Rose of Sharon Cassidy, also known as Cass or Whiskey Rose,[1] is a caravaneer and owner of Cassidy Caravans, presently residing at the Mojave Outpost drinking her boredom away in the barracks, in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas. She is a possible companion of the Courier.
Background[]
Cass was born circa 2244,[Non-game 1] as the daughter of John Cassidy and an unnamed woman from one of the tribes east of the Colorado River, where John met her on his travels after parting ways with the Chosen One sometime after the destruction of the Enclave Oil Rig. John convinced his wife to settle down after a lifetime of traveling the wasteland to raise their child.[Non-game 2][2]
However, one day, her father decided to travel once more and left for the East. He never returned, leaving a young Cass to her mother to raise. Despite the negative impact of John's actions in leaving during her adolescence, an adult Cass expresses no hate over his decision and doesn't consider him the usual kind of family deserter, as she didn't really know him; she was too young to understand why her dad left when he did, and by the time her mother died due to an unspecified illness still hoping her husband would return, sometime between 2257 and 2261, she was an unruly teenager incapable of listening. After his departure, she kept two things as some form of a legacy: a rose pendant and her name, Rose of Sharon (a name she says John plucked from the pages of a pre-War novel). Cass originally thought the necklace was her mother's, but eventually learned that it was John who gave the pendant to her mother.[3] She also gained other "gifts" in the form of a penchant for violence and mayhem, enjoying hurting people who deserve it[4] and a congenital heart condition that makes her likely to suffer a heart attack if she takes illicit drugs. As a result, Cass abhors drugs of any kind and won't hesitate to snap at anyone who uses them freely.[5]
At some point into her adult years, Cass carved out a living in the wasteland by starting a caravan bearing her family's name and getting into the water trade after realizing that someone with a good pair of traveling legs was valuable to the disparate settlements around the wasteland. It was successful, for a time. By 2281, however, worn down by years of hard luck and a recent rash of terrible misfortunes, the last Cassidy is left a despondent merchant who has every reason to get out of the caravan business, yet remains chained to it by her stubborn sense of pride. As smart, tough, and steady with a gun as she's been, Cass has learned the hard way that she is not nearly savvy enough to survive the ruthless caravan wars that have flared up in Nevada since the NCR's expansion, particularly against the biggest competitors like the Crimson Caravan and the Van Graffs.
She was on layover at the Mojave Outpost when NCR Ranger reports came through that her caravan has been attacked and "burned to ash," but despite her strong objections, Ranger Jackson refused to let her leave to handle it. Stuck with nothing to do but drink, threats along the road into New Vegas grew and problems with NCR paperwork remained still, perpetually hampering her hopes of escaping the counter of the outpost's bar. But all Cass had in mind was learning what became of her own legacy.
Personality[]
Cass has an aggressive and eager, sometimes even impatient attitude, often telling the Courier to hurry up or get on with it, and does not take well to insults or her time wasted. She also enjoys violence quite a bit, much like her father.[4]
While running a caravan bestowed Cass with a knowledge of the world that is quite considerable, it is not without holes. For example, she is not aware that golf is a sport, rather than a person, while referring to Camp Golf as a monument to a man of that name[6] and recounting soldier remarks that it used to be a minefield,[7] with mine locations marked by numbers.[8]
She is also very outspoken on the NCR and Caesar's Legion, mostly keen on pointing out the bureaucratic messes of the NCR and the Legion's use of women as breeding tools. She does begrudgingly concede that Legion supply lines are "safe as houses," due to their fierce reprisals against raiders, unlike NCR supply lines which are sparsely defended and subject to the Republic's hefty taxes.
Cass treats sex casually and has no qualms lying with any man that catches her interest, always leaving them an empty whiskey bottle as a token. With the right dialogue, she can reveal that when she gets especially drunk, she'll even share the sheets with another woman and, while it's not her preference, has no problem with those who make it a lifestyle choice either.[9][10][11][12][13]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
Interactions | ||
---|---|---|
This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed. Hardcore mode | ||
This character is a permanent companion. They grant the Whiskey Rose perk. | ||
This character starts quests. | ||
This character is involved in quests. |
Quests[]
- Birds of a Feather: The Courier is sent by Jean-Baptiste Cutting to lure Cass to the Silver Rush to be killed. Completing Heartache by the Number first makes the Van Graff faction hostile, disabling the option to talk to Jean-Baptiste Cutting to complete this quest.
- Heartache by the Number: The Courier recruits Cass as a companion, then investigates her sacked caravan and helps exact revenge on the perpetrators. Successfully completing Cass' companion quest will give her one of two perks (Cass will not initiate this quest while the Courier has Evil Karma):
- Calm Heart, which raises her health by 50 HP.
- Hand of Vengeance, which grants a 15% bonus to the damage Cass inflicts with Guns-skill weapons.
- You Can Depend on Me: The Courier is sent by Alice McLafferty to convince Cass to sell her caravan.
Companion[]
- To recruit Cassidy, the player must pass a Speech or Barter check of 50. Alternatively, Cass's Whiskey Challenge can be done with 75 Barter by gathering 12 bottles of whiskey, of which 3 will be consumed.
- When asked about her combat skills, Cass says she is skilled in explosives and unarmed combat, but unskilled with melee weapons. She has Melee Weapons as a tagged skill but not Explosives or Unarmed. However, when it comes to her talking about her explosives skill, she only talks about using dynamite, a weapon with no skill requirements.
- Cass is capable of wearing non-faction power armor.
- If any amount of whiskey is put in Cass' inventory, she will drink it, leaving only empty whiskey bottles.
- Once she joins the Courier as a companion, Rose of Sharon Cassidy will give them the recipe for Cass' moonshine, craftable at campfires or electric hot plates. If the Courier has all of the ingredients on hand, she can also craft moonshine for them without needing a campfire.
- Already having the max amount of companions and asking Cass to join may make her respond with not being "in the mood for a threesome. Today."
Other interactions[]
- When asked about the monuments outside the Mojave Outpost, after her response, there will be an option to tell her what the statues actually depict with at least an Accepted reputation by the NCR.
- If the player has at least 6 Endurance, challenging Cass to a drinking contest will result in her complimenting them on their endurance, though they will still lose. If the Endurance stat is 8 or more, then the Courier will start to feel the effects but nonetheless still win. If the Endurance stat is 10, then Cass will eventually give up, slurring her words in awe at how durable the Courier is to the effects of alcohol.
- If labeled as a terrorist by the NCR, Cass will always be hostile to the Courier even when disguised but not while she is currently an active companion. She may also ambush the Courier after fast traveling to a location.
- Cass will make periodic random comments about almost every location she visits with the Courier. She also makes comments about the changes caused by the Courier's intervention. As of patch 1.4.0.525, Cass becomes far less vocal; she still has unique dialogue concerning many of the major locations in the game, but will only make a random comment once every 24 in-game hours instead of every single time a location is visited. Comments include:
Rose of Sharon Cassidy's comments | |
---|---|
Location | Comment |
Red Rock Canyon | "These boys and girls can really down the bottles." "Whiskey and liquor don't last long around here, by the sight of it." "Wonder if any of these folks would be up for shots of courage - and a wager." "Be *really* careful what you say here." "Should have heard stories of the Khans years ago - they were one tough bunch, now..." "Khans lost their strength after Bitter Springs, came here to lick their wounds." "Let's not split up here, all right?" "Don't take any chems here - hell knows what they're laced with." "Won't trade with Khans - they've poisoned most of the villages west of Vegas with chems." "Fiends would suffer withdrawal and die without the Khans." "Place would be beautiful... without the chem addicts and dealers." "Guess someone had to put them down." "Have a Vegas-style boxing ring in the center there." "Really wish we could go to some civilized places." "Even the flies here are chemed." "God, you can smell the Brahmin shit from the jet all over this place." |
Generic wasteland | "Sure could use a drink." "All this traveling's making me thirsty." "Careful if we go off the road." "Don't mind trailblazing as long as we got the ammo. And whiskey." "Feels good not to have to drag a Brahmin train across the Mojave." "Glad I left the Outpost behind." "Caravan of two now." |
Bitter Springs | "Heard NCR recon fucked up here once, with the Khans." "Heard NCR drove the Khans out of here, to Red Rock." "Place stinks of sand, piss, and vomit." "Refugees." "Watch out - easy to get sick around here." |
Black Mountain | "Crazy ass radio signals around here, couldn't make sense of them." "Place sets geiger counters ticking." "No idea why the highest point in the Mojave is so rad-lit." |
Camp Guardian | "Just goes to show you, no matter where you go, there's NCR trying to hold onto every corner of the world." "Guess they chose this spot to spy on Caesar." "Poor bastards." "Guess NCR's fish food." "Nice sign." |
Cottonwood Cove | "Should kill all these slavers." "Damn slavers." "Those dogs look like they could savage a Securitron." "We go across that launch, we may not come back." "This is the only place to cross the Colorado safely." "I hope we're not planning to cross the river." "Only merchants, slaves and Legion come here." |
Camp Forlorn Hope | "Another proud NCR camp." "Probably chose this place because of the water supply." "Morale looks low." "I smell Hydra in the air, just a whiff." |
The Fort | "Be damn careful here." "Don't like the way the men are looking at me." "Keep your eyes to yourself, Legion asshole." "Can't believe you want to talk to this guy." "Love how he's decorated the place." "Women might as well be dirt... not anxious to join them." "Wish these women would take knives to Caesar's troops in their beds." |
The Fort (the return) | "Can't belive we're fucking back here." "Testing our luck coming back here." "You sure you know what you're doing?" "They try and put one of those Brahmin packs on me, they're asking for a gelding. Going to get gelded." "Can't say I've seen a smile on anyone's face since we arrived." "Hope NCR wipes Caesar off the map." "Guess the tent belongs to the big man." "Not much future in the Legion if you don't have a dick." "I'm heading back West if Caesar moves on the Dam." "Not looking forward to being a Legion wife." |
Hidden Valley | "What's that hum?" "Watch for scorpions." "Doesn't fell like the rest of the Mojave here." "Storms pick up quick around here." |
Hoover Dam | "Check out those guns - rumor had it they used to shoot planes down before the war." "Place looks like how my bladder feels." "Place always wants me to take a piss." "Ever look down the Dam? Sends your head spinning." |
Jacobstown | "Place is fucking cold." "Pine trees?" "Can't believe we're in a refuge for crazy super mutants." "Wish I'd packed a jacket." "Only seen snow, not walked through it. Crazy - frozen water? Should package this shit." "Heard they could make 'ice' in the Old World and carry it around." "Dad used to say that in the Old World, people would put boards on their feet and soar down the mountains." |
Mojave Outpost | "Back here again?" "What, didn't see enough of the sites here the first time?" "Once here, most just stall out, can't go deeper into territory." "Fucking monument." "From here, it's Nipton to the east or Primm to the north." "And here's the slice of the world where NCR's hands start slipping." |
Nelson | "Guess the miners got fucked." "Where's the mine from here?" "If this place got hit, Novac's next." |
Nipton | "I think I'm going to be sick." "Nipton wasn't the best towns, but..." "Mayor Steyn got what was coming to him, looks like." "Mayor here used to shelter gangers, hear tell. Guess it didn't save him." "Should we cut the people down..." "Who the hell was that?" "I... hope they don't hit the Mojave Outpost." |
Quarry Junction | "Smells like deathclaw." "Looks like this place got wrecked." "Looks like this place go mined - in the wrong ways." |
Boulder City | "Should hit the Big Horn saloon here." "Heard there's still mines in the city - and maybe drunk NCR soldiers spoiling for a fight." "Rubble city, more like it." "There's a bar in the intact section, careful if you go wandering around the ruined section." |
Camp Golf | "Not much reason to ship water here, but liquor... hard to meet demand." "If NCR didn't grate me so, I'd come here for water resupply." "Used to ship a lot of liquor here, soldiers here have too much free time." "If there's a reason to attack NCR, Camp Golf's a reason." "Watch out for the Misfits here - 9th Platoon, word of their fuck-ups is legendary." "Golf was a president, I think. Maybe for NCR." "Heard this used to be a mine field from some of the troopers here." "Each spot for a land mine is numbered, hear tell." "If you're looking for NCR's spine, ain't going to find it here." "Well, Hanlon sure let this place go to shit." "Lot of sites to this guy Golf all over the West." |
Fiend territory | "Shit. Fiends." "Smells like Fiends." "Can smell the chem labs and Jet from here." "Make sure you have a backup weapon, Fiends don't go down easy." "Watch for dogs." "Heard tell there was a Vault somewhere around here." |
Freeside | "Hometown of the Van Graffs, don't care for this place too much." "We shouldn't be in here." "Water's scarce, but between things like this and Lake Mead, ain't too bad in the West as in other places." "Watch out for the Kings, they're unpredictable." "Kings dress like strutting girls, all fancy like." "Once had a King following me like I was following you - had to chase him off with a shotgun finally." "Kings told me I couldn't deal water here, fuckers. They like having mono. As in monopoly." "Ralph might be able to forge a pass into the Strip for you, you need one." "Looking for weapons, check out Mick and Ralphs... Mick's probably a sight better than Ralph, always trying to talk me out of my pants." "Kings are led by the King. Has some kind of robot dog. Guess it hunts robot rats." "Kings hold control over the water pump 'round here." |
NCR Correctional Facility | "Looks like prisoners are in charge now." "No guards in the towers, not a good sign." "Guess NCR fucked this place, too." |
Nellis Air Force Base | "Folks here have access to Lake Mead, fresh drinking water." "Careful, Boomer territory. They ain't hostile, but they're a bit trigger happy." "Boomers are a might twitchy." "Folks here aren't friendly to anyone." "Don't be shooting wild in here - might set something off." "First time I seen a fence made out of artillery." "Some of these weapons look like they came from Hawthorne Army Depot, place has a lot of history." "Can hear the screaming of rockets and explosions in this place at night." "Got nests for planes here." "An assault on this place would be suicide." |
Novac | "This place reminds me the Old World had too much time on its hands." "Named this place after the hotel." "NoVac's the hotel, not the lizard." "Smells like junk." "Can see Dinky for miles, good landmark." "First saw this place, thought the giant gecko was real." "Read a book that giant lizards walked the earth like this one - might be a gecko this size." |
Primm | "Said there's a courier office here?" "Sign of the buffalo." "Ah, Bison Steve, you old shithole." "Those post office boxes in these old towns still work." "Good contact, Nash, used to be here. Had a son that went West." "Old World had cars that ran on roads like these above the ground, 'cept they didn't go anywhere." "The sheriff here ain't worth a damn." "Crazy ass shit." |
"Ranger Station" | "Rest stop." "NCR's friendly, might be able to resupply." "A little safe ground." "NCR flag - not safe, close to it, though." |
New Vegas Strip | "Chairmen, Omertas... a whole bunch of families rule Vegas, don't step out a line as long as money's to be made." "Welcome to sin. Watch where you step." "Watch for NCR vomit." "Hope you're not here to chase your losses." "Now to find a bar." "Don't understand how the missiles could have missed a target like this." "Beats Freeside." "Can't believe we got in here." "Dad used to say this place was what Reno tried to be. Fucking Reno." "Place feels like the Sorcerer of Oz sometimes." "Heard stories about the Lucky 38, how nobody's ever gone inside - 'cept you, that is." |
Goodsprings | "Looking to step on your own grave?" "Not every day you come back to your gravesite." "Heard the Doc here is a good guy." "Crimson Caravan had some trouble here." "Hill where you got shot?" |
NCR | "Be careful they don't charge us any tolls." "Don't tell them where we're from - or headed." |
Low Karma[]
- With Cass as a companion, opening a conversation with her with a negative Karma (-100) will make her complain about the Courier's behavior. With a Speech check of 65, she can be convinced about trying to improve one's demeanor or simply acknowledging her discontent and continuing the conversation. Speaking to her again with even less Karma (-150) brings a second confrontation. She can again be promised improvement with a Speech check of 65.
- After the second confrontation, Cass stops complaining as long as the Courier stays Neutral (Karma -249 or higher). Talking to her again with Evil Karma (-250 or less) will make her automatically disband, with no way of convincing her to stay.
- Telling Cass to go back to her family and saying they are dead will turn her hostile (she must first be asked about her family).
- Talking to Cass repeatedly, regardless of the topic, with Evil Karma (-250 or below) will make her disband.
- Cass will never start the Heartache by the Number quest while the Courier has Evil Karma, but it can be continued if already active.
Non-player character comments[]
- Nightkin: "Head voices say they knew flower girl's father."
- NCR civilians: "Your merchant friend would make a fine NCR woman."
- Boomers: "Whatever you're selling, we have plenty."
- Fiends: "I wouldn't mind hitting that. She put out?"
- Powder Gangers: "Tough-looking woman. Something tells me she aims for the crotch."
- Followers: "Isn't that Cass? I heard she'd gotten out of the caravan business."
- Freesiders: "Check out the Wrangler if she needs booze."
- The Kings: "Hellooo, cowgirl! You mind if talk to your lady friend a bit instead of you?"
- Omertas: "Let me know if the pretty lady with you is looking for some work."
- Outer Vegas denizens: "Your merchant friend is always welcome among us."
Endings[]
Endings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This section is transcluded from Fallout: New Vegas endings. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.
|
Inventory[]
Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
---|---|---|---|
Cass' outfit Cass' hat |
Cass' caravan shotgun Cass' combat knife |
Bottle cap x13 Empty whiskey bottle |
Notes[]
- Cass is the only companion that requires the Courier to pass a skill check to recruit.
- If she is offered to Mortimer during the quest Beyond the Beef, he will comment that she could skip the whiskey marinade, but everything else is in edible condition except her liver.
- When sent to the Lucky 38, a message will show saying "Cass has gone... reluctantly... to the Lucky 38."
Notable quotes[]
- "Who you are comes from the choices you make when life gets tough."
- "They try to put their stake in everything they see. Nobody's dick's that long, not even Long Dick Johnson, and he had a fucking long dick. Thus, the name."
- "Crimson Caravan and the Van Graffs... they were behind burning these caravans, and they've got to answer for them. I'm going to get some extra ammo, a few bottles of whiskey, then show them how Cassidys settle accounts."
- "Mojave's almost buzzing like a cazador now... must be the blood Legion and NCR spilling over the Colorado."
- "NCR and their goddamn nicknames, as if Caesar himself is gonna piss and run if he hears them."
- "Used to call me 'Whiskey Rose' back West, before I punched enough people, so now they say it, but quiet and when I'm not around."
- "I don't mind trailblazing as long as we've got the ammo... and whiskey."
- "Shhhh... we're hunting shitheads."
- "Never realized had all that anger in me. Makes me wonder how much more I can settle with bullets. You know, when I first heard about them, I was so mad, but there was this little part of me that said, 'you can't do to them what they did to you.' I say fuck that part. I feel purified, and I love the fact that there's no more loose ends."
- "Just doesn't feel right, trading history for a slip of paper."
- "You know, I was just going to give you a piece of my mind. And now? Now I'm going to put you down."
- "Short of caps is what taught me, mostly. Ammo's expensive... so I learned to make every shot count. And hear tell, my Dad was a crack shot, so I don't want to dirty the family name. Not out of pride - respect."
- "What did you just say to me? Cause you sure as hell got my attention now."
- "What did you... did you put a plug in his cocktube and make him explode?"
Appearances[]
Rose of Sharon Cassidy appears in Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout: Wasteland Warfare.
Behind the scenes[]
- Rose of Sharon is a common name that applies to several different species of flowering plants that are highly valued throughout the world and originate in the Bible as one of the many names of God. Cass is named after the character of the same name in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which she describes as "some Old World book about dirt pilgrims."
- Chris Avellone designed Cass' companion arc,[Non-game 3] and wrote all of her dialogue. Prior to release, Cass was the character with the second-most lines of dialogue, with first place going to the original iteration of Ulysses (also written by Chris Avellone). However, because Ulysses had so many lines, he could not actually be shipped with the game as the voice-over (approximately 1,500~ lines) did not fit on the game disc. With his removal, Cass became the character with the most lines of dialogue.[Non-game 4]
- Cass is the Three of Hearts in the deck of Vault playing cards included with the Collector's Edition of Fallout: New Vegas.
- The playing card depicts Cass as a blonde. This may have been an earlier concept of the character, as Cass has brown hair in-game.
- During the development process of Cass, there were some ideas to have the player character wake up next to her drunk and be wed to her. The marriage would take place with The King doing the proceedings with an Elvis song.[Non-game 5]
- The original idea for Cass' Whiskey Rose perk was to allow carrying more water items, along with receiving a healing bonus from its consumption. This was later changed to become more valuable as a companion perk and to also reinforce her hard-drinking personality.[Non-game 6]
- While sneaking Rose makes the comment "Shhhh... we're hunting shitheads." This is a reference to the Looney Tunes character Elmer Fudd, whose signature catchphrase is, "Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits".[14]
- According to PlayStation Blog: Meet the Companions, Cass prefers rifles in combat. This differs from her dialogue and gameplay, where she makes it clear that she effectively utilizes shotguns.
Bugs[]
- Lucky 38 before starting Jean-Baptiste Cutting's part of the Birds of a Feather quest, the quest marker will indicate that she is located close to the Mojave Outpost, but it will not be possible to actually see her there. Then, the quest marker will guide the Courier to the Silver Rush where they can tell Jean-Baptiste that she is dead. She seems to disappear from the game at this point.[verified] If she was sent to the
- Sometimes, when sent to the Lucky 38, she can be seen walking around the casino floor.[verified]
- After fast traveling to a location, she will occasionally start running away as quickly as she can for no reason. To fix this, either enter a building (that makes the game load a new area) or fast travel to another location.[verified]
- Weapons placed in Cass' inventory may become fully repaired after being taken out of her inventory.[verified]
- Alice McLafferty and the Van Graffs before meeting Cass, then upon meeting her, the game will initiate dialogue as if having met her before with seemingly no prompts available to carry the conversation into the recruitment phase. It seems that after this, the option of having Cass as a companion is lost forever.[verified] If the player kills
- After delivering Cass and letting Jean-Baptiste kill her, quips by certain non-player characters in the game (such as the "she aims for the crotch" comment) will still be said as if Cass was still alive.[verified]
- Sometimes, when selecting the Lady Killer dialogue option saying "Miss Cassidy... are you flirting with me?", [Lady Killer] will show up twice before the text.[verified]
Gallery[]
Fallout: New Vegas[]
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare[]
Magic: The Gathering[]
See also[]
References[]
|
Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 PlayStation Blog Meet the Companions
- ↑ J.E. Sawyer on Formspring
MikeBreezy92: "So did Cassidy have Cass before He met the chosen one or after?"
Joshua Sawyer: "After." - ↑ Interview with Chris Avellone
- ↑ Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream (reference starts at 2:19:16)
Joshua Sawyer: "'What was the issue with Ulysses as a companion?' His dialogue was... his recorded dialogue was so big it literally wouldn't fit on the disk. [laughter] I don't remember how many lines it was, it was like... Cass was our second-biggest companion after Ulysses, and then Ulysses, was like, much, much, much more than her and literally just wouldn't fit. He was too big - too powerful. [...] 'Couldn't you cut a lot of his dialogue?' It happened so late in development that that didn't seem practical. Yes, if we had realized that earlier in development then probably, yes." - ↑ Bethsoft forum
- ↑ Gamasutra forum
|