Science (Fallout 3)

Science is a skill in Fallout 3. It determines the chance to hack computers, get extra info from terminals, talk to specific persons, get more dialogue options.

Initial level

 * $$\begin{matrix}\text{Initial}\\\text{level}\end{matrix}=2+(2\times\text{Intelligence})+\left\lceil\frac{\text{Luck}}{2}\right\rceil$$

Example: A starting Intelligence of 5 and Luck of 5.
 * $$2+(2\times5)+\left\lceil\frac{5}{2}\right\rceil=15$$

Description
Science primarily allows for hacking of terminals using a mini-game. Certain terminals have different difficulty levels, and different Science skill levels are required to hack them. The difficulty ratings and skill levels are: Very Easy (15), Easy (25), Average (50), Hard (75), and Very Hard (100). The difficulty of the mini-game is relative to the player character's Science skill. Harder terminals have more words, longer words, and fewer brackets.

Ways to increase Science

 * Permanent
 * Leveling up (10+INT (+3 with Educated perk))
 * Bobblehead - Science (+10)
 * Big Book of Science (+1 or +2 with Comprehension)
 * Daddy's Boy/Girl (+5 for each rank, max 3 ranks)
 * Tag! (+15)
 * Survival Expert (+2, 4 or 6)
 * Covert Ops (+3) (Operation: Anchorage)
 * Temporary
 * Mentats (+2-10 depending on Intelligence, a perfect Intelligence of 10 will see no benefits)
 * Enclave scientist outfit (+5)
 * Lesko's lab coat (+10)
 * Scientist outfit (+5)
 * The Surgeon's lab coat (+5)
 * Vault lab uniform (+5)
 * Lab coat (+5) (Broken Steel)

Interactions that require Science skill

 * 50 Science to hack the RobCo production facility mainframe during the quest Wasteland Survival Guide.
 * 50 Science to reactivate the robots during the quest Big Trouble in Big Town.
 * 60 Science to unlock certain dialogue options with Doctor Lesko during the quest Those!. This allows you to learn he had been using a modified form of Forced Evolutionary Virus to induce pyrosis reactions in giant ants, creating fire ants.
 * 75 Science skill to disarm a slave collar.
 * 75 Science to modify healing archways to fully heal the player, though this reduces their number of uses to three. (Mothership Zeta)
 * 75 Science to hack the mobile base crawlers' mainframe. (Broken Steel)
 * 80 Science to deactivate the repulsion fields aboard the crawler. (Broken Steel)
 * 60 Science to bypass the Speech check required to convince John Henry Eden to self-destruct during the The American Dream.