Mole miner

Mole miners are creatures found in Appalachia.

Background
A bleak remnant of Appalachia's storied past, the mole miners are a mutated form of human that make their homes in the many caves and mines of the region, trapped within their deteriorating mining suits. The mole miners are frenzied combatants who attack anything they perceive as a threat.

Despite their suffering, almost all of their cognition and human-like behaviour remains, with mole miners frequently carrying things they considered important in a previous life, such as keys to their old mining lockers. Some of them even go as far as finding value in their collections, assembling vending machines and opening up multiple stores, such as the ones at Berkeley Springs station and the Rusty Pick, to sell their wares for a price. They were first encountered by the Fire Breathers in March 2095.

The particular cause of their significant degeneration is unclear; whether it simply be radiation, the toxic atmosphere of the Ash Heap or a combination of both. Mole miners are highly communal and are rarely (if ever) encountered outside of their organized groups. These are led by foremen and supervisors, a testament to their pasts as coal miners.

At some point, the Vault 76 overseer was seriously injured by a mole miner at the Mountainside Bed & Breakfast and left a holotape log following the experience.

Openly hostile to nearly everyone but themselves (save for Purveyor Murmrgh, the only known exception), the mole miners are highly aggressive, well armed, and have even managed to domesticate mole rats. They make use of a variety of shotguns, assault rifles, missile launchers and improvised weapons to attack their enemies while using their mole rats as anything from standard attack animals to mobile landmines.

Biology
Once human, the mole miners have since degenerated into stout, squat and hardy humanoids that display an extreme hostility towards anything that isn't themselves. Their limbs are extremely short and thick, what can be seen of their face is a grossly bloated physiognomy bloating beyond the confines of their mining equipment, with their eyes unnaturally bulging from no recognizable facial structure. They stand affixed in a permanent hunch with their limbs tucked closely to their body.

They communicate in proper English, though it is garbled due to the mining breathing equipment, giving the impression of mindless mumbling.

Their mutations have endowed them with powerful strength that allows them to wield heavy weapons frequently and effortlessly. Their aggression and hardiness render them capable of warding off staggers and their fast speed allows them to close the gap between themselves and enemies fairly quickly.

Gameplay attributes
Mole miners often live in organized groups and are usually led by a foreman or supervisor. They are immediately hostile to anyone who approaches them except for the mole rats that they share friendly relations with, friendly enough to the point that they can fight opponents together to gain an advantage.

They often mobilize against their target with weapons of great damage such as shotguns or missile launchers. They can easily and quickly mow down low-level player characters. They are mainly located near mining areas in groups, although they can be seen everywhere.

Mole miner
A basic variant of the mole miner, equipped with a variety of shotgun weapons.

Mole miner scraper
The mole miner scrapers have similar resistances to the base variant but with increased melee damage and health.

Mole miner digger
The mole miner diggers have similar resistances to the scrapers but with increased melee damage and health.

Mole miner rockbreaker
The mole miner rockbreakers are a significant step above the diggers in terms of health.

Mole miner foreman
The foremen often come equipped with two weapons. It is not uncommon for them to have missile launchers, and fire two to three missiles before trying to engage with a shotgun, rifle or even a mole miner gauntlet.

Mole miner supervisor
These mole miners were previously supervisors of their mines, and have similar resistances to the foremen, but with increased melee damage and health.

Glowing mole miner
Highly irradiated variant of the mole miners, they are common in the Savage Divide and sometimes in the Ash Heap as a location end boss. They usually have heavier weapons such as shotguns and missile launchers, similar to the foreman variant. They have a distinct green glow to their appearance.

Mole miner sapper
A variant of mole miner that was intended to be used in vault raids, but was never implemented. It has similar stats to a glowing mole miner, however, it has slightly more health.

Mole miner dredger
A variant of mole miner that was intended to be used in vault raids, but was never implemented.

Mole miner skullcrusher
A variant of mole miner that was intended to be used in vault raids, but was never implemented.

Deadly mole miner
A variant of mole miner that was intended to be used in vault raids, but was never implemented.

Scorched mole miner
A charred, fleshy variant of the mole miner infected with the Scorched Plague. All regular mole miner variants have a corresponding Scorched variant with the same stats, abilities, and items. They may become Scorched when attacked by scorchbeasts or the scorchbeast queen, becoming allies with other Scorched creatures.

Treasure hunter
A unique mole miner variant encountered in the Ash Heap during the Treasure Hunter community event. They wear a hand truck strapped to their back acting as an oversized backpack, with various bags and other objects tied to the cart with rope. The handheld transceiver strapped to treasure hunter backpacks emit a distinct radio frequency sound mixed with Morse code-like tones.

They always flee from combat and cannot be pacified using the Wasteland Whisperer perk. Treasure hunters will always be legendary, with a 40% chance to be a 2-star and a 5% chance to be a 3-star. All regular mole miner variants may spawn as a treasure hunter variant with the same stats and abilities, though the base variant name is overwritten.

Notable mole miners

 * Purveyor Murmrgh - A vendor found at The Rusty Pick.

Appearances
Mole miners appear only in Fallout 76.