Charisma is one of the seven primary statistics in the SPECIAL character system.
Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics
In Fallout 2, Charisma also determines the number of base companion slots the player character is given. This number is equal to their Charisma score divided by two, rounded down. As an example, with a Charisma at five, two can be recruited. Please note that one companion can still be recruited (in a few cases) even with the lowest Charisma score.
Predesigned Primary Charisma-based Characters (PPCC) of Fallout are Albert, and in Fallout 2's case, Chitsa.
In Fallout Tactics, Charisma is, at best, a secondary trait. Due to the nature of the game (i.e. almost exclusively combat-based) it is feasible to complete the game easily with 1 or 2 Charisma with no penalty. The only role is that when the Warrior starts with Charisma of 10, their rank is Senior Initiate, rather than Initiate. It is involved with the Barter skill and promotions, and is required for the Leader and Divine Favor perks. A low Charisma, on the other hand, gives access to the Loner perk.
Ways to increase Charisma in Fallout
- Find the Singer random encounter. Speaking with Patrick the Celt and passing a Speech check will increase Charisma by one.
- Pop some Mentats for a temporary +1 Charisma.
Ways to increase Charisma in Fallout 2
- Install the blue memory module into ACE, then request the following surgery. Charisma will be increased by one.
- Take the Gain Charisma perk for another point.
- Having the mirrored shades, obtained from Mason (Salvatore's Bar, must be looted) or one of the graves in Golgotha, active in one of the item slots increases Charisma by one point.
- Pop some Mentats for a temporary +1 Charisma.
Charisma-based perks
| Perk | Required | Level | Additional Requirements | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Noser | 5 | 2 | Intelligence 6 | Fallout Tactics |
| Presence | 6 | 3 | - | Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics |
| Team Player | 4 | 3 | - | Fallout Tactics |
| Leader | 6 | 4 | - | Fallout Tactics |
| Loner | >5 | 4 | Outdoorsman 40% | Fallout Tactics |
| Magnetic Personality | <10 | 6 | - | Fallout 2 |
| Way of the Fruit | 6 | 6 | - | Fallout Tactics |
| Bluff Master | 3 | 8 | - | Fallout Tactics |
| Animal Friend | 5 | 9 | Outdoorsman 25% | Fallout |
| Karma Beacon | 6 | 9 | - | Fallout 2 |
| Master Trader | 7 | 9 / 12 | - | Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics |
| Cult of Personality | 10 | 12 | - | Fallout, Fallout 2 |
| Divine Favor | 8 | 14 | - | Fallout Tactics |
Fallout 3
Modifies: Speech and Barter skills, NPC Disposition
Charisma increases the disposition of all NPCs, which makes Speech checks easier. Disposition is also affected somewhat by Karma (most NPCs like good characters more), quests (doing a quest in a way an NPC likes can dramatically boost disposition), and dialog options (being a jerk in conversations can lower disposition a little). Charisma also affects the Barter and Speech skills. Characters who use Speech will want at least a decent Charisma, but adding points to the skill is almost always better than adding points to the score. Characters who do not use the Speech skill have little use for this SPECIAL score.
There are also general Charisma checks in dialogue with some characters, in addition to Speech checks. Avoid wearing things like Enclave Power Helmets, as they deduct 1 point of Charisma while equipped.
| Value | Skill Modifiers |
|---|---|
| 1 | Barter +2, Speech +2 |
| 2 | Barter +4, Speech +4 |
| 3 | Barter +6, Speech +6 |
| 4 | Barter +8, Speech +8 |
| 5 | Barter +10, Speech +10 |
| 6 | Barter +12, Speech +12 |
| 7 | Barter +14, Speech +14 |
| 8 | Barter +16, Speech +16 |
| 9 | Barter +18, Speech +18 |
| 10 | Barter +20, Speech +20 |
Charisma-based perks
| Perk | Requirement | Level | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child at Heart | 4 | 4 | |
| Scoundrel | 4 | 4 | |
| Impartial Mediation | 5 | 8 | |
| Animal Friend | 6 | 10 | |
| Master Trader | 6 | 14 | Barter 60 |
Ways to increase Charisma
- Permanent
- Bobblehead - Charisma (+1)
- Intense Training perk (+1)
No Weaknesses perk (will raise base to 5, if below 5)- Almost Perfect perk (will raise base to 9, if below 9)
- Temporary
- Alcohol (effects do not stack)
- Armor and clothing
- Eulogy Jones' suit, regulator duster, sexy sleepwear, sheriff's duster, Tenpenny's suit, Vance's longcoat outfit (+1)
- Eulogy Jones' hat, T-51b power armor helmet, Three Dog's headwear (+1)
- Winterized T-51b power helmet (+1)
- Ashur's power armor, Leather Rebel (+1)
- All-nighter nightwear (+1)
- Grifter's Fit (+1)
- General Chase's overcoat, Paulson's outfit (+1)
- Chems
- Ant queen pheromones (+3)
- Grape Mentats (+5)
Fallout: New Vegas
Charisma in New Vegas modifies Barter, Speech and Companion Nerve. Companion Nerve gives each companion in the party +5% to their damage and armor, up to a maximum of +50% at 10 Charisma.
Regardless of Barter or Speech level, some interactions will not be available with a too low Charisma (Ex. Corporal Betsy). These ultimately do not have any significant effect on game play, nor do they provide any special bonuses.
Charisma-based perks
| Perk | Requirement | Level | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferocious Loyalty | 6 | 6 | — |
| Animal Friend | 6 | 10 | Survival 45 |
Level names and statistics
| Value | Name | Companion Armor & Damage | Skill Modifiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Misanthrope | +5% | Barter/Speech +2 |
| 2 | Old Hermit | +10% | Barter/Speech +4 |
| 3 | Creepy Undertaker | +15% | Barter/Speech +6 |
| 4 | Peevish Librarian | +20% | Barter/Speech +8 |
| 5 | Substitute Teacher | +25% | Barter/Speech +10 |
| 6 | Cheery Salesman | +30% | Barter/Speech +12 |
| 7 | Diplomat | +35% | Barter/Speech +14 |
| 8 | Movie Star | +40% | Barter/Speech +16 |
| 9 | Casanova | +45% | Barter/Speech +18 |
| 10 | Cult Leader | +50% | Barter/Speech +20 |
Ways to increase Charisma
- Permanent
- Charisma Implant available at the New Vegas medical clinic (+1)
- Intense Training perk (+1)
- Completing the quest The Apocalypse or The End will allow raising any one primary statistic by 1.
- Temporary
- Alcohol (effects do not stack)
- Absinthe, beer, Jake Juice, scotch, vodka, whiskey, wine (+1 - +3 depending on Survival skill)
- Irradiated beer, irradiated scotch, irradiated whiskey (+1 - +3 depending on Survival skill)
- Large wasteland tequila, wasteland tequila (+1 - +3 depending on Survival skill)
- Moonshine (+2)
- Armor and clothing
- Chems
- Mentats (+1)
- Ant queen pheromones (+3)
- Party Time Mentats (+5)
- Traits
- Claustrophobia (+1 while outdoors, but -1 indoors)
- Early Bird (+2 between 6am and 12pm, but -1 between 6pm and 6am)
- Meat of Champions perk (+1 for 60 seconds after eating a corpse.)
- "Mood Light" (+2 for 12 hours or until the player uses the "Smart Lights")
Notes
- If the Courier's Charisma stat is the most extreme (highest or lowest), Doc Mitchell will either comment "them bullets didn't affect your charm none." (for highest) or about frontal lobe damage (for lowest).
- A Charisma of 7 is needed to get more dialogue options with the mini Boomers, these options are otherwise hidden.
- A Courier who also has a Charisma of 7 or higher can flirt with Corporal Betsy in Camp McCarran.
Fallout 4
Charisma influences several game mechanics. It directly controls your ability to charm and convince others, replacing the Speech skill in governing your chance of successfully persuading in dialogues. It also replaces the Barter skills from previous games by governing the prices you get from trading with merchants.
In Fallout 4, Charisma also governs access to the following perks:
- Cap Collector; Get better prices from merchants and invest in their stores
- Lady Killer / Black Widow; Be more effective against the opposite sex in combat, persuasion and use of the Intimidation perk.
- Lone Wanderer; Grants various bonuses to the Sole Survivor when traveling alone or with Dogmeat.
- Attack Dog; Grant various bonuses to Dogmeat.
- Animal Friend; Pacify, Incite or Command Wasteland animals below your level.
- Local Leader; Build workshops and traders at your settlements and establish supply lines to link them.
- Party Boy/Party Girl; Increase the effects of alcohol and remove any chance of addiction.
- Inspirational; Grant various bonuses to your companions.
- Wasteland Whisperer; Pacify, Incite or Command Wasteland creatures below your level.
- Intimidation; Pacify, Incite or Command human enemies below your level.
Effect on a Settlement
Charisma affects the maximum amount of settlers allowed at a settlement:
Effect on a Speech
Charisma affects the chance of passing a speech check:
Additionally, each rank of Lady Killer or Black Widow adds 10% chance to passing speech checks. The final result of the Chance to Succeed formula is limited to a minimum of 5% and maximum of 100%, so there is always a slight chance of success.
| Difficulty Level | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Yellow | -35% |
| Orange | -50% |
| Red | -65% |
You have a 100% chance of success to pass a Red check with a Charisma value of 11, this includes all clothing, armor, and drug effects.
Effect on Barter
Charisma affects item buy/sell values; the value of an item for buying or selling is its innate value multiplied by either the buying price modifier or the selling price modifier:
Multiply the modifier from Charisma and all applicable modifiers above to get the (near) final modifier.
If you get a final buying modifier that is less than 1.2, the game will use 1.2. If you get a final selling modifier that is greater than 0.8, the game will use 0.8.
Note: The minimum purchase price is 120% of the item's value, and the maximum selling price is 80% of the item's value. It appears that this applies even after you get a discount from a vendor.
To get the best prices:
- Without any of the other factors above, you need 16 CHA for buying, 15 CHA for selling.
- With Cap Collector 1 Perk, you need 15 CHA for both buying and selling.
- With Cap Collector 2 Perk, you need 14 CHA for buying and 13 CHA for selling.
- With Cap Collector 2 Perk and the Barter Bobblehead, you need 12 CHA for selling.
- With Cap Collector 2 Perk, the Barter Bobblehead, and all 8 Jerky Vendor issues, you need 10 CHA for buying.
| Charisma | Buying Price Modifier | Selling Price Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.35 | 0.2985 |
| 2 | 3.20 | 0.3125 |
| 3 | 3.05 | 0.3279 |
| 4 | 2.90 | 0.3448 |
| 5 | 2.75 | 0.3636 |
| 6 | 2.60 | 0.3846 |
| 7 | 2.45 | 0.4082 |
| 8 | 2.30 | 0.4348 |
| 9 | 2.15 | 0.4651 |
| 10 | 2.00 | 0.5000 |
| 11 | 1.85 | 0.5405 |
| 12 | 1.70 | 0.5882 |
| 13 | 1.55 | 0.6452 |
| 14 | 1.40 | 0.7143 |
| 15 | 1.25 | 0.8000 |
| 16+ | 1.20 | 0.8000 |
Other price factors are below.
| Modifier | Buying Price Modifier | Selling Price Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| Cap Collector 1 | 0.90 | 1.10 |
| Cap Collector 2 | 0.80 | 1.20 |
| Barter Bobblehead | 0.95 | 1.05 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 0 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 1 | 0.97 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 2 | 0.94 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 3 | 0.91 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 4 | 0.88 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 5 | 0.85 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 6 | 0.82 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 7 | 0.79 | 1.00 |
| # of Jerky Vendor issues = 8 | 0.76 | 1.00 |
| Friend Discount - Connie Abernathy | 0.75 | 1.25 |
| Friend Discount - Alexis Combes | 0.90 | 1.1 |
These factors are multiplicative and not additive, for instance, rank 2 cap collector gives a 1.32 selling modifier. Friend Discount is when you get better prices from a vendor for completing a quest. For example, returning the locket to Connie Abernathy's husband unlocks a Friend Discount with Connie. Other vendors may have the same or other discounts.
Maximizing Charisma
Combined with all base game items a maximum Charisma of 32 can be reached, while with all add-ons included 48 is the maximum.
Base game
Base charisma of 12 can be achieved:
- Increase base Charisma to 10 by spending SPECIAL points on it.
- Take Daddy-O or suffer addiction withdrawal to temporarily decrease Charisma below 10.
- Use the You're SPECIAL! book while Charisma is still below 10 and when effect wears off you will have 11 Charisma.
- Pick up the Charisma bobblehead to reach 12 Charisma.
Items
Several items grant bonuses while equipped for maximum of +8 increase to Charisma:
- Charisma increasing hat +1
- Black-rim glasses or Fashionable glasses +1
- Green shirt and combat boots clothing for +1
- Five Sharp armor pieces 5x +1.
The Summer shorts +2 fills outfit and chest armor slot that can be used instead of Green shirt and combat boots and the Sharp chest piece to preserve weight.
Consumables
Several consumables increase charisma temporally up to +12.
- Beer or any other alcohol except bourbon, rum, vodka, whiskey or wine for +2 with Party Boy/Girl tier 2 perk, +1 without it.
- Grape Mentats for +5
- Day Tripper for +3
- X-cell for +2
Far Harbor
Far Harbor provides better substitutions:
- The Dapper Gent hat for +2
- Equip five pieces of Unyielding armor for total of 15 total in all stats.
Vault-Tec Workshop
Vault-Tec Workshop: the barber chair provides a semi-permanent boost of +1 Charisma that is lost when choosing to use one of the other statistic boosting workshop items.
Nuka-World
Nuka-World provides the following:
- Fancy plaid suit & tie clothing for +2
- The Smooth Operator chem +3
Temporary bonus (items)
| Item | Type | Weight | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grape Mentats | Consumable | 0.1 | 5 |
| Agatha's dress | Suit | 3 | 3 |
| Bathrobe | Suit | 2 | 2 |
| Clean blue suit (any color Clean or Dirty suit) | Suit | 3 | 2 |
| Green shirt and combat boots | Suit | 3 | 1 |
| Laundered green dress (any color) | Suit | 2 | 2 |
| Laundered loungewear | Suit | 1 | 1 |
| Red dress | Suit | 1.5 | 2 |
| Reginald's suit | Suit | 3 | 3 |
| Sequin dress | Suit | 2 | 2 |
| Summer shorts | Suit | 2 | 2 |
| Tuxedo | Suit | 3 | 1 |
| Beer | Consumable | 1 | 1 |
| Bobrov's Best moonshine | Consumable | 0.5 | 1 |
| Dirty Wastelander | Consumable | 0.5 | 1 |
| Gwinnett ale | Consumable | 1 | 1 |
| Gwinnett brew | Consumable | 1 | 1 |
| Gwinnett lager | Consumable | 1 | 1 |
| Gwinnett pale | Consumable | 1 | 1 |
| Gwinnett pilsner | Consumable | 1 | 1 |
| Gwinnett stout | Consumable | 1 | 1 |
| Destroyer's helmet | Hat | 5 | 1 |
| Formal hat | Hat | 0.4 | 1 |
| Grandpa Savoldi's hat | Hat | 0.5 | 1 |
| Lieutenant's hat | Hat | 0.5 | 1 |
| Militia hat | Hat | 0.5 | 1 |
| Minutemen general's hat | Hat | 2 | 1 |
| Newsboy cap | Hat | 0.4 | 1 |
| Pompadour wig | Hat | 0.2 | 1 |
| Trilby hat | Hat | 0.5 | 1 |
| Black-rim glasses | Eyewear | 0.1 | 1 |
| Fashionable glasses | Eyewear | 0.1 | 1 |
| X-cell | Consumable | 0.1 | 2 |
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