Synth

So, keep in mind that I believe it makes no difference whether a person was born a Human or manufactured a Synth. I don't think there's moral rectitude incurred by being Human, or moral turpitude by being a Synth. Therefore, I have no inherent interest in a Synth detector.

But... there is this thing I've noticed.

When you do the "Vault-Tec Workshop" quests in and around Vault 88, you gain access to refilling crates which spawn Pip-Boys. I discovered what I'm about to relate because I started giving Pip-Boys to my couriers so they could reliably get to their destinations and report any issues they had along the way. Yes; that's in my imagination, what you might call "role play." The point is, I was giving Pip-Boys to a bunch of NPCs.

And most of them would immediately equip the device, causing it to vanish out of their inventory. But some of them? Some of them wouldn't. It would just sit there in inventory. Why, you ask? Because there's a hidden inventory / gear slot which, when something is equipped in it, causes that item not to appear in the inventory list. And the thing that's normally in that slot, which causes the provisioner not to equip the Pip-Boy?

The synth component.

So if you give an NPC a Pip-Boy, and they don't equip it? They're a Synth.

The institute is able to replace individuals with a replica with their memories? For example Danse who you regularly speak to and who brings up things of his past, even his own squad and brotherhood never knew anything had changed until they extracted information from the institute. So his personality and memory of past was good, so the question is... Couldn't the institute staff (and allies) transfer their consciousness to new bodies?

By synths I mean the ones that look like humans, IE if I kill them will they drop a synth component?

I don't know if this is a bethesda mistake or not, but it has me questioning everything we think we know about the vanilla story.

Alright let me start with the fact when your playing the last part of Kellogg's memory, if you mute the dialogue of the voices and only hear the audio through the radio, you can clearly hear about the incident of when Piper is being kicked out of Dimond city, not really sure this is a bethesda mistake or not, but i think it's worth mentioning.

so Shaun is supposedly age 10 in this scene, but for some reason we hear both the radio announcer dude and him talking about piper being kicked out of the city, but Shaun is only 10 years old at this point, now either Piper is a 3rd gen synth along with the radio host, or perhaps something else is going on here.

or maybe 60 year old Shaun isn't Shaun at all, maybe he's someone pretending to be Shaun and everyone involved in the story is in on it somehow, another thing to point out is when talking to nick and his assistant Ellie when they talk about Kellogg and the kid who was with him, they say that it wasn't that long ago when Kellogg lived in town, and nick doesn't offer up the amount of time of when they were last there or even really question that time period being almost 50ish years ago.

so is this a big bethesda mistake, or is there a possibility that there is another story that the player is supposed to pay attention to that offers up what's really going on from this point of view?

I wanted to know what you guys thought of the morals of the Institute in Fallout 4. Most people dislike the organization believing them to be evil. But I think under certain circumstances, the Institute isn't completely bad. I even think that if the Sole Survivor were to side with them and become new director, they're not restricted to making evil choices like how I feel Father did. Idk, just what I think.

So, in this mission, still fairly early on in the faction storyline, the railroad tasks you with saving your first synth. It’s structured as an educational mission more than a challenge or a huge world shift, you get to visit a new railroad base, learn a bit more about their security protocols. But what stuck out to me most Were a few lines of dialogue with H2-22.

You have to pass some persuasion checks to even access them, so they’re easy to miss. But what he tells you is, in short, that the cruel, evil institute expected him to behave like a machine. To perform janitorial duties over a few tunnels. Forever. The purpose of this bit is obviously to make you feel sorry for him and encourage the idea that the institute is morally suspect, but like. Think about that for a second.

We just learned that the institute is creating gen 3 synths complete with true AI that can fully behaviorally and physically mimic humans. And they’re building them to CLEAN. Why in the fuck? They could easily have a gen 1, or at least a simpler model of AI without emotions and freewill to avoid them escaping. And it’s not even for narcissism or a desire to see human analogues in their day to day, as H2 confirms he cleaned tunnels and not the main area. We also know that vacuum robots exist in fallout, and mr. Handys are outright programmed to enjoy domestic work. I cannot think of a single reason why this section could make sense.

If Colonel Autumn had been able to successfully overthrow Eden, destroy the Brotherhood, and take control of the Capitol Wasteland, how do you think he would have treated synths, and dealt with the Institute?

[Warning: Potential Spoilers, mostly related to Fallout 4 and the Brotherhood of Steel]

Well, hello there! I hope this Post finds all of you in good health, and today I'd like to talk about my favorite Faction in Fallout: The Brotherhood of Steel, and I'll be covering the Fallout 4 take on them this time! Now with that being said, imminent bias incoming! Also a few spoilers, but I won't get into those for a little while. And this is by no means saying anyone has to disagree with me, I welcome free thought! The Brotherhood isn't for everyone, I understand that ^_^

So I guess I'll start with why I like the Brotherhood. So it really begins with Warhammer 40,000! The Space Marines are clad in Power Armor and the coolest weapons, and zealously kill all the enemies of Humanity. Does that ring any bells? If I squint and drink a few shots of bourbon I can see the Brotherhood of Steel fitting in perfectly as a Chapter of Space Marines!

But exactly who are the enemies of Humankind, you might be asking? Well at least in the setting of Fallout I perceive the enemies being: Super Mutants, Feral Ghouls, Raiders, and the local wildlife! With Fallout 4's introduction of the Institute, I always see the Synths falling into the enemy category. Basically? Anyone who isn't us. The Wasteland is nothing less than a warzone, and I know who I want to win!

Now where we can find these enemies to Humanity is as simple as stepping outside the Vault for the first time! Immediately we see how hostile the area has become, coming face to face with irradiated insects and mole rats. It would be easy to see how important it is that the common people are protected against such threats! Which is where the Brotherhood comes in, time and time again.

When something goes wrong, it seems like the Brotherhood of Steel is always there on the forefront! Or at the very least they're a supporting group. From the first Fallout game all the way to 76, they've been with us nearly every step of the way. When things seem bad, they keep on fighting! Because 'Ad Victoriam' is more than just a motto, it's a way of life. It has to be, because the enemies are many and they will not show mercy.

So that's how I see the Brotherhood, they are soldiers at their core! Not Saints like the Minutemen, not callous Scientists like the Institute. Something in between, they are cold and hard while still being our protectors. And of course they can't do this alone! Like I said, there's a lot of dangerous things out there and resources are scarce. Even the mightiest army still needs to eat, and that's where donations from the Settlements (usually owned and protected by me under the Minutemen) comes in!

So where's the schism? I mostly see players against the discrimination they see in the Brotherhood. And if that was true, I'd agree! However I don't see the Brotherhood of Steel being rude...but prepared. Let's take a look at three enemies of theirs: Feral Ghouls, Super Mutants, and Synths.

1. Ghouls, even the non-feral ones, can always turn crazy. Now I don't know about you, but I couldn't trust sleeping in a bunk when the guy above may or may not want to eat me in the morning. That's just being careful not to like Ghouls, at least so long as they're the ticking time-bombs that they are!

2. Super Mutants, aside from limited interactions like Fawkes and Strong, are more likely to bash a human's head in for fun than chat. And even Strong wholly wants the destruction of our race, he doesn't keep it a secret! If anything was kill on sight, it'd be these guys. Is it capable for a Super Mutant to be good? Sure, but why take the chance?

3. Synths are created by the Institute, the main enemy of the Brotherhood in Fallout 4! Given that we don't fully understand them even to this day, not trusting them makes total sense to me. Who knows if they can be switched to go Terminator-mode? Or if they are rigged to explode randomly? Even after the Institute is taken care of there's just too many variables to consider!

Now onto another valid concern, the infamous Blind Betrayal quest! So be warned: spoilers ahead. I've already admitted that I like the Brotherhood, but a lot of that is due to their leader- Arthur Maxson! And the reasons I like him are simple: He's a man of his word.

I've already talked about why the enemies that the BoS target are potentially dangerous, though I welcome discussion on the matter! But if we accept that they can harm humanity, then Brotherhood's goal as soldiers is simple: Destroy them. We learn later on that Danse, possibly the closest living embodiment of the Brotherhood of Steel that I can think of, is a Synth.

He's a good soldier. He recruits many of us into the Brotherhood. He gives us a purpose to fight for. He's even in the inner-circle of Maxson himself! But he's still a Synth. And in war there can be no double standards. So with what I believe is a heavy heart, Maxson orders us to take care of it. Not because he or I want to, but because we must.

Admittedly you can spare Danse, and I always do. I talk Maxson out of the execution for one simple reason: I see Danse as a comrade. Synth or not, he risks his life time and time again to protect those under his command! So for this I think he has earned the right to live on, in exile, away from the Brotherhood. But for all the speeches and proclamations that Maxson does, he sticks to his guns. His enemies are Super Mutants, Feral Ghouls, and Synths. And none, not even his friends, are spared.

So this is getting pretty long, and I apologize for that! I really do want to hear what others think! Are you Pro-Brotherhood, are you against them? Did you like them more before or after Blind Betrayal? Which iteration of your favorite? And if you got this far, thank you for reading and have an awesome day! AD VICTORIAM

I’d like to hear your thoughts.

I feel that there should be a trade off for each race. Example, a Ghoul would be damn near invincible to rads but normal chems (including stimpaks) wouldn’t work as well.

Massive spoilers ahead. The game isn't that new but, hey, warning.

Still there ?

Now that you've read enough to know you're in spoiling territories, let's talk about the nature of the SS, and what if he's a synth.

First, sorry if it has already been discussed. New here. Hi. Don't know how to search through the discussions (or if it's possible). Hi again.

Second, English isn't my mother tongue, so my apologies for any and all mistakes I can and will make. I try my best and can say that I handle grammar quite correctly, but feel free to correct me, it's rather welcome.

Third, a little context. I have played the game 10th to 15th times or something like that, so F4 isn't at all new to me (I might even say I've pretty much saw it through and through). Done it several times when it was fresh and all, then recently dug the ole thing along with the PS4 while waiting for another game to be patched (something a little cyber with punks in it, you've probably never heard of it) and I wanted to share a bunch of my conclusions, questions and experiences. Please share yours, I'm quite eager to discuss those.

Well let's get down to business. So, is the SS a synth?

Far Harbor's DiMA is rather clear about the possibilities of that hypothesis to be true. I recall being really puzzled by it when I first went through the DLC, but more because I was astonished by the fact that I didn't think of it first. I mean, that intro the game gives you is such an example of a cookie-cutter basic ad for a family product that it has 'fake' written all over it, and I didn't like it until that moment, when I saw it way differently. More like a childish fantasy of a perfect life. In my last game I felt like I would dig everything that could validate or invalidate that hypothesis, so here what I have :

- Shaun could definitely have done it. Not only is he a cold man with a taste for long term plans and ways to torture two-legged guinea pigs, but he also happens to create a synth of himself as a child. It's not that much of a leap to create your own little synthetic (nuclear) family after that, and to give that synth the keys to the Institute ? Talk about living forever. I always suspected Father to have cut researches about implants like Kellogg had 'cause he was already sick and would die (so why leave others to live forever amirite) and as he was childless, he could not give the keys to another little him... Except the ones he was a father of. Amusing how he chose to be called Father for what he always describe as machines. Way to send mixed messages there, kiddo. Just imagine being raised in the Institute, achieving the ultimate rank inside to learn what happened to your mother/father, then when you look into the frozen Vault you discover that everything has malfunctioned and your other parent died, like the rest of them all ? Kellogg was ordered to basically kill everyone but the 'backup' (classic Institute here) but the Vault was kept unattended for 60 years after. The other parent could have died, or, maybe, when the synth experiment was successfull, the survivor was simply put down like the other, as the Institute isn't known for letting loose ends loose.

- Futhermore, he had the means to do it. Another set of pre-war memories (DiMA said there were other ones than Nick's) for the flavor, another secret project sworn to secrecy (maybe even to the point in which he would 'dispose' of the key witnesses, Virgil and Kellogg are proof he's not above a little murder here and there), some searches in the Vault or in the archives, and voilà. You have Codsworth there, and the good ol' robot doesn't say a word about such presences, but he also doesn't say a word about the inhabitants of Sanctuary before your arrival (and there's traces of them, like a skeleton on a bed made of carpets, so definitely after the war) and he also totally missed Kellogg's little trip to the frozen aisle, so there's that. He could also have been tampered with for his memories, he's a robot after all, he can be reprogrammed. Add the strange fact that no one thought of Sanctuary as a settlement before Mama Murphy (University point shows how the Institute deal with lifes above ground, so maybe it was older ?), and you can have a little place that the Institute was looking way more closely than expected for an expired contingency plan.

- It would explain many of his reactions : he let you in with a great amount of trust, maybe because you could have been recalled. Or, once again, just because he was dying anyway. He is really, really cold to you, and even admits that your survival was an experiment. That he does not love you ('I had no love to feel') and when after Bunker Hill's battle you say 'I still love you' he answers an incredible 'I can see that you do. It's... well, it's remarkable.' In a way, he is much more human if you consider that you're not. Because otherwise, he would have just thrown his surviving parent out in the Commonwealth when he could have housed him or her. It's worse if it's his mother : his father was a soldier, he would have a fighting chance. His mother ? A lawyer ? In a world when there's no laws anymore ? It would also explain why you don't have any leverage over him in any discussions. Every exchange you have with him, he just says what he expects of you, and that's it. Maybe because he expects you to obey. Cause you're, like, a machine. The only choice you can have by talking is telling him that you will not be a part of the Institute at your first meeting. So why letting you go ? Because he wouldn't murder his parent ? Well, you have synths chasing your hide afterwards (and ever before if you run into some), so no. Maybe because killing you would reveal anyone too close to the corpse that you're a synth ? Far stretched that one, I know, as he doesn't do the dirty work himself (he's too civilised, he has Daddy or Mommy to do it for him).

-It would explain why Lawyer Mom knows to handle every weapon, too. I don't know about you, but I for example wouldn't know how to reload a minigun without hesitation the first time I even hold one. It's only gameplay, I know, but that's in the game too. The SS know also about cooking Jet, which didn't exist pre-war. Gameplay again, but let's dig deeper. Synths don't need sleep, although they can sleep. Synths don't need food or water, but they can drink and eat. You know another being that fits that description ? The SS, if you're not in survival mode. You can't loot your own corpse to search for a synth component and even if the dead SS wouldn't have one, that wouldn't mean that he or she isn't a synth, as some Coursers for example don't give you one. Glory neither.

So here's what I've got : the SS is indeed a synth if you're not playing on that mode. It does make sense in a way : if Shaun did realise his true parent in the atomic wilds, it would take a surprising Survivor to accomplish such a feat. If you're not in the Survival mode, well Shaun took a synth trained for the Courser activity (hence the weapon and field knowledge) that was rejected and toyed with it/him/her to see how far would it go (the SRB explains you that they don't make Coursers from the start, they are chosen in the batch and not all synths make it).

Maybe you don't agree, and the game let you decide either way, so the question is : is YOUR Sole Survivor a synth ? How do you play it ? Does it matter to you ?

A little thought for the end : don't you think it's really strange to romance synths when your character is somewhat the grandparent of all synths (or their sister/brother), as they are built on Shaun's DNA (so half yours) ? I mean, I like Danse (his character is a little cliché at first but the way he handles the whole Blind Betrayal situation is downright the pure essence of nobility) and I like Curie (not her accent, heh, figures) but it's... Something to think about. And never talked about. But it's F4 for you here : a great, great game not finished enough in pure RPG terms.

So got around to writing this done down. In F3 you were able to take the perk cyborg which gave you most notably poison resistants and then some normal and energy resistance boots. Even though it had no effect on charther the odea of the charther being able to becom a cyborg is there so im applying this to F4. Lastly i will note this is probably not new idea but this is just my take.

Appearance in the world

It will range from prostate limbs to close to synth in appearance. The limbs will replace existing limbs with robotic ones. It by nature very high thec, because of this, only theological suppior faction can access it (BOS, institute, gunners, etc), making it a rarety in the waste and requiring you to be in institute to gain access to first pair.

Gameplay

It would preety much be more mobile version of end game power armour, and is designed to boost every aspect of combat mostly. Because of this, it inherited the ability to be modified and many of power armour modifications. Unlike power armour, unless you fully commit to the role you would not be able to use some modifications (ie radclancers) which do come with some disadvantage

pros and con(comparing it to regular limbs and power armour)

pros

ability to modify and enhance specific limbs, allowing it to simulate power armour.

reduce fall damge

small boost in DR

Can allow more mobility option(ie climbing walls, faster speed/jump)

More mobile then power armour

Multiple pares can be kept in inventory

Cons:(all scale with more bulky modifications)

prone to actually breaking, which can be reduced but never prevented but can be replaced. Similar to synth limbs.(i was adventure like you, untill i took a mini nuke to the knee)

More weight, compared to original limbs. All the extra cybernetic put pounds on you.

Require heavy perk investment/require end game perks.

Can become expensive with raw meterial since you need to repair constantly and how high thec it can be. Also is almost always expansive to have someone else repair or get modifications.

Certion faction may despise you(your practically turning into a synth in appearance and most people aren't notably intelligent in the wasteland)or can effect your charma(similar to F2 phonix modifications for similar reasons)

Dosen't stack with power armour instead gets cancelled

You move slower in water.

People and citizens of the Commonwealth always joke about the Railroad, how they save toasters and liberate computer terminals but have you actually stopped to think whether or not they could cause a change to the Commonwealth?

Remember: Everyone's opinion is valued in this post. You can criticize, but there is a difference between criticism and calling someone out for their own beliefs. People are allowed to have there own opinions and beliefs, do not try and take it away from them.

Are there any synths in new Vegas? I’ve been reading some of the wiki and can’t find a definitive answer.

So i was confused as to how all gen three synths have Shaun's dna. Yet instead of being exact clones of Shaun. They have a unique appearance or are doppelgangers of someone else.

So I've been doing a lot of reading. if I'm reading this right FEV allows them to alter Shaun's dna to replicate the dna of someone else or create a new profile. How does this work. I know FEV created supermutants. Which have been altered to the point that genes that are defective. Such as one's that lead to cancer or diabetes mellitus are gone. This leaves only the most dominant traits. This is why supermuants are generally stronger and healthier than average people.

The trade off is that it turns them green, ugly, and psychotic. The psychosis is probably why most are homicidally violent.

So how does the Institute maintain the advantages while countering the negative side effects?

I found out that the Half-life wiki has loads of info for the term "synthetic" if you want to know more...

In fallout 3 there are robot humans named andriods who act similar to the synths in fallout 4. I do belive there the same since ther both created by the institute but are andriods and synths truely the same?