I may be late to the party here but is there a chance that we may progress into the realm of ghoulhood if radiation is not treated right away? Almost like Vampire progression in Skyrim but with a bigger arc from normal human to irradiated ghoul over the course of in game weeks. This to me would make RAD-X more of a key aid than ever and would have my vote as being one of the best additions to the Fallout series.

Based on all available evidence, I'm saying a very big yes

EDIT: off-topic, shouldn't the thread have been called Ghoulification 111?

Doubt it, not only is ghoulification ireversable and incurable, meaning anyone turned into one that didn't want to could get really annoyed, but the story impact of being a ghoul would mean loooots of work from Beth side that I think they rather skip.

I've always wanted to see it, but I don't expect to, unless the people of Boston are super progressive and don't take note of ghouls among them.

IF and that's a big if, there is ghoulification I would hope there would be a damn good explanation/reasoning. Ghoulification doesn't just happen though. Not in the way vampirism would happen. It's a long process and irreversible so it would untimately change gameplay. One huge point that makes me think it wouldn't be done like that is that dogmeat can't die. Todd said the dog dying was an automatic restart for a ton of players and that's why they chose to keep him immortal. Ghoulification would be the same way for a lot of players. I for one don't want to become a ghoul so it would be an automatic restart. Now another point is that it COULD be an optional perk like cannibalism is. The perk chart shows a ghoulified vault boy walking away from a blast. This could simply be some buffed perk when severely erradiated or could actually be ghoulification. Either way, if it's in the game, I'd want it to be a 100% optional perk or action that I'd need to do in order for it to happen.

Have to agree. Ghoulification isn't like vampirism and werewolves in TES, where there's an in universe explanation for cures (Magic) It's permanent and has a lot of negatives. Plus how would the horrific skin, muscle and organ damage even be repaired?

If it were in, you'd need to basically be locked out of certain areas, quests and some characters wouldn't speak with you. And Bethesda aren't that good at writing that they could work the game from a ghoul POV.

For those of us across the pond "101" is a typical code for a basic/introductory leveled college class.

i.e: American History 101 would cover a broad and basic level of American history.

Man, here comes a whole can of worms again...


I'm still of the opinion that we would be better off without ghoulification. It's not meant to be a fun or temporary condition like vampires, personally. And ghouls don't even have neat powers to offset the condition - they're like anti-vampires, really.

I won't get into the lore contradictions but I'm sure that's incoming.

They are like anti-elves.

I've put forward the theory that the ability to make human androids with artificial muscles and skin could also allow a ghoul to be 'cured' of being a ghoul since they could be made to look human again, there is also the ghoul scientists looking into a cure in Fallout 3. So Bethesda could introduce it with a plausible way for the player to change back to human, IF they had ghoulification of the protagonist in the game.

It will be one of the many things I will be look foward to investigating when the game is released.

On the subject of ghouls the only benefit is being immune/healed by radiation and the possible extended lifespan......if you could prevent the probability of going feral and could rebuild their bodies to look human you could have those benefits without the negatives.

Ghoulafication is just an STD.

That's total* conversion 'borg...
(That's Robocop with a civilian chassis.)

*(... or partial... if they only did muscle and some organ replacements.)

In either case, that's not my idea of a cure by any description.

My guess is that much like other things on the perk chart, it's not a true visualization of the perk. We dont' actually turn into a ninja, the grim reaper, or a fighting leprechaun. Considering the special requirement, I'd guess it's a health buff when severely erraditated or immunity to rads? I really don't think it will be a visual ghoulification. As many have said it would change how NPC's react to you entirely and I don't think they would want to go that far with a very optional and possibly seldom taken perk.

Yeah, basically rad child, or that special radiation perk we could get from moiras quest line, then ghoulification.

I get the longevity factor as well as the negatives. I guess I'm hoping for some super mutated imagination from Bethesda to delve into this area so as to give us a new danger/perk/reward/paranoia, however one would want to classify this. I for one would consider this transformation only if it were a werewolf like effect which is to say, you maintain your humanness but gain a perk or power from it. Even something to the extent of a half ghoulized condition which prompts you to even more so keep your rads down so as to not go feral. Then once the player did go feral, cue death music and watch for a few seconds your character run around dumb and wild. I'd cherish this addition!

I cannot imagine it being anything more than cosmetic... and as such, deleterious IMO, and not advisable.

(I expect it as a feature.)

Why?

What are the negatives of being a ghoul.......looking like a corpse which could be cured with the use of the tech that makes human looking androids and the probabiity of going feral which could be cured by the efforts of the ghoul scientists from Fallout 3.

In effect a 'cured' ghoul would be immune to radiation, have an extended lifespan and would look human.

Edit: This is really just for argument's sake really, as i've no idea if its in the game or not. Actually I think the biggest hurdle to jump for ghoulification in game would be the need to have all the spoken alternative dialogue for the NPCs interacting with a ghoulified protagonist.

I'd still think artificial skin would be affected by radiation? or are we also assuming androids will be immune to rads entirely as well?

No idea, since we have no knowledge of what the artifical skin is made of. Are robots immune to radiation in the Fallout Universe, if so I'd expect that at least mechanically androids would be immune as well.

All we have really to go on with the human like androids is Harkness, who passed for human......and we didn't really get into any great discussions about his skin or its capabilities and weaknesses.

We use it here too. I was being a bit silly!

Even still, I doubt we'll see half ghouled half cyborg PCs lol

Ghouls don't just look nasty - they're locked in a state of constant decomposition. Like a Super Leprosy.

Theoretically, even just changing your skin wouldn't keep the rest of body intact - you'd just be a really gross cyborg then.

Hope not, that kind of process doesn't happen in a few weeks but decades from what we have seen.

Being a super-mutant is a way faster process though and that could happen I guess.

Not to mention including cures to these would break the lore completely as those populations simply would need to vanish after the game.

One reason why this may differ for our protagonist is because of their unique DNA. It may be incorporated into the story that they are somehow resistant to the full effects of ghoulification, which could explain how they are able to revert back to their previous state with no long term impact.

Which is why you would need those ghoul scientists from Fallout 3 to stop the decomposition process and then the artifical skin/muscles to replace to dead parts and there you go one cured ghoul, how much would be left of the original ghoul i'm not sure of.

My theory was just a way to cure ghoulification, without screwing totally with the lore. Personally I'd prefer that the possibility of being ghoulified instead of just dying from radiation be in the game, even if there was no cure. I'd also like the possibility of being turned into a Super Mutant through contact with the FEV be possible as well......not holding my breath though.