Fallout Setting Acronyms in Fallout · Agriculture · Associations and Organizations · Cannibalism · Chronological Order of Fallout Games · Cloning · Cybernetics · Fallout Setting · Gasoline · Ghoulification · LGBTQ Representation in Fallout · Location · Media · Mutations · Nuclear Weapon · Please Stand By · Pre-War Currency · Pre-War Setting · Psychic · Radiation · Religions and Cults · Slavery · State · Super Mutant · Suspended Animation · Technology · Timeline · Toxic Waste · Tribal Languages · Water Production · Weather
Radiation is a gameplay mechanic throughout the Fallout Series.
Background
Described as tasteless and odorless, radiation or the "phantom death" is a lingering danger present in the environment caused by the detonation of nuclear missiles and toxic waste.[1] Measured in units known as "rads" or "sieverts," sensors outside of Vaults monitors for changes in the radiation levels as a prerequisite for entry or exit and the results of sensors placed inside are announced to inhabitants.[2][3][4]
Comprised of Gamma rays, living creatures that absorb too much of these ionizing rays may experience blood pooling in the gums, nausea, vomiting, anemia, diarrhea, and fatigue.[5] Symptoms may also include loss of hair, teeth, and skin.[6] In serious cases of radiation sickness and poisoning, living creatures will suffer from gastrointestinal bleeding, violent hemorrhaging, and death, but some life forms have adapted to the radiation in the environment.[7][8]
Medical treatment to alleviate damage by radiation includes care provided by Auto-Doc, Sympto-matic, makeshift archways, inoculations, decontamination arches, and system flushes.[9] Radiation levels are measured with Geiger counters built into Pip-Boys as well as Wattz Electronics C-Radz Geiger counters.[10][11][12] Radiation suits are utilized to mitigate the effects of exposure, with varying efficacy.[13]
Radiation messages
Transcribed from MISC.MSG (Fallout 2)
{1000}{}{You feel very nauseous.}
{1001}{}{You feel very nauseous, and after some mild vomiting, slightly fatigued.}
{1002}{}{You are very fatigued, the vomiting does not stop, and your recovery time is impaired.}
{1003}{}{You are hemorrhaging violently. You are very sick, and your hair is falling out.}
{1004}{}{You are hemorrhaging violently and continuously. The vomitus is stained red from your blood. Your skin is falling off of your bones.}
{1005}{}{There is bleeding from your intestines and you have severe diarrhea. You feel bloated and are in intense agony.}
{1006}{}{You have died from radiation sickness.}
{1007}{}{You have received a large dose of radiation.}
{1008}{}{The geiger counter is clicking.}
{1009}{}{The geiger counter is clicking wildly.}
Radstorms
Radiation also affects weather systems, producing radstorms. These storms are weather phenomena that occur throughout the Commonwealth and in Appalachia. Radstorms result in green overcast skies and audible winds. Over the course of the storm, lightning periodically flashes and causes a brief spike of radiation in the area, inflicting 5 rads per lightning flash.[14][15] Radstorms are capable of producing vortexes that are strong enough to lift people off the ground.[16][17]
Mutations
Exposure to background radiation can also lead to mutations at a genetic level.[18][19] It can also lead to sterility.[20][21] Radiation also causes mutations in creatures, leading to the emergence of large versions of pre-War species such as radscorpions, geckos, spore plants, and brahmin.[22][23] Radiation can also cause some humans to turn into ghouls or feral ghouls, immune to the negative effects of radiation.[24] Some emit radiation and have no body heat.[25]
Locations
Centuries after the Great War, some areas such as the Glow and the Glowing Sea, are still highly irradiated. Radioactive hotspots appear near places that were struck directly by nuclear weapons,[26] and regions varied in how long radiation persisted, ranging from clearing shortly after the war to remaining hundreds of years later.[27][10] Some groups have developed religious followings revolving around radiation, such as the Children of Atom.
| Name | Level | Game |
|---|---|---|
| The Glow | NA | Fallout |
| Toxic waste dump | NA | Fallout 2 |
| Gecko's nuclear power plant | NA | Fallout 2 |
| Vault 87 | Up to 3933 rads/second | Fallout 3 |
| The Pitt river | Up to 2,665 rads/second | Fallout 3 |
| Camp Searchlight | 28 rads/second | New Vegas |
| The Devil's Throat | 6 rads/second | New Vegas |
| Old Nuclear Test Site | 20 rads/second | New Vegas |
| Long 15 | 20 rads/second | New Vegas |
| Dry Wells | 250 rads/second | New Vegas |
| The Courier's Mile | 25 rads/second | New Vegas |
| Glowing Sea | 300 rads/second | Fallout 4 |
| County crossing reactors | 57 rads/second | Fallout 4 |
| Swan's Pond shed/gazebo | 40/70 rads/second | Fallout 4 |
| Mass Fusion Building | 153 rads/second | Fallout 4 |
| Hugo's Hole | 60 rads/second | Fallout 4 |
| Mass Fusion containment shed | 67 rads/second | Fallout 4 |
| Institute reactor | 90 rads/second | Fallout 4 |
| Blast zone | - | Fallout 76 |
| Emmett Mountain disposal site | - | Fallout 76 |
| Crater near monorail elevator | - | Fallout 76 |
| Federal Disposal Field HZ-21 | - | Fallout 76 |
| Fissure sites | - | Fallout 76 |
By Game
- Radiated (Fallout)
- Radiated (Fallout 2)
- Radiated (Fallout Tactics)
- Radiated (Fallout 3)
- Radiated (Fallout: New Vegas)
- Radiated (Fallout 4)
| Fallout: The Roleplaying Game |
|---|
|
Similar to Fallout 4s radiation mechanics, radiation damage in Fallout: The Roleplaying Game decreases the total maximum HP pool of the character when they have taken radiation damage. If a character's maximum HP is reduced below their current HP total, then their current HP is reduced as well. Radiation damage also cannot heal naturally and does not reduce over time. Reaching 0 HP with radiation damage means the character is dying from radiation poisoning and cannot be stabilized until radiation damage is removed. RadAway (or another chem that reduces radiation damage) must be applied using the First Aid action first before anything else can be done. Food items or beverages that reduce radiation damage cannot be applied using First Aid. Radiation damage inflicted by weapons can be reduced by locational radiation damage resistance. For environmental radiation damage that would affect the whole body, the lowest locational radiation DR is used to reduce the damage. Radiation damage inflicted by food or drink cannot be reduced by location DR. If a weapon applies radiation damage and another type of damage (such as with the Radioactive damage effect), resolve the other type of damage first and then resolve radiation damage. All human origins start with 0 radiation DR and some origins, such as super mutants, ghouls, and robots, are completely immune to radiation damage. Ghouls are also uniquely healed by radiation damage. Ways to prevent/remove radiation poisoning include:
|
| Fallout Shelter |
|---|
|
Dwellers automatically accumulate radiation over time if the player character's water supply dips low or if they are exploring the wasteland/questing, and will do so until their water is replenished or they return from the wasteland/a quest. Being attacked by radscorpions and ghouls will also inflict radiation damage. RadAway will remove all radiation from the player character instantly, while a steady supply of clean water will reduce it over time. Radiation is represented as a red bar on one's HP bar, going from right to left. Radiation damage cannot be healed by normal methods of HP recovery, but cannot kill a player character, and thus acts as a limiting factor to their max HP until healed. |
| Fallout: The Board Game |
|---|
|
When passing through a radioactive zone, or being attacked by an enemy with a radiation attack, the players can obtain rads, except for The Ghoul who instead heals HP equal to Rad damage. The Super Mutant works differently also, as he gains 1 XP per point of radiation he takes, but still takes the rad damage. When a player's Rad's damage is higher than the player's current HP, the player is dead. Radioactive zones deal 1 Rad damage upon entering the space, and enemies with radioactive damage will deal rad damage times their level. |
Appearances
Radiation appears in all Fallout games.
Gallery
References
|