Fallout random encounters

For the special encounters appearing in Fallout, see Fallout special encounters.

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This page lists all random encounters in Fallout.

• The content is not described in full detail on this page. For details, please see the respective articles.
• For random encounters in other Fallout games, please see "Random encounter".
• For an overview of Fallout content, please refer to "Portal:Fallout."

Generic encounters

The following system is used to determine generic random encounters on the world map.

Table selection

Map overlaid with the names of the encounter tables used to determine random encounters

An alternate map, grouping identical cells together and which tables they reference.

First, the game identifies which tile or map cell the player is located in. The location determines:

1. the terrain type and the script the game executes (RNDDESRT, RNDCITY, RNDMNTN, RNDCOAST),
2. which table is used, according to g_var 65, using the following table; note that Coast and City terrain have only a single encounter table.

For reference, the letter and digit codes used to select encounter tables listed below have been included in the map to the right. A separate image, showing the specific cells affected as colored areas is included below.

Terrain	Variable (g_var 65)	Table
City	Not applicable	City table (CI)
Coast	Not applicable	Coast table (C)
Desert (D)	0	North_table
	1	South_table
	2-4	Randomly selected North_table or South_table
	5	Shady_table
	6	Raider_table
	7	Junk_table
	8	Hub_table
	9	Necrop_table
	10	Steel_table
	11	Vats_table
	12	Glow_table
	13	Bone_table
	14	Death_table
Mountain (M)	2	North_table
	3	South_table
	Any other number	Vault_table

Encounter rolling

Next, the game calculates the actual encounter using the values from the lower table. These are percentile chances for an encounter of a given type.

Generally speaking, encounters with numbers closer to 1 are considered worse (may include difficult combat encounters or bad happenings, such as dehydration), while encounters with numbers closer to 6 are better (free items or special NPC encounters).

All calculations by Sduibek	Bad 1-2 Luck	Normal Luck 3-7 Luck (3-6 for Desert tiles)	Good Luck 8 Luck (7-8 for Desert tiles)	Very Good Luck 9-10 Luck
Encounter1	2%	0.5%	0%	0%
Encounter2	7.5%	4%	2%	0.5%
Encounter3	28%	21.5%	14.5%	9%
Encounter4	46%	48%	46.5%	40.5%
Encounter5	14.5%	21.5%	28%	34%
Encounter6	2%	4.5%	9%	16%

Some perks may modify the odds, reducing the occurrence of bad encounters and increasing the incidence of good ones.

Encounter tables

All encounter tables are specified by scripts (see RndDesrt.int, RNDCOAST.INT, RNDCITY.INT, and RNDMTN.INT). Each script also includes two universal checks: Bounty hunters and the Mysterious Stranger. Note that all cap spawns are tripled with Fortune Finder and ammo is doubled with Scrounger.

• Bounty hunters begin to spawn if the player character is a confirmed Childkiller (killed 2 or more children). Chris Avellone and his entourage will hunt the player character down to collect the 1500 cap bounty. He's armed with an assault rifle, spare 5mm AP ammo, wears combat armor, carries a super stimpak and 5-30 caps (tripled with Fortune Finder). He's accompanied by three henchmen wearing metal armor and equipped with:
  • a spear and with 5-30 caps
  • a sniper rifle, three packs of .223 ammo, two explosive rockets, and 5-40 caps
  • a Desert Eagle, 5-30 caps, and flamethrower fuel
• Mysterious Stranger will spawn after the appropriate perk has been chosen, as long as he isn't killed in an encounter. The Stranger will carry various loadouts:
  • a ripper, two stimpaks, and 7-30 caps at the coast,
  • a brass knuckles, a frag grenade, a stimpak, and 7-30 caps in cities,
  • a spear, two stimpaks, and 7-30 caps in the desert,
  • a spear, two stimpaks, a set of Cathedral robes, and 7-30 caps in the mountains.

City

Urban areas that survived the nuclear war.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
City1	Combat	You have stumbled into a super mutant ambush!	2-3 super mutants, armed with a flamer, a minigun, or a spiked knuckles (33% chance each), carrying a stimpak, spare 5mm ammo (if carrying a minigun) and 5-20 caps. There's a 33% chance for another minigun-equipped mutant to spawn, carrying the same amount of caps. All cap amounts are tripled with Fortune Finder. Ammo is likewise tripled with Scrounger.
City2	Combat	Looks like you've stumbled into a gang war!	Two groups of raiders, one numbering 3-6 characters (group A), the other 3-5 (group B). Group A can be armed with Desert Eagles, 10mm pistols, or brass knuckles (33% chance for each) and carry 5-25 caps. Group B is armed with knives or spears and can carry 4-25 caps. All cap amounts are tripled with Fortune Finder.
City3	Combat	A group of hostile raiders bursts forth!	2-4 raiders armed with 10mm pistols and SMGs. Raiders can carry 4-25 caps. There's a random chance for them for them to spawn with first aid kits, small energy cells, knives, sledgehammers, spare energy cells, .44 JHP ammunition, and 18-150 caps additionally. Cap amounts for the initial group are tripled with Fortune Finder and doubled for the second. Additional SEC pack and .44 ammo brick will spawn with Scrounger.
City4	Combat	A large group of rats comes scurrying down the streets!	5-15 rats.
City5	Combat	A group of hostile gangers bursts forth!	3-5 gangers, Leader may spawn with a 10mm pistol or a hunting rifle and 4-25 caps. Other members of the gang spawn with knives, first aid kits, small energy cells, .44 JHP ammunition, and 19-135 caps. All cap amounts are tripled with Fortune Finder. Ammo is doubled with Scrounger.
City6	Combat	You are suddenly attacked by rats!	3-4 rats.

Coast

The coastline after the Great War.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Coast1	Combat	You see several odd floating creatures... There is a grisly dead corpse near by that's been partially eaten.	2-4 floaters Dead body with a stimpak and some .223 ammo (double with Scrounger) and 4-25 caps (tripled with Fortune Finder)
Coast2	Combat	You are suddenly attacked by a swarm of Mantis!	8-12 mantis
Coast3	Combat	You see a small swarm of rats rapidly approaching.	8-12 rats
Coast4	Combat	You see a group of peasants being attacked by raiders!	A small encampment, belonging to 4-7 generic peasants, is under attack. The peasants can be carrying a bag, some BBs, and each will have 2-4 caps (doubled with Fortune Finder.) The attackers are 3-4 generic raiders, armed with spears and brass knuckles, carrying beer, booze, and 6-15 caps (doubled with Fortune Finder). If the raiders are defeated, the peasants will pool their caps and award a sum to the player character.
Coast5	Combat	You see a small swarm of rats rapidly approaching.	4-6 rats
Coast6	NPCs	You see a couple of people out fishing.	A small encampment belonging to a weary fisherman and the fisherman's son. The fisherman carries a spear, a Desert Eagle with some spare .44 JHP ammunition, a dose of Rad-X, and 50-100 caps (doubled with Fortune Finder). The son has a spear, an iguana on a stick, with 2-3 caps (doubled with FF).

Desert

The highlighted cells randomly select either the North or South table.

North

The majority of deserts in New California, away from inhabited territories.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Encounter1	Combat	You have stumbled on to a fierce battle between Rad Scorpions and Mole Rats.	3-6 radscorpions fight 4-8 mole rats. Perception determines player placement.
Encounter2		Uh oh . . . a raiding party!	Two groups of raiders, one numbering one to two hostiles, the other three to five. The first group can carry a knife, Desert Eagle, or 10mm pistol, with 1-20 caps. The other group can carry.the same weapons, but has 1-25 caps. Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns.
Encounter3		You have stumbled upon a large pack of radscorpions!	4-6 radscorpion surrounding a dead traveler with 40-100 caps and a stimpak. Fortune Finder doubles caps.
Encounter4		You have stumbled upon a pack of Rad Scorpions.	2-4 radscorpions.
Encounter5		You have stumbled upon a family of Mole Rats.	2-6 mole rats.
Encounter6	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage

South

The desolate deserts to the far southeast, and fragments of the coastline.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
South1	Environmental	STAMPEDE!!!	6-10 brahmin stampeding across the map.
South2	Combat	You stumble onto a large pack of Rad Scorpions!	4-6 radscorpions
South3	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage
South4	Combat	Raiders!!!	2-5 raiders, one armed with a hunting rifle and spare .223 FMJ ammo, the others with 10mm pistols and some spare 10mm ammo or spears. All carry 10-30 caps. Scrounger doubles ammo spawns, Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns.
South5	Combat	You have stumbled on a large gathering of Mole Rats.	4-8 mole rats
South6	Combat	You encounter a band of wild radscorpions.	3-6 radscorpions

Shady

The desert surrounding the small Shady Sands.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Shady1	Combat	You encounter some peasants under attack.	2 peasants with random caps (proto 39, PeasVict.int) 2-3 raiders with spears and random caps (proto 233, GenRaidA.int)
Shady2	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Note: This encounter is commented out and reuses Shady3 Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage
Shady3	Combat	You stumble into a family of Rad Scorpions.	2-4 radscorpions
Shady4	Character	You come across a traveling merchant and guards. or You encounter a dead traveler.	Duc with hunting rifle and a stack of .223 FMJ. If Duc is dead for whatever reason, a dead traveller with the following: 1 fruit Stacks of 2x 10mm JHP, 10mm AP, and 2x .223 FMJ 25% chance for a first aid kit 33% chance for 25-100 caps (base) 50% chance for iguana on a stick
Shady5	Character		Lance, a Shady Sands guard with a 10mm pistol, spear, 10mm JHP stack, iguana on a stick, 8-44 caps. If encountered between 7 AM and 6 PM, 4-6 mantises will also appear.
Shady6	Loot	You have stumbled across some items laying on the ground.	0-5 bottle caps Mutated fruit Chance for 10mm JHP, bag with 6-122 caps (Scrounger or Fortune Finder) (Luck 8) Chance for 10mm pistol

Raider

Khan stomping grounds.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Raider1	Combat	Raiders ambush you!	4-6 raiders armoed with knives and 10mm pistols and toting beers. 50% chance for them to use a better weapon (10mm SMG or Desert Eagle; bald raider can carry a hunting rifle) 50% chance for raiders using protos 216 (with 50% for 233) to spawn, otherwise it uses proto 103.
Raider2	Combat	Uh oh . . . a raiding party! or Raiders!!!	3-4 raiders armoed with knives and 10mm pistols and toting beers. 50% chance for them to use a better weapon (10mm SMG or Desert Eagle; bald raider can carry a hunting rifle) 50% chance for raiders using protos 216 (with 50% for 233) to spawn, otherwise it uses proto 103.
Raider3	Combat	You spot the remains of a caravan, being looted by raiders.	A broken-down red caravan wagon with two dead brahmin and a burning barrel between 7 PM and 6 AM. Spawns 2-3 caravaneers: Dead merchants with leather armor and a knife, hunting rifle and .233 FMJ, and a metal armor, hunting rifle, and a stack of .223 FMJ, 30% chance for a first aid kit, 30% for a stimpak, 30% for a fuzzy painting, and 30% for a set of locpicks. Looters consist of 5-7 raiders. Raiders carry knives, spears, 10mm pistols, and have 50% for 10mm SMGs (hunting rifles for bald raiders).
Raider4	Combat	A small group of raiders attack!	2-3 raiders aimed with knives, 10mm pistols, and toting beers. 50% chance for 10mm SMGs, Desert Eagles or hunting rifles (for bald raiders).
Raider5	Character	You see a lone raider in the distance.	A lone raider trying to get to camp. The raider can carry a knife and 10mm pistol, with a 50% chance for better weapons: A 10mm SMG or Desert Eagle.
Raider6	Environmental	You come upon the remains of a battlefield, with bodies strewn about.	3-5 dead raiders. Also 3-4 dead radscorpions.

Junk

Deserts around Junktown.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Junk1	Combat	Radscorpions, incoming!	3-4 radscorpions
Junk2	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage
Junk3	Combat	You spot a wandering pack of wild coyotes.	4-6 wild dogs.
Junk4	Characters	You notice several individuals scouting about.	2-4 Junktown scouts. They can mark Junktown on the map if the Vault Dweller asks for the nearest town.
Junk5	Characters	You come across a small party of merchants and guards.	1-3 merchants with 2-12 guards. The merchant will tote 1-4 bricks of 10mm AP and 10mm JHP each, 1-4 knives, 4-8 fruit, up to 2 ropes and bags, and 50-150 caps. Guards can carry Desert Eagles or a hunting rifle with a spare stack of ammunition and a backup knife. Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns. Scrounger doubles ammo spawns.
Junk6	Loot	You have stumbled across some items laying on the ground.	Luck < 3: A single fruit. Luck >3 and <8: Fruit and bag with 4 caps. Luck 8: Fruit and a brick of 10mm JHP ammo, plus a bag with 6 caps. Luck >8: Fruit, four bricks of 10mm JHP ammo, plus a bag with 122 caps. Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns. Scrounger doubles ammo spawns.

Hub

Deserts surrounding the largest city in New California.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Hub1	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage
Hub2	Combat	Raiders ambush you!	3-6 raiders (randomly selected from three different types), can be armed with knives and either a 10mm pistol, 10mm SMG, or a hunting rifle. They can carry 10-30 caps, a stimpak, a dose of buffout, and both types of iguana on a stick. Each item has a 25% chance to appear. Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns.
Hub3	Combat	A pack of nasty radscorpions strikes from the desert!	Two groups of radscorpions, numbering 2-3 and 1-2 animals.
Hub4	Characters	You encounter a group of guardsmen on patrol.	"Hub policemen." A group of 4-6 Hub policemen when traveling around the Hub. They are armed with Desert Eagles and 10mm SMGs, and carry 20-50 caps. They only speak in floats and will react to the player character's accomplishments in the Hub. Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns.
Hub5	Characters	You come across a merchant with several guards.	Julian, Lox, Terrance or Dale, accompanied by 5-8 guards. The guards can carry Desert Eagles or 10mm SMGs, same as Hub police in the wastes, and have 20-50 caps each. The merchant will carry 100-300 caps and will randomly spawn various items to trade: Fruit (80% chance, up to 4), Iguana-on-a-stick (80%, 4 max), Stimpak (66%, 2 max), First Aid Kit (50%, single), 10mm JHP and AP ammo (75%, 72 rounds max, separately calculated for each type) , and 5mm JHP and AP ammo (66%, up to 100 max, same as 10mm). Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns.
Hub6	Characters	You see a peasant herding several brahmin.	"A mute herdsman." 2-4 brahmin along with a mute herder (he doesn't actually have a script attached).

Necropolis

Deserts around the city of Bakersfield.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Necrop1	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage
Necrop2	Combat	You've run into some Radscorpions hunting Mole rats. Commented out: Radscorpions hunt Mole rats among the ruined city walls.	2-4 mole rats vs. 2-4 radscorpions.
Necrop3	Combat	You've run into some Radscorpions hunting Mole rats.	2-4 radscorpions vs. 0-5 mole rats.
Necrop4	Loot	Junk and rocks are scattered about.	20% chance for a single brick of ammo to spawn among the junk: 10mm AP or JHP, .223 FMJ, or .44 Magnum FMJ or JHP
Necrop5	Combat	Skinny hostile humanoids with greenish skin approach.	1-3 feral ghouls.
Necrop6	Loot	You note a partially-eaten corpse here.	Yum! The body can contain loot. Each item in the following list has a 25% chance to appear: Stimpak, backpack, hunting rifle, rope, leather armor, 10mm pistol, dynamite, and 50-110 caps. It's guaranteed to spawn with 3-9 caps and a bottle of Nuka-Cola. Fortune Finder doubles cap spawns.

Steel

Frontier controlled by the Brotherhood. Unknowingly edges into Unity territories to the northwest.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Steel1	Combat	You see a small war going on -- men versus mutants!	Two Brotherhood paladins (using generic scripts B and C), armed with Gatling lasers and miniguns (33% chance for themto carry a rocket launcher with 1-3 spare rockets) fight against six supermutants armed with miniguns (50% chance for them to carry rocket launchers with 1-3 spare rockets).
Steel2	Combat	A tremendous horde of radscorpions is coming this way!	6-10 rad scorpions.
Steel3	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage
Steel4	Character	Several men in power armor are approaching you.	5-7 Brotherhood paladins on patrol, armed with Gatling lasers, miniguns, and a 25% chance for them to carry flamethrower fuel. If spoken to, the leader will question the player character about their reason to be there. Answering "none of [his] business" will turn everyone hostile. The player can instead ask to speak to the High Elder, which will teleport the character to the Lost Hills bunker, or explain their quest, at which point the patrol will let them go free.
Steel5	Character	You see a group of merchants and guards.	A caravan train with 1-2 brahmin and 2-4 generic merchants with 6-8 guards. The merchants spawn with 12-32 caps and have a chance to carry the following items (50% chance for each to spawn): Fruit, 48 10mm JHP, 24 10mm AP, 100 .223 FMJ, 0-4 Stimpaks, a first aid kit, and 0-3 iguanas on a stick. Guards can carry 1-15 caps and 50% chance to carry shotguns with 20 shells or a hunting rifle with 50 .223 rounds, and a 50% chance to have either a beer or a booze with them. Fortune Finder doubles caps spawns, Scrounger doubles ammo spawns
Steel6	Combat	You see a vicious battle underway between several desert raiders and a group of men in power armor.	3-4 Brotherhood paladins fight off 12-15 raiders. The paladins can carry Gatling lasers, miniguns, and have a 25% chance to have a rocket launcher with 1-3 spare rockets. The raiders are armed with spears and have a 66% chance to have a 10mm pistol with 24 spare 10mm AP bullets and a 50% chance for a stimpak. Scrounger doubles ammo spawns.

Vats

The stretch of Californian Central Valley patrolled by the Unity.

BoS versus Unity

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Vats1	Combat	You see several mutants exploring a patch of hostile ground.	The player character receives 15-30 points of radiation immediately, then faces 3-4 supermutants under a commander. Regular mutants are armed with a flamer, a minigun, or a spiked knuckles (33% chance for one of these three types), commander always spawns with a minigun and a spare brick of ammunition.
Vats2	Combat	You see some strange creatures ahead . . .	A floater and a centaur.
Vats3	Combat	A patrol unit of mutants is passing close by, along with them are some strange creatures!	2-3 mutants, one commander with a laser rifle, spare MFC, and a radio, and a group of mutated horrors: Up to two centaurs and up to two floaters.
Vats4	Combat	A patrol unit of super mutants is passing close by!	3-4 supermutants under a commander. Regular mutants are armed with a flamer, a minigun, or a spiked knuckles (33% chance for one of these three types), commander always spawns with a minigun and a spare brick of ammunition.
Vats5	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour.' or You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional X hours or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs out, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage. or You search for water in the high desert landscape for X hours, but you do not find enough to fully satisfy your thirst. You have sustained Y point of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 15-24 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor). There's also a moderate dehydration variant: 4–8 hours, 6-12 damage
Vats6	Combat	Ahead you can see junk strewn about the sands.	An ambush, with a pre-placed bait. 2-3 mutants with miniguns.

Glow

Deserts to the east and south of the Glow.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Glow1	Combat	You stumble upon a Super Mutant war party.	2-3 super mutants armed with laser rifles and 150 MFC (3 stacks). Scrounger increases the number of MFC to 250 (5 stacks).
Glow2		You stumble upon a pack of bizarre creatures.	3-5 centaurs and floaters (50% chance for the latter to spawn).
Glow3		You stumble across a pack of hungry Radscorpions.	4-8 rad scorpions.
Glow4		You feel nauseous, and the air seems to waver with heat.	A single floater appears, while the player character receives 15-30 points of radiation.
Glow5		You have stumbled across a bizarre floating creature.	0-5 floaters.
Glow6		You encounter something out of an old SciFi movie.	2-5 lesser centaurs with a 50% chance for each to be replaced by a floater.

Bone

The deserts surrounding the remnants of Los Angeles Boneyard.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Bone1	Combat	You are ambushed by a small Super Mutant war party.	2-3 super mutants with miniguns (25% chance for a flamethrower instead) and 20% chance for a rocket launcher. They have a 33% chance to carry 5-20 caps. Fortune Finder triples cap spawns.
Bone2	Combat	Looks like you've stumbled into a vicious gang war!	Two groups of 3-5 raiders fight it out in the desert. The first group can be armed with either Desert Eagles, 10mm pistols, or brass knuckles (33% chance for each), and have a 33% chance to carry 5-25 caps. The second group will carry either spears or knives (50% chance). If spawned between 19:00 and 6:00, there's a 50% chance for ??? to appear. Fortune Finder triples cap spawns.
Bone3	Combat	A group of hostile gangers bursts forth!	3-7 gangers, armed with 10mm pistols or hunting rifles (50% chance each) and carrying 4-25 caps. They can also spawn with leather armor and a first aid kit, an additional 25-100 caps, and have 50% chance to spawn an additional 20 rounds of .44 JHP ammo, a sledgehammer, small energy cells, or a knife. Scrounger doubles ammo spawns, Fortune Finder triples cap spawns.
Bone4	Combat	A small group of raiders attack!	2-5 raiders, armed with 10mm pistols or hunting rifles (50% chance each) and carrying 4-25 caps. They can also spawn with leather armor and a first aid kit, an additional 25-100 caps, and have 50% chance to spawn an additional 20 rounds of .44 JHP ammo, a sledgehammer, small energy cells, or a knife. Scrounger doubles ammo spawns, Fortune Finder triples cap spawns.
Bone5	Combat	A small group of gangers attack!	1-3 gangers, armed with 10mm pistols or hunting rifles (50% chance each) and carrying 4-25 caps. They can also spawn with leather armor and a first aid kit, an additional 25-100 caps, and have 50% chance to spawn an additional 20 rounds of .44 JHP ammo, a sledgehammer, small energy cells, or a knife. Scrounger doubles ammo spawns, Fortune Finder triples cap spawns.
Bone6	Combat	You are suddenly attacked by a swarm of Mantis!	4-6 mantis.

Death

Otherwise known as the deathclaw hunting grounds.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Death1	Combat	The Deathclaw!! or You stumble into a migrating pack of Rad Scorpions.	If the player has not yet killed the deathclaw in the Hub, it can appear here and attack. Otherwise, the player has to face 3-5 radscorpions. Killing the deathclaw here does not complete the Find the missing caravans quest, however.
Death2	Combat	You encounter a mutated creature of the desert.	A lesser centaur appears.
Death3	Environmental	You manage to avoid dehydration due to your supplies of water. or Critical success: You manage to avoid dehydration by searching for water. The search takes 1 hour. or Success: You manage to avoid a serious case of dehydration by searching for water. The search takes an additional hour. or Major dehydration: Your water supply runs low, and your search of X hours fails to locate any water. Severe dehydration sets in, causing you Y points of health damage.	Random dehydration encounter. The game checks the player's inventory for a water flask. If they have one, the flask is removed. If the player does not have a flask, the game instead rolls against Outdoorsman. If successful, it then rolls 1d6 for hours. A critical success means the search only takes one hour, a regular success will take (1-6+1) hours. Failing the skill check will cause the game to roll for hit point damage and hours. This will deal 2-4 points of damage and advance the clock by 6–12 hours (the damage is applied to the critter directly and can be absorbed by any equipped armor).
Death4	Combat	You see several radscorpions some distance away.	2-4 radscorpions.
Death5	Character	You run across a ragged peasant. or You encounter a Mole rat.	The Vault Dweller runs into a panicked Trent Barrister. He can be spoken to, and will speak of a creature with "Huge horns, sick red skin, like something out of a story about demons" that ripped his comrades apart. The guard carries a Desert Eagle with spare 20 .44 JHP and 20 .44 FMJ rounds , a knife, 20-60 caps (double with Fortune Finder), a stimpak, some leather armor, a 10mm SMG, a backpack, and a bottle of booze. If he's been already encountered, a molerat will spawn instead.
Death6	Combat	The Deathclaw!! or You stumble into a migrating pack of Rad Scorpions.	If the player has not yet killed the deathclaw in the Hub, it can appear here and attack. Otherwise, the player has to face 3-5 radscorpions. Killing the deathclaw here does not complete the Find the missing caravans quest, however.

Mountain

Mountain, North

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
North1	Environmental	You are traveling through sheer cliffs and rugged terrain.	The game rolls a 1d100 against Outdoorsman (0 base modifier, +20% modifier per level of Survivalist). Critical success: "You find a cave with a small spring and manage to get your first good night's sleep in a long time." (heal 1 to 3 hit points) Success: "Fortunately, your climbing skills are up to the task." (no effect) Fail: "You fall from a cliffside to the rocky ground below." (1d4 damage to player character, does not ignore armor) Critical fail: "You fall from a ledge, landing on several sharp stones." (1d6+3 [4-10] damage to player character, does not ignore armor) For both fail types, the game also runs the script function critter_injure(dude_obj, 2); in order to play the knocked down animation. However, this doesn't work in the game. The same function is called to tip brahmin, but that only takes place when the script forces them to play the animation frames. The function itself is broken.
North2	Combat	Radscorpions!	2 to 3 Radscorpions. Placement is altered between 19:00 and 6:00.
North3	Non-player character	You see a lone traveler in the distance.	Patrick the Celt. He can be asked to sing "Na Gheala Mbeadh" if a Speech check is passed. Listening to the song increases Charisma by one point. Patrick can be met again, but he will not sing the song anymore.
North4	Combat	Success: A particularly sneaky radscorpion seems to be trying to ambush you. Fail: Out of nowhere, a radscorpion suddenly strikes!	1 Radscorpion The game tests Outdoorsman (0 base modifier, normal changes apply) in order to determine whether the Radscorpion ambushes the player and knocks them down. The function knock_down_player doesn't work, so this only affects the message displayed:
North5	Combat	You have stumbled upon a family of Mole Rats.	1 to 2 Mole Rats (50% chance) or 2 to 4 Mole Rats (50% chance) Independent check is ran for each mole rat: 20% chance it's Greater Mole Rat, otherwise Lesser Mole Rat. 2 to 4 fruits spawn on the ground.
North6	Environmental	You are nearly crushed by a large boulder in an avalanche.	The game makes a roll against Outdoorsman, but ignores the outcome (as the script was modified to only check if 1 still equals 1). "You escape with no damage" "The displaced rock brings with it the remains of a long-dead traveler." The encounter also features a single dead traveler (using the ghoul sprite) that can carry: 10 to 60 bottle caps (double if have Fortune Finder) 25% chance to have 1 stimpak 25% chance to have 1 10mm pistol 25% chance to have 1 10mm JHP (2 if Scrounger) 25% chance to have 1 leather armor 25% chance to have 1 backpack The script checks for each item individually, making it possible for all of these items to spawn. If the Outdoorsman check was actually used, the game would react in the following ways: Critical fail: "Your leg is critically damaged by falling rocks." (1d6+2 [3-8] damage to player character, doesn't ignore armor, cripple right leg, 50% chance to cripple the left leg) Fail: "Some rock shards slice your face and hands, but you escape with minimal damage." (1d4 [1-4] damage to player character, doesn't ignore armor)

Mountain, South

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
South1	Environmental	You are traveling through sheer cliffs and rugged terrain.	The game rolls a 1d100 against Outdoorsman (0 base modifier, +20% modifier per level of Survivalist). Critical success: "You find a cave with a small spring and manage to get your first good night's sleep in a long time." (heal 1 to 3 hit points) Success: "Fortunately, your climbing skills are up to the task." (no effect) Fail: "You fall from a cliffside to the rocky ground below." (1d6-2 [1-4] damage to player character, does not ignore armor) Critical fail: "You fall from a ledge, landing on several sharp stones." (1d6+3 [4-10] damage to player character, does not ignore armor) For both fail types, the game also runs the script function critter_injure(dude_obj, 2); in order to play the knocked down animation. However, this doesn't work in the game. The same function is called to tip brahmin, but that only takes place when the script forces them to play the animation frames. The function itself is broken.
South2	Combat	Radscorpions!	2 to 6 Radscorpions
South3	Combat	You find several rats scavenging about here.	3-8 cave rats
South4	Non-player character	You see a lone traveler in the distance.	Patrick the Celt. He can be asked to sing "Na Gheala Mbeadh" if a Speech check is passed. Listening to the song increases Charisma by one point. Patrick can be met again, but he will not sing the song anymore.
South5	Environmental/combat	The ground ahead is littered with debris and bodies. It looks like an old battle zone.	The game spawns 2 knives and a spear on the ground, as well as the following corpses: black peasant (red shirt), death type: on back, no blood black peasant (red shirt), death type: burnt, face down merchant (white guy with baseball cap), death type: on back, no blood merchant (white guy with baseball cap), death type: burnt, face down merchant (white guy with baseball cap), death type: burnt, face down white peasant (female, blonde), death type: on back, no blood man in leather armor (bald white guy), death type: on back, no blood zombie guard (non-glowing ghoul), death type: on back, no blood Additionally: If the player character's Luck is 3 or less: 2 to 4 Radscorpions If Luck is at least 4: Male Guard (black guy, metal armor) corpse with 24 10mm AP on corpse (with an additional 24 10mm JHP with Scrounger), death type: on back, no blood 50% chance of 24 10mm JHP on the ground (48 with Scrounger) 50% chance of spawn 24 10mm AP on the ground (48 if Scrounger) If Luck 4 to 6: 1 to 2 Radscorpions If Luck is 9 or 10: 50% chance of 10mm Pistol on the ground If pistol didn't spawn, 50% chance of a Hunting Rifle on the ground If neither the pistol or the hunting rifle spawned, then spawn a Shotgun on the ground NOTE: this encounter never spawns the Mysterious Stranger if the player has the perk.
South6	Environmental	You are nearly crushed by a large boulder in an avalanche.	The game makes a roll against Outdoorsman, but ignores the outcome (as the script was modified to only check if 1 still equals 1). "You escape with no damage" "The displaced rock brings with it the remains of a long-dead traveler." The encounter also features a single dead traveler (using the ghoul sprite) that can carry: 10 to 60 bottle caps (double if have Fortune Finder) 25% chance to have 1 stimpak 25% chance to have 1 10mm pistol 25% chance to have 1 10mm JHP (2 if Scrounger) 25% chance to have 1 leather armor 25% chance to have 1 backpack The script checks for each item individually, making it possible for all of these items to spawn. If the Outdoorsman check was actually used, the game would react in the following ways: Critical fail: "Your leg is critically damaged by falling rocks." (1d6+2 [3-8] damage to player character, doesn't ignore armor, cripple right leg, 50% chance to cripple the left leg) Fail: "Some rock shards slice your face and hands, but you escape with minimal damage." (1d4 [1-4] damage to player character, doesn't ignore armor)

Mountain, Vault

Despite the name, this encounter table is used in many places, including the mountains around Mariposa Military Base, around Vault 13, three mountain squares adjacent to the Raiders camp tile, one mountain square adjacent to the Junktown tile (top left), mountains near Adytum, and the mountains adjacent to The Glow. It's essentially the default mountain encounter map.

Encounter #	Type	Message	Content
Vault1	Combat	You see a lone radscorpion, skittering about.	1 Radscorpion This radscorpion uses a different script than all other random encounter radscorpions: It wanders around and doesn't immediately attack the player when the map loads, only when they see them. The Mysterious Stranger will appear to lend a helpful hand against this vicious, deadly foe.
Vault2	Environmental	You come across the bones of some long dead traveler.	1 dead traveler corpse (non-glowing ghoul appearance), death type: on back, no blood 50% chance of spawning 24 10mm JHP on ground at same hex as corpse (Scrounger does not apply) 50% chance of spawning 1 Stimpak on ground at same hex as corpse Checks are run individually for each item.
Vault3	Combat	Tremendous molerats are nosing about here.	2 to 3 Mole Rats Checks are ran for EACH mole rat separately: 25% chance for a Greater Mole Rat, 75% for a Lesser Mole Rat
Vault4	Combat	You find several rats scavenging about here.	4 to 8 cave rats
Vault5	Environmental		Random roll check against player character's Agility Success: "You nearly fall over some rough terrain. They could use some environment management out here." (runs the broken knock_down_player function) Fail: "You fall over some rough terrain and scrape some flesh." (1 point of damage to the player character, doesn't ignore armor, runs the broken knock_down_player function) Critical fail: "You fall over some rough terrain and twist an ankle, painfully." (1d3 [1-3] point of damage to the player character, doesn't ignore armor, runs the broken knock_down_player function)
Vault6	Combat	You see several rats running towards you.	4 to 6 cave rats 1 Radscorpion (if encountered between 7:00 PM and 6:00 AM)

Behind the scenes

• Random encounters were created by Jesse Heinig.