Fallout 2/Perks

At certain points in the game (after each 3rd level or 4th level with skilled) you will be able to pick a perk for your character. Perks are different than traits in that they only offer positive things. After the detailed list of perks, a short list will follow that will include some suggested perks.

Note that there is a primary statistic level for most perks. You can take drugs (e.g., Mentats or Buffout) to get perks that you wouldn't normally get. This is especially useful for Sniper/Slayer as they have fairly high skill requirements.

Perk	Description	Requirements	Ranks
Action Boy	It gives you one extra action point per level.	5 Agility, Level 12	3
Adrenaline Rush	Strength is increased by one if hit points fall below 50%.	1-9 Strength, Level 6	1
Awareness	You get to see a critter's hit points and what weapon they are carrying. Really good.	5 Perception, Level 3	1
Better Criticals	Adds 20 to rolls on the critical hit table.	6 Perception and Luck, 4 Agility, Level 9	1
Bonus HtH Attacks	All hand-to-hand attacks cost one less action point to perform.	6 Agility, Level 6	1
Bonus HtH Damage	All hand-to-hand attacks deal two extra hit points of damage per level.	6 Agility, 6 Strength, Level 3	3
Bonus Move	It gives you two free action points to move around per level.	5 Agility, Level 6	3
Bonus Ranged Damage	All ranged attacks deal two extra hit points of damage per level.	6 Agility and Luck, Level 6	2
Bonus Rate of Fire	All attacks (except unarmed) cost one less action point.	7 Agility, 6 Intelligence, 6 Perception, Level 15	1
Comprehension	Your character will gain an additional 50% skill points when reading books like Guns and Bullets, Dean's Electronics, etc.	6 Intelligence, Level 3	1
Cult of Personality	Your reputation is always positive. Great for evil characters.	10 Charisma, Level 12	1
Demolition Expert	Explosives will do more damage and will detonate on time.	4 Agility, 90% Traps, Level 9	1
Dodger	A 5% increase in armor class in addition to armor class bonus when armor is worn per level.	4 Agility, Level 9	2
Earlier Sequence	It adds two to your sequence per level.	6 Perception, Level 3	3
Educated	Adds two extra skill points whenever you level up per level.	6 Intelligence, Level 6	3
Empathy	Highlights in red for bad dialogue choices.	7 Perception, 5 Intelligence, Level 6	1
Explorer	You'll get more random encounters with this perk.	Level 9	1
Faster Healing	Healing rate is increased by one per level.	6 Endurance, Level 3	3
Fortune Finder	You'll find more money in random encounters.	8 Luck, Level 6	1
Gambler	A one-time bonus of 20% to the Gambling skill.	50% Gambling, Level 6	1
Gain [Attribute]	Adds one point to one S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute.	1-9 in desired attribute, Level 9	1
Ghost	It's a one-time bonus of 20% to the Sneak skill.	60% Sneak, Level 6	1
Harmless	Another one-time bonus, this time a 20% bump to the Steal skill.	50% Steal, 49+ Karma points, Level 6	1
Healer	You heal two to five more hit points when using First Aid or the Doctor skills per level.	7 Perception, 6 Agility, 5 Intelligence, 40% First Aid, Level 3	3
Heave Ho!	This perk will increase your strength by two for determining range with thrown weapons per level. It won't affect carry weight, skills, etc.	Level 6	3
Here and Now	Your character gains an additional level instantly.	Level 9	1
Karma-Sutra Master	Gives better reactions to NPCs when having sex.	5 Endurance and Agility, Level 6	1
Karma Beacon	Karma is doubled for the purposes of dialogue.	6 Charisma, Level 6	1
Lifegiver	You will gain four hit points when you gain a level per level.	4 Endurance, Level 12	3
Living Anatomy	A bonus of 10% to the doctor skill as well as dealing 5 extra points of damage to living creatures. This bonus is applied once per attack and is not affected by critical hits.	60% Doctor, Level 12	1
Master Thief	It's a one-time bonus of 15% to the Lockpick and Steal skills.	Level 12	1
Master Trader	You have a 25% discount whenever you purchase or barter goods from a store or another person.	7 Charisma, 60% Barter, Level 9	1
Medic	It's a one-time bonus of 20% to the First Aid and Doctor skills.	Level 12	1
More Criticals	Increases critical chance by 5% per level.	6 Luck, Level 6	3
Mr. Fixit	It's a one-time bonus of 20% to the Repair and Science skills.	Level 12	1
Mutate!	It changes one of your traits into something else.	Level 9	1
Mysterious Stranger	A stranger comes from time to time to help you out.	4 Luck, Level 9	1
Negotiator	Gives a one-time bonus of 10% to the Speech and Barter skills.	50% Speech, 50% Barter, Level 6	1
Night Vision	It reduces the overall darkness by 10% per level.	6 Perception, Level 3	3
Pathfinder	It reduces your travel time by 25% per level.	6 Endurance, 40% Outdoorsman, Level 6	2
Pickpocket	This perk lets you ignore size and facing modifiers when you are stealing.	8 Agility, 80% Steal, Level 9	1
Presence	It improves the NPC's reaction by 10% per level.	6 Charisma, Level 3	3
Pyromaniac	Your character will do 5 more damage with flamethrowers.	75% Big Guns, Level 9	1
Quick Pockets	With this perk, it costs two less action points to access the inventory than normal.	5 Agility, Level 3	3
Rad Resistance	It increases your radiation resistance by 15% per level.	6 Endurance, 4 Intelligence, Level 6	2
Ranger	The Outdoorsman skill is increased by 15%.	6 Perception, Level 6	1
Scout	It increases the size of explorations on the world map by one square for each direction.	8 Perception, Level 3	1
Scrounger	In a random encounter, it doubles the amount of ammunition that you find.	8 Luck, Level 9	1
Sharpshooter	It increases your perception of range modifiers only per level.	7 Perception, 6 Intelligence, Level 6	2
Silent Death	With this perk, you can use the Sneak skill and attack a critter using a hand-to-hand attack from the back for double damage.	10 Agility, 80% Sneak, Level 18	1
Silent Running	You can run and sneak at the same time with this perk.	6 Agility, 50% Sneak, Level 6	1
Slayer	All hits with unarmed or melee weapons become critical hits. It's really nice and works extremely well with the Super Sledgehammer, Power Fist, or the Ripper.	8 Strength, 8 Perception, 80% Unarmed, Level 24	1
Smooth Talker	Increases your intelligence by one for dialogue purposes only per level.	4 Intelligence, Level 3	3
Snakeater	It gives you a 25% increase in your poison resistance.	3 Endurance, Level 6	1
Sniper	For each non-critical ranged hit, a 10-sided dice is rolled. If the number is equal to or below your luck, the attack is upgraded to a critical one. It is really really nice with burst weapons. (It actually makes the SMG a source of total devastation...)	8 Perception, 8 Agility, 80% Small Guns, Level 24	1
Speaker	It's a one time bonus of 20% to your Speech and Barter skills.	Level 12	1
Strong Back	This perk gives you an increase in carry weight by 50 pounds per level.	6 Strength, 6 Endurance, Level 3	3
Survivalist	This perk gives you a 20% increase in Outdoorsman for survival purposes only per level.	6 Endurance, 6 Intelligence, 40% Outdoorsman, Level 3	3
Swift Learner	Whenever you gain experience, you'll receive 5% more experience per level of the perk.	4 Intelligence, Level 3	3
Tag	With this perk, you can pick a new tag skill in addition to the ones you already have.	Level 12	1
Thief	Another one-time bonus of 10% to the Lockpick, Sneak, Steal, and Traps skills.	Level 3	1
Toughness	It adds 10% to your general damage resistance per level.	6 Endurance, 6 Luck, Level 3	3
Weapons Handling	It adds 3 to Strength when determining which weapons can be used (determined by strength).	5 Agility, Level 12	1

Suggested perks

• Action Boy (especially if you have 8 or 9 Agility)
• Awareness
• Better Criticals
• Bonus HtH attacks
• Bonus Move
• Bonus Rate of Fire
• More Criticals
• Slayer
• Sniper