Tycho is a Desert Ranger and a recruitable NPC in Fallout.
Background
A survivalist by trade, Tycho is a veteran of the wastes. He carries a gas mask (just in case), wears hardened leather armor and carries a shotgun, a knife, spiked knuckles, and a canteen; all the usual survival gear. Most just see him as a random man in dusty leather armor, with a gas mask hanging around his neck, goggles to keep out sand and glare and a sand-colored trench coat usable for camouflage and to keep the sun off. The double-barreled shotgun slung on his arm further confirms the feel that he's just another mercenary.
However, in reality, Tycho comes from the Desert Rangers, a small, but formidable faction from the Mojave Wasteland and beyond, experts in survival and self-styled peacekeepers of the wastes. His background gives him immense knowledge about life in the desert. He took off to wandering the desert with traders and explorers for several years, returning from time to time with goods or maps. Tycho started with small trips and went further abroad as he became more experienced. He went as far as the Gulf of Mexico in Texas and then headed back west.
Eventually he wound up on the west coast as a long-range explorer for the Rangers, stopping in Junktown for some rest and relaxation, just as the Vault Dweller comes to the settlement to kickstart a small revolution.
Interactions with the player character
Fallout
Interactions overview
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
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This character is a permanent companion. | |
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This character is a temporary companion. | |
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This character has a talking head. | |
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This character starts quests. | |
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This character is involved in quests. | |
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This character is a doctor. | |
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This character is a merchant. | Sells: - |
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This character can modify weapons. |
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This character is allied with the following faction(s). |
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Effects of player's actions
If caught stealing Neal's urn from the Skum Pitt (before recruiting), Tycho will turn hostile.
Other interactions
To obtain Tycho, the Vault Dweller must head to Junktown and be at the Skum Pitt located in the far North Eastern part of the city at 5 o' clock. He will join indefinitely if having taken on Killian's quest to deal with Gizmo. If Killian is dead, Tycho becomes non-recruitable.
Due to sprite limitations, he can only use rifles, shotguns, small handguns and spears. He has 60 Hit Points. It is unwise to give him anything with a burst function; he wastes ammo and can accidentally cause friendly fire (to civilians, including companions) if they are near his target when he uses the burst function.
Tycho can also teach some survival skills, raising the Outdoorsman skill.
Tell me about
| Tycho's Tell-Me-Abouts | |
|---|---|
| Query | Response |
| Junktown | Well, Junktown's not really home, but it's an interesting city. It has potential, although I don't know that building out of the refuse of the past is the best way to construct the future. |
| Rangers | We Rangers hail from back east, what used to be called Nevada. Our heritage stretches back to the days of the Texas Rangers. We learn survival and
combat skills in order to go out into the world and have a chance of surviving and making things better. |
| Chip | I haven't seen a relic of old technology like a water chip for a long time. Personally, you're better off depending on yourself, not on some piece of
tech that you can't fix. |
| War | The War was a testament to human greed and insanity. Let's hope that we have learned enough to never repeat such folly. |
| Wastes | The wastes are hostile and dangerous, even to the wary traveler. Radiation and strange creatures will take their toll. Tread with caution, and
remember that everything you see and hear is a clue. |
| Necropolis | The City of Death is well named. It lies in what used to be the little town of Bakersfield. Now, though, it's home to ghouls and worse. |
| Vault | I've heard of the great underground Vaults. I don't know much about them, though. |
| Killian Darkwater | Killian's a good man doing a difficult job. |
| Gizmo | Gizmo is . . . well, he strikes me as a crook. He'll get his in the end. |
| Boneyard | The Boneyard? I'm told it's a place of gangs and hard life, near the coast. |
| The Hub | The Hub's a giant mercantile community, just a short ways south of Junktown. |
| Casino | Gizmo's casino is probably one of the last places I'd want to go, unless I were going to step on Gizmo's neck. Not that I could get a foot past
all the blubber. |
| Store | Killian has a decent general store in Junktown. |
| Deathclaw | Heard some tales about something faster, bigger, and meaner than any living creature has a right to be. Not too many, though, which means that
it doesn't leave many survivors. Big claws, ferocious disposition. |
| Military Base |
The military had several secret bases scattered about, I know. I just don't know where. |
| Apocalypse | Nuclear armageddon was the result of pride and foolishness. Now, we're paying the price. |
| Mutants, Strange | Certainly there are some strange things out there. I've seen mutated
scorpions and cows, and I've heard that Necropolis is home to ghouls, who seem
human but are far different. |
| Booze | I prefer a good strong stout, or perhaps a Nuka-Cola. |
| Chems, Drugs | I'd stay away from chems if I were you. Sure, they can give you a boost, but you always wind up paying for it in the end. |
| Psychics | You mean telepathetics? Heh . . . seriously, I don't buy it. |
| Merchants | Some merchants from the Hub visit Junktown and other cities on a regular basis. |
| Brotherhood, Cathedral, Children, Exodus, Followers, Garl, Master, Unity, Set, Watershed, Hall, Library, Overseer, Medic, Healing, Initiates, Paladins, Scribes, Vats | "I'm sorry, I can't help you there." |
Comments
| Tycho's comments | |
|---|---|
| Location | Comment |
| Deathclaw's lair | Note the lack of any animal life for quite a distance. And the piles of bones. Whatever lives here is a real beast. Keep your weapon handy. |
| Necropolis | There are many strange tales about Necropolis, the city of the dead. Stay alert, because it could get dangerous really fast. |
| The Glow | Watch out for radioactive hot spots. This place obviously sustained a direct nuclear strike, and secondary cascade radiation may be bad. I'd recommend avoiding this place completely if we can. |
| Mariposa Military Base | A military place like this must have a central command room somewhere. I bet we could get through those force-field generators with a little hot-wiring, or if we could find the force field control computer. |
Fallout: New California
 | The following is based on information from Fallout: New California. |
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Tycho can be found randomly when taking a card from the loot deck. When exploring with him as the active companion, the player character can exhaust him in to gain two experience points.
When the player character performs the camp action, he will become unexhausted. However, if the player character does not have Endurance, he must be discarded.
| End of information based on information from Fallout: New California |
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Inventory
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Leather armor | Shotgun | Stimpak x3 12 gauge shell x20 Bottle caps |
Notes
- He is equipped with the best armor and has the most health of all the NPCs who can join the player character.
- Although he wears regular leather armor, Desert Rangers seem to have a special armor issued to the U.S. Marine Corps before the Great War.
- He is the first character in the Fallout series to mention Vegas.
Appearances
Tycho appears in Fallout and the Fallout: The Board Game add-on [Fallout: New California]].
Behind the scenes
- Tycho's grandfather was a Desert Ranger (the Desert Rangers are a reference to Wasteland, a game from 1988 which is considered to be Fallout's predecessor). Tycho also mentions the "fat freak" from Las Vegas, which is a reference to Fat Freddy from Wasteland.
- Tycho is not mentioned anywhere in Vault Dweller's memoirs, but Tandi in the Café of Broken Dreams mentions him and the Vault Dweller, indicating that they did get together after all.
- According to lead designer Josh Sawyer[1] Tycho's description in Fallout was the inspiration for the NCR Ranger combat armor and the Desert Ranger combat armor in Fallout: New Vegas as Tycho himself is described as "a man in dusty leather armor with a trench coat and gas mask".
References
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