf to the ground below. "Cass, they're in the trees! They're in the goddamn trees!" he yells, leaping down and standing beside the Courier, scooping up his sniper rifle on the way.
She looks above as two viperwolves pounce from above, with her shooting one before the other grabs her in its claws. The two go tumbling to the ground, separating as they land. The viperwolf stands first and spins to finish off Cass, only for Rex to slam into it. The viperwolf turns and snarls, while Rex barks and stands beside Cass. As she props herself up with her rifle, several more viperwolves fall from above, burying Rex beneath them.
A trio pin him down, and Rex valiantly struggles before one tears off his left hind leg. He whines as a viperwolf stands on his muzzle, and their claws finally shatter the glass containing his brain. The dog's barking cut off, and Rex's form goes limp as his brain flops away from his body, scooped into the jaws of a waiting viperwolf.
The Courier and his team continue firing, unaware of Rex's fate, when a loud roar overcomes the gunfire and howls. The last of the viperwolves turn and flee, whimpering, while the Courier and his crew nervously lower their weapons. "What're the odds we scared 'em off, boss?" Raul asks with a chuckle, picking up his rifle and slamming another bloc into it. The Courier merely frowns and crouches by Rex's corpse, his chest tightening as he closes Rex's glazed eyes.
"I'm sorry," Veronica says, putting a hand on the Courier's shoulder. Before they could mourn their loss, a low growling comes from the brush. The Courier pulls out That Gun and fires into its direction, agitating the Thanator as the bullet stings its shoulder. It leaps into the clearing, towering over most of the team, bounding forward towards the Courier.
"Sweetie, get out of the way! Grandma's got you!" Lily yells, throwing the Courier aside and raising her super sledge in a defensive stance. The thanator shoves Lily into the tree and bites into her side, blue blood oozing from its fangs as Lily punches it off of her. Cass and Raul fire into the Thanator's flank, bullets bouncing harmlessly off its armored hide.
Annoyed by its prey, the Thanator dashes forward and covers Cass' head with its jaws, chomping down and tearing Cass' head from her body. Blood spurts from Cass' neck, and the headless body falls before a horrified Raul. Lily swings her super sledge into its chest, finally stunning the creature as it goes tumbling away from the blow. It catches itself and spins, glaring at Lily and roaring again.
As a second Thanator enters the clearing, striding to its partner's side, the Courier pulls out Mercy. He fires two grenades at the Thanators, who scatter and retreat into the forest from the explosions. "We got space, everybody run!"
"What...what about Rex and Cass?"
"They're dead. We'll be joining them if we don't move out."
The Courier switches his grenade launcher for shotgun, loading incendiary shells and lighting the forest in front of them alight. "Boone's right, it's now or never."
They run, barely surviving their first of many nights in Pandora.