Marked Men

Marked men are a variant of Ghouls only found in the Divide in 2281.

Background
Marked men are the remnants of the NCR and Caesar's Legion soldiers situated in the Divide when atomic warheads detonated at the same time as the First Battle of Hoover Dam in 2277, creating great earthquakes and storms. The violent storms skinned them alive while the intense radiation caused a unique variant of ghoulification. The ghoulification kept them alive and in incredible pain from their wounds. In dialogue between the Courier and Ulysses, the Courier can confirm that such injuries and radiation would have killed ordinary ghouls. The marked men are only kept alive by the radiation of the Divide, which now heals their particular forms.

Despite belonging to completely different factions with opposing ideologies when they were humans, the pain united them into a single group. Their hate for the NCR and the Legion was turned against the Divide and its intruders. Some former Caesar's legionaries crafted crude versions of Legate Lanius' helmet, constructed from Divide metal, not with care and strength, but with hate, keeping them anchored. Others shaped crude blades like distant mirrors of their new and unknown Legate, like a symbol they can hold on to, while the Divide tears them. The NCR, on the other hand, stuck to their guns; ranged death from afar being their own symbol. They wear old NCR and Legion armor damaged over time, patched together with road signs, license plates and other scrap metal.

Biology
Ghoulification and the storms have peeled their skin off, leaving behind only muscle. The radiation of the Divide may be the only thing keeping them alive.

Gameplay attributes
Marked men level with the player and have a relatively high amount of health for humanoid opponents, additionally their tattered armor still offers them modest-to-moderate protection (albeit far less then properly maintained regular versions of their armor). They are overall on par with the White Legs tribals of Honest Hearts or the Lobotomites of Old World Blues in terms of health and armor.

They carry a variety of powerful high end weaponry both of the ranged and melee variety, and at higher levels (above level 40) have the unique attribute of being the only faction that almost universally uses non-standard ammunition for their weapons (slugs and armor piercing rounds in particular) which makes them all the more dangerous. Additionally, many marked men make simultaneous use of both firearms and grenades. They also sometimes carry and use stealth boys, especially in the area near Ulysses' Temple.

When near sources of radiation they rapidly regenerate their health, even more quickly than normal ghouls do, making hit and run tactics far less useful when fighting them in an irradiated area (marked men sometimes regenerate health even when in a non-radioactive area, such as during the final battle in Ulysses' Temple). However, they tend to be few in number and it is rare to find more than a dozen in any particular location.

Marked men hunter
Marked men hunters appear to be former NCR troopers, and are exclusively equipped with powerful ranged weapons. They often carry arc welders or tri-beam laser rifles. They also carry trail carbines, assault carbines, or sniper rifles at low levels (level 1 to level 30), and anti-materiel rifles, brush guns, or marksman carbines at higher levels (level 30 or above).

They overwhelmingly wear former NCR armor (the marked trooper armor), although they occasionally wear the former Legion marked scout armor instead.

Marked men marauder
Marked men maurauders are higher-ranking marked men that specialize in heavy weapons, Carrying missile launchers and light machine guns at lower levels (below level 30), miniguns, heavy incinerators, gatling lasers, and Plasma casters at higher levels (above level 30), and shoulder mounted machine guns at all levels.

They wear either marked tribal armor or marked patrol armor, suggesting that they are a mix of former NCR Rangers and former high-ranking legionaries. As such they are slightly better armored than the other marked men variants.

Marked men ravager
Marked men ravagers appear to be former Legionaries, and specialize in melee weapons. They often carry the Blade of the West, as well as fire axes and shishkebabs at lower levels (below level 30), and sledgehammers, super sledges, and thermic lances at higher levels (above level 30). They also carry and use incendiary grenades.

Ravagers overwhelmingly wear ex-Legion marked scout armor, although they occasionally wear ex-NCR marked trooper armor instead.

Marked men scout
Marked men scouts appear to be former Legionaries equipped both firearms and frag grenades. They generally carry either pistols, one-handed submachine guns, or shotguns. They are equipped with flare guns and plasma defenders at all levels, and 12.7mm pistols, hunting shotguns, and hunting revolvers at lower levels (below level 30), as well as 12.7mm submachine guns and riot shotguns at higher levels (above level 30).

Scouts overwhelmingly wear ex-Legion marked scout armor, although they occasionally wear ex-NCR marked trooper armor instead.

Appearances
Marked men appears only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road.

Behind the scenes

 * Marked man seems to have been inspired by the first ghoul concept for Fallout named "blood man".

Gallery
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