The Forecaster

The Forecaster is a young clairvoyant psychic living under the overpass at the 188 trading post in 2281.

Background
A young boy sitting on a bedroll, surrounded by a collection of assorted objects, will greet passersby that traverse underneath the overpass. He can provide insight, or "forecasts," into both the future and the past. He will share his thoughts with the Courier, and is forthright and practical about his unique ability. He tells the Courier that people who have heard his thoughts before have found them interesting and called it a "gift." He is modest, explaining that he sees and hears a lot living at the 188, which may account for his unique ability in part.

If he utilizes this ability too much, he suffers from headaches and wears a psychic nullifier, which he refers to as his "medicine," to avoid the side effects. However, while it prevents the migraines, it also blanks his mind. The Forecaster deals with this feeling of loneliness by surrounding himself with items collected from the wasteland, such as books, cameras, and flags, which he describes as valuable, as people had to think in order to make them.

The Courier can inquire as to why he is all alone at his young age, to which he with reply his parents passed away, and he can only see them when he takes off his medicine, but is generally used to being on his own. The Forecaster will share his thoughts with the Courier in exchange for caps, but will not sell his nullifier. If the Courier does not have the 100 caps required, the Forecaster will tell them that it is alright, as they will have the caps someday.

Quests

 * Thought for the Day: The Courier can hear the Forecaster's thoughts on three topics, which he describes as "you," "here," and "everywhere."


 * Quotes

Appearances
The Forecaster appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * The Forecaster was designed by Joshua Sawyer and written/scripted by John Gonzalez. Sawyer was inspired by the experiments of the Cathedral in Fallout and the concept of psykers. He also wanted the first child the player would likely meet to be friendly and helpful. Sawyer later stated that he somewhat regretted going "a little over the edge" with the writing.
 * The Forecaster is referred to as "Clay" in dialogue script notes.

Bugs
If the player character has the Mister Sandman perk, visits the Forecaster at night and tries to pickpocket him while he sleeps, he will get the murder option. However, The Forecaster is a kid and cannot die, but the player character still gets the bonus XP.