Deathclaw (Fallout 2)

Deathclaws are creatures

Gameplay attributes
The creatures are mutated Jackson's Chameleons. They are described as having sharp teeth, muscles, and claws. Deathclaws lay eggs, pairings decided by the pack leader. If the pack mother passes away, a new mate is chosen.

There are several varieties of deathclaw, including those found in random encounters across the wasteland, often in groups of two to five and sometimes including young and baby deathclaws. Two other variants include tough deathclaws and intelligent deathclaws occupying Vault 13, created by the Enclave in an effort to create expendable soldiers. Goris, the son of the Vault 13 pack leader Gruthar, is a recruitable companion.

Intelligent Deathclaws
The Intelligent deathclaws are a group of Deathclaws that were subjected to FEV-II experimentation by the Enclave.

In 2235 Enclave scientists began experimenting on Deathclaws using the Forced Evolutionary Virus in the hope of turning them into soldiers that follow orders with their increased intelligence. However, the experiments resulted in the creatures being far more intelligent than expected, with intelligence often on par with an eight-year-old human and up to that of an adult, and gaining the ability to mimic human speech. Because of the intelligence, they were aware it would be in their best intrest to hide the extent of their mental abilitesand played dumb, waiting for an opprotunity to escape. The opprotunity came May 17 2242 when the group was sent to aid in the Enclave in the detainment of the residents of Vault 13 and patrol the outside area for escapeesor witness. Afterwards the intelligent Deathclaws, led by Gruthar, remained in the Vault and made a nest inside with Goris becoming a wandering scholar and Xarn being captured by the Enclave and transported to Camp Navarro where Doctor Schreber was intent on proving the higher intelligence of the deathclaws.

Appearances
Deathclaws appear in Fallout 2.

Behind the scenes
The Fallout Bible contains background information regarding the development of deathclaws.