Slave collar

Background
The slave collar is a collar used by the slavers from Paradise Falls. The collars send a frequency to Paradise Falls to keep track of where every collared slave is. The collars are also equipped with explosives, which detonate when a slave attempts to escape.

While it is possible that the collars are manufactured by the slavers due to their relatively simple design, it's also possible that they are of a pre-War origin, possibly used to escort prisoners.

It is possible to remove a collar from an enslaved NPC simply by talking to them and selection the appropriate conversation choice. Success in removing the collar is based on the player's Science skill: your level must be at least 25 to attempt to remove the collar, with only a 50% chance of success. The likelihood of success increases in steps (at levels 50 and 75) up to a 100% success rate.

Outside of initiating conversation, the player character may be approached in the Wasteland by an escaped slave still wearing a Slave Collar, who will beg for the collar to be removed.

The collar will also explode if struck by the Mesmetron, so be sure to Mez only NPCs who aren't yet wearing one. As the slave collar's instructions state, "The Mezzer rays trigger the collar's self-destruct mechanism, so once the collar's on, don't shoot the slave with the Mesmetron, unless you want to pay me for a new collar.".

Obtaining
There are two versions of this item; the first is a quest item given to the player by Grouse for use in the quest Strictly Business, along with a Mesmetron. It has a weight of 1 and a value of 0, and cannot be removed from the player's inventory except by enslaving an NPC.

The second version of this item is a hidden apparel item that is generated on NPCs enslaved by the player. It can be worn by the player on the PC by typing into the console:  to add the collar to the inventory, then   to equip it. will remove the collar.

Related quests

 * Strictly Business
 * Strictly Profitable
 * The Kid-Kidnapper

Behind the scenes

 * Exploding collars are frequently used as plot devices in fiction entertainment. The earliest known use of an exploding collar was in the Starchild Trilogy, a trio of novels published between 1964 and 1969.

Bugs

 * If the player receives more than one slave collar, enslaves multiple people, and then returns to Paradise Falls, Grouse will say that you have lost the collar, and will make you pay for a new one. Also, if the player receives more than one slave collar and enslaves more than one person, Grouse may still pay you for only one slave, and you will receive one collar.
 * Removing a collar via dialog from any NPC who has been enslaved by the player (other than Red, Flak, Arkansas, and Susan Lancaster) may cause a crash to desktop. A small number of NPCs, such as Bone, will always cause a crash in this instance.
 * If you put a slave collar on an Enclave scientist (the ones wearing a glass helmet), their body will become invisible leaving only their hands and head visible.

Exploits

 * If you stand outside Paradise Falls, where the merchants are (for an example Crazy Wolfgang) and wait for a caravan to arrive, equip the Mesmetron and save the game. After you've done that, enslave the caravan guard (this will make the merchant hostile). Ignore the merchant and run to Grouse, he will give you 250 caps and a slave collar. After you've received your reward, follow the enslaved caravan guard to the slave pen, then run back to Grouse. You will receive 250 caps again and another slave collar.