StopSigntheVendingMachine
mailman#30612
A few months ago, I've been reconsidering how to write a Companion in my fan fiction based on the Van Buren design documents. Here's the two iterations of the same guy. This post also hints at what the rest of my fanfic looks like, so you'll get an idea just how bad it is. And how unfinished it is. If by some small chance that it rips off what Hexer or Hardboiled Wanderer have planned for their Van Buren projects, I'm sorry.
Otto Steed:
S:5 Skills: Science, Repair, Energy Weapons
P:8 Starting gear: Unique Weapon: Thunder and Lighting
E:6 (Recharger Rifle, incredible damage, even worse charging/firing time, very loud, accepts standard
C:5 micro fusion ammo)
I:9 Unique Armor: Deserter’s Defense
A:4 (Reinforced Combat Armor painted blue with a scratched and faded Enclave symbol
L:3 on the chest plate)
Enclave Officer Hat
Companion Perk (original design):
Living Workbench: While Otto Steed is following you, you can pay him to create any Reloader and Blue Workbench item for you, given you have all the ingredients.
Otto Steed likes it when you …
- Craft Blue Workbench Items - Pass Science skill checks
- Keep Maxson’s Bunker a secret (that means not bringing any faction specific Companions there or telling anyone about it.)
Responds Well to: Neutral Karma
Relationship with other Companions:
Tolerates: Alexandra, Corporal Christina Armstrong (while her identity is hidden), Beatrice, Bear
Annoyed by: Battery, Job, BAJAR
Hates: Measles, Devil Dog, Hangman
Suspicious of: Eclipse, Xian Yang, Corporal Christina Armstrong (if her identity is revealed)
Intrigued by: Alpha (for being the only one of his kind)
Special Abilities and Characteristics:
- Craft Workbench Items (give him ingredients and pay him)
- Can fix machinery for you (but you must pay him)
- Can repair Hermes-13 in half the time it’d take you and create the fuel. All by himself. (pay him)
- Can upgrade Alpha (pay him)
- Can hack terminals
- Player Reward: Power Armor Training: If the player hasn’t gotten the Power Armor Training Perk yet, Otto will teach them out of pity.
- Refuses to be enslaved: attempting to sell him to slavers or putting a Bomb Collar around his neck will make him hostile.
- Has been to the Mile-High before: He can mark the Mile-High Hike on your map if you recruit Devil Dog with him because he’ll recognize that the mutt is from Denver.
- Can hack terminals for you (pay him)
- Will reference Fallout: Tactics: Some of his idle dialogue will mention the events and places from this game. Since Tactics isn’t quite canon, he’ll only mention key plot points like the Calculator and the Midwest Brotherhood’s pseudo totalitarian stance. Despite robots being the main antagonists in Fallout: Tactics, Otto feels no different for them than humans … except his crippling fear of ARGOS if encountered.
- “Logical” Neutral: Ripping off a well-established and loved character; Marcus, Otto Steed knows firsthand how fragile one’s Reputation is because faction allegiances and influences always change. The key to survival is to remain indifferent to the state of the Wasteland and not do anything that would grab the attention of powerful organizations or individuals. He’ll become increasingly agitated at the player as they get involved with the various factions in the mod, which is unavoidable. Still, Otto knows right and wrong but will stay friends with the player no matter who they side with if they don’t threaten or harm him.
How to Recruit:
OPTIONS
- Complete Cleaning House with favorable outcomes.
- It’s possible to hire Otto earlier as an escort mission fused with Cleaning House. He’ll tag along if he activates the Quest, though he’s not yet a Companion. Just a scripted NPC. *rough draft dialogue*
Player: “Want to come with me?”
Otto: “No, not really … Hey, I got some errands to run…”
P: *interrupts*
O: “Let me finish. I got some errands that I usually do by myself. How about you follow me? If you do a good job, I’ll stick around and do whatever you wanna do.”
Now the Enclave trooper/takes Arcade’s place. Since the original “Otto Steed'' was basically Raul, he also takes his name. Backstory: Otto is from an Enclave base in Chicago (Fallout: Tactics reference). Since his teens, he grew distant with the Enclave’s genocidal mantra. When his Verti-bird went down over Denver, he saw it as an opportunity to desert by killing the crash’s survivors. Who’d really come looking for him? Since Hoover Dam already exists in cannon as not a town, Otto will be found in Maxson’s Bunker. There, he’s doing jobs for the Brotherhood of Steel in exchange for caps, equipment, and a place to stay. Why he’s there is simply because of the Enclave’s and Brotherhood’s shared love of advanced technology. They tolerate him because he’s been reliable so far and isn’t hostile to them. Still a good scientist; not just a gun-for-hire. What this means is, for a price, Otto will craft any blue Workbench or Reload Workbench item by giving him all the ingredients needed, instead of just opening the crafting menus
Personal Quest:
GUN QUEST: Help Otto Steed rebuild his dream arsenal (ties into Playthings).
After spending enough time with Otto, he’ll ask if you’d like to help him recreate all his personal guns he left behind in Chicago. Being rejected won’t stop him doing this endeavor, but you won’t get any XP from it. The weapons are all the following Uniques: Plasma Pang, Zap Master, Safari, Apollo, and Bonita. This Quest involves the two of you looking around for not intentionally preexisting weapon mods, but yet another collectables scavenger hunt. The collectables are installed into their respective weapons through their respective skill checks. If Otto builds the guns alone, they will appear in the gun rack in his room overtime. They will be marked as his so grabbing them will be considered stealing from not just Otto, but Maxson’s Bunker as a whole.
Being a scientist, Otto Steed documents his process of tinkering with guns. Regardless of whether you do his Personal Quest or not, you can take Otto’s schematics, or better yet, bring Otto himself to Wilson Toys Development for mass production. He won’t willingly support the Legion, so unless you steal the blueprints, you’ll have to lie to him as to why you want them. But for the most fun, you can still bring Otto there to give the Legion faulty energy weapons. Since they primarily use normal guns, you and Otto can easily trick them into making laser and plasma guns in poor conditions. Once enough legionaries are equipped, all that’s left to do is watch the fireworks.
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What also makes him worth hiring, Otto is the only follower in the roster who will specifically suggest which Companion to dismiss from your full Party at random to recruit him (inspired by Myron from Fallout 2). His suggestions are based on who is with you (and who he’s met) and has a few lines of dialogue for them. All except Alpha, as his Companion Perk allows him to bypass the Charisma check.
Otto: “You have enough friends with you already. Tell someone to go and I’ll reconsider.”
Player: “Who do you suggest?”
Otto:
*on Measles*
“The ghoul. He hates humans so much, tell him to fuck off!” or “Send Measles back to his “Reservation”, I’m sure he misses it.” or “Tell Measles to go, and ‘no, it’s not because he’s a ghoul!’ There’s something about him, its, I don’t know, its, unnatural …” or “Measles. I’ve had enough of that little asshole, and something tells me you have too.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Alexandra*
“Let the cowgirl go. I’m sure she prefers being alone. Less people to split caps with.” Or “Tell Alex, or Alexandra, or whatever. Does she prefer being called Alex?” Or “Tell hard ass to bounce. She’s not impressing anybody.” Or “Has it ever crossed your mind that why Alexandra is with you is because there’s a bounty on your head? Or your friends’? Let her go. Now.” Or “The Daughter of Hecate. No, not Eclipse; the other one.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Xian Yang*
“Do you really have to ask? The B.O.W!” or “How we’re not all dead is a mystery to me. Well, let’s not press our luck; tell Xian to scram.” Or “Tell Xian to leave.” or “My doctrine is in computer science, chemistry, engineering, radioactive isotopes, arms manufacturing, and architecture, not infectious disease. A-And even if it was, what makes you think I can help?” or “As much as I love tinkering with unstable material, I know when to quit. Send Ms. Yang back.” Or “See you brought the Plague Carrier to my home. Thank you.”
*on Eclipse*
“The Daughter of Hecate, and for God’s sakes don’t tell her you got the idea from me. I don’t want to wake up one morning out there with a bomb collar around my neck.” Or “Being in an orgy is not as glamorous as it sounds; I have Eclipse to thank for that. That dream’s forever ruined now!” or “Ditch the Daughter.” Or “The Legionary? Please?” Or “The Legionary. Doesn’t she have some responsibilities to attend rather than following some stranger around?” Or “The Daughter. No, wait … on second thought: keep her around. I’d rather know where she is at all times now, thanks to you.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Battery*
“Leave the mechanic behind. Seriously, what does he bring to the table that I don’t?” or “Battery. Just … trust me.” Or “Hey, how’s that tribal do in a gun fight? … I thought so. Ditch him.” Or “You should send Battery … somewhere.” or “I think Battery needs to recharge. Heh, how many times has he heard that, huh?” or “Oh, shit! BATTERY?! I didn’t know you can fit just so much talent in the group! I’m not sure there’s room for me, with all that skill he brings.”
*on Hangman*
*assumed innocent* “The doctor. Unless he finally learned to aim for once”. Or “The mystery man, who … is absolutely not a wanted criminal.” Or “A combat medic is an important asset in the field. Combat; not that judo-chop, spin kick bullshit that has literally saved no one from a bullet. No one! I don’t care how good he says he is!” *Hangman caught in the act* “Still hanging out with a rapist?” or “Nah, … naaah. You and Dr. Feely have a good one.” or “Hangman. Jesus, I’d rather have Battery in the group with us. Or fucking Measles.” Or “The Hangman. Hell, I’d rather have Eclipse join us … At least she’s honest about it.” Or “I’d rather have the cowgirl mend my wounds than … him.” Or "Where's the Dome Dweller at? She may have a lethal, incurable mystery illness, but you definitely know what bugs he has!” Or “Nope! No free exams for me!” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Job*
“Uh, … the Protect-Tron? I guess?” Or “Protect-Trons fucking suck. All they’re good for is scrap.” Or “What about that oversized toy you picked up in Denver? Why did you insist on keeping it?” Or “‘Job’, if that’s what you want to call it. It’s actually fast for a Protect-Tron, but that’s not saying much.”
*on Bear*
“The Super Mutant. He looks like he could use a break from carrying your sorry ass.” Or “Bear. For God’s sake, the man’s been through enough!” or “Bear. Just-just send him anywhere, he’ll make do.” Or “The mutant. I mean, why not?” or “The Super Mutant. What’s his name? “Bear?” Yeah, tell him to go.” Or *if the explosive is still inside him* “Bear. He looks like he can use a breather. Heh-he.” Or “You should’ve left mutant boy home while he has chest problems.” Or “Wheezy.”
*on Devil Dog*
“Jesus! You still have the dog with you!?! Sick!” or “Do me and that dog a favor and vaporize it.” Or “That thing hasn’t keeled over yet? Can’t tell if I’m supposed to be afraid or depressed.” Or “Send your ‘Devil Dog’ out to pasture.” Or “Don’t let that fucking dog near me!”
*on Corporal Christina Armstrong*
*while identity is unknown* “What about your lady friend? Her, right th-, uh … uh … I’m sorry. *shouts over your shoulder* What’s your name, ma’am?” or “That quiet lady with you. Heh, what is she, your slave? Heh-heh … … IS SHE YOUR SLAVE?” or “Your, eh … bodyguard?” or “Ashley. She just stands around most the time and says nothing. Creeps me out.” Or “Sleepy-head. She could use some shut eye. Heh-he.” Or “Ash. She can stand around doing fuck-all somewhere else.” Or *when her identity is revealed* “Christina. I don’t feel like having a ‘friendly fire incident’.” Or “The Corporal. She has more than enough to report to her superiors.” Or “’Strong’ or ‘Ashley’ or what-the-fuck. Tell her to go.” Or “Armstrong is a trooper, but so am I. And a scientist. And an engineer. So, so c’mon man… give a guy a bone here.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Beatrice*
“The omnivore … Yes, Omnivore; she’s not really a cannibal.” Or. “Beatrice. It’s not because of some inflated superiority for being a Super Mutant or being dumb, I just don’t feel any way for her … I said her name, didn’t I?” Or “The bouncer. Dusty looked pissed when we took her, and upon learning what her establishment is, I really don’t want to provoke her.” Or “The lady mutant. Maybe you can hook her and Bear up for a romantic getaway, huh? Heh-he.” Or “The lady mutant. I thought Super Mutants were asexual … or is that just on the east coast …?”
*on BAJAR*
“Are you sure it’s safe to bring Badger along? … It’s a trick question, I know it’s not safe. Send him back.” Or “What would be a nursing home for robots? A recycling dump? Or that factory we found in Denver?” Or, or I get it! The fucking Dome?!” Or “BAJAR would feel right at home in Mesa Verde. What kind of name is ‘BAJAR’ anyway?”
Otto Steed (as intended)
S:5 Skills: Repair, Guns, Survival Perks: Toughness, Live Giver, Hand Loader
P:8 Starting gear: Unique Hat: *Otto’s Hat
E:6 (a blue visor hat. lbs:0.1, DR:3)
C:1 Unique Outfit: *Laid Back
I:7 (blue sweatpants, a blue, unbuttoned collared t-shirt over a long john shirt, knee and
A:6 elbow pads. lbs:4, DT:14, +15 Repair, worth:58 caps)
L:6
Companion Perk (original design):
Living Workbench: While Otto Steed is following you, you can pay him to create any Reloader and Blue Workbench item for you, given you have all the ingredients.
Otto Steed Likes it When You …
- Pass Repair and Science skill checks
- Use Dialogue Options that aren’t strongly opinionated about factions
- Kill Feral Ghouls and/or Eternal Walkers
- Help the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel, Boulder Dome, and/or the Ciphers
- Kill Willem Clark and/or Measles but don’t destroy the Reservation
Responds Well To: Neutral Karma
Relationships with other Companions:
- Tolerates: Corporal Christina Armstrong, Eclipse, Beatrice
- Hates: Measles, Devil Dog, Hangman
- Intrigued by: Alpha, Job, BAJAR (for being robots), Xian Yang (for being a scientist)
- Likes: Alexandra, Bear, Battery
Special Abilities and Characteristics:
- Craft Reloader and blue Workbench Items (give him ingredients and pay him)
- Can fix machinery for you (but you must pay him)
- Can upgrade Alpha (pay him)
- On top of his Companion Perk, Otto can repair your equipment like any mechanic (pay him)
- Reservation Exile (original design): Otto is a dissenter of Willem Clark’s ideology and as such was banished from Los Alamos. He absolutely refuses to mark its location on the player’s map. If brought to the Reservation again, the guards will refuse to let the player in with him in tow. You can have him wait at the entrance or dismiss him from the Party. While he hates the Reservation, he’ll ask the player not to destroy it or slaughter it’s populace. He obviously favors Colonel Greene to lead the ghouls and hopes to see Los Alamos turn into a power supplier. A precursor for reintroducing technology to Arizona.
- Can be convinced to join the Midwest Brotherhood and will permanently leave the game once they do. If you successfully convince him, Otto will dismiss himself to the Bunker. From here, he will become protective of keeping the Bunker a secret but also keeping Maxson’s Bunker itself. Which will conflict with his world view. He doesn’t want to see the Bunker be destroyed, but he doesn’t want to get involved with Wasteland politics, either. The only way to preserve Maxson’s Bunker is to convince the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel to stay and wage war on Caesar’s Legion.
- Metal Head (original design): Otto embeds his personal tools onto his scalp in a borderline, body-horror fashion. He’s considered a freak among ghouls. Other Companions sometimes tease him that it’s his fetish, but Otto clarifies it’s his solution to lugging heavy toolboxes around. At first, he pressed various tools and screws onto his arms, but they kept falling off. Now he exclusively puts them on his head for ease of access.
- Content: The only way to make the personality of the original Otto Steed stand out from Raul’s is to make him the opposite; content and confident. In fact, he’s one of few Companions who cause the least amount of friction in the Party. Not saying he makes friends with everyone; they all tolerate his presence. Even those who hate him won’t outright kill him because they don’t think he’s dangerous..
- If brought to Boulder Dome, Otto will ask its leaders; Goddard, Agnes, and ZAX, for permission if he can live among them. The player must have great Reputation with the Dome or explain to them the nature of ghouls and assure them he won’t die of the New Plague. If successful, Otto will head to Boulder Dome when dismissed, but of course, he’ll now be a Plague carrier. He’ll equip an Armored Hazmat Suit whenever recruited again, for as long as the disease is untreated.
- “Logical” Neutral: Ripping off a well-established and loved character; Marcus, Otto Steed is a strong believer of “Guilt by Association”. He knows firsthand how fragile one’s Reputation is because faction influences always change and how vengeful people can be. The key to survival is to remain indifferent to the Wasteland and not do anything that would grab the attention of powerful organizations or individuals. He’ll become increasingly mad at the player as they get involved with the various factions in the mod, which is unavoidable. Still, Otto is not an evil man and will stay friends with the player no matter who they side with if they don’t threaten or harm him.
- While staying in a player home or anywhere with Workbenches, Otto refuses to craft things for the player, or at least, refuses to charge the player.
- Companions’ Opinion on him: Eclipse: Hates (Otto is not easily intimidated). Alexandra: Respects (they share the same mindset except she’s greedy and self-serving. Are another possible friendship during their travels together). Corporal Christina Armstrong: Pity. Hangman, Beatrice, BAJAR: Tolerates. Battery: Likes (is a fellow mechanic and pesters him to teach him crafting skills or show him some new fantastical machine). Bear, Alpha: Likes. Measles: Hates (because of his “betrayal”. He personally carried out Otto’s punishment; the Eternal Walk. He stripped Otto of his belongings, cut the clothes on Otto’s back to shreds with his axe, and escorted him out of the Reservation. This is the very method that creates the Endless Walkers. While together in the Party, Measles will constantly tell Otto he should have died in the desert and call him a ghost. He’s surprised the mechanic found new clothes that look just like the outfit he destroyed). Xian Yang: Interested (has never seen a normal ghoul before. Their meeting sparks Xian’s curiosity of other sentient life forms in the Wasteland).
How to Recruit (original design):
Complete And Not a Drop to Drink: find a way to make the Grand Canyon’s water drinkable.
OPTIONS:
- Bring blueprints or parts (earned or stolen) from Jericho’s water plant to Otto Steed.
- Pass a Repair skill, Science skill, and Luck check to manually upgrade the makeshift dam’s filtration system.
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This description is based on Otto Steed; as intended, from the Van Buren docs. The ghoul exile from the Reservation now living in the greater Caesar’s Land. Recently, I’ve begun reconsidering how to implement this character in my fan fiction. I gave what was originally going to be Arcade Gannon the name “Otto Steed” because the later Companion seems like Raul. However, when writing Battery’s description, I ended up creating an extreme version of Raul’s character. He’ll also need more revision but still. I’ve now realized that like a filthy SJW, I only focused on Otto’s surface traits: ghoul, mechanic. I ignored his tie to the Reservation and didn’t think of how to expand from that. So, here’s a list to see which version of this Companion should be in the final draft. For the sake of this description, the ghoul side has more to say. The obvious reason why the original redesign may be ill-received is because veteran Fallout fans are tired of seeing the Enclave. They’ve been defeated twice now and should stay dead. [...] Would you rather have ...
Otto Steed the …
Enclave Deserter
1. Human Man; Hispanic
2. An over-educated trooper with several degrees. Specializes in plasma weapons development. Hoped his education would spare him from being assigned field missions. It didn't.
3. Is fairly old; early-30s
4. Is from Chicago and a born-and-raised member of the Enclave. References Fallout: Tactics; an official game.
5. Where you meet him, Maxson’s Bunker, is changed regardless. Dramatically. Both him and the Brotherhood of Steel chapter are from Chicago. Its soldiers wear the Midwest Brotherhood Power Armor, and there’s non-humans in their ranks
6. A snarky asshole
7. Randomly suggests which Companion to dismiss from a full Party to make room. What he says is based on his opinion of them, and comparing his personality and habits to theirs
8. Is a prick to Battery
9. Alexandra will attempt to seduce him while he has access to Maxson’s Bunker
10. Comes equipped in Unique Armor and Energy Weapons (very protective)
11. Is involved in the Side Quest: “Cleaning House”, where along with the minor Quests from the original design, you go to a few places to buy supplies to prepare the Midwest Brotherhood to leave Caesar’s Land. Also, has the Personal Quest: “Gun Quest” that offers several Unique Weapons as rewards instead of the usual, basic money and/or XP
12. Can trigger a dungeon to appear in the game in the form of a Random Encounter
Reservation Exile
1. Ghoul Man
2. A mechanic with vast understanding of craftsmanship. Not a genius but is considered resourceful; part of his Companion Perk.
3. Is assumedly several decades old, but is not from the Pre War era. “Time works differently for ghouls. The years blend into each other” – exile says in response to forgetting how long ago since he’s been banished.
4. Is one of the ghouls Willem Clark discovered in his expedition in New Mexico. Previous home was the Reservation before relocating to the Grand Canyon. References Fallout 1.5: Resurrection; a Fallout 2 mod.
5. Where you meet him, the Reservation, will change with this version … but slightly. The exile will specifically compare Willem’s movement to Rebirth; the antagonist faction from Fallout 1.5: Resurrection. It’ll later be revealed that Dr. Sebastian; responsible for the ghoul reproduction program, was a previous member of Rebirth and helped shape Willem’s philosophy.
6. Stubborn but humble
7. This characteristic will be given to Alexandra … maybe. Still unsure. Maybe Corporal Christina Armstrong
8. Is one of Battery’s possible friends
9. While he can be persuaded to join the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel, Alexandra and the exile will mutually conspire on how to preserve the Bunker
10. Comes equipped in a Unique Outfit and a hat (less protective)
11. Gun Quest will just be moved to some other character inside Maxson’s Bunker, and Cleaning House is already given by Elder Paladin Andrea Brixley, the Bunker’s leader.
12. Pending on whether to cut this dungeon
Both:
- Have the same worldview
- Unique clothes are blue
- Have shoulder length hair, though one is black and wavy and the other is grey, stiff, and balding
- Have the same Companion Perk
- Have been previous members of evil factions and never liked their principles to begin with. Principles that are coincidentally the same.
- Have spiffy hats
- Have more of less the same reactions to locations, events, Quests, and fellow teammates
- Are builders
- Offer fan service in the form of references
Personal Quest(s):
NOTHING IS SACRED: Get Otto’s original tools back.
After explaining his origin, Otto will ask the player if they can find his old tools; his most prized possessions, in the Reservation if they ever go there. After asking around (and getting access to Level 2 of Los Alamos), the player will be directed to Milt, resident foreman. He’ll then steer them back to the surface to find Horatio, the local slave pen herder.
OPTIONS:
THE POWERS THAT BE:
S:5 Skills: Science, Repair, Energy Weapons
P:8 Starting gear: Unique Weapon: Thunder and Lighting
E:6 (Recharger Rifle, incredible damage, even worse charging/firing time, very loud, accepts standard
C:5 micro fusion ammo)
I:9 Unique Armor: Deserter’s Defense
A:4 (Reinforced Combat Armor painted blue with a scratched and faded Enclave symbol
L:3 on the chest plate)
Enclave Officer Hat
Companion Perk (original design):
Living Workbench: While Otto Steed is following you, you can pay him to create any Reloader and Blue Workbench item for you, given you have all the ingredients.
Otto Steed likes it when you …
- Craft Blue Workbench Items - Pass Science skill checks
- Keep Maxson’s Bunker a secret (that means not bringing any faction specific Companions there or telling anyone about it.)
Responds Well to: Neutral Karma
Relationship with other Companions:
Tolerates: Alexandra, Corporal Christina Armstrong (while her identity is hidden), Beatrice, Bear
Annoyed by: Battery, Job, BAJAR
Hates: Measles, Devil Dog, Hangman
Suspicious of: Eclipse, Xian Yang, Corporal Christina Armstrong (if her identity is revealed)
Intrigued by: Alpha (for being the only one of his kind)
Special Abilities and Characteristics:
- Craft Workbench Items (give him ingredients and pay him)
- Can fix machinery for you (but you must pay him)
- Can repair Hermes-13 in half the time it’d take you and create the fuel. All by himself. (pay him)
- Can upgrade Alpha (pay him)
- Can hack terminals
- Player Reward: Power Armor Training: If the player hasn’t gotten the Power Armor Training Perk yet, Otto will teach them out of pity.
- Refuses to be enslaved: attempting to sell him to slavers or putting a Bomb Collar around his neck will make him hostile.
- Has been to the Mile-High before: He can mark the Mile-High Hike on your map if you recruit Devil Dog with him because he’ll recognize that the mutt is from Denver.
- Can hack terminals for you (pay him)
- Will reference Fallout: Tactics: Some of his idle dialogue will mention the events and places from this game. Since Tactics isn’t quite canon, he’ll only mention key plot points like the Calculator and the Midwest Brotherhood’s pseudo totalitarian stance. Despite robots being the main antagonists in Fallout: Tactics, Otto feels no different for them than humans … except his crippling fear of ARGOS if encountered.
- “Logical” Neutral: Ripping off a well-established and loved character; Marcus, Otto Steed knows firsthand how fragile one’s Reputation is because faction allegiances and influences always change. The key to survival is to remain indifferent to the state of the Wasteland and not do anything that would grab the attention of powerful organizations or individuals. He’ll become increasingly agitated at the player as they get involved with the various factions in the mod, which is unavoidable. Still, Otto knows right and wrong but will stay friends with the player no matter who they side with if they don’t threaten or harm him.
How to Recruit:
OPTIONS
- Complete Cleaning House with favorable outcomes.
- It’s possible to hire Otto earlier as an escort mission fused with Cleaning House. He’ll tag along if he activates the Quest, though he’s not yet a Companion. Just a scripted NPC. *rough draft dialogue*
Player: “Want to come with me?”
Otto: “No, not really … Hey, I got some errands to run…”
P: *interrupts*
O: “Let me finish. I got some errands that I usually do by myself. How about you follow me? If you do a good job, I’ll stick around and do whatever you wanna do.”
Now the Enclave trooper/takes Arcade’s place. Since the original “Otto Steed'' was basically Raul, he also takes his name. Backstory: Otto is from an Enclave base in Chicago (Fallout: Tactics reference). Since his teens, he grew distant with the Enclave’s genocidal mantra. When his Verti-bird went down over Denver, he saw it as an opportunity to desert by killing the crash’s survivors. Who’d really come looking for him? Since Hoover Dam already exists in cannon as not a town, Otto will be found in Maxson’s Bunker. There, he’s doing jobs for the Brotherhood of Steel in exchange for caps, equipment, and a place to stay. Why he’s there is simply because of the Enclave’s and Brotherhood’s shared love of advanced technology. They tolerate him because he’s been reliable so far and isn’t hostile to them. Still a good scientist; not just a gun-for-hire. What this means is, for a price, Otto will craft any blue Workbench or Reload Workbench item by giving him all the ingredients needed, instead of just opening the crafting menus
Personal Quest:
GUN QUEST: Help Otto Steed rebuild his dream arsenal (ties into Playthings).
After spending enough time with Otto, he’ll ask if you’d like to help him recreate all his personal guns he left behind in Chicago. Being rejected won’t stop him doing this endeavor, but you won’t get any XP from it. The weapons are all the following Uniques: Plasma Pang, Zap Master, Safari, Apollo, and Bonita. This Quest involves the two of you looking around for not intentionally preexisting weapon mods, but yet another collectables scavenger hunt. The collectables are installed into their respective weapons through their respective skill checks. If Otto builds the guns alone, they will appear in the gun rack in his room overtime. They will be marked as his so grabbing them will be considered stealing from not just Otto, but Maxson’s Bunker as a whole.
Being a scientist, Otto Steed documents his process of tinkering with guns. Regardless of whether you do his Personal Quest or not, you can take Otto’s schematics, or better yet, bring Otto himself to Wilson Toys Development for mass production. He won’t willingly support the Legion, so unless you steal the blueprints, you’ll have to lie to him as to why you want them. But for the most fun, you can still bring Otto there to give the Legion faulty energy weapons. Since they primarily use normal guns, you and Otto can easily trick them into making laser and plasma guns in poor conditions. Once enough legionaries are equipped, all that’s left to do is watch the fireworks.
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What also makes him worth hiring, Otto is the only follower in the roster who will specifically suggest which Companion to dismiss from your full Party at random to recruit him (inspired by Myron from Fallout 2). His suggestions are based on who is with you (and who he’s met) and has a few lines of dialogue for them. All except Alpha, as his Companion Perk allows him to bypass the Charisma check.
Otto: “You have enough friends with you already. Tell someone to go and I’ll reconsider.”
Player: “Who do you suggest?”
Otto:
*on Measles*
“The ghoul. He hates humans so much, tell him to fuck off!” or “Send Measles back to his “Reservation”, I’m sure he misses it.” or “Tell Measles to go, and ‘no, it’s not because he’s a ghoul!’ There’s something about him, its, I don’t know, its, unnatural …” or “Measles. I’ve had enough of that little asshole, and something tells me you have too.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Alexandra*
“Let the cowgirl go. I’m sure she prefers being alone. Less people to split caps with.” Or “Tell Alex, or Alexandra, or whatever. Does she prefer being called Alex?” Or “Tell hard ass to bounce. She’s not impressing anybody.” Or “Has it ever crossed your mind that why Alexandra is with you is because there’s a bounty on your head? Or your friends’? Let her go. Now.” Or “The Daughter of Hecate. No, not Eclipse; the other one.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Xian Yang*
“Do you really have to ask? The B.O.W!” or “How we’re not all dead is a mystery to me. Well, let’s not press our luck; tell Xian to scram.” Or “Tell Xian to leave.” or “My doctrine is in computer science, chemistry, engineering, radioactive isotopes, arms manufacturing, and architecture, not infectious disease. A-And even if it was, what makes you think I can help?” or “As much as I love tinkering with unstable material, I know when to quit. Send Ms. Yang back.” Or “See you brought the Plague Carrier to my home. Thank you.”
*on Eclipse*
“The Daughter of Hecate, and for God’s sakes don’t tell her you got the idea from me. I don’t want to wake up one morning out there with a bomb collar around my neck.” Or “Being in an orgy is not as glamorous as it sounds; I have Eclipse to thank for that. That dream’s forever ruined now!” or “Ditch the Daughter.” Or “The Legionary? Please?” Or “The Legionary. Doesn’t she have some responsibilities to attend rather than following some stranger around?” Or “The Daughter. No, wait … on second thought: keep her around. I’d rather know where she is at all times now, thanks to you.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Battery*
“Leave the mechanic behind. Seriously, what does he bring to the table that I don’t?” or “Battery. Just … trust me.” Or “Hey, how’s that tribal do in a gun fight? … I thought so. Ditch him.” Or “You should send Battery … somewhere.” or “I think Battery needs to recharge. Heh, how many times has he heard that, huh?” or “Oh, shit! BATTERY?! I didn’t know you can fit just so much talent in the group! I’m not sure there’s room for me, with all that skill he brings.”
*on Hangman*
*assumed innocent* “The doctor. Unless he finally learned to aim for once”. Or “The mystery man, who … is absolutely not a wanted criminal.” Or “A combat medic is an important asset in the field. Combat; not that judo-chop, spin kick bullshit that has literally saved no one from a bullet. No one! I don’t care how good he says he is!” *Hangman caught in the act* “Still hanging out with a rapist?” or “Nah, … naaah. You and Dr. Feely have a good one.” or “Hangman. Jesus, I’d rather have Battery in the group with us. Or fucking Measles.” Or “The Hangman. Hell, I’d rather have Eclipse join us … At least she’s honest about it.” Or “I’d rather have the cowgirl mend my wounds than … him.” Or "Where's the Dome Dweller at? She may have a lethal, incurable mystery illness, but you definitely know what bugs he has!” Or “Nope! No free exams for me!” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Job*
“Uh, … the Protect-Tron? I guess?” Or “Protect-Trons fucking suck. All they’re good for is scrap.” Or “What about that oversized toy you picked up in Denver? Why did you insist on keeping it?” Or “‘Job’, if that’s what you want to call it. It’s actually fast for a Protect-Tron, but that’s not saying much.”
*on Bear*
“The Super Mutant. He looks like he could use a break from carrying your sorry ass.” Or “Bear. For God’s sake, the man’s been through enough!” or “Bear. Just-just send him anywhere, he’ll make do.” Or “The mutant. I mean, why not?” or “The Super Mutant. What’s his name? “Bear?” Yeah, tell him to go.” Or *if the explosive is still inside him* “Bear. He looks like he can use a breather. Heh-he.” Or “You should’ve left mutant boy home while he has chest problems.” Or “Wheezy.”
*on Devil Dog*
“Jesus! You still have the dog with you!?! Sick!” or “Do me and that dog a favor and vaporize it.” Or “That thing hasn’t keeled over yet? Can’t tell if I’m supposed to be afraid or depressed.” Or “Send your ‘Devil Dog’ out to pasture.” Or “Don’t let that fucking dog near me!”
*on Corporal Christina Armstrong*
*while identity is unknown* “What about your lady friend? Her, right th-, uh … uh … I’m sorry. *shouts over your shoulder* What’s your name, ma’am?” or “That quiet lady with you. Heh, what is she, your slave? Heh-heh … … IS SHE YOUR SLAVE?” or “Your, eh … bodyguard?” or “Ashley. She just stands around most the time and says nothing. Creeps me out.” Or “Sleepy-head. She could use some shut eye. Heh-he.” Or “Ash. She can stand around doing fuck-all somewhere else.” Or *when her identity is revealed* “Christina. I don’t feel like having a ‘friendly fire incident’.” Or “The Corporal. She has more than enough to report to her superiors.” Or “’Strong’ or ‘Ashley’ or what-the-fuck. Tell her to go.” Or “Armstrong is a trooper, but so am I. And a scientist. And an engineer. So, so c’mon man… give a guy a bone here.” Or “The sociopath. Which one? I’ll leave you to decide.”
*on Beatrice*
“The omnivore … Yes, Omnivore; she’s not really a cannibal.” Or. “Beatrice. It’s not because of some inflated superiority for being a Super Mutant or being dumb, I just don’t feel any way for her … I said her name, didn’t I?” Or “The bouncer. Dusty looked pissed when we took her, and upon learning what her establishment is, I really don’t want to provoke her.” Or “The lady mutant. Maybe you can hook her and Bear up for a romantic getaway, huh? Heh-he.” Or “The lady mutant. I thought Super Mutants were asexual … or is that just on the east coast …?”
*on BAJAR*
“Are you sure it’s safe to bring Badger along? … It’s a trick question, I know it’s not safe. Send him back.” Or “What would be a nursing home for robots? A recycling dump? Or that factory we found in Denver?” Or, or I get it! The fucking Dome?!” Or “BAJAR would feel right at home in Mesa Verde. What kind of name is ‘BAJAR’ anyway?”
Otto Steed (as intended)
S:5 Skills: Repair, Guns, Survival Perks: Toughness, Live Giver, Hand Loader
P:8 Starting gear: Unique Hat: *Otto’s Hat
E:6 (a blue visor hat. lbs:0.1, DR:3)
C:1 Unique Outfit: *Laid Back
I:7 (blue sweatpants, a blue, unbuttoned collared t-shirt over a long john shirt, knee and
A:6 elbow pads. lbs:4, DT:14, +15 Repair, worth:58 caps)
L:6
Companion Perk (original design):
Living Workbench: While Otto Steed is following you, you can pay him to create any Reloader and Blue Workbench item for you, given you have all the ingredients.
Otto Steed Likes it When You …
- Pass Repair and Science skill checks
- Use Dialogue Options that aren’t strongly opinionated about factions
- Kill Feral Ghouls and/or Eternal Walkers
- Help the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel, Boulder Dome, and/or the Ciphers
- Kill Willem Clark and/or Measles but don’t destroy the Reservation
Responds Well To: Neutral Karma
Relationships with other Companions:
- Tolerates: Corporal Christina Armstrong, Eclipse, Beatrice
- Hates: Measles, Devil Dog, Hangman
- Intrigued by: Alpha, Job, BAJAR (for being robots), Xian Yang (for being a scientist)
- Likes: Alexandra, Bear, Battery
Special Abilities and Characteristics:
- Craft Reloader and blue Workbench Items (give him ingredients and pay him)
- Can fix machinery for you (but you must pay him)
- Can upgrade Alpha (pay him)
- On top of his Companion Perk, Otto can repair your equipment like any mechanic (pay him)
- Reservation Exile (original design): Otto is a dissenter of Willem Clark’s ideology and as such was banished from Los Alamos. He absolutely refuses to mark its location on the player’s map. If brought to the Reservation again, the guards will refuse to let the player in with him in tow. You can have him wait at the entrance or dismiss him from the Party. While he hates the Reservation, he’ll ask the player not to destroy it or slaughter it’s populace. He obviously favors Colonel Greene to lead the ghouls and hopes to see Los Alamos turn into a power supplier. A precursor for reintroducing technology to Arizona.
- Can be convinced to join the Midwest Brotherhood and will permanently leave the game once they do. If you successfully convince him, Otto will dismiss himself to the Bunker. From here, he will become protective of keeping the Bunker a secret but also keeping Maxson’s Bunker itself. Which will conflict with his world view. He doesn’t want to see the Bunker be destroyed, but he doesn’t want to get involved with Wasteland politics, either. The only way to preserve Maxson’s Bunker is to convince the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel to stay and wage war on Caesar’s Legion.
- Metal Head (original design): Otto embeds his personal tools onto his scalp in a borderline, body-horror fashion. He’s considered a freak among ghouls. Other Companions sometimes tease him that it’s his fetish, but Otto clarifies it’s his solution to lugging heavy toolboxes around. At first, he pressed various tools and screws onto his arms, but they kept falling off. Now he exclusively puts them on his head for ease of access.
- Content: The only way to make the personality of the original Otto Steed stand out from Raul’s is to make him the opposite; content and confident. In fact, he’s one of few Companions who cause the least amount of friction in the Party. Not saying he makes friends with everyone; they all tolerate his presence. Even those who hate him won’t outright kill him because they don’t think he’s dangerous..
- If brought to Boulder Dome, Otto will ask its leaders; Goddard, Agnes, and ZAX, for permission if he can live among them. The player must have great Reputation with the Dome or explain to them the nature of ghouls and assure them he won’t die of the New Plague. If successful, Otto will head to Boulder Dome when dismissed, but of course, he’ll now be a Plague carrier. He’ll equip an Armored Hazmat Suit whenever recruited again, for as long as the disease is untreated.
- “Logical” Neutral: Ripping off a well-established and loved character; Marcus, Otto Steed is a strong believer of “Guilt by Association”. He knows firsthand how fragile one’s Reputation is because faction influences always change and how vengeful people can be. The key to survival is to remain indifferent to the Wasteland and not do anything that would grab the attention of powerful organizations or individuals. He’ll become increasingly mad at the player as they get involved with the various factions in the mod, which is unavoidable. Still, Otto is not an evil man and will stay friends with the player no matter who they side with if they don’t threaten or harm him.
- While staying in a player home or anywhere with Workbenches, Otto refuses to craft things for the player, or at least, refuses to charge the player.
- Companions’ Opinion on him: Eclipse: Hates (Otto is not easily intimidated). Alexandra: Respects (they share the same mindset except she’s greedy and self-serving. Are another possible friendship during their travels together). Corporal Christina Armstrong: Pity. Hangman, Beatrice, BAJAR: Tolerates. Battery: Likes (is a fellow mechanic and pesters him to teach him crafting skills or show him some new fantastical machine). Bear, Alpha: Likes. Measles: Hates (because of his “betrayal”. He personally carried out Otto’s punishment; the Eternal Walk. He stripped Otto of his belongings, cut the clothes on Otto’s back to shreds with his axe, and escorted him out of the Reservation. This is the very method that creates the Endless Walkers. While together in the Party, Measles will constantly tell Otto he should have died in the desert and call him a ghost. He’s surprised the mechanic found new clothes that look just like the outfit he destroyed). Xian Yang: Interested (has never seen a normal ghoul before. Their meeting sparks Xian’s curiosity of other sentient life forms in the Wasteland).
How to Recruit (original design):
Complete And Not a Drop to Drink: find a way to make the Grand Canyon’s water drinkable.
OPTIONS:
- Bring blueprints or parts (earned or stolen) from Jericho’s water plant to Otto Steed.
- Pass a Repair skill, Science skill, and Luck check to manually upgrade the makeshift dam’s filtration system.
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This description is based on Otto Steed; as intended, from the Van Buren docs. The ghoul exile from the Reservation now living in the greater Caesar’s Land. Recently, I’ve begun reconsidering how to implement this character in my fan fiction. I gave what was originally going to be Arcade Gannon the name “Otto Steed” because the later Companion seems like Raul. However, when writing Battery’s description, I ended up creating an extreme version of Raul’s character. He’ll also need more revision but still. I’ve now realized that like a filthy SJW, I only focused on Otto’s surface traits: ghoul, mechanic. I ignored his tie to the Reservation and didn’t think of how to expand from that. So, here’s a list to see which version of this Companion should be in the final draft. For the sake of this description, the ghoul side has more to say. The obvious reason why the original redesign may be ill-received is because veteran Fallout fans are tired of seeing the Enclave. They’ve been defeated twice now and should stay dead. [...] Would you rather have ...
Otto Steed the …
Enclave Deserter
1. Human Man; Hispanic
2. An over-educated trooper with several degrees. Specializes in plasma weapons development. Hoped his education would spare him from being assigned field missions. It didn't.
3. Is fairly old; early-30s
4. Is from Chicago and a born-and-raised member of the Enclave. References Fallout: Tactics; an official game.
5. Where you meet him, Maxson’s Bunker, is changed regardless. Dramatically. Both him and the Brotherhood of Steel chapter are from Chicago. Its soldiers wear the Midwest Brotherhood Power Armor, and there’s non-humans in their ranks
6. A snarky asshole
7. Randomly suggests which Companion to dismiss from a full Party to make room. What he says is based on his opinion of them, and comparing his personality and habits to theirs
8. Is a prick to Battery
9. Alexandra will attempt to seduce him while he has access to Maxson’s Bunker
10. Comes equipped in Unique Armor and Energy Weapons (very protective)
11. Is involved in the Side Quest: “Cleaning House”, where along with the minor Quests from the original design, you go to a few places to buy supplies to prepare the Midwest Brotherhood to leave Caesar’s Land. Also, has the Personal Quest: “Gun Quest” that offers several Unique Weapons as rewards instead of the usual, basic money and/or XP
12. Can trigger a dungeon to appear in the game in the form of a Random Encounter
Reservation Exile
1. Ghoul Man
2. A mechanic with vast understanding of craftsmanship. Not a genius but is considered resourceful; part of his Companion Perk.
3. Is assumedly several decades old, but is not from the Pre War era. “Time works differently for ghouls. The years blend into each other” – exile says in response to forgetting how long ago since he’s been banished.
4. Is one of the ghouls Willem Clark discovered in his expedition in New Mexico. Previous home was the Reservation before relocating to the Grand Canyon. References Fallout 1.5: Resurrection; a Fallout 2 mod.
5. Where you meet him, the Reservation, will change with this version … but slightly. The exile will specifically compare Willem’s movement to Rebirth; the antagonist faction from Fallout 1.5: Resurrection. It’ll later be revealed that Dr. Sebastian; responsible for the ghoul reproduction program, was a previous member of Rebirth and helped shape Willem’s philosophy.
6. Stubborn but humble
7. This characteristic will be given to Alexandra … maybe. Still unsure. Maybe Corporal Christina Armstrong
8. Is one of Battery’s possible friends
9. While he can be persuaded to join the Midwest Brotherhood of Steel, Alexandra and the exile will mutually conspire on how to preserve the Bunker
10. Comes equipped in a Unique Outfit and a hat (less protective)
11. Gun Quest will just be moved to some other character inside Maxson’s Bunker, and Cleaning House is already given by Elder Paladin Andrea Brixley, the Bunker’s leader.
12. Pending on whether to cut this dungeon
Both:
- Have the same worldview
- Unique clothes are blue
- Have shoulder length hair, though one is black and wavy and the other is grey, stiff, and balding
- Have the same Companion Perk
- Have been previous members of evil factions and never liked their principles to begin with. Principles that are coincidentally the same.
- Have spiffy hats
- Have more of less the same reactions to locations, events, Quests, and fellow teammates
- Are builders
- Offer fan service in the form of references
Personal Quest(s):
NOTHING IS SACRED: Get Otto’s original tools back.
After explaining his origin, Otto will ask the player if they can find his old tools; his most prized possessions, in the Reservation if they ever go there. After asking around (and getting access to Level 2 of Los Alamos), the player will be directed to Milt, resident foreman. He’ll then steer them back to the surface to find Horatio, the local slave pen herder.
OPTIONS:
THE POWERS THAT BE: