Fiends

The Fiends are a local raider gang operating in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.

Background
Vault 3 was once an ordinary, happy vault operating perfectly to its intended pre-war standards. The vault was one of the few vaults not connected to any experiments, purely functioning to protect its residents. However, Vault 3 was one of several vaults designed to only operate for 20 years, after which it was intended to have been opened. Residents of the vault, scared of what may exist outside, remained locked up in the vault for 200 years, until an accidental water leak occurred in the vault—forcing the inhabitants to open up the vault and trade with locals. The success of the trading caught the attention of raiders, who easily attacked Vault 3 as they had not set up any security. After the original residents of the vault were either slaughtered or had managed to flee, the raiders took over Vault 3, which essentially became their "capital".

Calling themselves the Fiends, the vault was left wide-open, practically being a feral den for the raiders and their huge pack of dogs. Unfortunately, the capture of the vault gave the raiders a safe haven to operate from, allowing them to also take over the entire south-western part of the New Vegas area. Composed largely of violent, mentally unstable drug addicts, individually they are unexceptional in every way, but their large numbers have made them a dangerous organization for settlements and travellers in west New Vegas. Whether it is murder, rape, or shooting innocents for sport, the Fiends are more than happy to bring anarchy to the areas under their control.

Organization
The Fiends have little organization except for their occupation of Vault 3 and a few central leaders: Violet, Cook-Cook, Driver Nephi, and Motor-Runner. With Motor-Runner being the one running Vault 3, he is presumed to be the main leader of the Fiends, while Violet, Cook-Cook and Driver Nephi control smaller crews of their own. Like many other raider groups, the Fiends split into small war-parties, usually between 3-4 members, which allows them to operate in an enormous portion of the outer New Vegas area aside from their main area of west and south-western New Vegas.

Outside, they are usually gathered around campfires, where much of their scavenged items such as first aid and ammunition boxes can be found scattered around. Many raider camps are protected by makeshift walls and littered with graffiti. At times, they utilize traps in order to protect their shelter, evident in the many traps found inside Zapp's Neon Signs.

Relations with the outside
The Fiends appear to attack anyone except the Great Khans, who are their main suppliers of chems. With a Speech skill of 64, you can tell the Fiend guarding Vault 3's entrance that you are a chem supplier, which you can sell for 20 caps each (22 with a Barter skill of 65), also allowing the Courier to roam the vault without the raiders being hostile towards them. The Fiends are a constant problem for the NCR particularly, as Camp McCarran is located a short distance from Vault 3, making it especially prone to Fiend attacks. The problem became such an issue for the resource-strained NCR that Major Dhatri put bounties on the Fiend leaders' heads, offering these contracts to private mercenaries.

While the Fiends are openly hostile towards almost all groups in the Mojave except the Great Khans, they do seem to co-operate with a few certain wasteland inhabitants. Cook-Cook is known to have bought slaves from Saint James and Dermot, while Caesar's Legion frequently provides the Fiends with information on NCR troop movements, helping them set up ambushes and traps.

Equipment
The Fiends, being mentally unstable raiders with little organization, make use of what is available in their surroundings. They wear ragged clothes with minimal armor which allows them to move around quickly just like other raiders, however Fiends are distinguished by their unique headpieces made from animal skulls. Cook-Cook and Duke are the only Fiends who do not wear these headpieces.

Fiends have a variety of different weapons, from basic melee weapons such as knives and pool cues, to high-tech range weapons like Laser RCWs and plasma rifles. They are mostly found carrying basic guns like caravan shotguns, varmint rifles, and silenced .22 SMGs. Some Fiends can occasionally be found carrying weapons like chainsaws, Rippers, and flamers. Due to the wide range of different weapons varying from Fiend to Fiend, it is assumed that they are either scavenged, stolen or looted off people the raiders had killed.

Appearances
Fiends only appear in Fallout: New Vegas and the graphic novel All Roads.

Bugs

 * When you have dealt with Motor-Runner and the Fiends in a friendly way during Aba Daba Honeymoon or by passing a Speech Check at the entrance to Vault 3 the Fiends might become permanently friendly. Entering in the console will make them hostile again.
 * When you kill Cook-Cook, Violet and Driver Nephi (leaving Motor-Runner alive), and complete the endgame quest Eureka! for the NCR, you still get the ending as if all Fiend leaders remain alive.