Deacon

Deacon is a Railroad agent living in the Commonwealth in 2287. He is a potential companion in Fallout 4.

Background
Deacon is a spy for the elusive synth liberation organization, The Railroad. When the Sole Survivor first approaches the group he vouches for the Survivor's character to Desdemona, citing their accomplishments and potential. Privately Deacon reveals he is pleased the Survivor sought the Railroad out on their own accord: he had already been keeping tabs on their activities in the Commonwealth and was hoping to recruit them down the line. Should the Sole Survivor join their team Deacon will become a companion.

At first glance, Deacon is a laid back, lighthearted individual with a penchant for toying with people by lying. In reality, he proves to be a cautious loner who is slow to trust. As they travel together Deacon informs the Survivor that he is one of the first of the liberated Gen-3's and imparts his recall code: a verbal command that will provide information on the Institute at the cost of wiping his entire personality. Later on, Deacon claims that he was one of the original founders of the Railroad some 70 years before, and Desdemona is merely the figurehead for his shadowy leadership. However, successfully passing speech checks will cause him to confess these are lies. He then warns the Sole Survivor to be wary of malicious people who will attempt to deceive them to achieve their own ends.

Once Deacon has reached maximum approval he will confide in the Survivor that he feels out of place in the Railroad. He says that as a youth he was a member of the University Point Deathclaws, a gang which harassed people accused of being synths. Their antagonism escalated to a lynching that was based upon questionable information. Shaken by his part in the killing, Deacon left the gang to settle down as a farmer. Some time later he fell in love a woman named Barbara. They intended to start a family, but the Deathclaws reemerged and attacked the farm. The gang had learned - to both Deacon's and Barbara's surprise - that Barbara was a synth. Distraught and enraged by her execution, Deacon butchered most of the Deathclaws in a bloodthirsty haze. In the aftermath of the slaughter, he was contacted by the Railroad, who were seemingly unaware of his prior affiliation with the Deathclaws. Despite believing himself undeserving, Deacon joined up and swore himself to the cause of synthetic freedom and equality.

Whether or not the Survivor chooses to believe his story, Deacon will thank them for putting up with his games. He says he is grateful to have a friend he can trust and promises to always have the Survivor's back.

Quests

 * Tradecraft: Deacon accompanies the Sole Survivor to the Railroad's previous headquarters to retrieve a lost prototype.
 * Precipice of War: The Sole Survivor and Deacon escort Tinker Tom to Cambridge Police Station to steal a Brotherhood vertibird.
 * Rockets' Red Glare: Using the stolen vertibird, the Sole Survivor and Deacon infiltrate and sabotage the The Prydwen.
 * The Nuclear Option: Deacon and the other members of the Railroad assault the Institute, freeing the synths within before blowing up the facility's nuclear reactor.

Effects of player's actions

 * At maximum approval Deacon awards the Cloak & Dagger perk, which gives +40% duration for Stealth Boys and +20% damage from sneak attacks.
 * Deacon will become instantly hostile if the player character kills a settler or anyone involved in the Railroad.
 * Siding with the Brotherhood of Steel or the Institute in the end game sequence will flag the player character an enemy of the Railroad, resulting in the loss of Deacon as a companion and turning him hostile.
 * After siding with the Minutemen and finishing the end game sequence without completing the optional quest, the Railroad and Deacon will turn hostile when the player character next speaks to Desdemona. You may still speak to other Railroad characters and complete quests for them.

Notable quotes

 * "The big three for predicting people: caps, beliefs, and ego. Get a handle on what's driving someone and you know where you stand."
 * "And here I was wanting to spend the day reading Proust. And then you have to ruin it."
 * "I really want to know how the Big One started. What idiot fired first? Why? What the hell did they think they'd gain?"
 * "But I had a point here. A lesson, if you will. There're other organizations out there. And, in time, I'm sure they're going to spoon-feed you their own patented form of bullshit. Ignore the verbage and look at what they're doing. What they're asking you to do. What sort of world they'd have you build and how they're going to pay for it."
 * "I'm going to try to convince the next raw recruit that I'm President Eden. Think I can pull it off?"
 * (When the Sole Survivor takes drugs that he doesn't like) "Now isn't that just fun to watch...feeling peppy now?"
 * (When told to stay) "Absolutely. And my eagerness is totally unrelated to wanting a smoke break."
 * "I never really much cared for the Minutemen. The idea sounds great. But you give small men big power and sometimes you'll pay for it."
 * "One time, I got a face change and was a girl for a few months. You should've seen the looks back at HQ."
 * (To enemy) "You know, running away is always an option! I won't shoot you. Promise."
 * (To enemy) "You know ammo isn't cheap. Can we just pay you to be dead?"
 * (When you decide to keep Buddy) "This robot is a national treasure!"
 * "Insert something Shakespearean involving death and your inevitable doom here."
 * (After reaching the top of Trinity Tower) "Alright. You got me up here... let's go down. Now?"
 * (When seeing the Alien ship crash land) "We got to get to that crash site, even if it means Tinker gets to say "I told you so!"."
 * Did I ever tell you about the time I went to the Capital Wasteland? Now there's a tale!
 * All this sunlight. I feel exposed.

Appearances
Deacon appears only in Fallout 4.

Bugs

 * Deacon goes into a loop if one selects 'Talk' after he has given his recall code, denying exiting of power armor. This may be fixed by reading him the code, which is part of the story.
 * Reading the note then talking to him will allow to read the note aloud, triggering a conversation and ending the loop.
 * It's possible for Deacon to get stuck in an infinitely looped conversation with other companions when not in combat.
 * When in power armor, Deacon's outfit changes affect the armor too, and he will unequip whatever armor pieces are equipped.
 * A rare glitch may occur where Deacon will keep his rifle out, except the trigger will be floating above his hand; he will not move and keep aiming with his rifle while remaining on the spot.
 * The only way to fix this is to fire him and come back for him later.
 * Sometimes when giving Deacon an outfit to wear, he will stay in that outfit even when trying to switch to a different outfit. The different outfit will change his body shape, but he will still be wearing the original outfit.
 * When doing the Police Station part of the Precipice of War-quest, talking with Deacon, and telling him to join you as his companion, can make him your permanent companion, without taking up a companion slot. If he is dismissed, he will say the usual goodbye stuff and you can send him to a settlement, but he will continue to follow, and fight alongside you. You may have other companions at the same time.

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