Giant cockroach (Fallout Tactics)

Great American cockroaches, colloquially called giant cockroaches or radroaches, are giant versions of the pre-War species mutated by atomic radiation.

General characteristics
Found mainly in underground areas and sewers across North America, these creatures can usually be found in fairly large groups. They feed on the dead, but will go after living creatures if isolated. Their numbers are their greatest advantage. Radroaches live mostly in the areas east of California.

It is said that radroach innards are actually useful in the treatment of radiation poisoning, and are widely used by tribals for that purpose.

Variants
In the Midwest, radroaches are a common sight in the Wasteland. As in the Capital Wasteland, they can be encountered nearly everywhere, from old buildings to plains. However, they are drastically different and more dangerous than those met in the Capital Wasteland. They have a big, protected main body and small legs, and their saliva is incredibly toxic. They are very aggressive and attack every human unlucky enough to encounter them.

The Midwestern radroaches are more varied than their Capital Wasteland cousins. Three variations are known:

Small radroach
The weakest of the radroaches, they can easily be killed. However, their bites can poison an opponent, and when they are in large groups, they can kill even a prepared combatant. Small radroaches are nearly the same size as their relatives in the Capital Wasteland.

Large radroach
Similar to their smaller cousins, they are, however, larger (being approximately the same weight as a human) and have an ability to spit their toxic saliva.

Roachor
Roachor is a unique mutant radroach encountered by the Warrior of Brotherhood of Steel. He is an "advanced" version of a large radroach, who lived in the Peoria facility. It appears Roachor was affected by the high amount of radiation coming from a strange production device which was used in manufacturing fusion batteries. He is even bigger than any large radroach, being the same size as a car, his body glowing with a greenish radioactivity. His poison is even deadlier than that of Midwestern radroaches. However, the Warrior succeeds in killing him.

Appearances
Radroaches appear in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout Tactics, and were to appear in Van Buren. They were also mentioned in Fallout Bible 1.

Behind the scenes

 * In real life, roaches are noted for their relatively high resistance to radiation — about five to ten times that of humans. However, there are other insects and arachnids even more resistant to radiation, including fruit flies and scorpions. Their resistance to radiation can be explained through their cell-cycle. A tissue-cell is most vulnerable to radiation when it divides, but the cells of a cockroach only divides once every time it molts.

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