Lenny (Gecko)

Lenny is a ghoul doctor in Gecko in Fallout 2.

Background
Lenny is particularly short and old for a ghoul, having turned into one at a mature age. Before the Great War transformed him, he was an accomplished medical doctor, with a practice in Bakersfield. When the war came, he and his father, William, sought refuge in Vault 12 beneath the city. Unfortunately, the Vault was designed to malfunction and the entire Vault Dweller population was turned into ghouls. Lenny used his talents to help others in the Necropolis, flying under Set's radar and avoiding violence. This helped him survive the super mutant attack intact.

Around 2161, the stuttering ghoul saw a man running through the city: The Vault Dweller. He instantly recognized him as an outsider and when he passed by, he almost reached out to stop him, to ask if he could join his quest. But he didn't, he lacked the courage to do so. He never forgave himself for this, especially when he learned that the Vault Dweller wiped out the Master's laboratories, destroying the Unity.

Of course, before he heard that, Lenny and his father just barely survived the super mutant retaliation that killed most ghouls in Necropolis. He migrated north, until he finally arrived in Gecko, where he settled as a doctor and aide to Harold, helping manage the town's affairs and healing those who were hurt. The neigbouring Vault City quickly turned out to be a painful reminder of his fate as a ghoul. If given the chance, he'd trade his extreme lifespan in for a life as a regular human, using Vault City's technology to heal himself. But VC-grade bigotry would never allow that.

He resigned himself to a life of a glorified bureaucrat, until the Chosen One arrived in the city, Lenny unexpectedly received a second shot at a grand quest to save the wastes.

Other interactions

 * When the Chosen One comes to Gecko, he can recruit Lenny to his party. He is of dubious value as a party member, though he is very durable, is at least capable (growing to be skilled) with pistols and SMGs, and is human-shaped enough to wear armor, in addition to being a skilled doctor. He has only 4 Strength, enough for a H&K P90c. Lenny remains at 7 AP through all his levels.

Given more strength by being equipped with power armor, enough to use a .223 pistol or even gauss pistol, Lenny can make an effective supporting member, especially if his Doctor skill is at a higher level than the Chosen's own. Care must be taken however, as Lenny usually enter in the middle of the line of sight in a fight to cure the Chosen One, even if told to wait at a location.

Rescue Coffin Willie
Had it not been enough being shunned by Vault City and generally, ghouls have this marked tendency to be mistaken for corpses while they are sleeping. Someone who rescued Woody in the Den from his dubious role as a sideshow exhibit: "Show..Me..The..Mummy!!" may consider doing a good turn for Lenny's father, also, and digging him out of his untimely resting place in Golgotha. Note that digging this one particular grave does not make the digger a Grave Digger.

The location of the grave is at the northwest (top left) corner of the southern (bottom) section. The grave is easily distinguished from others by looking at the grave mark; It says: "Here lies the dumbest son of a bitch to ever set foot to New Reno."

Little is received for this other than, potentially, satisfaction, and the chance to see Coffin Willie's comments as he lurches away, muttering to himself. Clicking on him makes him spout them randomly. Unlike Vic's daughter, Willie has nothing to say to his son.

If the Chosen One joins the Slaver's Guild in the Den while Lenny is in company, Lenny will express disgust at the Chosen One, saying he is a "disgrace to the Vault Dweller's memory," and disband. He will also disband if the Chosen's Charisma drops below 5 while Lenny is recruited, or he is given too many orders to move or change position, Lenny will complain about the Chosen One being "cantankerous and ornery". The former situation is rarer, however.

Appearances
Lenny appears only in Fallout 2, although it is implied that he was one of the unnamed ghouls in Fallout. He is also mentioned in the Fallout Bible.

Behind the scenes

 * Lenny was designed by Fallout 2 lead designer Matt Norton. The player was supposed to be able to turn Lenny into a glowing ghoul with copious amounts of Gamma Gulp Beer and Roentgen Rum, but this functionality was scrapped, likely as a function of the fact that doing so would prevent Lenny from using any weapons except for unarmed ones.
 * Chris Avellone in Extrasode Episode 61 criticized the design of Lenny, describing him as a character whose function in the game is to be shot at.