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Event Build (FO4): Billy O' Connor, The Veteran

Tags: #LeBlanc Build  #Character Build Power Armor  #Fallout 4 Build  #Character Build Chemist  #Character Build Grenadier  #Event: Radio Stars 
  • July 26, 2017

    So thankfully I was able to get this done (for the most part) before the issues with my son and his cancer.  Funny enough we had seen the movie Heavy Metal on TV around the time that we were notified about the upcoming event and this song immediately came to mind when I was thinking about possible songs to build around.  So this one is for my son, Shawn.  Be a veteran kiddo and kick cancer's butt!  So the song I used is Veterans of the Psychic Wars and the band is Blue Oyster Cult.  I used the bands initials (BOC) to contrive the character's name as well.

    My first wife left me while I was overseas fighting in the Resource Wars.  Then, when I was wounded and disfigured, I never felt that I would find my soul mate ever again.  Who would give this mug a second glance let alone a "rest of their lives"?  Well, fate finally smiled on me.  One time.  And she came into my life.  I had given up the fight.  I was broken and didn't care if I ever returned.  She changed that.  She gave me a reason to live, something to hold dear and cherish.  And then, she gave me a son.  All was right in my world.  I had a broken body.  I had a scarred soul.  I treated both with meds and chems...but she tempered their use so my mind became whole again.  Pain!?! I could deal with the physical pain and she comforted the mental anguish that I bore inside.  And my son made me whole again....then the news story came on the TV and Codsworth called for me urgently....

    You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars
    I've been living on the edge so long
    Where the winds of limbo roar
    And I'm young enough to look at
    And far too old to see
    All the scars are on the inside
    I'm not sure that there's anything left to me

    I couldn't believe the stress I felt when the bombs were coming and we were running for the vault. Thank god she had the foresight to sign up with Vault-Tec. I was skeptical and thought it was a waste of time but I have to admit now that we were alive only due to her actions. I haven't felt like that since...well, since the war.  No, not the Great War but the Resource Wars of 2051-52 when we invaded Mexico for their oil. Then I moved on to the Anchorage Front. There, I was wounded and was home on medical retirement with my wife and our new child the day the bombs fell.

                                                                 You ask me why I'm weary, why I can't speak to you
    You blame me for my silence say It's time I changed and grew
    But the war's still going on, dear, and there's no end that I know
    And I can't say if we're ever...
    I can't say if were ever gonna be free

    I don't talk much anymore. Not since that day in the Vault. They came for us. They took my son and killed my love....right in front of me...and there wasn't a damn thing that I could do. I can't grow, I can't change because part of me died right there with her.  She was my light and the spark that kept me alive after the wars. Without her, without them both, I have no future. But I'll be damned if I go alone. I won't stand forever but those bastards will sure know that I was here before I leave this mortal plane and head for Limbo.

    You see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars                                                                                                                       Don't let these shakes go on
    My energy's spent at last                                                                                                                                                               It's time we had a break from it
    And my armor is destroyed                                                                                                                                                                              Send me to the rear
    I have used up all my weapons and I'm helpless and bereaved                                                                                                    Where the tides of madness swell
    Wounds are all I'm made of                                                                                                                                                                      And been sliding into hell
    Did I hear you say that this is victory?                                                                                                                                Oh please don't let these shakes go on

    After being wounded in action I was sent home, no longer of use to the military that I called home.  With my ex having bailed on me while I was fighting overseas, there was nothing to live for so I sank into a morass of chems and drugs and drink.  But She saved me.  That's where I finally found my victory.  With her help and support I kicked the habits that I had formed and gave me a break from my personal hell that I had been living in.  These are the thoughts that I think staring out the window of this ice box and looking at her lifeless body across the way.  I finally broke free from that damn ice maker they had us in and got out of the Vault. There was... nobody else. Just me.  My body still eternally broken from war and no way that I could fight back without help. Well, there still has to be a military I can call on and if I can just find a Power Armor frame to support my weak body... I had my frame from the Wars in the secret basement in Sanctuary but I'll find another one if it's gone. I still have skills and the mind is still willing and defintely able dammit. The body can be supported by machinery and meds. Those I can make and I don't give a damn about the side effects anymore. This is a one way ticket to Hell for anyone that gets in my way. Then, and only then, will I be sent to the rear one last time.

    Don't let these shakes go on!
    It's time we had a break from it,
    It's time we had some leave.
    We've been living in a place,
    We've been eating up our brains.
    Oh please don't let these shakes go on!

    The shakes...from the addictions...it's the price I pay. My break will come one day, but not this day. I am a Veteran of the Resource Wars and I'm not here for resources now; I'm here for blood. And those that killed her will know my wrath.  My name is Billy O' Connor and I am the Veteran they sing of...

    PERKS

    We keep STR, END and CHAR at 1 to show his disability, stamina and scarred features due to his war injuries.  He makes up for this with the mental side of him makeup.  Agility and Luck will carry him while Intelligence is high and Perception is fair. 

    Perception: We take the Rifleman, Locksmith and Demolition Expert perks in this tree (plus the Concord bobblehead). 

    Intelligence: He's trained as a Medic plus he knows his way around foraging (Scrapper) and working with energy weapons (Science).  You can choose to educate him further to gain the Nuclear Physicist perk if you wish.

    Agility: We take just a few points in Sneak, he can't max out due to his injuries but he is still a soldier.  We also take Action Boy to complete this section.  Add your SPECIAL book here.

    Luck: He can survive off the land (Scounger) and with his military training he can inflict more damage (Bloody Mess) and learn faster than civilians (Idiot Savant).

    GAMEPLAY

    So the main focus of the gameplay is to attain a power armor frame (PAF). All we want to utilize is the frame itself and the chest piece.  The easiest one to get early is the one in Concord. When you return to Sanctuary, remove the excess pieces for the remainder of the game. As for the chest pieces, you can upgrade during the game as you find better pieces. Wearing the frame gives your body the support it needs to make up for your war injuries. Once you get the PAF you can then speed up to running pace (prior to that ensure you are walking everywhere). Since armor does not play a role when using PA, just go with a set of military fatigues or some other uniform that you like. I used the fatigues to tie in with his military past.  For gear, outside PA and rifles the rest of the head pieces are up to you. I didn't want to use a PA helmet so went with a hat (type) and glasses (old man). I would carry a Mining Helmet with you as your Pip-Boy light won't work with PA and no PA Helmet. Just in case you need a light somewhere.

    While armor does not apply, you can get a SPECIAL bonus with a helmet and glasses that give perks. Use whatever ones you like. I had CHAR gear for selling items but used PERC and AGIL items when I could.

    Keep in mind you are not locked into PA the rest of the game. I, for example, did not use it for a little while until I had a small reserve of Fusion Cores. A couple you can get quickly are in the Red Rocket cave (1) just outside Sanctuary; the Robotic Disposal Grounds to the NW of the USAF Sattelite Array (3) and the one inside the USAF location itself (1). That should be enough to get you started without having to travel very far. It would benefit you to hit Corvega as early as possible for the Repair Bobblehead as well for the 10% bonus to fusion cores.

    Lean heavily on your Demolition Expert perks with grenades and cocktails to open combat.  Get a silenced weapon if you're lucky enough to find one (I got lucky with a silcenced .38 that I used forever). 

    For factions:

    Brotherhood of Steel: I started this for the quests. You do get some PA if you complete it. That's up to you. I felt the character would at least be drawn to them from the start for their military structure that he would feel at home in.

    Railroad: I started this too. I never planned for anything longterm as the gun doesn't help us with Rifleman.

    Minutemen: I got Garvey back to Sanctuary and then basically forgot about him. I did set up a settlement there and did some building and defenses for water/food production as a money making means to buy weapons with mods. You can also open up Abernathy if you want but the inability to have Supply Lines (lack of CHAR) hinders any real building there. However, the added food production is good for more cap earning potential. Just be prepared to juggle inventory. Luckily it's close by.

    Outside of Sanctuary and Abernathy I left all the other settlements alone as I didn't want to be dragged down with settlement building in this build; especially without the CHARISMA perks. 

    CHEMS:

    So, as a combat solider you developed a reliance on chems during combat and the addiction to them spilled over into a rough recovery upon your return to 'The World'. Sadly, your happiness was short lived and you delve back into chems to boost your body to greater abilities than it has alone. Get in the habit of analyzing your opponent and determining which boost is most beneficial. Pop that chem and go to work.

     

    Here's a look at the chems you are familiar with and will be looking to use as well as the materials needed to craft them. Here's a good site to see the effects of each chem and the addiction effects as well: http://www.carls-fallout-4-guide.com/chems.php

    Bufftats (Buffout + Mentats)

    Orange Mentats (Asbestos + Carrot x3 + Mentats)

    Mentats (Used in crafting other chems)

    Psycho (Acid + Circuitry + Hubflower x2 + Stimpack)

    Psychobuff (Buffout + Psycho)

    Jet Fuel (Increases Max AP and AP Regen)

    Overdrive (Acid x2 + Nuka Cola + Psycho)

     

    Here's what the addictions affect (so be prepared to visit a clinic on occasion if needed):

    Buff: -1 STR and END

    Jet: -1 AGIL

    Mentats: -1 CHAR

    Overdrive: -1 STR and AGIL

    Psycho: -1 STR and -10 DAM Resist

     

    And for your listening pleasure...

  • Member
    July 26, 2017

    Kudos for getting it posted RC! Nice use of Power Arm frame only. My favorite part is how you weaved the lyrics into the backstory. 

    Be well bud.

  • July 26, 2017

    What a novel use of PA, RC. I like this build a lot. 

  • Member
    July 27, 2017

    'Nother great music choice to listen too while I read your build and eat my cornflakes!

  • July 27, 2017

    Paws said:

    'Nother great music choice to listen too while I read your build and eat my cornflakes!

    I've added a video for the song to make that easier...lol.

  • July 27, 2017

    Lissette Long-Chapper said:

    What a novel use of PA, RC. I like this build a lot. 

    Thanks.  Yeah when they were singing about "my armor is destroyed" that immediately came to mind was the frame.

  • August 13, 2017

    You know one of the coolest bits about this build John is the fact that you don't use all of the chem boosting perks (well really the ones that reduce the effects of addiction and all that). Honestly, it's an amazing idea that's worked really well here and given the build a bit more of a connection between the Roleplaying and the Gameplay which is awesome.

    Great build mate, sorry I missed it earlier. 

  • October 2, 2017

    Another build that uses Heavy Metal as a base, man this is awesome. Also, great job on the build, man.

  • October 2, 2017

    Thanks DB and Postman.