Fallout: New Vegas/Characters/Other Factions

=== 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. ===

Great Khans
"You want to hear the story of the Great Khans? It's a long one, full of honor, glory and betrayal. We have suffered, but we will regain our glory."

- Papa Khan

A tribe of Mongolian-themed raiders that originated from the same vault as the NCR, their long-time enemy. As the NCR expanded through the Core Regions the Khans were pushed into the Mojave, only for Mr. House to evict them once he took control of New Vegas. The Great Khans resettled at Bitter Springs and raided from it for a few years, until the NCR retaliated with an attack that turned into a massacre. The remaining Great Khans have holed up in Red Rock Canyon, where they earn a meager existence by manufacturing and selling chems, but an alliance with Caesar's Legion might give the Khans a chance to strike back against their old foes and regain their past glory...


 * A Father to His Men: As much as Papa Khan lets his hatred of the NCR blind him, he truly does care for his people and will actually listen to his advisers if they speak out against him, after which with some extra convincing from the Courier he'll break his alliance with the Legion.
 * Asshole Victim: While most members of the NCR agree that what happened at Bitter Springs was messed up, former Khan-turned-NCR soldier Bitter-Root maintains that they had it coming. Objectively speaking, the Khans did provoke the NCR with attacks on civilians and soldiers alike, ignoring warnings of reprisal as empty threats. Even after Bitter Springs, when the Followers of the Apocalypse tried to teach them how to make medicine, the Khans instead used that knowledge to become drug dealers, causing the Followers to withdraw their support in disgust.
 * Defector From Decadence: From the original Khans. In their case, both Manny Vargas and Bitter Root are this for them. You can also help Jerry the Punk become a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse.
 * Subverted with Manny as he's still on good terms with the other Khans.
 * Drugs Are Bad: They're pretty much the prime chem providers in the Mojave, and it's strongly implied that their sales and manufacture is what keeps the Fiends going. Subverted in that the manufacturers can be convinced that there's money to be had in medical supplies, too, after which they'll begin making and selling Stimpacks on the cheap alongside their usual chems. However, their drug cook Jack is one of the nicer Khans.
 * Death Seeker: If you convince the Khans to break the alliance with the Legion, it's possible to get them to launch a suicide attack against them in the battle for Hoover Dam.
 * Genius Bruiser: Regis, who sleeps next to a stack of books.
 * Glory Seeker: One of the main reasons they are siding with the Legion is to both get revenge against the NCR and to gain glory to their people.
 * Heel Face Turn:
 * Even better
 * Only Sane Man: Regis is the only Khan who is against the alliance with the Legion.
 * Pragmatic Villainy: Unlike other Raider groups, the Khans don't kill for shit and giggles, they only do so if you have something they actually want. Otherwise, they leave you alone and may even be open to trade (as long as it's drugs you want, because that's all they have). It might not seem like much, but in the Crapsack World of Fallout it's enough for non-Khan Mojave residents to credit the group with at least a small amount of respect. It helps that their primary targets are NCR communities, whom Mojave communities generally resent.
 * Properly Paranoid: Regis. He thinks joining the Legion would be bad for the Khans and Papa is letting his hatred of the NCR blind him. He's absolutely right.
 * The Quisling: Papa is so keen for vengeance against the NCR that he's easily swayed by Karl's rhetoric, and sides with the Legion despite their practice of backstabbing and pressganging every tribe who allied with them in the past. His second-in-command, Regis, is the reverse; less motivated by hatred of the NCR than his brethren, and mistrustful of the Legion, he'd happily call a truce between the Khans and NCR in the name of long-term stability in the Mojave.
 * Screw This I'm Outta Here: After convincing Papa Khan to break the alliance with the Legion, you can tell them to leave the Mojave to seek their fates elsewhere. Nonetheless, it's possible that they'll come to the Courier's aid in the final battle
 * Papa Khan also was the one of lead the Khans to leave California.
 * Suicidal Overconfidence: They attacked the NCR even after the NCR proved to be way more powerful than them. This resulted in the Great Khans being forced out of Bitter Springs, with most of them dying. By the time the game starts, they are just a small, isolated village in the canyons, yet they still insist on allying against the NCR, which rules over all of California and most of Nevada at this point.
 * It's heavly implied it was to keep the NCR away. Didn't work.
 * The Spartan Way: The way that they train their children to become warriors is not nice at all. Some don't survive, though if you fail and survive, you're allowed to try again.
 * Sympathetic POV: The All Roads comic really makes you feel sorry for them.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Papa Khan, I know that you really want to get your revenge against the NCR. But do you really think Caesar will keep his promise of letting you rule all the land west of the Colorado just because you allied with him? He will however listen to his advisers and reconsider if you convince enough of them to speak out against him.
 * It probably doesn't help that a Frumentarius is there specifically to sweet-talk him and the Khans into thinking how awesome the Legion are, even telling a female Khan about being a Legionnaire.
 * True Companions
 * The Usual Adversaries: For the NCR and arguably for the series as a whole.

Followers Of The Apocalypse
"Humanity lost many things after the war. Methods of agriculture, techniques for survival. We took it upon ourselves to piece together this knowledge and bring it back to them. Other things weren't lost, but were blocked from our collective memory. Knowledge of what we're capable of, and how things spiral out of control. It's in our nature to want to forget truths that keep us awake at night. And for that reason it's all the more important that the Followers walk the wastes to remind people of them."

- Ignacio Rivas

A quasi-religious order and humanitarian organization that originated from the Los Angeles Boneyard, headquartered in the ruins of the former LA Public Library. The Followers are dedicated to help the less fortunate people in the wasteland by providing them with education and medical aid with the long term goal of ensuring that humanity does not repeat the mistakes that led to the Great War.


 * Being Good Sucks:
 * Bomb Throwing Anarchists: They're accused of this, but they're not.  Usually. 
 * Hero With Bad Publicity: As one of the most moral organizations in the Fallout universe, they have some very serious publicity issues. At best, people view them as well intentioned WideEyedIdealists that are too naive to survive in this Crapsack World. At worst, they are seen as anarchistic cultists with dangerous ideas that needs to be destroyed.
 * The bad publicity comes out in a very specific ending to a quest, The White Wash, after it's been uncovered that a rogue Follower killed an NCR Trooper for finding out that the Followers were stealing water from the NCR for the town of Westside to grow crops. Turning in said Follower has Carrie Boyd mention that this isn't the first time something like this has happened and that she's unsure their actions are helping or hurting their cause because they piss off people with power by doing the occasionally right thing the wrong way.

The Boomers
"So you know about the vaults? Yes, we lived in one of those. Ours was numbered 34. In our vault, everyone had guns - but the overseer wouldn't let you fire off any of the really fun ones. I guess all the little pops and bangs at the firing range just got boring after a while!"

- Pete

A technologically advanced tribe originated from a group of emigrants from Vault 34, a vault in which the armory was overstocked and cannot be locked. They left after the Overseers attempted to implement gun control laws. They are currently living in Nellis Air Force Base to the northeast of Vegas and have developed a culture based around the use of weapons. The Boomer are very xenophobic and use artillery to blow up all outsiders that tries to approach their camp.


 * Ace Pilot: Due to them having access to aerial combat computer simulations at the base, they are one of only two minor factions (the other being the Enclave Remnants) that have access to air power.
 * Badass Army: While they aren't as actively militant as the NCR or Legion, they certainly count as this. After the rebellion in the vault, they left into the wasteland and came under repeated attacks by raiders. Thanks to their heavy firepower, they had a kill ratio of over 40 to 1. And that's before they moved into Nellis air force base.
 * Blood Knight: An entire faction of them. Their culture is dedicated towards the use of weapons and many of them cannot wait to go to fight in an actual battle.
 * Crazy Survivalists: Justified by a belief that outside humans are nothing but savages, but they can be convinced to change their view.
 * Defector From Decadence: They left the vault because the Overseer attempted to violate their right to bear arms.
 * More specifically, while they were allowed to shoot as much as they wanted in the gunnery range (the restrictions on access to guns came much later, after the Boomers had been gone for a long, long time), the Overseer stopped them from "exploding" even small bombs.
 * Foil: To the Brotherhood of Steel. Like the Brotherhood, the Boomers are isolationist tech fanatics who don't trust outsiders. However, their reasons for being this way are entirely justified as their first contact when they emerged from the Vault was with violent tribals, and they realize that society has advanced and that they can't cut out the outside world forever, so they plan to slowly adjust to outside contact. The Brotherhood by contrast are isolationists due solely to their faith in their codex and stick to it in spite of realizing that it's causing their faction to wither.
 * Hidden Elf Village: In a manner of speaking. The Boomers are disinterested in whatever happens beyond the airbase, bombs all potential visitors with artillery, and refers to all non-Boomers, the Courier included, as 'savages'. They're only marginally less xenophobic than the Brotherhood of Steel, and that's only because they don't venture beyond their own walls to blow up 'savages' and take their guns, in fact they think taking a person's guns is the worst thing ever.
 * Also it show be noted that everyone knows they're there.
 * I Know Mortal Kombat: All of their members are armed with explosive weapons. It is not a good idea to turn them hostile against you.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: Pearl, if the art on the side of their B-29 is anything to go by.
 * Mad Bomber: They fire artillery at anyone that dare to get too close to their base.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Pearl, in spades. She lets you in after you manage to survive the artillery assault and asks you to help her fellow Boomers out so they can get used to the idea not all outsiders are assholes. Her reasons for this include a realization that (A) they can't be xenophobes forever and (B) she wants to show her followers that they should trust other people, because one day it'll be inevitable.
 * Stuff Blowing Up: What did you expect from a group whose members are all armed with grenade launchers and bazookas?
 * Undying Loyalty: To the Courier, if the B-29 is raised. They promise to support you specifically rather than any of the factions.
 * Undying Loyalty: To the Courier, if the B-29 is raised. They promise to support you specifically rather than any of the factions.

Powder Gangers
"Never gets old when something blows up!"

- Random Powder Ganger

A group of escaped convicts originated from NCR territory. The NCR originally from the west to use as cheap labor to work on a railway line. But the convicts managed to take control of their prison and formed into a loosely organized group of thugs and raiders.


 * A House Divided: There are actually two main groups of Powder Gangers: The "main" group led by Eddie and based in the NCRCF, and a splinter group based in Vault 19 led by Samuel Cooke.
 * Though those groups aren't struggling against each other - Cooke left because "he had a plan", and went away to implement it. The Vault 19 Powder Gangers, on the other hand, have an internal struggle - Cooke wants to make bombs and be a pain in the ass to the NCR, Lem has come to think of it all as a bad idea and wants to surrender to the NCR.
 * Bit Part Badguys: To an extent; they're a mild challenge at first, when dynamite is still considered threatening. They never upgrade beyond that. You do. Towards the end of the game they're not even a speedbump, but you'll still run across them from time to time on the west side.
 * Bomb Throwing Anarchists: Samuel Cooke. It's what got him tossed into prison in the first place. The others however are just petty thugs.
 * Five Bad Band:
 * Big Bad/Evil Genius: Samuel Cooke
 * The Dragon: Eddie (the leader of the Powder Gangers at the Correctional Facility)
 * Evil Genius: Hannigan/Samuel Cooke
 * The Brute: Scrambler
 * Dark Chick: The Courier, potentially
 * Genre Savvy: To a limited extent, most of the Powder Gangers are in some ways. Instead of running away after they killed their gaolers, most realized they had control of a great fortress they could stage raids and mugging from, so they stuck around and used the existing facilities as their base of operations, even redeploying the explosives around the perimeter to deter trespassers. Eddie even worries (with good reason) about why the NCR didn't immediately try to retake the facility and tasks the Courier with finding out as opposed to throwing one of his own men into the meat grinder.
 * Genre Blind: Unfortunately, in other areas the Powder Gangers are idiots. They barely tried to fortify the NCRCF building after their breakout weakened the defenses, their guard force was dense enough to let some nameless schmuck run around their bases unmolested after paying a hundred cap toll, and it never occurred to Eddie that hiring said nameless schmuck could potentially (no pun intended) blow up in his face.
 * Oh Crap: In Nipton, the Powder Ganger Boxcars, who already had to watch many people die horribly and got his legs broken by the Legion, will freak out when he sees you, calling you the Powder Gangers' "grim fucking reaper". He calms down once you give him some Med X.
 * The Rustler
 * The Grunt/The Goomba: The Powder Ganger's are weak to an almost pathetic extent, and basically exist to give something for the player to kill in the first few hours of the game.
 * Starter Villain: Joe Cobb especially.
 * The Starscream: Philip Lem, who thinks Cooke will drag the Vault 19 gang to their death and wants to surrender to the NCR before that happens.
 * Tempting Fate: Giving a bunch of convicts gunpowder and explosives and let them work on your railroads? Nice thinking, NCR.
 * Wake Up Call Boss: Eddie's plasma pistol packs a punch if you assault the NCRF at lower levels. Some people may not call this bad, since this means if you are completing the quest for the NCR, you can loot service rifles from the dead NCR troopers.

Brotherhood Of Steel
"We do not help them or let them in. We keep knowledge that they must never have."

- The Brotherhood Codex

An exclusive and isolationist order of technology collectors, originally founded by a group of deserters from the US military, which have their headquarters in the Lost Hill bunker of Southern California. Their great mastery of pre-war technology, meant that the organization at one point had a tight grip on the entire Core Region, but their dismissive and overbearing attitude towards outsiders and closed structure, from which they once drew their strength, have since dwindled their numbers and influence considerably, and they are now way past their prime. Their ongoing war against the NCR, due to a major disagreement about ownership of pre-war tech, have not helped matters, having resulted in many defeats, and only a few victories for the Brotherhood, which has cost them many of their strongholds, and forced quite a few of their local detachments either on the run or deep underground. One of these is the Mojave chapter, which has taken refuge in the old government bunker, Hidden Valley, from which they desperately keep trying to carry out the duties described in their Codex and reestablish contact with the HQ.

"Veronica: Sorry about that. Just because I love them, that doesn't mean some of them aren't assholes."
 * Armor Is Useless: Their power armor is far from useless, but it doesn't help much when you're outnumbered fifteen to one...
 * Attack Attack Attack: Apparently one day, they just decided that the NCR didn't deserve anything that used electricity, so they attacked them and got slaughtered. Then they deployed to the Mojave and took Helios, then... got slaughtered again. They still haven't stopped hostilities by the time the game begins.
 * In the Legion ending, if you spare them, the NCR is driven out by the Legion and the Brotherhood use this to attack HELIOS One and directly oppose the marching armies of the Legion. Three guesses on what happens to them.
 * In the case of HELIOS, that was all Elijah's fault since both Hardin and Ramos knew that trying to hold HELIOS One against the NCR was tactical suicide.
 * Can't Catch Up: In the era of the earlier Fallout games, the Bo S' access to Pre-War tech made them the undisputed most powerful faction in the Wasteland, second only to the Enclave, given that they had power armor, energy weapons, and military-grade heavy weaponry while everyone else was still living in huts and fighting with jury-rigged guns and armor. By the time of New Vegas, Pre-War tech (including energy weapons, robotics, and computers) have spread significantly and is now available to a wide variety of factions, most notably the NCR, and while the Brotherhood still has a very slight tech edge (maintaining their monopoly on Power Armor) they haven't managed to advance at all since the old days and overall have since been eclipsed by NCR as the Wasteland's dominant faction.
 * Creative Sterility: One of the major problems they're running into is they've basically run out of ideas, which is going to happen when you live in a hole in the ground for decades. Veronica and the former Elder (who went nuts trying to activate the Helios station and got half his men killed in the process) are about the only ones trying to get the Brotherhood out of this slump.
 * Death By Irony: Other then just shooting up Hidden Valley, there are two ways other ways that you can wipe out the Brotherhood.
 * Elaborate Underground Base
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Elijah's absolutely insane obsession with technology and disregard for the lives of his men shocked even them. They've since dispatched assassins after him.
 * Gas Mask Mooks
 * Heavily Armored Mook
 * Honor Before Reason: The Brotherhood follow their codex to the letter, even when it means that they will eventually die out as a result.
 * Jerkass: Most of them, anyway. Aside from their obsessive worship of technology, the faction's main defining characteristic is their extreme xenophobia - they're not nice to outsiders. This is pretty much exactly the way the faction has always behaved in the franchise - if anything, the Mojave branch is more lenient than usual. Well, except for the guys in the Capital Wasteland.
 * More along the lines of "Dogma before reason", as they're certainly not above cold-blooded murder if their codex dictates.


 * Kick the Dog:
 * Veronica's dialogue also indicates that, as a consequence of the Brotherhood being too xenophobic to recruit outsiders and reliant on reproduction to keep their numbers up, the Brotherhood has turned rather homophobic.
 * Knight Templar: Until either the Courier or Veronica show them their mistakes.
 * Last Stand: The Mojave Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel was almost destroyed by the New California Republic's army at Helios One, though they gave as good as they got. Turns out all the combat training, Powered Armor, and high-tech BF Gweaponry in the world isn't enough when you're outnumbered ten to one.
 * Machine Worship: They don't worship technology per se, but the degree to which they revere and pursue it really does border on religious mania at times.
 * My Country Right or Wrong: McNamara is all too aware that the Brotherhood is likely going to crash and burn the way things are going but will not dare go against the codex, unlike Lyons in Fallout 3 who decided to disregard it.
 * Not So Different: Veronica notes that they're quite like the Boomers, being xenophobic isolationists who hoard military tech, though at least the Boomers keep to themselves rather than harass others.
 * Oddly Small Organization: Justified in that most of them are, well, dead.
 * Power Armor: Standard issue among their members. While it does make them powerful, it leads to...
 * Smug Snake: They won't hesitate to let you know how much better they are than you. They'll talk down to you and act like you and everybody else are idiots who shouldn't even be allowed to touch a laser pistol.
 * Suicidal Overconfidence: They think Power Armor and energy weapons will let them take on anything, even if they're outnumbered 15 to 1 or pitted up against heavy artillery. It doesn't.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Elder McNamara genuinely cares about his fellow Brothers, and will even agree to a truce with the NCR since he thinks its the best course of action for the Brotherhood and Mojave in general..
 * Serious Business: To them, their codex is serious business. Progressive members are prone to getting flat out murdered by the regressive members for even thinking about something that doesn't follow the codex to the letter.
 * The Remnant: The Brotherhood was already a Remnant to begin with, being descended from a group of US Army soldiers who mutinied around the time of the Great War, but the group you encounter in the Mojave takes it a step further, being a remnant of this remnant - they're the survivors of the last battle of the NCR/Brotherhood war. As they've had no contact from any other Brotherhood bases, they may as well be the only members of the faction left west of the Mississippi as far as they are concerned.
 * Tragic Villain:
 * Ungrateful Bastard:
 * You Are in Command Now: McNamara became the Elder after Elijah left during the debacle at HELIOS One and as Head Paladin was the most senior member of the Brothehood.
 * Tragic Villain:
 * Ungrateful Bastard:
 * You Are in Command Now: McNamara became the Elder after Elijah left during the debacle at HELIOS One and as Head Paladin was the most senior member of the Brothehood.

The Chairmen
"Ring-a-ding-ding, baby."

A group of tribals formerly known as the Boot Runners, reformed by House to embody what is "cool". They currently run the Tops Casino and Aces Theater.


 * Camp: To the point of making it an art form.
 * Jive Turkey: The group all speak in beatnik slang.
 * Klingon Promotion: After you deal with Benny, Swank becomes the leader of The Chairmen and will officially run The Tops.
 * Nice Guy: Swank is one of the friendlier guys you'll meet in The Strip and has some sensible things to say of the various factions of Vegas.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Aces manager Tommy Torini looks an awful lot like Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr.
 * The Starscream: Swank will help you deal with Benny if you convince him that he's working against House.
 * Token Good Teammate: Among the Vegas families. Sure, one member (and his four thugs) is kind of a dick, but at least the faction as a whole is fundamentally good.

The White Glove Society
""You see? We remain the very picture of courtesy, even in the face of such impolite accusations. We have nothing to hide here.""

A group of tribals reformed by House with a love for sophistication and luxury. Founded by Marjorie, they currently run the Ultra-Luxe Casino.


 * Cane Fu: Their preferred weapons are dress canes.
 * Cannibal Clan: Before they were the White Glove Society. Interesting enough, the developers originally named them the Sawneys (aka Sawney Bean).
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Or well, they used to be..
 * The Not Secret: Their general creepiness and the fact that it's a rumor that everyone talks about makes the fact they used to be cannibals less surprising.
 * Upperclass Twit: They insist that they are the best and most sophisticated people in the world.
 * White Mask of Doom: Their members put on a white mask because their leader Marjorie thinks it will add to their mysterious and elegant atmosphere. But many people comment on how it just makes them creepy.

The Omertas
""You play some games, have some fun.""

A group of tribals reformed by House in the shape of old-world crime syndicates. Led by Nero and Big Sal, they run Gomorrah Casino and strip-club.


 * Cluster F Bomb: The staff at the other casinos try to keep their guests happy by being polite and respectful to them. But not the Omertas. It's implied to be mostly just an act since Carlito and Cachino can speak in a more civil manner.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Cachino may be a hustler and a rapist, but
 * He also has standards in another way: he is very well aware that the things he does are wrong, and wants to stop, but he never quite seems to get the willpower to.
 * Legitimate Businessmens Social Club: They claim that the Gomorrah is just another hotel and casino, but everyone knows that they engage in illegal activities.
 * The Mafia: The theme of their casino. They live up to it.
 * Rewarded As a Traitor Deserves:
 * Smug Snake
 * The Starscream:
 * The Atoner: In Cachino's journal, he expresses regret at the things he's done, and continually promises himself he'll never do them again. It's insinuated that He talks of "running a tighter ship" than his predecessors.
 * Token Evil Teammate: of the families.

The Kings
""The Kings are about an idea. Where every man is free to follow his own path, do his own thing. Where every man is a king in his own right."

The King"


 * All Hail the Great God Mickey
 * Elvis Impersonator: An entire gang of them, all convinced it's a pre-war religion. Only The King and Pacer put on the voice, but this might be justified since King says the tapes broke a few years ago. They're the oldest members and might be the only ones still alive to have heard them.
 * Entitled Bastard: Zig-zagged, they aren't fond of the NCR squatters putting a drain on their resources, and The King is not pleased when he finds out the NCR is giving handouts to its citizens but not to the proper citizens of the area. However, it turns out NCR wanted to supply everyone, but the messenger they sent to negotiate with The King was beaten and turned away by Pacer, so they were only given enough support to take care of their own. The player has the option to eventually smooth things out and get the two to agree to a truce, which leads into NCR providing relief support to Freeside if you complete the game for NCR.
 * Face Heel Turn:
 * Future Imperfect: The Kings actually have absolutely no idea who Elvis really is. When they first discovered the school of impersonation filed with holotapes, jackets, and a seemingly unlimited supply of hair gel, they concluded that Elvis was a mystical god and the building was a temple of worship.
 * Gang of Hats: See above.
 * Neighbourhood Friendly Gangsters: The Kings take this a step further by acting as Freeside's de facto police force.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: The King is one of the few politically powerful figures out there motivated by a genuine desire to help the people.
 * Establishing Character Moment: If you pay Pacer's toll to get in to talk to him and mention it to him, The King apologizes for Pacer acting up and refunds you personally.
 * Suicidal Overconfidence: In a quest involving the NCR's and King's conflict, the NCR sends a platoon of fully armed soldiers to the King's HQ. The King tells you to explain what's going on before his gang kills the soldiers. You have the option of telling him to calm down since his gang stands no chance if they start a fight. He'll take this as a challenge, and order his gang to open fire, upon which they are all gunned down.
 * The Dragon/The Lancer: Pacer.
 * The Starscream: Though he's the second in-command he does a lot of things The King would not approve of, and if the player proceeds down the NCR questline eventually Pacer will rebel when The King agrees to peace with NCR.
 * Token Evil Teammate: Pacer is essentially this to The King, and J.E. Sawyer's Balance Mod even sets his alignment to Evil (from Neutral) and The King to Good to highlight this.

The Fiends
"Pack of drugged-out killers. They're addicted to every stim, every pill, every psychoactive enema on this fucked-up earth."

- Major Dhatri

A band of Raiders prowling New Vegas' outskirts, notorious for their drug-fueled savagery. This and their stockpile of advanced weaponry makes them a constant menace to the inhabitants of Westside and the NCR headquarters at Camp McCarran.

"Cook-Cook: Hey there, sweet thing, want a ride on the Cook-Cook Express?"
 * Affably Evil: Motor-Runner. Rather hilarious when you realize that the leader of the most evil faction in the game is the only member who isn't automatically hostile to you, probably because he's the only one not on a massive amount of drugs. Conversation indicates that he genuinely cares for the well-being of his people, which was why he led the Fiends to Vault 3.
 * Always Chaotic Evil: They are basically a sightly organized band of raiders that kill, burn, steal and rape everything they see.
 * Benevolent Boss: Motor-Runner
 * Big Bad: Motor Runner
 * Drugs Are Bad: The main reason why they are so screwed up is because they are all drug addicts.
 * Dummied Out: There are friendly dialogue scripts for the three Fiend bosses in the overworld.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: In one quest where you track down two slave traders, who themselves qualify for Complete Monster status, their business log mentions that they won't be doing any more business with Cook-Cook after they sold him a young boy, whom he promptly burned to death in front of two young girls before the slavers even left earshot.
 * In the aforementioned Dummied Out dialogue, Cook-Cook's colleague Driver Nephi will warn a female Courier about him: "Listen... you don't want to mess with Cook-Cook. And you really don't want to let him get you alone. Trust me."
 * The other Dummied Out dialogue makes it rather clear that the others really don't like Cook-Cook and only keep him around because he's a great cook.
 * Face Heel Turn: It's implied that Nephi was a former New Canaanite.
 * Flunky Boss: All the Fiend leaders are accompanied by around four to six decently-armed fiends guarding them. Violetta has around eight dogs instead. Motor-Runner, however, is alone in his throne room with only two very weak dogs. Of course, you already had to fight through dozens of Fiends in the vault just to get to him... unless you Speech checked your way in or went on behalf of the Khans. Still have to fight your way out, of course, but he only has about six Fiends in his section, same as the others.
 * Faux Affably Evil: The cut dialog for the Fiend bosses is actually kind of funny, albeit incredibly screwed up.


 * Genius Ditz: Despite being completely off his gourd, Cook-Cook has an Intelligence score of 9. Might have something to do with the Mentats he takes.
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Violet and possibly Cook-Cook, though his special stew doesn't use human flesh.
 * Morality Pet: Cook-Cook has a pet brahmin named "Queenie". If you kill her he'll go berserk and attack the other Fiends.
 * His cut dialogue concerning her indicates that he might like her a bit too much...
 * Orcus On His Throne: Motor-Runner, literally.
 * Supreme Chef: Cook-Cook
 * Tragic Monster: Of a sort. As noted by Corporal Betsy, there's no way to tell of any individual Fiend is genuinely pure evil (like the leaders) or a broken shell of a man/woman so hopelessly drugged out that they're literally incapable of discerning right from wrong.
 * The Usual Adversaries: Textbook examples, both from the prospective of the player and the NCR.
 * Wacky Wayside Tribe: They don't really have much significance in the story other than acting as yet another obstacle for the NCR (and the Courier) to overcome. Their origin isn't specified either.
 * Weapon of Choice: Each Fiend boss has one:
 * Motor Runner: A chainsaw
 * Cook-Cook: A flamethrower
 * Driver Nephi: A golf club
 * Violet: A hunting rifle
 * She uses a pack of dogs too.
 * Zerg Rush: Their tactics against Camp McCarran
 * You No Take Candle: How Violet talks in the Dummied Out dialogue: "Dogs? Good dogs! My dogs! Fiend dogs. Tear you up, arf arf arf! Ha ha!"

Enclave Remnants
"Dear old friends, remember Navarro."

With the loss of its bases at Navarro and Raven Rock, the Enclave is little more than a bad memory, its surviving members either in hiding or attempting to integrate into the new world. Six such men and women have settled in the Mojave Wasteland and have tried to put their past behind them... but they might be convinced to take up arms once more and decide the fate of their new home, for auld lang syne.

""I can't believe I'm helping the NCR!""
 * Badass Grandpa: An entire Badass Crew of them. It has been decades since the Enclave's defeat and the survivors have all grown old.
 * Big Damn Heroes
 * Combat Medic/Badass Bookworm: Doctor Henry and.
 * Continuity Nod: Johnson was stationed at Navarro when The Chosen One got chewed out by Arch Dornan, though he apparently never found out who that person was.
 * Dare to Be Badass: How you get Moreno to fight for the NCR.
 * Defector From Decadence: Putting human decency first, "Cannibal" Johnson regularly subverted Enclave orders, and he didn't shed any tears when the oil rig blew. He spends his remaining days in a cave killing raiders.
 * The Dreaded: By fighting for the NCR, the Remnants remind the wasteland just how terrifying the Enclave are.
 * Elite Mooks: To the Enclave in the past, and.
 * Enemy Mine: If siding with the NCR against the Legion. If you have 80 speech, you can even convince Orion Moreno to stay. He'll even bitterly state:
 * Elite Mooks: To the Enclave in the past, and.
 * Enemy Mine: If siding with the NCR against the Legion. If you have 80 speech, you can even convince Orion Moreno to stay. He'll even bitterly state:


 * Five Man Band:
 * The Hero: Judah Kreger
 * The Lancer: Cannibal Johnson
 * The Big Guy: Orion Moreno
 * The Smart Guy: Doctor Henry
 * Badass Grandma: Daisy Whitman
 * Sixth Ranger:
 * Sixth Ranger Traitor:
 * Graceful Loser: All of the Remnants save for Moreno have gotten over being defeated by the NCR. Of course, it doesn't help that the NCR accuses Moreno of squatting in a house that he's lived in long before they came to the Mojave.
 * I Am a Humanitarian: Subverted with Cannibal Johnson, who is only called that because of a one-time incident where he took a bite out of a raider's heart to scare away the rest of the raider group.
 * The Last Dance: Particularly for Johnson, who prefers going out with a bang rather than dying quietly in his cave.
 * Punch Clock Villain: None of the Remnants are the evil bastards of the previous games, with only Moreno being a genuine believer in the Enclave cause. Captain Kreger admits that the leadership was pretty damn ruthless, but states that many of the basic rank-and-file troops were just interested in bringing order to the wastes, Not So Different from the NCR.
 * Squishy Wizard: Doctor Henry, due to his lack of Power Armor. Keep in mind this is only in comparison to the rest of the Remnants; his science suit still provides decent defense, and his Tri-beam Laser Rifle packs a punch, so he can dispatch the Elite Mooks of the Legion just as easily as the rest.
 * Team Dad: Judah Kreger is stated to be the one man who kept Johnson and Moreno in line and kept them all together.
 * The Remnant: Uh, duh?
 * Retired Badass: Although they are all retired soldiers that most likely hasn't seen combat for decades, they can still lay waste to entire squads of elite NCR or Legion troops with ease.
 * Retired Badass Roundup
 * Retired Monster: Orion Moreno
 * Token Evil Teammate:
 * What the Hell Hero:

Bright Brotherhood
""We wish to escape the barbarity of the wasteland, especially the violence and bigotry of its human inhabitants. The creator has promised my flock a new land: a place of safety and healing...a paradise in the far beyond.""

- Jason Bright

A cult of ghouls (and one human convinced he's a ghoul) living in the REPCONN test facility who believe their destiny from God is to live on the Moon using the rocket ships in the facility.


 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Crazy Survivalist: Harland, who manages to survive by himself against Nightkins by finding a good defensible position to snipe them and living off on radroaches and condensation from pipes.
 * Cult: A benevolent version. They just want to find a place where ghouls can be free from persecution from the humans.
 * Cult Colony: They plan to use the REPCONN rockets to travel to their 'promised land'.
 * Fantastic Racism: Subverted in that the group itself for the most part bears no ill will towards humans, with only Chris being rude to the player. In fact, Jason believes that the Courier and Chris are the Chosen Ones of their faith and in his final speech grants both you and Chris sainthood.
 * Good Shepherd: Jason really does care about all ghouls, even the Feral ones, and his only motive really is to give them a land where they can all be happy.
 * Guttural Growler: Being ghouls, this is par for the course. Strangely averted by their leader, Jason Bright, who sounds as if he has a heavenly echo in the background. Chris Haversam also has this despite being the only non-ghoul of their group.
 * Hollywood Science: Just look the the designs of the rockets that they are planning to use.
 * Irony: From a gameplay and story standpoint, Jason is a walking example of this by mere virtue of being a Glowing One, which is Always Chaotic Evil by gameplay terms, and since he's the only one who has been verified to be good thus far, story terms. He's also ironic in another way, since his cult revolves around the concept of a ghoul only society finding true peace, but to do so his cult requires absolute trust in two humans and using human technology (which in and of itself was partially responsible for making people ghouls due to its radioactive nature) to achieve their ends.
 * Meaningful Name: Jason Bright, which can be lampshaded by both you and Jason, since it was his name even before he became a Glowing One ghoul.
 * "Ride of the Valkyries": Plays when they launch their rockets.
 * Properly Paranoid: A rather strange example found with Chris. Formerly the engineer of Vault 34 who worked on the reactor, he left after his hair fell out, which he took as evidence of his ghoulification. He becomes one of only a handful of non-Boomers to escape ghoulification, the other being a few survivors who are still trapped inside Vault 34.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Subverted, as their fate upon launching their rockets is left ambiguous despite the prospect of them succeeding going against all known logic.