Perk

In the SPECIAL character system, Perks are beneficial bonuses the player character picks up from experience. The number of Ranks each Perk has determines how many times the perk can be taken.

Perk Rate is a Derived Statistic. It describes how often the character is allowed to pick a Perk. The lower the Perk Rate, the better. Character's Perk Rate depends on his race, traits, such as Skilled (which increases the rate) and Fear the Reaper (which decreases it). Some perks, like Divine Favor, may decrease the Perk Rate as well.

In Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics, the racial Perk Rate for humans is 3, which means that they can pick a new Perk every 3 levels. In Tactics, the rate is 4 for ghouls, super mutants and deathclaws, and 2 for dogs. Robots cannot pick Perks at all.

In Fallout 3, the Perk Rate is always 1 - that is, you can pick a new perk every level. Also, Traits, part of the character system in all previous games, were not included in Fallout 3, and some of them were turned into Perks.

In Fallout and Fallout 2 you are not able to save up perks to use at future perk acquiring levels. Any unselected perk will be lost forever at the next perk level if you do not select one before this time. E.g. level 3 > perk not chosen, level 6 > perk not chosen (level 3 perk point lost), level 9 > better criticals chosen (level 6 perk point lost). In Fallout Tactics, however, you are able to save up perks to use at a later time.

In Lionheart (a non-Fallout game using the SPECIAL system), the first Perk is taken at Level 2, not 3, but the subsequent Perks are taken every 3 Levels.

Lists of Perks

 * All perks
 * Fallout perks
 * Fallout 2 perks
 * Fallout 3 perks
 * Fallout Tactics perks
 * Van Buren perks
 * Lionheart perks
 * TORN perks

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