Ghost People

Ghost people are creatures found in the Sierra Madre in 2281.

Background
Ghost people are mutated humans, changed forever by The Cloud, a combination of poisonous rust-like toxins unique to Sierra Madre. They are the only ones able to walk in and out of the Cloud unharmed. A green gas seems to escape and re-absorb continuously from the combination by means of aeration on their legs, seeming to be The Cloud indicating that their mutation in fact originates from permanent exposure to The Cloud.

The origins of the ghost people remain unclear. They wear the hazmat suits that were provided to the construction crews working on the Sierra Madre Villa before the Great War, but if they are those crews, they have changed into something no longer quite human. Dismembering them reveals bright, glowing blood, akin to that of an abomination or glowing one, which would support this theory, as ghouls are capable of having a lifespan well exceeding that of a human. They also scream before attacking, similar to feral ghouls. But they seem to be a different mutated evolution and not simply a ghoul or glowing one, since fire immunity, virtual immortallity and death with limb amputation is a mutation very specific to them.

According to data from terminals in the medical section of the Sierra Madre, construction workers at the site first received their hazmat suits after a gas leak sent one of them to the hospital. The suits were bulky, nearly impossible to speak through, grew stiff with use, had locks that corroded to the point where the suits had to be cut open with a cosmic knife, and still didn't provide proper protection from the poisonous gas cloud.

The ghost people have acquired their moniker through their practice of "hunting" the holographic "ghosts" of the Sierra Madre villa, perhaps seeing them as some reverent figures or prey from which to draw power. Their name can also be ascribed to the ghostly manner in which they inhabit the ruins, their manner, movements, and general presence seemingly much akin to a malignant haunting to any who have survived and fled attempts to breach the Sierra Madre.

It is not clear why the ghost people drag their victims off into the cloud. Whether to consume, torture, or convert them into something like themselves, nobody knows, or has survived to tell the tale.

Biology
Ghost people are very mysterious. They do not speak, and they seem to neither sleep nor eat. They seemingly exist only to lurk through the villa ruins, forever seeking prey, whether mortal or holographic; if they lair at all, it is unclear where. Although according to Dean Domino they live in the underground service routes and sewers of the Sierra Madre Villa.

They shamble like undead creatures due to either some cloud-related malady or their centuries-old, stiffening hazmat suits. The Ghost people are the remains of long dead humans kept alive by the Trauma Suits manufactured in the Big Empty. Per a terminal entry at the Y-17 Medical Facility, it explains that the suits are capable of overtaking complete control of its wearer even after death. Despite this, they are in fact quite agile when necessary, often lunging and dashing with surprising speed. If they possess any form of territorial mindset, it is unknown, as quite often they will appear from the shadows to strike or pursue prey relentlessly throughout the region, stopping only once they or their victim is dead.

The unnerving green glow of their eyes is most likely due to the integrated night-vision setting of their filtration masks' optics, necessary in the perennially dark realm they haunt. It is speculated that this glow could also be from their actual eyes, an adaptation developed from two centuries of cloud exposure, similar and superior to the effects of Ghost Sight. It is also possible this optic lambency is a direct result of consuming Cloud residue (likely thinking the resinous rust to be the remains of holograms, and thereby ingesting it to acquire perceived sustenance or power), although this theory remains quite baseless. When questioned on how ghost people taste, Dog says that they have pockets of pressurized gas inside them, which explains why blood and yellow fluid spray at apparent high pressure when they are injured. Also, they are immune to fire, probably due to their mutations and despite virtual immortality, they strangely die if one of their limbs is amputated, maybe showing a universal mutation from which everything is connected to each other, not just the brain with the other organs, causing direct death if a member is removed.

Gameplay attributes
All ghost people are hostile to the player. They are difficult to pin down, as they will constantly lurch and jump around during engagements. They do not utilize firearms, using only primitive weapons made from resources found in the Sierra Madre villa.

They are difficult to kill permanently by normal means; they must be disintegrated, dismembered or eaten by Dog, or they will simply get up and continue attacking. The simplest way to keep them from getting back up is to dismember their limbs (primarily their head) with a melee weapon. This will stop them from reviving and attacking once more. The revival of the ghost people is most likely due to their exposure to the cloud. It is indicated by characteristic gurgling, so it is recommended that the player either stand back or quickly destroy one of their limbs before they can return to the battle.

Often the only warning the player has of their presence is a strangled choking or muttering sound they make. Ghost people are technically exceedingly easy to sneak by, as they have zero Perception, but the narrow streets and many traps around the Villa make sneaking past them much harder.

The corpses of ghost people, when picked up using the Pick Up command, weigh around the same as a tin can not a body and can be manipulated easily, further suggesting their ghostly nature.

Variants
Each variant of ghost people has six levels of difficulty. Only five levels will spawn in game due to the current level limit of 40. Each level has identical statistics except for level and health.

Ghost harvester
Ghost harvesters are the most common variant of ghost people. They are the smallest variant and are easily distinguished by their hoods and smaller gas masks.

They are equipped with knife spears and throwing knife spears, using the throwing spears until they are exhausted and then charging the player equipped with a knife spear, unless the player closes to melee range first.

They are not the most durable or proficient opponent in close combat, but their throwing knife spears can cause great damage in a short time. Also, they usually perform a jump to right or left after throwing a spear, which makes them hard to target with a weapon.

During one section of Fires in the Sky, ghost harvester corpses will contain ghost harvester remains for Dog to eat.

Ghost trapper
Ghost trappers can be identified by their large size and lack of hoods. They are only equipped with bear trap fists. Ghost trappers are also responsible for the inordinate amount of bear traps and tripwires in the Sierra Madre.

They are capable and tough unarmed fighters, so they are best picked off from a distance. However, ghost trappers are often found in groups with knife spear-bearing Harvesters or Seekers.

Ghost seeker
Ghost seekers are the least common variant of ghost people. They are taller than ghost harvesters but slimmer than ghost trappers and usually wear a hood.

They are equipped with knife spears and gas bombs, throwing one or occasionally two gas bombs and then closing to attack with a knife spear.

While they do not withstand as much damage as ghost trappers, ghost seekers are extremely capable in melee combat. It should be noted that low level players should watch out for ghost seekers, as the gas bombs can cripple limbs.

Appearances
Ghost people appear only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Dead Money.

Behind the scenes

 * The ghost people's design may be a reference to the British Science Fiction show "Doctor Who", in which one episode nanogenes transform people into gas masked beings. It quotes the episode via in-game graffiti "I am not your mummy".

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