Marked Men

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

Background
Marked men are the remnants of the NCR and Caesar's Legion soldiers stationed at the Divide at the time that the Courier unintentionally brought a package from Navarro containing a mysterious ICBM detonator, causing the nuclear warheads that were still underground in their silos since the Great War to detonate, 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 both 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
Marked men are hardened ghouls with a fiery red tone due to their environment. 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. They have small flakes of skin and hair attached to them, mainly on the head, and wear broken-down and ruined faction clothes, most of which used to be worn by the New California Republic and Caesar's Legion.

Gameplay attributes
Marked men level with the player and have a high amount of health for humanoid opponents, additionally their tattered armor still offers them modest-to-moderate protection (albeit far less than 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. Those that carry brush guns always use hollow point rounds which effectively nerfs the weapon against well armored targets.

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. They carry 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.

Irradiated marked men hunter
Irradiated marked men hunters are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier during the quest: The Launch.

Irradiated marked men marauder
Irradiated marked men marauders are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier during the quest: The Launch.

Irradiated marked men ravager
Irradiated marked men ravangers are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier during the quest: The Launch.

Irradiated marked men scout
Irradiated marked men scouts are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier during the quest: The Launch.

Notable marked men

 * Blister
 * Beast
 * Bonesaw
 * Blade

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

Behind the scenes

 * Marked men seem to have been inspired by Fallout's original concept for ghouls, which at the time were called "blood men".

Gallery
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