Cripple

Fallout and Fallout 2
Targets can be crippled by aiming for the body parts. Having a crippled leg prevents running and requires more action points to move. A crippled arm disables using two-handed weapons. If the arm crippled is the arm wielding a gun, the accuracy of the weapon will decrease significantly. If both arms are crippled, only unarmed attacks can be used.

In Fallout 1 & 2, crippling of the eyes resulted in blindness.

Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas
Although body part damage can be achieved through manual aiming, V.A.T.S. allows more effective targeting of particular body parts. The effects of crippling specific body parts are listed below.
 * Crippling the head will reduce overall accuracy and Perception (-4) of the target. If inflicted upon the player character, the screen will intermittently get fuzzy and a ring will be heard through the speakers, loosely simulating the effects of a concussion.
 * Crippling the torso will result in the target flinching far more often from shots than normal. This can also affect the player character, throwing off aim and interrupting attacks (even in V.A.T.S.).
 * Crippling an arm will drastically reduce accuracy and may disarm the target if a weapon is held in the attached hand. This is particularly evident when using a scoped weapon, such as a sniper rifle. The weapon itself is not destroyed, and the target can pick it up again or use another weapon from their inventory.
 * A crippled right arm also reduces base melee damage done by 10% if wielding a one-handed weapon. If wielding a two-handed weapon (or unarmed), one crippled arm reduces base damage done by 5%, two crippled arms reduce base damage done by 10%.
 * Crippling a leg will result in impaired mobility. Creatures who rely on leaping attacks (e.g. deathclaws) will no longer be able to use them.
 * Crippling both of the player character's legs disables special melee and unarmed moves that are executed outside of V.A.T.S., such as Mauler or Ranger Takedown.
 * Crippling the held weapon will ruin it and make it unusable, and/or send it flying out of the target's hand. Although the condition is zero and it cannot be used, it can still be collected and repaired, or used for repairs. The player character's weapon may be damaged by enemy fire as well. If the weapon's Condition depletes, it will be unequipped as opposed to flying out of the hands. If it is an explosive ordnance (like a frag grenade), it will explode, dealing its damage to the target holding it (and any others nearby). Grenades can be targeted by V.A.T.S. while in the air after being thrown as well.
 * Some enemies have alternate targets: Robots, ants, and others have special targetable parts that when crippled will push them into a frenzied state, where they ignore discern between friend and foe and will attack anything.

Crippling any body part will result in the target momentarily pausing to clutch the now crippled body part or reel from the injury.

When using explosive and melee weapons specific body parts cannot be targeted while in V.A.T.S. The enemy is simply targeted as a whole.

Healing a crippled body part
In combat, the player character may also sustain crippling damage. This was originally to be a mini-game. In order to repair this damage, it requires:
 * Pay (50-100 caps) for a doctor to heal it.
 * Sleep in any bed.
 * Use a stimpak (either on the crippled body part directly or generally through normal stimpak-healing).
 * Develop advanced radiation sickness (400 rads) if you have the Rad Regeneration perk.
 * Use My First Infirmary
 * Use a doctor's bag or hydra.
 * Use a healing poultice or weapon binding ritual.

Hardcore Mode (Fallout: New Vegas only)

 * Paying a doctor works the same.
 * Sleeping only heals if the bed is owned.
 * Stimpaks cannot be used to heal limbs.
 * Doctor's bags function like stimpaks on Casual.