The Professor is a scientist living in the town of Broken Hills in 2241.
Background[]
The Professor appears as a bemused man in a lab coat with an insane gleam in his eye.[1] His field of work revolves around what he calls "applied intelligence testing," which sees the use of chemical compounds in order to increase the intelligence of test subjects to levels equal to or greater than human intellect.[2]
His first experiment involved a spore plant named Seymour, whom he nurtured from his inception as a tiny spore to a full grown spore plant.[3] His work proved fruitful, as Seymour developed reasoning and cognitive abilities similar to that of a human. However, the plant realized from an early age that the Professor would "cut [him] into pieces to examine [him]" if he revealed his true nature.[3] This hidden truth resulted in the scientist discarding Seymour into a plant bed near the Old Ghouls' Home, deeming him to be a failure.[2][3]
Following his "failure" with Seymour, the Professor continued his intelligence work on a new test subject: a radscorpion.[2] This radscorpion proved to be a much more reciprocative and successful experiment, showcasing intellect that far surpassed that of a human.[4] Several feats laid credence to its enhanced abilities, such as the ability to pick locks with its claws,[5] aptitude in games of chess, as well as communicating in English via Morse code through the clicking of its claws and high-pitched chitters and chirps from its mouth.[6][7]
Aside from his work with applied intelligence testing, the Professor claims to have developed a method to simplify the mass-production of Mentats. His claim extends to a large amount of other unnamed drugs as well.[8] He also claims to have invented chess.[4]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
This character starts quests. | |
Quests[]
- Defeat the professor's radscorpion in three challenges: The professor can give 1500 XP total by talking to him and taking three different tests, that each give 500 XP each for tying with or beating his radscorpion.
Inventory[]
Notes[]
Both footlockers in the Professor's house are locked, and trying to interact with them or picking their locks does nothing.
Appearances[]
The Professor appears only in Fallout 2.
Behind the scenes[]
The Professor is also mentioned in Fallout Bible 6, in which Chris Avellone denied that he was the same person as Professor Sheng from the Shi.[Non-game 1]
References[]
- ↑ The Professor's character description: "{100}{}{You see a bemused man in a lab coat.}"
"{101}{}{You see the Professor. He looks like he's engaged in some madcap scheme.}"
"{102}{}{You see a bemused man in a lab coat surrounded by laboratory equipment. There's an insane gleam in his eye.}"
(The Professor's dialogue) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Chosen One: "{107}{}{Who are you? And what's with the scorpion?}"
The Professor: "{135}{}{I am the Professor. What I do is applied intelligence testing. I create chemical compounds to increase intelligence. I'm trying some out on this radscorpion here, after my failure with the plant.}"
(The Professor's dialogue) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Chosen One: "{107}{}{Are you connected with that scientist in any way?}"
Seymour: "{133}{}{Oh, yes, the Professor. He grew me from a tiny spore and nurtured me... but I realized from an early age that if I were to act as smart as I truly am, he'd cut me into pieces to examine me. So, I played dumb and got planted out here. It's nice... but I'd like to branch out a little. Y'know, maybe get planted someplace else...}"
(Seymour's dialogue) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Chosen One: "{145}{}{All right, all right. Say, I'd like to try out my skills against your scorpion.}"
The Professor: "{121}{}{You wish to take a test, eh? Do you want to test your manual dexterity, your perception, or your intelligence?}"
The Chosen One: "{124}{}{How about my smarts?}"
The Professor: "{132}{}{You and the scorpion will be playing a game of my own devising. I call it 'chess'. Are you ready?}"
The Chosen One: "{134}{}{Yep. I'm ready.}"
The Chosen One: "{404}{}{and...checkmate!}"
Professor's radscorpion: "{406}{}{::chitter:: Kill plant! ::click-clack-click::}"
The quest's description: "{407}{}{You have proven that you can subvert a radscorpion that is more intelligent than you.}"
The Professor: "{147}{}{How... how could you kill my scorpion like that? I was close... so close...}"
(The Professor's dialogue) Note: This response plays when the player defeats the radscorpion using the Flying Liver Attack. - ↑ The Chosen One: "{122}{}{I'd like to test my agility.}"
The Professor: "{126}{}{Very well. I'll be matching you against the scorpion. You will both attempt to unlock those boxes. Good luck.}"
The Chosen One: "{200}{}{Woo hoo! Beat THAT, Mr. Exoskeleton.}"
Professor's radscorpion: "{204}{}{::click clack::}"
The Chosen One: "{205}{}{How the hell did you pick a lock with CLAWS?}"
Professor's radscorpion: "{207}{}{::chitter::}"
The Professor: "{208}{}{Well, that was a tie.}"
(The Professor's dialogue) - ↑ The Chosen One: "{123}{}{Let's test my eyes.}"
The Professor: "{129}{}{Right. You'll stand behind this rail, and you and the scorpion will tell me the letters you read, from top to bottom, left to right.}"
The Chosen One: "{300}{}{E...Z...W...T...O...D...F...E..R...T...F...P...Y...J...M}"
The Professor: "{301}{}{Yes, that's correct.}"
Professor's radscorpion: "{304}{}{::chitter chitter:: ::click clack:: ::chirp (tail swing)::}"
The Professor: "{305}{}{Correct! Good boy! Gooooood boy! Your Morse code skills are improving nicely.}"
The quest's description: "{306}{}{You have proven that you are just as perceptive as the radscorpion.}"
(The Professor's dialogue) - ↑ The events of the quest Defeat the professor's radscorpion in three challenges.
- ↑ The Chosen One: "{138}{}{Have you made anything that works?}"
The Professor: "{144}{}{Yes, I have, thank you very much! You ever hear of 'Mentats'? I helped develop a method for easy mass-production of that drug! And others! Lots of others!}"
(The Professor's dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout Bible 6: "2. Is the Professor in Broken Hills the same as the missing Shi researcher mentioned in the biology database?"
Chris Avellone: "No. Professor Sheng is unaccounted for. Poor Professor Sheng."