So, I've been looking around the various topics and I see lots of discussion of combat techniques and faction choices, etc. I was wondering what you guys think of the viability of the Guile Hero?

The Guile Hero, as seen on TvTropes, is a fella who uses his charisma, wit, charm, financial acumen, etc. to succeed. He's not a fighter, but instead a "lover." He talks, politicks, and passes Speech Checks like a Mother-F****r. How viabile would this build be, focusing on Speech, Barter, Medicine, Repair, and the like, as well as Charisma, Intelligence, and Luck for SPECIAL, in order to complete the game?

I have not played a 'passive' character yet, but there are a few perks that make it easier for passive types; Ferocious Loyalty and Animal Friend(2). As for going through the game without pissing-off/killing one of the major factions...good luck. I guess you could help the Followers of the Apocalypse and go the Yes Man/Indepentant Vegas route.

Posible, you can sneak around enemies and stuff.

It makes for a rather interesting playthrough you can complete most of the quests this way but it'll involve a lot of sneaking or running away, it's a lot easier if you have a companion so that you can just take cover during fights until there over instead of running until you lose them but it is a perfectly viable play style.

IMO i wouldnt do it as i like to loot the bodies etc of the dead and raise my Cap levels lol but yea i imagine you can do it, on hardcoe though?

You can't negotiate with deathclaws.

...yet.
It's very expensive testing.

I was thinking I'd avoid them, use mines, or bean-bag/boxing glove 'em. Then I can dice them up with a ripper.

Definitely viable.
I'd tag Sneak, Speech, and Barter. Take The Professional at level 6 so if you can't sneak around it, you can completely annihilate it with That Gun.

Assuming that 'complete the game' means finishing the MQ, it's actually fairly easy to do it this way. In fact, I've done it more than once, although siding with the Legion or NCR for this makes things a bit tricky in the late stages.

As for doing side quests that's a mixed bag, as some will require combat while others can be completed without firing a shot.

You should probably invest in at least one companion for when you do have to fight, as otherwise combat can be a real chore.

I myself have considered this build as well and my only hurdle was what to do until you are able to get a companion. On my current play i have a different build i am playing around with and on occasion as a test have i run away from a few fights to see how the companions Boone and Ed-e will do which is fine so far for most fights. I have had to spend a bit more time in set up (positioning the companions) so that they would bear the brunt of the onslaught but other than that they seem fine. There are certain areas where this may not work depending on the mobs like deathclaws, super mutants, some ranked/named NPCs, where the adversaries are the more difficult the player will encounter but for the norms like humanoids, rad scorpians (all types), feral reavers and ghouls, and the like were not a problem for the companions.

It will definately require a totally new approach than what i have been doing for the last 6 characters, but i feel a lucky 7 streak for character number 7. Upon further consideration i also think some traits like the one that has a -25% crit chance for enemies (light armor or something like that), ferocious loyalty and animal friend should come in handy. Pretty much any of the defensive based traits or perks will definately be top of the list as opposed to the more offensive types like commando or gunslinger. To be a true diplomatic character in the game i think at least for the build i am considering, the character should be with out any skill in energy weapons, guns, melee and unarmed, although explosives i am on the fence about so long as they are used in a defensive manner or as a trap pulling enemies to them, but as i have not yet made a true unarmed character i may let that slip through the crack.

I have been considering this build for some time but the whole thing that has prevented me from the attempt is what do i do as a character until i get that first companion? How does one deal with some of the early aspects of play before Ed-e is avalable, and is Ed-e enough to assist the player until Novac? How fast does the PC need to get to Novac because lets face it up until Boone is a companion i can see alot of running away and potential restarts. Questions that as i type this have sparked in this fan the rumblings of "i have to know". Maybe i will start a thread detailing her exploits (yes it will be a her) i figutre a chick would fit the role nicely as boobs, buns and bush, the 3 major tools of the feminine persuasion.

Another point to consider is Dead Money with the limited companions and the fact that the player can not keep one indefinately as they are asigned to specific areas, and inside the casino the PC is almots totally alone. Some combat skill will be required or the player will definately have some limited choices as dog WILL definately be the MOST useful companion but once dog is out of his cage it may effect how the PC can reconcile him in the end. Does letting dog out meant that in the end i may be forced to kill him, if so that definately goes against the passive non combative diplomatic character build. i shall have to think on it some more.

Asai

To me this build is viable but too boring for my tastes. I prefer running and gunning :gun: (occasionally sneaking).

1)ED-E by itself will do quite well, especially after getting either of the upgrades (as he's to be a principal combatant for this I'd recommend the armor upgrade).
2) You do not necessarily need to rush to Novac, although it's not a bad idea. I never use Boone as a companion and do fine, but then I never totally abstain from fighting myself.
3) I would recommend Unarmed over Explosives for this, since you don't actually need the Unarmed-related perks to do well with it.
4) You do not need to participate in the fight with the Powder Gangers in Goodsprings, the locals can handle them fairly easily. You could also put it off until later if possible.
5) Dog will definitely be handy in Dead Money, and letting him out will not cause a problem with keeping him alive at the end.
6) If you choose not to go with Dog then things might get rough, although if you went with Unarmed the Bear Trap Fist makes an excellent counter to Ghost People and doesn't need a particularly high skill level to use well.

a non-combative character isnt required to be completely passive as long as you made certain to roleplay the quests all the way through. Deathclaws, as mentioned above, and Ghouls cannot be talked to nor can some super mutants say when reaching Black Mountain to do Crazy, Crazy, Crazy to say nothing of creatures like geckos and nightstalkers.

as for your party you could always roleplay your companion as your bodyguard, which I feel Cass (when she decides to join you as a guide to the wasteland) would be ideally suited. Depending on the level of roleplay, Boone may not be a good choice as he joins up with you because you tell him you want to kill as many Legionaires as possible which would be counter, I feel, to a Smooth Talker. Rex would be a good choice as a guard dog

regarding the build of your character, are they a charming dweller of the wastes making up for empty pockets by endless wit and peronality? Or are they a sophisticated person of education that is down on their luck and making ends meet by getting a job as a courier?

Depending on the above choice, your tags could be different, say something like Speech, Survival (or perhaps Barter which makes me cringe when I think of tagging it), and Guns for the first -or- Speech, Science, and Medicine (or Energy Weapons) for the second. Either way you will have to fight during your travels and I feel the Gunslinger perk would fit nicely to make you a bit of a Han Solo type person: debonair smile and pistol on the hip. Traits could be Good Natured certainly and perhaps Four Eyes if playing an intellectual

I forsee this type of character fitting for a Mister House ending as you play the charming middle-man who gets everything the Boss wants done. Which really, would kind of be like playing a Benny, I feel

interesting character though, I like it

EDIT: It seems that The Professional perk, which would be ideal for this build, still does not affect That Gun. Big dissapointment. Though I forgot to mention CHerchez La Femme and Black Widow would be good roleplaying perks too

Odysseus was pretty much the original guile hero, and he didn't shy away from slaughtering people who insulted him. Guile heroes shouldn't necessarily avoid combat.

The path I've decided to take is very similar Vicentegrev's suggestion.

Focusing on speech, lockpick, repair, and sneak. I put ten points in Unarmed and I'm still undecided whether to go for Energy Weapons (and pick the Glock or 'Plasma Defender' as the game prefers to call it) or go for Guns and use That Gun. I have both. I made a detour to the Silver Rush and stole the Glock. I won't be putting many points in whichever I do, but I'll put enough to be effective.

I'm tossing a couple points into Science and Medicine, too, but I feel I may be wearing myself thin. Thing is, I've never put points into Science, and I am curious if it might open doors for me.

The character is a the son of a mechanic from the West (though he spent some time in Montana), and the child of Vault dwellers, hence his education. Having come to the 'Frontier' of the Mojave to win big, he found himself abruptly impoverished by the gaming tables of New Vegas. Finding little desire for a proper mechanic (what with all the Vaults dead or inhabitted by chem fiends and the NCR handling much of their own [censored]) he's hired his services out as a courier, and is being swooped up into this great conflict, charming and smoothing and jury-rigging his way through trouble. He's in it for the caps and to save his own hide, but there's a smidgeon of morality there.

Nice guys thanks alot for the suggestions, which is weird really because i came here to assist another poster and wound up getting assisted myself :thumbsup: .

SOLD

I have to finish character number 6 as my OCD will not let me do otherwise but i definately will be making the desert diplomat for character number 7. I am hoping to have number 6 ready to hit the DLC that drops next week but as she is already 22 and i have not even been to the strip yet i am taking my time. More or less just sauntering or as she is a fem sashaying her way through the desert. Again thanks guys for sharing the benefit of your previous experiences with this and the other travelers here.

Asai

Alright, I'm slowly levelling up the non-combat traits, and I've run into a couple of problems.

Do I level up Science or Lockpick? Lockpick gets me a -ton- of loot, but Science has an amazing amount of perks related to it. Survival does as well, but I'm not sure if it's as useful as Science or Lockpick.

The second problem is Guns or Energy Weapons? I have a number of points in Unarmed for disabling folks in a pinch, but I feel I'll need some defense. I'm heading for the pistol root and I have That Gun and The Glock (Plasma Defender). I've never done an energy weapons run, but I'm unsure of its viability. As Mr. House's 'Dragon' and Middle-Man, would Energy Weapons be more fitting?

Sorry to bump myself, but I'm really having a dilemna here. I want to keep playing, but I'm afraid to keep levelling up! (And I don't like to come back to really early saves, so making a 'save point' is out of the question).

Furthermore, with honest hearts coming out and added some unique Guns, I'm leaning towards it oncemore, despite never having done an Energy Weapons playthrough. Would Guns fit a charming trickster working for House? Are Energy weapons more fun in any way, if I'm not really levelling them up that much?

As House is THE technology driven faction it would seem the way to go would be any of the tech stuff. Power Armor, energy weapons, science, and there is a perk that lets you disable a robot if you sneak up on it and activate it all seem to fit right in the House motif, but it could also work for a Yes Man play through as you would need to be as tech savy as House to defeat him or even higher than House. I think really though that only you can really decide what you want to do based upon the back story (if any) you have made for your character. I know that sounds like a cop out and a slick way to avoid an answer, but even for me with character number 7 which will be my desert diplomat (after i finish the current number 6 character) that the old adage "the best laind plans of mice and men" kind of fits here, as the idea you start with may not survive the entire game with out a small deviation from the plan here or there in a stat or perk that you were not considering during the character design stage.

As far as going back to another save, my current character was 22 wedenesday morning and is at this typing 30 now, and she still has NOT been to the Strip nor has she been to SM yet as well. But at this point there is NOT a single place in the Mohave except the Fort locations that she has not been through yet. Sure at 30 she is a goddess of the Mohave, and if your Legion, Viper, Feind, or any such low life pond scum that preys upon the weak your on her radar and that is not a good place for bad people to be. The point i make is that even though i had design plans for the character i had to modify them a bit as the character progressed because what i envisioned was not entirely viable with out a small change here or there. I had originally decided that i could not level any other skill until i had the original 3 that are tagged to 100 then i could do as i saw fit. As cool as that sounded to me originally in practice though it was a disaster. I had to go back to an earlier save point tossing about 6 hours of game play aside as i hit a wall where i had problems passing some checks, did not have some crafted foods with necessary buffs, did not have good ammo (surplus in cheap for a reason) amongst a few other weak points. I went back 6 hours leveled the skills to 80 instead used the additional points to level a few skill and unlock a few perks which changed a character that was not really viable into one that was not optimal but better able to continue. That is something you may have to consider, eventually.

I apologize for the wall of text, and that i have offered no real solutions other than to comiserate a bit having been where you are and in all probability will be there again with the next character. All I can offer is really a "kindred spirit" perspective it may not be a whole hell of a lot, but at least you are not the only one, hopefully that counts for something. All in all though do what feels right according to the back story, the design concept, and ending your choosing for the character, it is your character after all and in the end like a parent will always be partial, i will always be about my "kids" as well. They may not turn out completely as we want them but if they can get the job done and still stay true to the ideas we had at the begining a bit of "off the path" is ok, or necessary at least i think so.

Asai