Fallout: New Vegas/S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L. is an acronym referring to the 7 attributes that all creatures of the fallout universe posses. In Fallout: New Vegas, you allocate your attributes using a contraption called the Vit-O-Matic Vigor Tester as part of the opening quest Ain't that a Kick in the Head. You can look at each attribute in turn and there is a total of 33 points to spend on the 7 attributes, with the 1st point of each being free. There will be another chance to change your attribute allocation when you leave the Goodsprings area for the first time. Attribute rankings are from 1 (Abysmal) up to 10 (Almost god-like) with 5 being roughly average. Each level has a quirky name given to it in order to give you a rough idea of what that level of attribute signifies.

Vit-O-Matic

Strength

Strength will tell you how easily a cowboy totes his saddle and those bigger firearms, or how much help he's gonna be for ya in a saloon brawl.

Strength affects the skill of Melee Weapons and adds to your Unarmed damage. It is also the skill for how much salvage you can carry on your prospecting runs. If you plan on packing a lot of gear and don't want to make too many trips just to sell and offload stuff then this is an extremely valuable attribute to have. Remember that in Hardcore mode, ammo has weight, so keep that in your mind when planning your character out.

Perks Related to strength.

Name	Req Str	Req Level
Heave, Ho!	5	2
Stonewall	6	8
Strong Back	5	8
Super Slam	6	8

Name	Req Str	Req Level
Unstoppable Force	7	12
Weapon handling	< 10	16
Strength Implant	< 10	N/A

	Strength	Carry Weight(lbs)	Unarmed Damage	Skill Modifiers(%)
1	Wet Noodle	160	0.5	Melee Weapons +2
2	Beached Jellyfish	170	1	Melee Weapons +4
3	Doughy Baby	180	1.5	Melee Weapons +6
4	Lightweight	190	2	Melee Weapons +8
5	Average Joe	200	2.5	Melee Weapons +10
6	Barrel Chested	210	3	Melee Weapons +12
7	Beach Bully	220	3.5	Melee Weapons +14
8	Circus Strongman	230	4	Melee Weapons +16
9	Doomsday Pecs	240	4.5	Melee Weapons +18
10	Hercules' Bigger Cousin	250	5	Melee Weapons +20

Strength

Perception

A perceptive cowboy always knows when there's a lit stick of dynamite nearby... or when a varmint's sneakin' up on him.

Perception affects the skills of Energy Weapons, Explosives and Lockpick. It also controls when you see entity markers on your compass, and adds accuracy to all of your attacks. If you want to notice sooner if someone is nearby, and don't want to be ambushed a lot, then this is an extremely valuable attribute to have.

Perks related to Perception.

Name	Req Per	Req Level
Four Eyes (Trait)	< 10	Char Gen
Friend of the night	6	2
Sniper	6	12
Light Step	6	14

Name	Req Per	Req Level
Better Criticals	6	16
Infiltrator	7	18
Perception Implant	< 10	N/A

	Perception	Skill Modifiers(%)
1	Deaf Bat	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +2
2	Senile Mole	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +4
3	Squinting Newt	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +6
4	Unsuspecting Trout	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +8
5	Wary Trout	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +10
6	Alert Coyote	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +12
7	Big-eyed Tiger	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +14
8	Monocled Falcon	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +16
9	Sniper Hawk	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +18
10	Eagle with Telescope	Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +20

Perception

Endurance

You can't keep a good cowboy down, not if he's the endurin' type... and not if he's got a six-shooter the size of all tarnation.

Endurance affects the skills Survival and Unarmed. It is also the attribute that assigns your health points. If you are going to be a hand to hand expert you will consider this an extremely important attribute to have. If however you want to focus more on killing things from afar or social skills, then you can skimp on this attribute some. There is a hidden attribute of fatigue that is also governed by your endurance. Some weapons and poisons inflict fatigue damage instead of lethal, and if you are fatigued enough you will fall unconscious. A higher endurance affects how long you can get hit before you fall down.

Perks related to Endurance.

Name	Req End	Req Level
Lead Belly	5	6
Rad Resistance	5	8
Stonewall	6	8
Strong Back	5	8
Life Giver	6	12

Name	Req End	Req Level
Long Haul	6	12
Solar Powered	7	20
Rad Absorption	7	28
Endurance Implant	< 10	N/A

	Endurance	Initial Health	Skill Modifiers(%)
1	Basically Dead	120	Survival/Unarmed +2
2	Crumbly	140	Survival/Unarmed +4
3	Do Not Bend	160	Survival/Unarmed +6
4	Handle With Care	180	Survival/Unarmed +8
5	Stain-resistant	2000	Survival/Unarmed +10
6	Hardy	220	Survival/Unarmed +12
7	Tough-as-nails	240	Survival/Unarmed +14
8	Flame Retardant	260	Survival/Unarmed +16
9	Bulletproof	280	Survival/Unarmed +18
10	Unstoppable	300	Survival/Unarmed +20

Endurance

Charisma

You'll find there are some smooth-talkin' cowboys out there that got themselves a voice sounds line an angel's harmonica.

Charisma affects the skills Barter and Speech. It also affects how others react to you in conversation. If you want to be a smooth talker and try to avoid combat through conversation, then this skill will be extremely important to have. It also provides a percentage bonus to the armor and damage of your companions.

Perks related to Charisma.

Name	Req Cha	Req Level
Ferocious Loyalty	6	6
Animal Friend	6	10

Name	Req Cha	Req Level
Charisma Implant	< 10	N/A

	Charisma	Companion Modifier(%)	Skill Modifiers(%)
1	Misanthrope	5	Barter/Speech +2
2	Old Hermit	10	Barter/Speech +4
3	Creepy Undertaker	15	Barter/Speech +6
4	Peevish Librarian	20	Barter/Speech +8
5	Substitute Teacher	25	Barter/Speech +10
6	Cheery Salesman	30	Barter/Speech +12
7	Diplomat	35	Barter/Speech +14
8	Movie Star	40	Barter/Speech +16
9	Casanova	45	Barter/Speech +18
10	Cult Leader	50	Barter/Speech +20

Charisma

Intelligence

A smart cowboy is good at most anything, from suckin' the poison out of your rattler bite to fixin' your broken wagon axle.

Intelligence affects the skills of Medicine, Repair and Science. It also affects the amount of skill points you receive at each level, with the .5 of odd intelligence scores holding over until the next level. This can be an extremely important skill for a number of reasons: keeping yourself healed, keeping your equipment in good condition and being able to hack computers or do other science related challenges easier. The drawbacks of an extremely low intelligence score is that your character will barely be able to converse in monosyllabic grunts. This can make some quests very difficult if not downright impossible.

Perks related to Intelligence.

Name	Req Int	Req Level
Retention	5	2
Swift Learner	4	2
Comprehension	4	4
Educated	4	4
Entomologist	4	4

Name	Req Int	Req Level
Pack Rat	5	8
Nerd Rage!	5	10
Computer Whiz	7	18
Intelligence Implant	< 10	N/A

	Intelligence	Skill Points	Skill Modifiers(%)
1	Sub-Brick	10.5	Medicine/Repair/Science +2
2	Vegetable	11	Medicine/Repair/Science +4
3	Cretin	11.5	Medicine/Repair/Science +6
4	Knucklehead	12	Medicine/Repair/Science +8
5	Knowledgeable	12.5	Medicine/Repair/Science +10
6	Gifted	13	Medicine/Repair/Science +12
7	Smartypants	13.5	Medicine/Repair/Science +14
8	Know-it-all	14	Medicine/Repair/Science +16
9	Genius	14.5	Medicine/Repair/Science +18
10	Omniscient	15	Medicine/Repair/Science +20

Intelligence

Agility

When a fella's in a gunfight and shoots the other guy six times before they can get off a shot, it's because that fella is agile.

Agility affects the skills of Guns and Sneak. It also affects how fast you run, draw/reload your weapon, how many action points you have and how fast they regenerate. There is no real way to measure your speed, however the higher agility the faster you will move. If you have a two-handed weapon out, it will slow you down as well, so if you are in a hurry holster it or carry a one-handed weapon. If you intend on using VATS a great deal, you will want a higher agility to reap higher action points. You will also want it for sneaking potential.

Perks related to Agility.

Name	Req Agi	Req Level
Small Frame (Trait)	< 10	N/A
Rapid Reload	5	2
Quick Draw	5	8
Silent Running	6	12
Sniper	6	12

Name	Req Agi	Req Level
Light Step	6	14
Action Boy/Girl	6	16
Slayer	7	24
Nerves of Steel	7	26
Agility Implant	< 10	N/A

	Agility	Action Points	Skill Modifiers(%)
1	Walking Disaster	68	Guns/Sneak +2
2	Accident Prone	71	Guns/Sneak +4
3	Oaf	74	Guns/Sneak +6
4	Butterfingers	77	Guns/Sneak +8
5	Under Control	80	Guns/Sneak +10
6	Catlike	83	Guns/Sneak +12
7	Knife Thrower	86	Guns/Sneak +14
8	Knife Catcher	89	Guns/Sneak +16
9	Acrobatic Marvel	92	Guns/Sneak +18
10	Walks on Water	95	Guns/Sneak +20

Agility

Luck

Some folks claim not to believe in lick, but when they lose in a duel you'll hear them say "That lucky son-of-a-gun!".

Luck is a very difficult attribute to completely quantify. It affects all skills to a lesser degree than the other attributes. Your critical chance is improved with a higher luck score, enemies may have more mishaps and if you are gambling, you will find that the cards/wheel/slots seem to fall in your favor more often. If you are something of a generalist, want a broader range of more equal skills and want to clean house at gambling with a minimal amount of actual skill, then luck will be your favored attribute.

Perks related to Luck.

Name	Req Lck	Req Level
Fortune Finder	5	6
Scrounger	5	8
Miss Fortune	6	10

Name	Req Lck	Req Level
Mysterious Stranger	6	10
Better Criticals	6	16
Luck Implant	< 10	N/A

	Luck	Crit Chance(%)	Skill Modifiers(%)
1	13 Pitch Black Cats	1	All Skills +1
2	Broken Gypsy Mirror	1	All Skills +1
3	Sickly Albatross	2	All Skills +2
4	Spilled Salt	2	All Skills +2
5	Coin Flip	3	All Skills +3
6	Stacked Deck	3	All Skills +3
7	Lucky 7	4	All Skills +4
8	Leprechaun's Foot	4	All Skills +4
9	21-Leaf Clover	5	All Skills +5
10	Two-Headed Coin Flip	5	All Skills +5

Luck