Marked Men

Marked men are victims of a form of ghoulification unique to the Divide and are only kept alive and in agony from the residual radiation in the Divide, in 2281.

Background
Marked men are the remnants of New California Republic and Legion soldiers stationed at the Divide. The violent storms caused by the Courier's delivery of the Navarro package to the Divide skinned them alive while the intense radiation caused them to undergo a type of ghoulification. This kept them alive, yet in excruciating pain from their flayed flesh. Such injuries and radiation would have killed ordinary ghouls. The marked men are only kept alive by the radiation of the Divide, which now heals their bodies. Rumors of marked men spread throughout the west coast wasteland similar to the legends of the Sierra Madre and Big Empty.

Despite belonging to completely different factions with opposing ideologies when they were humans, the pain united the men into a single group. According to Ulysses, "radiation's marked them, made them equal in history's eyes." Their hate for both the NCR and Legion's abandonment was turned against the Divide and its intruders. Some former legionaries crafted crude versions of Legate Lanius' helmet, constructed from Divide metal, not with care and strength, but with hate, keeping them anchored. Others shaped crude blades like distant mirrors of their new and unknown Legate, like a symbol they can hold on to, while the Divide tears them. The NCR, on the other hand, stuck to their guns; ranged death from afar being their own symbol. They continue to wear old NCR and Legion armor that has been damaged over time and then patched together with road signs, license plates and other scrap metal.

Biology
Marked men are a unique subtype of ghoul with a fiery red tone due to their brutal environment; ghoulification made their flesh weak and fragile, but it was the storms that peeled their skin off, leaving behind only muscle. According to Ulysses, the radiation of the Divide may be the only thing keeping them alive. They congregate in squads and small camps of around four marked men and wear ramshackle faction armor. They appear to have resorted to cannibalism to survive within the Divide.

Gameplay attributes
Marked men level with the player character, have a high amount of health for humanoid opponents, and are moderately protected by the tattered armor they wear (albeit far less than properly maintained regular versions of their armor). They are overall on par with the White Legs tribals of Zion Canyon and the lobotomites of the Big MT in terms of health and armor.

They carry a variety of powerful melee and ranged weapons, and at higher levels (above level 40) have the unique attribute of being the only faction that almost universally uses non-standard ammunition for their weapons (i.e. slugs and armor-piercing rounds), increasing their combat proficiency against well-protected targets. Additionally, many marked men make simultaneous use of both firearms and grenades. At times, they can be found using Stealth Boys, making them harder to detect.

When near sources of radiation, they regenerate health rapidly, even more so than ordinary ghouls. However, they tend to be few in numbers, and it is rare to find more than a dozen in any particular location, unless the Courier is at a high level.

Marked men hunter
Marked men hunters appear to be former NCR troopers, equipped with powerful ranged weapons. They may carry guns like trail carbines, assault carbines or sniper rifles at lower levels (level 1 to level 30), and anti-materiel rifles, brush guns or marksman carbines at higher levels (level 30 or above). For energy weapons, they may be seen carrying arc welders or tri-beam laser rifles.

Most of them are found wearing ruined NCR trooper armor (now known as the marked trooper armor), while some of them may be wearing Legion armor (called the marked scout armor).

Marked men marauder
Marked men maurauders are higher-ranking marked men that specialize in heavy weapons. They carry missile launchers and light machine guns at lower levels (below level 30), miniguns, heavy incinerators, Gatling lasers and plasma casters at higher levels (above level 30), and shoulder mounted machine guns at all levels.

They wear either marked tribal armor or marked patrol armor, suggesting that they are a mix of former NCR rangers and former high-ranking legionaries. As such, they are slightly better protected than lower-ranking marked men.

Marked men ravager
Marked men ravagers appear to be former Legionaries and specialize in melee weapons. They often carry the Blade of the West, as well as fire axes and Shishkebabs at lower levels (below level 30). At higher levels (above level 30), they carry sledgehammers, super sledges and thermic lances. They also carry and use incendiary grenades.

Most ravagers wear marked scout armor and sometimes marked trooper armor.

Marked men scout
Marked men scouts appear to be former Legionaries equipped with both firearms and frag grenades. They generally carry either pistols, one-handed submachine guns or shotguns. They are equipped with flare guns and plasma defenders at all levels, and 12.7mm pistols, hunting shotguns and hunting revolvers at lower levels (below level 30), as well as 12.7mm submachine guns and riot shotguns at higher levels (above level 30).

As their former ranks suggest, they usually wear marked scout armor. Some of them can be found wearing marked trooper armor.

Irradiated marked men hunter
Irradiated marked men hunters are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier. They are found scattered around the Courier's Mile.

Irradiated marked men marauder
Irradiated marked men marauders are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier. They are found scattered around the Courier's Mile.

Irradiated marked men ravager
Irradiated marked men ravagers are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier. They are found scattered around the Courier's Mile.

Irradiated marked men scout
Irradiated marked men scouts are marked men that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier. They are found scattered around the Courier's Mile.

Irradiated heavy trooper
Irradiated heavy troopers are the ghoulified remnants of NCR heavy troopers stationed at the Long 15 outpost. After the Courier launched the nuclear missiles from the Divide at the outpost, the radiation left behind turned them into ghouls, leaving them hostile to all others. They look like regular NCR heavy troopers with the added ability of regenerating health while irradiated.

Irradiated Legion explorer
Irradiated Legion explorers are the ghoulified remnants of Legion explorers that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier. They are found in Dry Wells.

Irradiated legionary prime
One irradiated legionary prime can be found in Dry Wells. He is the ghoulified remnant of a Prime legionary that has been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier.

Irradiated legionary veteran
Irradiated legionary veterans are the ghoulified remnants of Veteran legionaries that have been irradiated from the missile launched by the Courier. Three are found in Dry Wells.

Notable marked men

 * Blister - a hardened former NCR ranger residing near the marked men base, carrying a flamer.
 * Beast - a marauder boasting crude pieces of Legate armor, found in a camp near the High Road entrance. He carries a shoulder mounted machine gun.
 * Bonesaw - a former legionary wearing a nearly intact Legate helmet, wielding a chainsaw. He can be found in a makeshift camp slightly southeast of the Ashton silo control station.
 * Blade - a former legionary who guards the entrance to Ulysses' Temple. He wields a Blade of the West, and is hidden by a Stealth Boy.
 * Gaius Magnus - a centurion located in Dry Wells.
 * Colonel Royez - a member of the NCR army stationed on Long 15.

Appearances
Marked men appear only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road.

Behind the scenes
An additional, unused variant of the irradiated heavy trooper exists within the resources of Lonesome Road. Also called "irradiated heavy trooper", this version differs primarily in that it uses the default SPECIAL statistics for NCR troopers - 5 for all statistics. It also is equipped with a Minigun loaded with 5mm AP rounds, rather than the random weapon selection found in the standard version. Internally this version has the Editor ID NVDLC04NukeNCRColonel, indicating that this may have been an early stand-in for Colonel Royez.

Bugs
Marked men who carry Plasma Defenders are given the incorrect ammunition, microfusion cell, over charge rather than the correct energy cell, over charge. This renders them unable to use the weapon entirely.