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==Characteristics== |
==Characteristics== |
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| + | Psycho is unique among Fallout/2 chems in that its main effect - [[damage resistance]] - persists in weaker form as the drug wears off, whereas other drugs have severe "coming down" penalties. |
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| − | Interestingly, psycho has another effect not intended by the programmers. When taken, it reduces Intelligence by 3. This can be exploited to boost your skill points. First, raise a skill to the point it needs two skill points to be increased, then level up. When you level up, take two to reduce your Intelligence greatly. This will correspondingly lower your skills involving Intelligence ([[Science]], [[Repair]], [[Outdoorsman]], [[Doctor]], etc.). Now allocate your skill points to the skill you want raised - since the skill's value has been lowered, it will take only one skill point to do so. Then rest for a few hours. When the psycho wears off, Intelligence will be restored, and the skill will be given a significant boost. This is particularly useful for getting a 121% science skill to recruit [[Skynet]] without taking [[Mentats (Fallout)|Mentats]] or wasting too many skill points. |
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| + | Characters with an odd [[Agility]] will get an effective +2 [[Action Points]] off using Psycho, comparable to using a [[Jet]] but without the severe addiction risk/penalty. |
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| + | Psycho cannot take your damage resistance past the 90% cap. Nonetheless, the difference between even 80% and 90% can be the difference between a lethal or harmless critical hit. |
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| + | Like other chems that reduce a SPECIAL stat in Fallout/2, Psycho can be used to exploitively increase high-level skills for reduced skill points, simply by consuming up to two Psycho to lower Intelligence-based skills below a threshold where skill points are more effective, investing in the skills, such that when Psycho wears off, your skill reverts to a higher score than it should have been if you had invested your skill points normally. |
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| + | ===In Fallout 2=== |
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| + | Psycho is fairly rare through most of Fallout 2, only turning up with increased prevalence in [[San Francisco]]. This is probably as a consequence of Psycho having an enormously powerful combat effect. |
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==Location== |
==Location== |
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Revision as of 06:15, 16 August 2012
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For the psycho that appears in the Fallout series, see psycho. |
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Background
A military-grade psychosis-inducing amphetamine, Psycho is provided in a unique delivery system that mixes strange chemicals of military origin immediately prior to injection.[1][2][3] The drug was created by a private company, operated as a research division of the United States Army, founded by General Constantine Chase. It entered combat use during the final stages of the Anchorage Reclamation, to reduce the impact of attrition on U.S. forces deployed to the Alaskan front. Its deployment was authorized by General Chase and his chief medical officer, Dr. Adrienn Adami, despite the clinical trials being incomplete at the time.[4]
Psycho's primary effect is an increase in damage resistance and dampening of higher brain functions, intended to create tough shock troops for human-wave assaults. The caveat is that the dampening effect also makes the soldiers hard to control.[5] Some variants of Psycho, based around similar chemicals, also increase combat performance by speeding up reflexes and bodily functions to allow the soldiers to deal more damage, though said variant precluded the damage resistance boost.[6] Both cause them to be particularly jumpy and aggressive.[7]
Due to the rushed nature of the drug's development and deployment, numerous side effects manifest as a result of Psycho usage. Chief among these is that the stimulant can cause users with weak hearts to suffer a fatal heart attack.[8][9] Long term effects include dementia, psychosis,[4] elevated levels of aggression, and general agitation. It may also cause internal damage.[10] Addiction aggravates the adverse symptoms.[11]
Long term Psycho addiction may progress to the point that standard treatment options available in the wasteland, such as Addictol, are no longer effective in treating the habit.[12]
Characteristics
Psycho is unique among Fallout/2 chems in that its main effect - damage resistance - persists in weaker form as the drug wears off, whereas other drugs have severe "coming down" penalties.
Characters with an odd Agility will get an effective +2 Action Points off using Psycho, comparable to using a Jet but without the severe addiction risk/penalty.
Psycho cannot take your damage resistance past the 90% cap. Nonetheless, the difference between even 80% and 90% can be the difference between a lethal or harmless critical hit.
Like other chems that reduce a SPECIAL stat in Fallout/2, Psycho can be used to exploitively increase high-level skills for reduced skill points, simply by consuming up to two Psycho to lower Intelligence-based skills below a threshold where skill points are more effective, investing in the skills, such that when Psycho wears off, your skill reverts to a higher score than it should have been if you had invested your skill points normally.
In Fallout 2
Psycho is fairly rare through most of Fallout 2, only turning up with increased prevalence in San Francisco. This is probably as a consequence of Psycho having an enormously powerful combat effect.
Location
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References
- ↑ Fallout and Fallout 2 item description: "{11000}{}{Psycho}
{11001}{}{An unique delivery system filled with strange and unknown chemicals of probably military origin. It is supposed to increase the combat potential of a soldier.}"
(PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout), PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout 2)) - ↑ Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel item description: "name_psychoChem = {Psycho}
desc_psychoChem = {An unique delivery system filled with strange and unknown chemicals of probably military origin. It is supposed to increase the combat potential of a soldier.}"
(Items.txt) - ↑ Fallout 4 loading screens: "Originally developed by the United States military to increase soldiers' combat effectiveness, Psycho grants the user increased Damage output and Damage Resistance for a limited period of time."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Holotape - Psycho
- ↑ Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets p.75: "The drug was developed specifically for military use. It increases a soldier's damage resistance, and its dampening effect on higher brain functions makes for tough, but uncontrollable, troops. This drug was very popular for human-wave assaults. Take it just before a difficult combat, and then go someplace safe to sit out the aftereffects."
- ↑ Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas drug effects.
- ↑ Ricky: "Oh man, yeah! Trigger finger is feeling itch-ay! Come on, assholes! Show yourselves and Deadeye Ricky'll blow your fucking heads off!"
(Ricky's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Add a little Psycho to his Jet, and he'd have a heart attack."
Dennis Crocker: "[SUCCEEDED] Remind me never to get on your bad side. If that's true, then yes, that would be a suitable way to get rid of him. However, it would involve gaining access to his personal drug stash and tampering with it unseen, which might pose a challenge."
(Dennis Crocker's dialogue) - ↑ Big Jesus Mordino and John Cassidy, both of whom have bad hearts, will die if they use Psycho.
- ↑ The Sole Survivor: "Okay, calm down and take a deep breath. If you're sick, I want to help you."
Cait: "Okay, okay... it's like this. Ever since I left home, I been usin' Psycho. I dunno why I'm still takin' that crap, but I can't stop... and believe me, I've tried. I can't even go a day without it anymore and I'm fuckin' sick and tired of it. I've even been doin' it behind your back.... sneakin' doeses when I think you aren't lookin'. Worst of all, it's been makin' me sick. I've been spittin' blood and I don't feel right inside. I need to get this shite out of me system before I wind up dead."
(Cait's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Unwarranted hostility and general agitation. How long have you been a Psycho addict?"
Ricky: "[SUCCEEDED] Hey hey hey! Fuck you! I didn't say nothing about using Psycho!"
(Ricky's dialogue) - ↑ The Sole Survivor: "Can your psycho addiction be cured?"
Cait: "Normally, a wasteland doc could handle it, but I've been usin' the stuff so damn long they can't help me anymore. There's only one other way I know, but it's not gonna be easy. There's supposed to be a vault somewhere out here... a place called Vault 95. I've heard that Vault-Tec used it for some kinda social experiment... stuck a bunch of junkies inside to poke and prod. Well, they supposedly had some special method to clean up those blokes in there... some kind of a machine or somethin'. If we could get inside, maybe that machine could help me."
(Cait's dialogue)
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