So, a lot of NPCs, including the institute leader (at least when you meet him) can die, but none of their limbs can be shot off. Here's the thing: This reminds me an awful lot of when you try to kill an NPC in Fallout 3, and they go "unconscious". So in Fallout 4, when this aforementioned effect happens, allowing me to loot them and so forth, are they permanently dead? It's different than when companions become incapacitated for instance; but it seems weird that they would have marked certain NPCs as "un-gorable" just for the heck of it. Anyone know what the deal is?

They are permanently dead, but this bothers me as well. I like being sadistic and cutting people's limbs off with a Shishkebab

Mybe they have adamantium skeleton perk so they dont take limb dmg:) Just kidding no idea why it is like that.

I was kind of thinking they were maybe quest givers who would basically die, but revive after so many days; like to give you the satisfaction of killing them without eliminating the quest. I really prefer for them to just be permanently dead though.

Yep, like real life, you just don't know a person is dead or not until you've shot all their arms and legs off.

I also encountered semi-essential characters. One of the scientists in the Institute (don't remember which one, but it was in Advanced Technologies or how that wing is called) was sitting down when I or one of the rebels/railroad agents killed him during the uprising. I was frustrated and shot him in the face with my shotgun while he was sitting and he died.

They are, no doubt about that.

The only explanation I can think of is that the NPCs were formally meant to be immortal and got changed, with "gibs" being an oversight. eg: Turn off "immortal" and forget to turn on "gibs". Maybe that can be changed in the console?

Well, more or less, when we're dealing with science fiction. For God sake, the courier in Vegas got shot in the head and buried underground and was still fine.

Ok, so no one has had an experience where an NPC dies in this way, only to respawn or revive later? I'm just trying to make sure this institute leader isn't just temporarily dead. I shot him the moment I found him, and he just wouldn't gore. Kind of unsatisfying.

I was trying to get rid of a corpse at a settlement but the head glitched in the ground so I couldn't drag it......managed to shoot its feet off but nothing else and I gave up. Took everything off it and I just have to hope it disappears eventually lol.