Fallout: New Vegas/Characters/Other NPC

=== This is a partial character sheet for the Video Game Fallout New Vegas. Visit here for the main character index. Subjective trope and audience reactions should go on the YMMV page. ===

Robert Edwin House
"Voiced by: René Auberjonois

"I am Robert Edwin House, President, CEO, and sole proprietor of the New Vegas Strip. I oversaw this city's renovation starting from 2274 onward. The Three Families are my employees. Before the Great War of 2077, I was the founder, President and CEO of Robco Industries, a vast computer and robotics corporation.""

- Mr. House introducing himself

A successful Pre-War businessman, Mr. House is the mysterious de-facto ruler of New Vegas, controlling the Strip and the city proper through his army of Securitrons. Before the Great War, Mr. House was an extremely intelligent and ruthless tycoon who foresaw the coming of the hostilities between the U.S and China and arranged it so that his beloved Vegas, along with himself, survived long after. Emerging after the remnants of civilization had reformed himself, Mr. House rules from within the Lucky 38 Casino and has wasted no time in setting up the city of New Vegas, working to exploit the factions interested in the Mojave.

"Mr House: Because they're ridiculous!"
 * And I Must Scream: A possible fate for him.
 * Anti Hero: Type IV. Or alternatively...
 * Anti Villain: Type III. He has no intention to rule humanity, just make a pretty penny while putting it back together.
 * Whether or not Mr. House is a villain, just like every other faction, is in the eye of the beholder. On the one hand, House really is a genius, a talented inventor and businessman, and tells the Courier that with enough economic growth, he could bring back the old world in all its glory. In fifty years, he could put men into space; in a hundred, he'll have spaceships going for a new planet to colonize. He keeps New Vegas as an independent, clean and orderly, with water and power to everyone who can afford it. On the other hand, House creates an unopposed autocratic police state, removes a bit of the human element, and boils everything down to economics and probability. He also taxes the poor much more harshly even when compared to the NCR. He doesn't kill or abuse civilians, but it is mostly because killing them is bad for business. Capitalism, ho?
 * Berserk Button: For an otherwise fairly rational guy, the Brotherhood is a huge one for him. He hates them with a passion and is not shy about letting you know it. Any other group he treats with either annoyance or disdain, but he'll rant at length if you try to convince him the Brotherhood is OK.
 * He has a very good reason for it:.
 * Amusingly, his cultured and precise way of speaking briefly goes out the window when asked why he hates the Brotherhood:

"Mr. House: What of it? I enjoy them. There's something about a little diorama set inside a glass dome that I find...pleasing."
 * He will also get quite upset if you deny him the Platinum Chip in front of him, to the point that he'll just sic Securitrons on you if he finally has enough of your bullshit.
 * Big Good: He isn't unambiguously "good" (no one in this game is), but is the closest of the three factions. He eventually wants Caesar's Legion disposed of since he sees them as barbarians, but isn't adverse to letting NCR thrive as long as they're clear he'll be the one in control of Hoover Dam and New Vegas - quite the contrary, in fact, because he wants to use their booming economy as an engine of industry to get mankind back on its feet. He's also the only one of the three major factions who doesn't order the death of one of the other two leaders, as Caesar makes a good distraction for NCR and Kimball is a triviality since NCR will continue without him. All he does is order the Brotherhood of Steel wiped out, and considering how they've turned out, the player may be inclined to agree.
 * Bread and Circuses: House's method of governing... more or less. Well, he is in charge of Viva Las Vegas, after all. House operates under a little of the first type, a lot of the second, and a dash of the third. And it's available to everyone! ... for a fair and reasonable price, of course.
 * Born Lucky: Though it doesn't get as much play as his Insufferable Genius qualities, his Luck Stat is 10 out of 10.
 * Captain Ersatz: Of both parts of Howard Hughes's life. His old look, economic views, pursuit of technology for the betterment of mankind (at least he believes so), all harken back to the Hughes when he was the famous self-made man.
 * The Chessmaster:
 * Crazy Prepared: The man has thought out every contingency well in advance, the only wild card being your actions. It's rather telling that his planning for the Great War was only off by a day.
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: He can accurately predict almost all of your actions before you actually do any of them. (Most of the time, anyway.)
 * Democracy Is Bad: He aims to become the sole autocrat ruling over the Mojave. If the player calls him out on this, he will simply tell you to look out the window and see how well the last democracy ended up.
 * Emperor Scientist: He is a talented Businessman, robotics engineer, and computer scientist.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: He's played by Rene Auberjonois, and man but there are times you expect him to start talking about Quark or something.
 * In Japan, he's Ramba Ral.
 * Insufferable Genius: If Mr House has a flaw,, it's that he's a genius. And he knows it. He's never so droll as to directly point it out, but he obviously talks down to people, and won't even consider the idea that he might be wrong.
 * Kick the Dog/Kick the Son of A Bitch : When he makes you kill the Brotherhood of Steel. Unlike 99% of other quests in the game, there is no alternative, peaceful solution. You have to kill them. What's sad is that there is Dummied Out dialogue for a peaceful solution.
 * There is now a mod that restores the dummied-out option.
 * If he takes over the Mojave, the only way for the Kings to survive is if they start a street war against the innocent NCR citizens. In all the other outcomes it will result in him ordering the Kings to be killed off.
 * If the White Glove Society fall off the bandwagon and revert back to cannibalism, House will tell you that you're free to exterminate them since that's a major breach on their contract.
 * Meaningful Name: In casino-speak, "the House" refers to the casino itself. And as everyone knows, "the House always wins".
 * Personal Effects Reveal: An unmarked Sidequest for Mr House involves collecting Snowglobes for him. Why Snowglobes?
 * Meaningful Name: In casino-speak, "the House" refers to the casino itself. And as everyone knows, "the House always wins".
 * Personal Effects Reveal: An unmarked Sidequest for Mr House involves collecting Snowglobes for him. Why Snowglobes?
 * Personal Effects Reveal: An unmarked Sidequest for Mr House involves collecting Snowglobes for him. Why Snowglobes?


 * Pragmatic Villainy: When you ask him how can you be sure that he will not abuse his power, he tells you that there isn't any reason for him to want to do that and that it will be bad for business.
 * Properly Paranoid: Back in 2065, Mr. House was certain that it is only a matter of time before a nuclear war between the superpowers takes place, so he spent a large amount of his personal wealth setting up missile defenses to protect the area around Las Vegas. 12 years later, the Great War happened. Then again, given what you learn of the buildup to the war, one might call this less "paranoid" and more "realistic".
 * Also, he orders you to kill off the Brotherhood, even though they haven't done anything to him, based purely on speculation that they will start attacking caravans/try to take his robots away without the NCR to oppose them. At first, this may make House seem cruel, but
 * He also believes it is a matter of time before the NCR turn on him and annex New Vegas by force.
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old: He's been alive since before the Great War.
 * Rewarded As a Traitor Deserves: The main reason why he taxes Primm and sic Securitrons on the Kings in the epilogue if they side with the NCR.
 * Self Made Man: He was orphaned at an early age and cheated out of his inheritance by his half-brother, but though his intelligence and hard work he founded the RobCo Industries on his 22nd birthday, one of the most wealthy and influential corporations in history. By the time he was thirty, he was already a billionaire three times over.
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: He's not as bad as Arcade, but he'll slip into it on occasion.
 * Too Clever By Half
 * Villainous Breakdown:
 * Well Intentioned Extremist: He wants to restore the world to its pre-war glory. But his means of doing so is to rule over New Vegas as an absolute dictator and force the NCR to pull out of the area.
 * Xanatos Roulette: He specializes in these, due to his ability to predict and manipulate probabilities.

Benny
"Voiced by: Matthew Perry

"From where you're kneeling must seem like an 18 carat run of bad luck. Truth is...the game was rigged from the start.""

- Benny right before he shot you in the head twice

Benny is the head of the Chairmen, one of the Three Families who rule the Strip. A major antagonist early on, Benny was the one who shot the Courier in the opening of the game and stole the Platinum Chip to use for his own plans. A charming, backstabbing snake, Benny's willing to do anything to come out on top in the harsh Mojave Wasteland.


 * Arch Nemesis: The Courier's, for the first half of the game at least.
 * Affably Evil: He's quite charming and nice, if a bit sleazy and murderous. He even makes it clear right at the beginning of the game when he has the Khans dig you a grave, and when the Khans start protesting that he should just get it over with, he snaps back that he isn't a "fink" and wants to look someone in the face when he kills them.
 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: Can be subverted and played straight if the player character is a female. You can have sex with Benny, but it can just be a means to get the chance to kill him in private. Benny himself is even somewhat grossed out about the fact that a girl he has shot in the head and left for dead is thinks he's hot and wants to have sex with him despite that.
 * Anti Villain: Everything he does was just a misguided attempt at staying alive.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: He's a relative push-over in-game, but the All Roads comic shows that despite his dandy-like appearance Benny is actually highly skilled in wasteland survival and combat, impressing even his Great Khans henchmen. This makes sense, as he used to be a wasteland tribal warrior prior to Mr. House's takeover and renovation of New Vegas.
 * Badass in A Nice Suit: He has a very nice suit and one of the most powerful pistols in the game.
 * Fashion Victim Villain: The suit is not particularly well-liked by others.
 * Big Bad Wannabe
 * Consummate Liar: He lies to you time and again. If you actually trust him then there is something wrong with you.
 * Cool Gun: Maria, his custom Browning Hi-Power. You can get it if kill him.
 * Crazy Prepared:
 * Crouching Moron Hidden Badass: If you ask about his background, Benny will tell you about how he became tribe leader through Klingon Promotion, taking down his Mighty Glacier former boss.
 * Disc One Final Boss
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Proven in the game intro when, upon a Great Khan asking him why he waited until the Courier was conscious to kill him/her, he actually gets offended, making it quite clear he considers it reprehensible to shoot someone without looking them in the face. As bonus points, he even apologizes to the Courier for having to kill him/her for merely beign in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 * Evil Counterpart: Plays this role to the Courier, regardless of morality. It's telling that in the Collecter's Edition deck of cards, Benny and the Courier are the Jokers.It gets better, the two Jokers in the deck, Benny and the Courier, have those cards for more reasons than just being the Wild Cards. First, in Euchre, the Joker is called the "Benny" card. Second, the Joker cards in Tarot have significant meaning, one Joker meaning the Fool, the other the Magician. The Fool, being the Courier, is the spirit in search of experience (although XP might be a better word for it), and represents mystical cleverness, not bound by normal reason, and possessing an ability to tune into the inner workings of the world, and is often represented by a wanderer walking aimless, often one foot hanging over a void, a step away from falling to his death. Meanwhile, the Magician, being Benny, is a man who practices sleight of hand, trickery, and deception, a stage magician with the initial appearance of great power, but later revealed to have no ability of his own, and can also indicate a manipulator, a trickster, and the ego, as well as the pursuit of personal power, and is often associated with the first step in the Fool's Journey, as well as the potential for new adventure.
 * Face Death With Dignity:
 * Flunky Boss: If you opt to just attack him on the floor of The Tops after convincing Swank to let you bring in your gear and kill him, he'll be backed up by 4 thugs wielding knives and sub machine guns. He'll put up a little more of a fight than if you fight him in the arena and can even overpower low level players, but a high level player still should have no problem with him.
 * Graceful Loser:
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Why did Chandler just shoot me in the head?
 * I Call It Vera: Benny's gun Maria
 * Idiot Ball:
 * Jive Turkey: Benny and The Chairmen all speak in 50's style Rat Pack slang.
 * Karmic Death: When Benny ends up at the Fort, Caesar gives you the opportunity to kill Benny in a multitude of ways if you want to kill him. The most simple way to go about it is actually a role reversal of the opening of the game, only this time, Benny is the one tied up on the floor, and The Courier is the one with the gun (provided you manage to smuggle it in). Even Benny cracks a joke about how the tables have turned on him.
 * The Nicknamer: Calls the Courier "Baby" regardless of gender.
 * Precision F Strike: Happens during a Crowning Moment of Awesome where you deliver a Bond One Liner to him over the intercom while he thinks he's talking to the thugs/cleaners who are there to clean up your corpse.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: All Roads in particular casts Swank and Benny like this. Benny is scheming to take on Vegas, Swank is worried about the extremes he'll go to... and about him getting cigarette burns on the carpets.
 * Smug Snake: He'd be a lot more efficient as a liar if he weren't so arrogant.
 * Spanner in The Works: Whether Mr. House could have actually succeeded in taking control of the Mojave on his own is debatable, but what is certain is that Benny's actions have significantly disrupted his plans and the delicate balance of power between the factions fighting over the territory.
 * What Happened to The Mouse: If you free him from the Legion, he disappears.
 * What Could Have Been: He was going to ambush The Courier later on and mock him/her for showing him mercy.
 * Wild Card:
 * What Happened to The Mouse: If you free him from the Legion, he disappears.
 * What Could Have Been: He was going to ambush The Courier later on and mock him/her for showing him mercy.
 * Wild Card:

Victor
"Voiced by: William Sadler"

""Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, it's my 'ole pal from Goodsprings!""

The Securitron robot who narrowly saves the Courier at the very beginning, seemingly by coincidence while scavenging around the graveyard area.


 * Body Backup Drive: Like Yes Man, Victor is just a personality that can be uploaded to any Securitron.
 * Hey Its That Voice: Leo Shishio just dug you out of a grave. Too bad he didn't make you a cyborg.
 * Mysterious Protector: Early on in the game, Victor can occasionally appear to help fight off enemies if the player's having trouble.
 * Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie: He's a robot unicycle who thinks he's a cowboy.
 * To be fair, he's completely aware that he's a robot. The cowboy is just a persona he happens to enjoy.

Yes Man
"Voiced by: Dave Foley

"What can I do for you today!?""

A Securitron re-programmed by Benny to be subservient to him, hence the name, Yes Man is the key piece in Benny's plan to rule New Vegas.

""Greetings, General Oliver. The disappointment you're about to experience delights me!""
 * Berserk Button: Yes Man despises both the Great Khans and the Brotherhood of Steel. The former likely an emulation of Benny's dislike of the Khans from back when the Chairmen were just another tribal group while the latter he dislikes for about the same reasons as House. However unlike House, Yes Man cannot make the Courier exterminate said factions, but will note that keeping the Brotherhood alive is a poor long-term choice and hopes that the Great Khans will die a grisly death in some other way.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Despite his cheery demeanor, this is the AI that masterminded a plot that puts him in total control of a Securitron army and by default, Vegas itself.
 * Also, there's a piece of Dummied Out dialogue for the Independent ending that hints at a sadistic side:

"That's not aiding the enemy. Not when you do it."
 * Body Backup Drive: Every time the player character kills him, he is just uploaded in another robot. This could go forever, making him one of the few immortal characters in the game.
 * Double Standard: He has a humorous moment of this if you get the Great Khans to aid the NCR.

""Ha ha ha, that's... Not funny, you getting shot in the head. I guess I really shouldn't have taken so much pride in how I set that up. I feel really bad now.""
 * The Dragon: To Benny,
 * Dragon in Chief: Arguably, what with it being him rather than Benny/ who controls the securitrons.
 * Dude Not Funny: If you make it clear to him that you're the Courier that Benny shot:


 * Extreme Doormat: If you decide to attack him, the most he can do is beg for mercy and say how much he deserves it. However he can't be Killed Off for Real since he'll just upload himself to another Securitron.
 * Genre Savvy: Hey, it's not my fault I can't say no.
 * He works to avert this in the ending, where.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Dave Foley, best known as Flik, one of The Kids in The Hall and Dave on News Radio.
 * Keet: He's just so damn happy about everything. And nice! Very, very nice!
 * Large Ham
 * Puss in Boots: Word of God states that the "Assertiveness" upgrade he finds isn't foreshadowing for betrayal, but meant to establish Yes Man as capable of watching over Vegas independently while remaining loyal only to the Courier so that someone else can't use him to do the same thing to you.
 * Stepford Smiler: Though he can't show it, he'll obviously get quite upset if you do something counter-productive to his plans, such as blowing up the hidden Securitron army.
 * Wild Card: He is needed for you to get the Independent Vegas ending.
 * Yes Man: Benny calls him this. The name stuck.

Mr. New Vegas
"Voiced by: Wayne Newton

"This is Mr. New Vegas, and each and every one of you is wonderful in your own special way.""

The gravel-voiced DJ of Radio New Vegas who will often report on activities happening out in the Mojave Wasteland.


 * Estrogen Brigade Bait: At least some of the ladies of the Mojave consider him to be "charming" and "a real gentleman".
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Wayne Newton, a.k.a. Mr. Las Vegas.
 * The Messiah: See below
 * Sweet Dreams Fuel: He is just the sweetest most ridiculously nice guy. "Hello, listeners, I'm Mister New Vegas and may I say you look beautiful today." "This is just my opinion, and feel free to try and prove me wrong, but I think I have the most attractive listeners in the world." "I think listening to the news... sort of brings us all a bit closer together, doesn't it?"
 * Testosterone Poisoning: He once tried to test his Charisma on a vito-matic, only for the machine to burst into flame. He only says this with the Wild Wasteland trait.
 * Voice With an Internet Connection: He somehow knows about every event that takes place in the wasteland and reports about them on his radio show.
 * Worst News Judgment Ever: Unlike Three Dog from the previous game, he subverts it. All of his reports are generally fairly newsworthy, they're unbiased and have outside commentary, and, most importantly, your character is almost never mentioned. Any time you're responsible, he'll at most mention a third party or a civilian but won't name names. His only direct mention of you is your miraculous recovery at the beginning, and that is newsworthy in itself.

Tabitha
"Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

"Threats all around us! Converging, like a noose! Tightening! Two-head bear people astride battle cattles!""

The hilariously insane super mutant leader of the "State of Utobitha" stationed at Black Mountain.


 * And the Adventure Continues: If the Courier manages to reactivate Rhonda, Tabitha and the robot will go on adventures deep within Legion territory. Tales of their exploits will entertain children for years to come.
 * Ax Crazy: She is only slightly more sane then the super mutants in DC.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Maybe even a little Crazy Awesome.
 * Faux Affably Evil
 * Just the First Citizen: Her position in the State of Utobitha is "Best Friend Tabitha".
 * Harmless Villain: Other than broadcasting her own particular brand of crazy over radio for anyone to hear, Tabitha is mostly content to remain in Black Mountain without causing any trouble for the rest of the Mojave Wasteland (although it's mentioned during the Jacobstown quest that her super mutants have been raiding NCR cattle convoys).
 * Hey Its That Voice: What happens when Hulk's skin turns blue and Bruce Banner has a strange desire to wear dresses? Or Saren believes that Nightkins are the anwser to the galaxy's survival?
 * Funny Schizophrenia: And how! Unlike Lily, or Dog/God her insanity is 100% Played for Laughs.
 * Large Ham Radio
 * Pet the Dog: Done offscreen, but she did save Mean Sonofabitch years ago while he was being tortured by NCR troopers.
 * Robosexual: It's never brought up explicitly, but part of Tabitha's backstory is that she fell in love with Rhonda, the disabled Mr. Handy. This would also technically make her a lesbian.
 * Sitcom Arch Nemesis: Raul, who she threatens to execute every day, only to decided against it since he hasn't oulived his usefulness yet.
 * The Starscream: To Marcus, who she kicked out of Black Mountain before the events of the game.
 * Talking to Himself: Tabitha and Rhonda are voiced by the same actor.
 * Ted Baxter
 * This Is Sparta: "CENTAURS! EAT! HUMANS, RHONDA!"
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Wants to do this with Raul, only for him to remind her that he hasn't outlived his usefulness.
 * This Is Sparta: "CENTAURS! EAT! HUMANS, RHONDA!"
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Wants to do this with Raul, only for him to remind her that he hasn't outlived his usefulness.

Gloria Van Graff and Jean-Baptiste Cutting
"Voiced by: Courtenay Taylor (Gloria Van Graff) and Emerson Brooks (Jean-Baptiste Cutting)

"That's business, after all.""

The local heads of the powerful and far-reaching Van Graff crime syndicate who run the Silver Rush weapons store in Freeside.


 * Arms Dealer: Their specialty is energy weapons.
 * Canon Immigrant: The Van Graffs were first mentioned in the J.E. Sawyer's Fallout Role-Playing Game. This is their first appearance in a canon Fallout game.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: Their business practices are very immoral.
 * The Dragon: Jean-Baptiste to Gloria.
 * For the Evulz:
 * Gun Porn: Their store. And the best part is you can kill them and take all of it with no repercussions from anyone outside their security team. Killing them and their security team, however...
 * Hey Its That Voice: Watch out, Jack WILL DESTROY YOU with a display of plasma weapons if you cross her or the Van Graffs.
 * Kick the Dog: One of the firsts thing you see when entering their establishment is Gloria ordering Jean-Baptiste to execute one of their own employees, which he does. Counts as an In Universe example, since they do it to prove how ruthless they are to someone trying to negotiate with them.
 * King Mook: Jean-Baptiste is a normal Van Graff thug, except he has his health and skills inflated to boss-like levels.
 * Flunky Boss: If you try to kill him, he'll be backed up by 5 Van Graff thugs (six if you count the doorman) wearing full combat armor and carrying hard hitting plasma rifles. Needless to say, this makes the fight against him very hard at lower levels.
 * Legitimate Businessmens Social Club
 * Made of Iron: Jean-Baptiste has good armor and twice as much health as a Companion.
 * Oddly Small Organization: Justified, since they are only one chapter of their family organization.
 * Pragmatic Villainy:
 * Shoplift and Die: Ordinary merchants have themselves and maybe a guard or two on hand. These guys have no less than five heavily armed and armored guards. You'll have to earn that bounty of guns.
 * Or you can use the drag button to move the guns into the conveniently-located and unguarded bathroom, and just help yourself.
 * The Spymaster: After the 1.02 patch,
 * Worthy Opponent: The Gun Runners. Which is why Gloria is obligated to obliterate them however she can.

No-Bark Noonan
"Voiced by: Peter Renaday

""Them quack doctors can say what they want about all the radscorpion stings that done pierced my skull. I know what I seen!""

Novac's resident expert in all things unexplained. Most residents quite rightly view him as a nutjob, though there is often a grain of truth to his ramblings.


 * Cloudcuckoolander: Big time.
 * Conspiracy Theorist
 * The Cuckoolander Was Right: While some of his theories may be wildly off the mark (the checker-vision aliens) some are hilariously close to the truth, just not in the way he imagines them. For instance, the Bright Brotherhood was trying to steal space rockets, though not so that they could paint the moon pink and draw a Lenin face on it. The McBride Brahmin were being killed by an invisible assailant with an automatic weapon, albeit a Nightkin, not a Chupacabra. He's also the only person in Novac to see through ruse, and even his reasoning behind that is fairly sound in an Insane Troll Logic sort of way.
 * And if the Courier helps the Bright Brotherhood with their rockets, No-bark plays it even more straight by telling a toy bear near one of Radio New Vegas' microphones just what happened: the unidentified flying objects he saw were religious ghouls in rockets looking for a land to call their own.
 * Properly Paranoid