101 Fallout Side Quests and Environmental Stories

[Reynard]

I will be running a Fallout 2d20 [EDIT] Savage Worlds game via Fantasy grounds over the summer. I have crated a self contained region and established my major factions and "main quest", but one of the reasons I love Fallout so much is the innumerable side quests and "stories" that are really just hints left in the environment. I would like to have a good list of those for the players to encounter and experience while exploring.

Feel free to crib from any of the video game side quests, or come up with something wholly original. Thanks!

 

[Reynard]

1. The PCs encounter a mysterious figure in an environment suit even in areas free of radiation. The individual calls themself Dr. Marsh and can help with science questions but never takes off the suit. This is because they are a rare example of a Glowing one that did not lose their mind, and doesn't want to harm those around them. Perhaps someone is hunting marsh, or their radiation powers will prove crucial in another quest.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

Don't forget you could lift some of the interesting side events from the Fallout games - I'm a big fan of the event where you find a random, overturned Nukacola truck. Needless to say, there are a lot of random caps to be had there.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I love Fallout! I'll come up with some ideas and post them.

 

[BookTenTiger]

2. The characters encounter a crashed Brotherhood of Steel helicopter. Investigating it reveals it was carrying a baby deathclaw, which ripped through its cage and attacked the pilots. The deathclaw has escaped, and has dragged away one of the pilots, who pleads over their radio for help. The desperate pilot leads them to an old junkyard where the deathclaw has dug a burrow beneath a perilous mountain of rusted cars.

3. A ghoul's food stand selling Gecko Burgers keeps getting vandalized by employees of Bob's Iguana Bits. The ghoul asks for help protecting his stand from his business rivals. Unfortunately the vandals rally an anti-ghoul mob to run the burger salesman out of town!

4. A wandering three-headed brahmin has supernatural intelligence and can give the character portentous advice about upcoming events. The brahmin only speaks in rhymes, and only responds to questions asked in rhyming couplets.

5. A wealthy prospector is looking for a single Nuka-Cola vending machine that sold a rare Nuka Crystal, a failed soda prototype that never became popular. Over time, he thinks the clear soda will have fermented into a powerful alcohol that could be used as medicine... or explosives! The vending machine can be found in a gas station which was mined by Powder Gangers.

 

[BookTenTiger]

6. The characters encounter a statue of Landmine, a Brotherhood-of-Steel-trained dog who became famous for his brave and faithful actions in war. Strangely, the statue seems to draw dogs from all over, who sniff and roll over at the statue's feet.

7. The characters encounter a robot who has become infested by a swarm of radioactive insects. If the characters kill or drive off the bugs, the robot introduces themselves as HEF-T (Hydration Extraction & Filtration Techno-Ecologist), a mechanoid designed to find, tap, and clean natural sources of water.

 

[BookTenTiger]

8. The characters encounter Dr. Verna Spratt, an engineer whose robot has been captured by the Powder Gangers. If the characters get to their hideout in an old observatory in time (dodging hidden mines and launched explosives), they can rescue the robot before it is reprogrammed to infiltrate a nearby Ranger station... and explode!

9. An arms dealer named Big Kingsley needs help recovering the schematics for a plasma sniper rifle from an ancient computer system in the abandoned Vault 91. The problem is that the computer's AI, Clo, has become a radical pacifist, willing to use all the nonlethal weapons at her disposal (electrified nets, rubber bullets, sleeping gas, etc) to protect the schematics in her system. Can the characters convince, hack, or overpower her to recover the plans?

10. A doctor named Morgana McClarin is transporting a super-mutant murderer named Green Onion to a hospital in order to perform surgery on his heart before his trial. Green Onion has already killed two of his guards, but Dr. McClarin is willing to pay handsomely in medical supplies. Are the characters willing to help this prisoner reach the hospital? Or will they enact their own justice?

 

[Reynard]

11. The PCs stumble upona Ren Fair fairground populated by ghouls that have fully immersed themselves in the fantasy. They believe the PCs have come to defeat the dragon (fire breathing deathclaw) that is tormenting them.

 

[MGibster]

A wandering three-headed brahmin has supernatural intelligence and can give the character portentous advice about upcoming events. The brahmin only speaks in rhymes, and only responds to questions asked in rhyming couplets.

That's tough to pull off but completely awesome!

12. The PCs meet up with the Robbins, a group of like minded individuals (NOT A CULT!) dedicated to living their lives according to the teachings of their founder, Tony Robbins. They're trying to expand their base of operations and help the local community unlock their potential.

1. Unlimited Power - The PCs are tasked with getting the local fusion reactor to work. Not only will this provide the settlement with power, but will allow them to operate their water filtration system.
2. Awaken the Giant Within - The Raiders are threatening the settlement, but the base has some pre-war devices designed to train soldiers, but the PCs need to figure out how to get it to work. Here's the rub, the devices instills confidence and fearlessness, but it doesn't actually give anyone any training. Anyone who goes through the process gets the equivalent of the Overconfidence flaw.
3. Giant Steps - If the PCs agree to help fight the Raiders, they'll need to decide how to use the settlers. The settlers are overconfident to the point of suicidal bravery, and most of them will die if they fight the Raiders directly. But it will be more dangerous for the PCs if they take on the brunt of the fighting. What will they do?
4. Master the Game - If the PCs save the settlement, they're asked to join the Robbins and they learn of the leaders desire to spread the word throughout the wasteland. What will they do? Either way they'll be rewarded for their efforts.

 

[Reynard]

13. While traveling, one of the PCs falls into a sinkhole that is in reality a corroded access to a "private vault." The house on the property is long gone but when the bombs fell the survivalist family hid down in their bunker with tons of guns, ammo, food and holovids. They expected to get clean water from the ground, though, and that was there downfall. Now all that is left is a handful of feral ghouls and one survivalist loner nutbag of a ghoul. It's a great cache of loot if the PCs survive, though.