Tycho

Tycho is a Fallout 1 joinable NPC. He is a Desert Ranger, which is a reference to Wasteland a 1980s game which is considered to be Fallout's predecessor.

The background infromation about Tycho comes from Jesse Heinig, who designed the character.

He came from east of California, in the Nevada area. His family comes from people who survived the devastation when Great War happened, likely living among the badlands of Nevada. Tycho learned a lot about desert survival and whatnot from his small community, which kept a strong survivalist contingent -- so they still had some small arms and books. They probably had something like the cliff-dwelling Indians going on for their town.

Tycho took off to wandering the desert with traders and explorers for several years, returning from time to time with goods or maps. Most likely he started with small trips and went further abroad as he became more experienced. He went as far as the Gulf of Mexico in Texas and then headed back west. Eventually he wound up on the west coast as a long-range explorer from a loose group of desert rangers whose actual origins, scope and purpose weren't defined.

In some ways Tycho is reminiscent of master Yuta from "Nausicaa and the Valley of the Winds." He carries a gas mask just in case, wears hardened leather armor, has a knife, knuckles, canteen, all the usual survival gear. Jesse Heinig pictured him as this guy in leather armor (Fallout-style) with a gas mask hanging around his neck, goggles (to keep out sand and glare), a sand-colored cloak usable for camouflage and to keep the sun off, and a double-barreled shotgun.

To recruit Tycho, the player must head to Junktown and be at the Skum Pitt at 5 o'clock. Tycho will join you if you have taken on Killian's quest to deal with Gizmo.

General information:
 * Hit Points: 60.
 * Armor: Leather Armor.
 * Weapons: Rifles, Shotguns, Handguns.
 * Give him the Combat Shotgun when you get it.
 * Special: He is equipped with the best armor and has the most health of all the NPCs who can join you.
 * Tycho can teach you some survival skills.
 * Rating: Good throughout the game. Unarguably the best NPC.