Fallout 3 random encounters

Throughout the world of Fallout 3, you can encounter random events in the Wastelands. There are certain places where random encounters can happen, but once "activated", a random encounter in a particular area won't change.

You can save outside the spawning area and keep reloading if you don't get the encounter you want.

Random Encounter Locations
These are the known locations so far:

Special/unique npc encounters

 * Amata being questioned by two hostile Enclave soldiers and a non hostile Enclave officer; if you talk to her, move too close to the soldiers, let the soldiers finish talking to her, or attack the soldiers, Amata will be killed; you can save her for no reward or dialog options, she will only say this is all your fault, even if you convinced her that her father/the new Overseer destroyed the Vault.
 * Ben Canning. He is dying of thirst and asks for water. He will accept Purified Water or Dirty Water (unlike the other water beggars who only accept Purified Water).
 * Dogmeat might appear, if you have not recruited him yet.
 * Donovan from Reilly's Rangers who will give you a Mini Nuke if you completed Reilly's Rangers.
 * Laszlo Radford, hostile and will open fire on you with his Railway Rifle.
 * Mel, a modern Highwayman who will demand caps and items from you. You can either utilize speech options, or kill him.
 * Sam Warrick shooting at a Wastelander (if he kills the Wastelander, he'll turn on you).
 * Susie Mack, if you made Amata the Overseer of Vault 101 during Trouble on the Homefront. She will tell you that the Vault is doing fine and give you Purified Water.
 * Uncle Leo, a friendly Super Mutant. If you tell him you're going to rob him, he'll give you a Dirty Pre-War Businesswear as a present. If you attack him he'll run away instead of fighting.


 * "Wasteland Doctor", a Doctor/Merchant that can heal you and/or sell you medicine.
 * "Wasteland Junkie", a Merchant that can sell you drugs.
 * "Wasteland Merchant". After having a talk with him about the Great One, he'll collapse and die.  You'll find a Wasteland Merchant Note on his body about him going to Oasis the next day.
 * If you receive a Chinese Radio Beacon over your Pip-Boy you'll find a dead Chinese Commando at the spawning point. The ref id is a0a4d and the commando carries a unique Chinese Jumpsuit which provides +5 to small gun skill.  Also carries an officer's sword, pistol, and chems.

Hitmen, Regulators and angry mobs

 * A Talon Company ambush if you have a Karma rating of Good, with the "Private Contract" note.
 * A Regulator ambush if you have a Karma rating of Evil. Sometimes there is a Speech challenge where you can bypass them.
 * A Hitman ambush, with the "Contract for Extermination" note, Karma independent.
 * Four Slavers seeking to eliminate you as competition because you have made them look bad - if you capture a large amount of slaves.
 * Three Megaton refugees who attack you with knives (available if Megaton is destroyed)

Scavenger encounters

 * A Scavenger in camp. A scavenger spawns standing stationary near a burning oil barrel.  There is usually a nearby pack Brahmin and pet (either dog or Yao Guai).  He usually has a limited number of items and small cash reserves.  The inventory is randomized in each encounter.
 * A Scavenger heading to Girdershade His entourage includes one or more of the following pets: a Brahmin, Dog or trained Yao Guai.  He'll offer you a Nuka-Cola Quantum.  You can barter with him into reducing the price.  You may randomly encounter him more than once, - meaning that once the limited quantity of Quantum has been used up off of the original map, the Quantum scavenger will become an unlimited, but random, source of it.


 * When approached he will say, Can I interest you in an extremely rare refreshment?


 * Q1-1: That sounds mighty good in this heat. What is it?


 * A1-1: It's called Nuka-Cola Quantum. It's much better than your average Nuka-Cola... it even glows in the dark!


 * Q1-2: If it't that rare, I bet it will cost an arm and a leg.


 * A1-2: Nuka-Cola Quantum is worth its weight in gold. It's much better than your average Nuka-Cola... it even glows in the dark!


 * Q2-1: Nuka-Cola Quantum, huh? That does sound good. How much?


 * A2-1: Only 100 caps, my friend, and a bargain at twice the price! Why, I know a lady in Girdershade who'd pay through the nose for one!


 * Q2-2: How is it better than a regula Nuka-Cola?


 * A2-2: For only 100 caps, you'll be the first to find out! I was on my way to Girdershade to sell it to the lady there, but you could save me the trip.


 * Barter him down to 50 and he concludes, [Success] Well, it willl save me the trip. Fine, you've got a deal. Enjoy!


 * The Girdershade Scavenger carries a small randomized inventory and cash reserve so you can buy and sell items. He also does repairs.  As with any Wasteland NPC, he is vulnerable to attack and likely death from nearby hostile creatures.


 * A Scavenger heading to Big Town with his pet (either dog or Yao Guai).
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town with the "guns" option rather than the "robots" option, he will tell you that Big Town has made a large order for guns, and he is headed there. You can trade with him, he carries a number of weapons and ammo.
 * If you have completed the quest Big Trouble in Big Town with the robots option rather than the guns option, he will tell you "I'm going to Big Town, there's a lot of money to be made there. They ordered a bunch of robot parts." You can tell him you could use some robot parts to trade with him. He has no robot parts, but does have a randomized inventory which usually contains some ammo, weapons, and other assorted junk. You can buy, sell, and/or repair everything, then subsequently kill him for your caps back along with whatever he had for sale. This will result in negative karma.


 * A Scavenger and his pet (either dog or Yao Guai) around a dead random robot (usually a Protectron or Robobrain). He will tell you to stay away from his loot and will attack if you persist on "stealing" from him.  Even point your sights too long at the dead robot he may become hostile.  The robot spawns alive but weakened and usually is quickly killed by the scavenger before you arrive.  Even if you kill the robot before the scavenger can, he will claim it and become hostile if you loot it.  Speak to him before he becomes hostile to get the vendor options.   Killing him while he is hostile will result in negative karma, regardless of his reason for going hostile.
 * A dead Scavenger with a lengthy inventory of loot on his corpse. Sometimes he will spawn holding a Fat Man in good condition, Mini Nuke, and a small number of other items instead of a large quantity of lesser valued items.
 * A Scavenger with his malfunctioned Mister Handy. If you repair it, the Scavenger will give you two Energy Cells.  With a speech check, you can convince him to give you 100 caps and the energy cells. After fixing his robot, he will begin to travel the same route as the traders until he is killed.

Wastelander/Slaver/Slaves encounters

 * Two Wasteland Settlers and two Escaped Slaves fighting over a refrigerator of 10 Purified Water.
 * Two Wastelanders pondering an Enclave Eyebot that hovers around them consistently (as opposed to a long patrol like most). There is no captioned interactive dialog that is possible with them, but they nevertheless hold a long dialog with one another, discussing the eyebot:
 * You see these all over now a days. I wonder what it means?
 * I don't know about you, but it sure gives me the creeps.
 * Creepy if you ask me.
 * What's it doing out here?
 * You think we should shoot it? Enclave tech...
 * I wouldn't. From what I hear you mess with their eyebots and the enclave comes looking for you.
 * I have half a mind to salvage it. "Broken when we found it!" ha ha.
 * That's worth a think. Might sell it for parts, long as we could bring it down mostly undamaged. Hmm...
 * I heard tell of a a scavenger who tried that up Canterbury way... they found his body a week later, scorched with plasma bolts.
 * What's it doing out here?
 * I don't know, but I'd stay away from it. No telling what those Enclave types will get up to next.
 * It sure is shiny. I am not sure I like it though.
 * I'm not sure what to think about it.
 * What do you think it wants?
 * Hell if I know. Spying on us, probably.  Nice reception, though.  Wish I had speakers like that on my radio.
 * Do you think they're watching us through it? "Hi President Eden!"  Maybe he'll come down for a visit sometime. Heh, heh, heh, heh.
 * I kinda like the music, though. Kind of nice to hear something more cheerful than what those hippies on GNR always play.
 * Yeah, something kind of soothing about it, though.
 * Ghoul Wastelanders around a burning barrel, telling you they were headed for Underworld but couldn't make it because of Super Mutants.
 * A Wastelander killing and looting a Mole Rat (only after completing the Wasteland Survival Guide quest). He has different dialogue options, depending on whether or not the player completed all bonus objectives given by  Moira. If the player says he has helped with the book, a congratulatory or a mocking response is received. If the player says he has never heard of the guide, the Wastelander will provide him with a copy of the book.
 * Three Slavers with three Slaves.
 * Three Wastelanders fighting a weakened Deathclaw, one or more may already be dead. (Note that these Wastelanders DO NOT have the schematics for a Deathclaw Gauntlet, see below.) If you run within range of one of the NPCs before the Deathclaw is dead, he/she will stop you saying: We could use your help. That thing came out of nowhere. When you speak to an NPC after killing the Deathclaw he/she tells you: That thing would have killed us all without your help. Thanks. Listen, you may as well take this map. That's where we were headed, but that Deathclaw cured me of my itch for Wasteland adventure.  He then gives you the location of Rock Creek Caverns.  The "map" he gives you is listed in the "Notes" of your Pip-Boy with the description: The map shows directions to Rock Creek Caverns, with the notation: "Mirelurk King's Treasure Chamber!"  The Wastelander ref ids are: 31e2b, 31e2c, 31e2d.
 * Three Wastelanders with the location of the Oasis. If you approach and talk them they turn hostile for mistakenly revealing the location of the  Oasis.
 * A Wastelander attacked by Mole Rats. If you save her she'll give you a small amount of caps.
 * A Wastelander attacked by Radscorpions.
 * Two Wastelanders fighting a Giant Radscorpion over a fridge of 8 purified water. The refrigerator itself is a spawn. Wastelander ref ids: 25dd0, 25dd2.
 * A Wastelander or Slaver fighting Vicious Dogs.
 * Two or three Ghoul Wastelanders in a stand-off with two or three Wastelanders or Escaped Slaves over a fridge full of purified water. You will get half of the water for helping one side to kill the other.  If you arrive after one side has already been killed (usually the non-ghouls), you can also attempt a Speech check to take half of the water.
 * A few Escaped Slaves who have a few dialogue options if you talk with them: if you know where the Temple of the Union is, you can give them the correct directions for some positive Karma, or lie to them for negative Karma, or just say goodbye.
 * A Wastelander runs up and tells you Grayditch is burning. (Reveals location of Grayditch)
 * Two Wastelanders near Frag Mines; one Wastelander will unsuccessfully try to disarm one of the mines. If you are lucky enough or quick enough you can save him by disarming the mines but there is no reward and he will have no dialogue options just react like a generic wastelander.
 * Four escaped slaves who will ask you to remove their collars. Depending on your science skill, you could take it off for positive karma, or it could make their head explode.
 * A Wastelander who has a bomb attached to her. She asks for your help, you can attempt to remove it or let her explode.

Hunters

 * Three Hunters.
 * A lone Hunter selling meat.
 * 2-3 Hunters attacking a Giant Worker Ant or Giant Soldier Ant.
 * Three Hunters attacking a Vicious Dog.
 * One or two Hunters fighting a Yao Guai.
 * Three Hunters chasing and attacking a Wastelander. Killing the hunters results in positive Karma, and they carry Strange Meat, indicating they are roaming cannibals
 * A lone Hunter chasing a wastelander, if you kill the wastelander, the Hunter will sell you meat like the others do (no karma change for killing either of them).

Raiders and Slavers

 * Three Slavers looking for escaped slaves. You can lie for positive karma, or you can charge them for information and they'll give you 50 caps. If you then thank them for the free caps and admit to tricking them, they will become hostile.
 * Five Raiders, four beating the fifth one, who is in undergarments, from all sides, in turns. It seems to be an initiation.
 * Three Raiders and a Wastelander with a time-bomb on him. (Bug: see Wastelander.)
 * Two Raiders fighting two Eyebots. The Eyebots usually win.
 * Two Slavers who will shoot you if you fail the Speech challenge.
 * A single Raider fighting Vicious Dogs.
 * 1-3 Raiders attacking 1-3 Wasteland Settlers.
 * Two Slavers with 2-3 dead Slaves around them. Dialogue indicates that they killed them. possibly because they tried to make a run for it.
 * Two Slavers with a live slave. Oddly,attacking the slavers will make the slave hostile.
 * One Slaver with three slaves. He will tell you he is taking the slaves to Paradise Falls and to mind your own business in floating text. If you kill the slaver, you may attempt to disarm the collars. Note, however, that there is no way way to know the chances of succesfully disarming the collar, so it is best to save before disarming each one.

Corpse encounters (with or without animals/monsters)

 * A Deathclaw and a dead Wastelander. You can find the schematic for the Deathclaw Gauntlet on the dead Wastelander.  (It is possible to save him; dialog will get you the schematics and a location marked on your map where he was attempting to go.)
 * For this editor, he gibbed as soon as he spawned (even before the Deathclaw spawned). It was impossible to save him. (Viewed "spawning" of event through sniper scope at Broadcast Tower KB5, path from Dickerson Tabernacle Chapel hills)
 * 1-3 Vicious Dogs and a dead Wastelander. Wastelander's body has John's Key and a Wastelander Note which starts you on the John's Treasure Box unmarked quest. (Bug: The wastelander does not always appear dead.)
 * Dead Vault 101 dwellers and a Giant Radscorpion - if you drove the Vault 101 dwellers out of the Vault.

Exceptional monster encounters

 * A Deathclaw surrounded by the bodies of various robots, wasteland creatures, raiders, slavers and wastelanders.
 * A giant Radscorpion fighting 1-4 Giant Worker Ants. It will likely remain friendly if not attacked by the player.
 * A friendly Radscorpion (does not attack, appears as a green contact on the HUD)
 * A random number (up to four) of Mad Brahmin.
 * A random number (up to four) of Brahmin.
 * One to four Giant Ants around a toxic barrel with one being bigger than the others.
 * 5-7 Radroaches.

Brotherhood Outcasts

 * One Brotherhood Outcast Robobrain.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts and a Protectron.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts with a Robobrain.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts with a Robobrain fighting a small group of Enclave Soldiers.
 * Two Brotherhood Outcasts armed with a Laser Rifle and Missile Launcher fighting two Yao Guai.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts. Two with Laser Rifles and one with a Gatling Laser.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts armed with Power Fists.
 * Three Brotherhood Outcasts fighting a Deathclaw.
 * A small squad of Brotherhood Outcasts being chased by two Deathclaws.



Item encounters
NOTE: I have mostly seen the UFO explode around high structures (water towers, relay towers...) and if you don't know what the UFO looks like:it's kinda like the artillery shells encountered when leaving the citadel in the final main quest:Take it Back!
 * Four Frag Mines scattered with no one around.
 * A UFO exploding overhead, dropping Firelance and spilling exactly 24 Alien Power Cells all over the area. It helps to have Dogmeat search for the remaining ammo if you can't find it.  Also, if you get this encounter to spawn near a building like the Super-Duper Mart, it's possible the ammo or the gun will clip through the building.  The only way to get the ammo is to have Dogmeat search for the ammo or gun, then when he is running up against the structure you can push him through it.

Other
(Note that this has only happened once in a valley/ditch are outside Oasis. The vertibird was gone after leaving the valley.
 * Attacking a group of enclave soldiers (Usually with a Deathclaw) At an outpost. Afterwards a Vertibird flies overhead. But dosn't attack.
 * Two Protectrons dueling.
 * A Vertibird getting hit by a missile and crashing near you.
 * A Vertibird landing, dropping off a combination of Enclave soldiers and/or Sentry Bots, and then flying away. (Unless you shoot it down, first.)In certain areas, will repeat over and over again, dropping off endless armies of enclave.
 * Also, (though this is very rare,) a friendly Enclave soldier wearing Tesla Armor and armed with a Missile Launcher may appear. The only dialogue option with the soldier is "time for me to go" and obviously results in the conversation ending. He will fight back if attacked, yet dies rather quickly despite being an elite Enclave soldier because of his tesla armor. He will have 1 missile on his corpse along with his weapon and armor.
 * 7 Vicious Dogs attack you all at once (was at a low level when this happened). Most direct southern part of the map from Fort Independence.
 * A Brotherhood of Steel Knight and an Enclave soldier talking to one another.
 * BHOS: So why don't we work together? We're both fighting super mutants.
 * ES: Most of us ain't a fan of this "good fight". Most of us if not all don't know any thing about it.
 * BHOS: See another comparison. We both wear Power Armor. We serve under one command. And we don't know what the good fight is.
 * ES: You're right. Still our armor sets us aside.
 * BHOS: Like?
 * ES: One we dont have a stupid turn air filter on the back of our head. What if you're steping in the middle of a radioactive area and some one runs up behind you and turns that thing?
 * BHOS: That has happend before. Sergeant gunny Rico had stumbled into a little wastelanders nest and boom no air.
 * ES:What happened next?
 * BHOS: We sent a patrol into that area. Found his body and that wasteland scum who did it.
 * ES: Well what ever happend to that rookie who wore that medical prototype power armor?
 * BHOS: We sent him to at a settlement up north called Ol riley, dol elly. Something like that and we got radio transmisions saying he was stuck in a sealed room with some wastelanders.
 * ES: By what?
 * BHOS: By some Deathclaw. Nasty.
 * ES: Did you send troopers there?
 * BHOS: No way! Death claws? did you come out of that Vault too?

Both will then depart, possibly to die at the hands of a Deathclaw. If looted after this, they will both be carrying zero ammo, presumably having expended it on the Deathclaw.