Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:25 am
Ghoul Characteristics: Should we change them?
*This turned out to be a huge post, so I'm going to summarize it at the beginning and you can read the rest if you disagree with my thoughts...*
CONCLUSIONS:
The current stats of Ghouls, high PE, average EN, average AG, need to be changed. Future Fallout games/mods need to make ghouls tough, slow, poor sighted, highly intelligent, and very lucky. They would be good at science, repair, doctor/first aid, traps, and gambling. I don't think they should be combat-oriented characters though, except as medics.
If Lenny's starting stats from Fo2 are about average for a Ghoul, then according to Fo2 these are:
ST=4, PE=6, EN=5, CH=3, IN=7, AG=5, LK=5
However, the average Ghoul in FoT has:
ST=3, PE=8, EN=5, CH=4, INT=6, AG=4, LK=7
REASONS TO CHANGE GHOUL STATS:
STRENGTH- All Fallout games acknowledge that Ghouls have below average strength. I'd agree more with the FoT average of ST=3 for Ghouls, considering the damage sustained by their bodies over the years.
PERCEPTION- Most Ghouls seem to be missing their ears, nose, and usually an eye. How could they possibly have high perception, especially the FoT PE=8? It would seem that the opposite should be true - ghouls should have much lower perception abilities.
ENDURANCE- The max is EN=6 for Ghouls. Because ghouls can exist quite easily while missing bodyparts and having pieces of flesh fall off, I'd say their endurance should be quite high on average, atleast EN=8. This would result in powerful Ghouls, yes, but this would be balanced by very low strength and agility. They should be tough but slow, giving the player plenty of time to spray bullets at them or run away.
CHARISMA- Obviously this is, and should be, one of their lowest stats.
INTELLIGENCE- While Ghouls do have high averages of intelligence in both Fo2 and FoT, these should also be increased to an average of IN=8. Why? Because Ghouls survived in Pre-War times, and had alot of up-close experience with high-tech equipment, not to mention years of survival experience in the wasteland.
According to Chris Taylor, Ghouls are the result of radiation and FEV. This doesn't make sense, however, as high levels of radiation + FEV are usually fatal to the victim. I agree with Tim Cain's view that Ghouls are simply the result of nuclear radiation. (Source: Fallout Bible part 5)
Harold's condition could be explained by exposure to some radioactive materials within the military base where he lost the rest of his group. So, his memory loss could be from being hit on the head and not from FEV exposure, which means that MOST ghouls should retain their memories from pre-war times, making them "super-intelligent."
AGILITY- Fo2 and FoT give Ghouls nearly average agility. This should be lowered. They've got body parts falling off, they shouldn't be able to move fast. In further additions of Fallout Ghouls should be permanently winded.
LK- Fo2 gives them average luck, while FoT gives them very good luck. It would be reasonable to assume that most Ghouls, having survived a nuclear war and then 160 years of fallout, should have high luck, probably averaging LK=7.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Do Ghouls need food?
I'd say no, but if there's evidence from Fo2 that contradicts this, please inform me. Most likely they can't regenerate without the aid of stimpacks or chemicals. So, if they don't need food, how would they survive? I'd say they can survive by chemical means for few hundred years (thus the Brain's plan to use Vault City to "renew" Ghouls would probably work.) However, without chemicals or stimpacks they would slowly disentigrate over the years, due to wear and tear. Bacteria (what normally causes rotting) would probably be minimalized in the Fallout universe considering that the radiation most likely sterilized most of the landscape. One could explain their "rotted" appearance by the fact that most Ghouls are not allowed in civilized areas, so they have poor medical treatment and a minimal amount of sustaining chemicals.
How long did it take for the Ghouls to become "ghoulish?"
Well, if one agrees with Tim Cain that Ghouls are a product radiation and not FEV, then it would seem that most Ghouls became Ghoulish either during or immediately after the nuclear war. EDIT: I checked the timeline, Necropolis was founded a mere six years after the nuclear war, indicating that the transformation of Human to Ghoul was very quick.
I think both of the above would be important in any addition to the Fallout series. For instance, if Ghouls live hundreds of years if given enough medical care, they should play an important role in Fo3. If Ghouls became "ghoulish" immediately during or after the nuclear war, they would play an important role in any Fallout prequel. (People would be terrified of them and probably kill many of them, which would explain why Set and his followers killed humans on sight in Fo1)
*This turned out to be a huge post, so I'm going to summarize it at the beginning and you can read the rest if you disagree with my thoughts...*
CONCLUSIONS:
The current stats of Ghouls, high PE, average EN, average AG, need to be changed. Future Fallout games/mods need to make ghouls tough, slow, poor sighted, highly intelligent, and very lucky. They would be good at science, repair, doctor/first aid, traps, and gambling. I don't think they should be combat-oriented characters though, except as medics.
If Lenny's starting stats from Fo2 are about average for a Ghoul, then according to Fo2 these are:
ST=4, PE=6, EN=5, CH=3, IN=7, AG=5, LK=5
However, the average Ghoul in FoT has:
ST=3, PE=8, EN=5, CH=4, INT=6, AG=4, LK=7
REASONS TO CHANGE GHOUL STATS:
STRENGTH- All Fallout games acknowledge that Ghouls have below average strength. I'd agree more with the FoT average of ST=3 for Ghouls, considering the damage sustained by their bodies over the years.
PERCEPTION- Most Ghouls seem to be missing their ears, nose, and usually an eye. How could they possibly have high perception, especially the FoT PE=8? It would seem that the opposite should be true - ghouls should have much lower perception abilities.
ENDURANCE- The max is EN=6 for Ghouls. Because ghouls can exist quite easily while missing bodyparts and having pieces of flesh fall off, I'd say their endurance should be quite high on average, atleast EN=8. This would result in powerful Ghouls, yes, but this would be balanced by very low strength and agility. They should be tough but slow, giving the player plenty of time to spray bullets at them or run away.
CHARISMA- Obviously this is, and should be, one of their lowest stats.
INTELLIGENCE- While Ghouls do have high averages of intelligence in both Fo2 and FoT, these should also be increased to an average of IN=8. Why? Because Ghouls survived in Pre-War times, and had alot of up-close experience with high-tech equipment, not to mention years of survival experience in the wasteland.
According to Chris Taylor, Ghouls are the result of radiation and FEV. This doesn't make sense, however, as high levels of radiation + FEV are usually fatal to the victim. I agree with Tim Cain's view that Ghouls are simply the result of nuclear radiation. (Source: Fallout Bible part 5)
Harold's condition could be explained by exposure to some radioactive materials within the military base where he lost the rest of his group. So, his memory loss could be from being hit on the head and not from FEV exposure, which means that MOST ghouls should retain their memories from pre-war times, making them "super-intelligent."
AGILITY- Fo2 and FoT give Ghouls nearly average agility. This should be lowered. They've got body parts falling off, they shouldn't be able to move fast. In further additions of Fallout Ghouls should be permanently winded.
LK- Fo2 gives them average luck, while FoT gives them very good luck. It would be reasonable to assume that most Ghouls, having survived a nuclear war and then 160 years of fallout, should have high luck, probably averaging LK=7.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Do Ghouls need food?
I'd say no, but if there's evidence from Fo2 that contradicts this, please inform me. Most likely they can't regenerate without the aid of stimpacks or chemicals. So, if they don't need food, how would they survive? I'd say they can survive by chemical means for few hundred years (thus the Brain's plan to use Vault City to "renew" Ghouls would probably work.) However, without chemicals or stimpacks they would slowly disentigrate over the years, due to wear and tear. Bacteria (what normally causes rotting) would probably be minimalized in the Fallout universe considering that the radiation most likely sterilized most of the landscape. One could explain their "rotted" appearance by the fact that most Ghouls are not allowed in civilized areas, so they have poor medical treatment and a minimal amount of sustaining chemicals.
How long did it take for the Ghouls to become "ghoulish?"
Well, if one agrees with Tim Cain that Ghouls are a product radiation and not FEV, then it would seem that most Ghouls became Ghoulish either during or immediately after the nuclear war. EDIT: I checked the timeline, Necropolis was founded a mere six years after the nuclear war, indicating that the transformation of Human to Ghoul was very quick.
I think both of the above would be important in any addition to the Fallout series. For instance, if Ghouls live hundreds of years if given enough medical care, they should play an important role in Fo3. If Ghouls became "ghoulish" immediately during or after the nuclear war, they would play an important role in any Fallout prequel. (People would be terrified of them and probably kill many of them, which would explain why Set and his followers killed humans on sight in Fo1)
This is one of the facts the setting ignores, but it's based on an alternative reality anyway.
