This is just something I thought of doing when I was running out of character ideas, since I'm not exactly creative and generally just make a character for each faction.

We all know that the game let's us customize our character however we like, but before that, there's the default blonde guy that pretty much -is- the "canon" Courier six. Other than that, the Courier isn't exactly a clean slate: he has a story (though we don't know the full story yet) and a backround to a certain degree. Well, instead of trying to customize a new character, I did my best to make the Courier exactly how I would imagine him to be based on the story and the surroundings of New Vegas; I tried to make the "canon" SPECIAL for the "canon" Courier. I basically argued that if the Courier were to truly survive in this enviroment and do all these amazing things, then he'd need the skills and the right personality to pull it all off, and I went from that idea. Basically I ended up with this:

3 Strength - done simply to make room for points in other areas, and because there's no particular reason to view the Courier as being especially strong
3 Perception - done simply to make room for points in other areas, and because there's no particular reason to view the Courier as being especially perceptive
9 Endurance - done because wtf, the guy took two gunshots to the head at point-blank range. Various characters comment on how hardy the Courier is and this also allows one to take every implant the game has to offer
7 Charisma - done because the game involves a LOT of diplomacy. A LOT. In this sense, the game implies a Courier who can be charming and talk his way out of problems
4 Intelligence - done simply to make room for points in other areas, and because there's no particular reason to view the Courier as being especially smart. This recieved one more point because 3 and below is when he would get particularly stupid...
5 Agility - Left where it is because there's both no incredible stress on this stat, though there is some. The game stresses the cowboy theme, and agility both governs firearms and is required for some of the more cowboy-ish perks (Rapid reload, Quick draw)
9 Luck - Why? It's friggin' Vegas. 'Luck' is one of the first words that come to mind if one says 'Vegas.' Money is rather important in this game (the gun runners demand you pay for top quality, and they're often your only source of getting the best weapons peacefully) and the best way to get a lot of it is to clean out the casinos. Besides, this is a guy that survived two point-blank gunshots to the head, AND the only man that has the PERFECT setup to take New Vegas for himself. If Caesar's Legion and the NCR didn't show up to Vegas at the -exact- same time, it would've fallen to one of them. If the Courier wasn't the one delivering the packet, he would've never gotten the attention of Mr. House. And without the attention of Mr. House, he would've never've been able to decide the fate of New Vegas all on his own. Very special circumstances required here; the Courier is incredibly lucky to end up in such a powerful position.

For the tag skills, I picked:

Unarmed - In New Vegas, Unarmed is incredibly powerful and arguably the "preferred" combat style of one of the main factions (Legion) fighting for control of Vegas. The game also features unique fighting techniques for unarmed but nothing for any of the other fighting styles. And of course, this ties in with the above-mentioned Endurance of the Courier
Speech - Sooooo many speech checks in New Vegas. Half the game is diplomacy
Survival - For various reasons: It ties in with the Courier's endurance and this unlocks the Cowboy perk, which goes along with the cowboy theme. Unlike Fallout 3, where you're a doctor's son, there's really little reason to view the Courier as having medical experience. One of the major factions also stresses the importance of this stat (Legion never carry meds, but often carry food that requires Survival to make)

Alongside those, I also focused on Guns and Barter throughout the game. I treated those five as first-priority.

As for Traits, I went with:

Heavy Handed - Ties in with the skill at Unarmed Combat. Pretty sure that Heavy Handed results in better damage output, 9 times out of 10.
Fast Shot - Ties in with the cowboy theme of the game.



As for perks, there's actually several I'd say are worth snatching and I'm not sure I can remember all of the ones I chose. I'm pretty sure I can't even get all the ones I wanted unless the level cap jumps up to 40. But basically, most of the perks chosen tied in with the cowboy theme and the Unarmed skill. Rapid Reload, Quick Draw, Cowboy, Paralyzing Palm, Piercing Strike, etc. There were also ones tieing in to luck (Mysterious Stranger and Lady Luck), tieing into work as a Courier (Travel Light, Pack Rat, perhaps Long Haul when I get Dead Money, even though I don't usually Fast Travel) tieing into personality (Lady Killer since the Courier has dozens of opportunities to get laid, the one that makes your companions go Hulk if you're about to die) and so on.



And the result? I was pleasantly surprised at how powerful this turned out to be. Simply thinking about what stats the environment implies and building the Courier to match them made for an incredibly powerful dude. He's got the charisma to talk out of the tough fights, the endurance and combat skills to survive the other fights and the luck for if all else fails. I've done just about everything the game has to offer except for the quests that decide on a specific ending or shut out another possible ending path (mostly because I can't decide which ending I see as being "canon" in my opinion) and I've reached level 30 without a death. And that, for me, is a huge achievement, cause I'm always getting killed by some unlucky crit or some random explosion. It really does feel like the actual "intended" Courier when playing it, cause holy crap does it fit in the environment well.


But yeah, other than that I was just curious how others would view and depict the Courier as far as the SPECIAL goes, just based on the environment and story of New Vegas.

I take issue with your original premise. It is true that there is some backstory to the character but it's kept very loose and I don't think it emphasises any part of your character - although a high endurance or luck does make sense for someone surviving being shot in the head. Drawing some inspiration from what little back story we have is interesting but there's a long way between drawing inspiration and pursuing a "canonical" or "actual" character design.

I think agility should be above average, after all he makes a living out of moving.

This seems pretty accurate but I don't think he was very lucky because he deffinentally ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Of course.

I'm not saying I ever expect them to define a "canon" character or anything, nor do I expect for the game to ever DIRECTLY imply what the character is like (I.E. everyone telling you everywhere how smart you are or constantly complimenting your massive pecs); that'd ruin the customization factor of the game and it'd be boring, both for general gameplay and for questions like the one in this thread. I just found it interesting to ponder on what character I can actually see in the story and cool at how well the one I came up with fit into the gameplay compared to other characters, and I was curious to see how my opinion of a canon Courier differs from that of others; see what different conclusions people draw from the game's environment and story based on the few details we have. Kinda to show how different people perceive the game and how they play.

I would say:
4 ST-nothing special, but not too bad, either
4 PER-not too perceptive, as he got trapped and nearly killed easily
8 END-he did survive two bullets
6 CH-same reasons as OP
5 INT-average intelligence
6 AG-like someone said, he makes a living out of moving
7 LUCK-extremely lucky to be able to take over Vegas, but unlucky because he almost got killed

Skills: Guns, Speech, Survival, Barter, Lockpick
Pretty self-explanatory, except Lockpick; I just thought doors should be no obstacle for a man who should be travelling around the Mojave.

-1 luck, +1 to ST (5 is average STR imo, If you are a Courier traveling the wastes you should be pretty strong.)

Other than that I agree with that setup.

I'll go with
5 strength: Completely average. He or she does not do a lot of fighting or wear heavy armor, but they don't sit behind a desk all day either.
6 perception: Necessary to survive a great deal of travel through the wasteland, seeing and avoiding problems.
8 endurance: A life of walking around would give you outstanding stamina.
4 charisma: The Courier service is well known and regulated, they don't need to rely on their charm to get jobs. And spending so much time alone has probably dulled their social skills a bit.
4 intelligence: Everything has to be explained in excruciating detail to them. The job is not highly technical, there is no need to hone the mind.
6 agility: Again going back to walking around all the time. Limber and quick.
8 luck: How many people have survived being shot in the head, *buried*, unburied, and then survived post-apocalyptic surgery.

And I don't care if it doesn't add up to the right number. That's what I believe the Courier's stats would be.

...........and lived.

Actually, -1 CHR and +1 STR would be better. I don't think a Courier would be the most charming guy, definitely average.

The Courier's actual SPECIAL layout.... totals 40 SPECIAL points at outset.