Lenny (Gecko)

Lenny is a ghoul doctor in Gecko in Fallout 2.

Background
Lenny is particularly short and old for a ghoul, having turned into one at a mature age. Before the Great War transformed him, he was an accomplished medical doctor, with a practice in Bakersfield. When the War came, he and his father, William, sought refuge in Vault 12 beneath the city. Unfortunately, the Vault was designed to malfunction and the entire Vault Dweller population was turned into ghouls. Lenny used his talents to help others in the Necropolis, flying under Set's radar and avoiding violence. This helped him survive the super mutant attack intact.

Around 2161, the stuttering ghoul saw a man running through the city: the Vault Dweller. Lenny instantly recognized him as an outsider and when he passed by, Lenny almost reached out to stop him to ask if he could join his quest. But he did not; he lacked the courage to do so. Lenny never forgave himself for this, especially when he learned that the Vault Dweller wiped out the Master's laboratories, destroying the Unity.

Before he heard that news, Lenny and his father just barely survived the super mutant retaliation that killed most ghouls in Necropolis. He migrated north, until he finally arrived in Gecko, where he settled as a doctor and aide to Harold, helping manage the town's affairs and healing those who were hurt. The neighboring Vault City quickly turned out to be a painful reminder of his fate as a ghoul. If given the chance, he would trade his extreme lifespan in for a life as a regular human, using Vault City's technology to heal himself; but Vault City-grade bigotry would never allow this.

Lenny had resigned himself to a life of a glorified bureaucrat until the Chosen One arrived in the city and he unexpectedly received a second shot at a grand quest to save the wastes.

Other interactions

 * When the Chosen One comes to Gecko, he can recruit Lenny to his party. He is very durable as a party member, is capable (growing to be skilled) with pistols and SMGs, and is human-shaped enough to wear armor, in addition to being a skilled doctor. He has only 4 Strength, enough for a H&K P90c. Lenny remains at 7 AP through all his levels. If his strength is increased by being equipped with power armor, enough to use a .223 pistol or even Gauss pistol, Lenny can make an effective supporting member, especially if his Doctor skill is at a higher level than the Chosen's own. Care must be taken however, as Lenny usually enters in the middle of the line of sight in a fight to cure the Chosen One, even if told to wait at a location.
 * Lenny provides affordable healing services at Gecko. If he is recruited and dropped off, he will no longer provide these services.
 * Lenny can trigger many restrictions when dealing with certain characters: many people will refuse to do business with Chosen One if Lenny (or Marcus) is in their party, such as Louise in Redding's Malamute saloon.

Quests

 * Rescue Coffin Willie - Lenny asks the Chosen One to dig up his father Coffin Willie from his grave at Golgotha.

Appearances
Lenny appears only in Fallout 2, although it is implied that he was one of the unnamed ghouls in Fallout. He is also mentioned in the Fallout Bible.

Behind the scenes

 * Lenny was designed by Fallout 2 lead designer Matt Norton. The player was supposed to be able to turn Lenny into a glowing ghoul with copious amounts of Gamma Gulp beer and Roentgen rum, but this functionality was scrapped, likely as a function of the fact that doing so would prevent Lenny from using any weapons except for unarmed ones.
 * Chris Avellone in Extrasode Episode 61 criticized the design of Lenny, describing him as a character whose function in the game is to be shot at.