Creatures of the Commonwealth
Creatures include animals, humans and their mutated counterparts encountered in the Commonwealth and surrounding areas.
FERAL GHOULS
​Ghouls are former humans who have become horribly irradiated by the radioactive fallout covering the wasteland from the Great War. Many ghouls are pre-War humans who survived the initial nuclear bombardment. Becoming permanently irradiated, they were disfigured and their lifespans were increased virtually indefinitely. In most cases, exposure to radiation in the post-War Commonwealth wastes degenerated their brains, causing them to lose their higher cognitive functions, turning them into mindless, radiation-resistant cannibals.
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SUPER MUTANTS
Institute super mutants are the variant of super mutant found throughout the Commonwealth in 2387. These mutants were created by the Institute by means of exposure to the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV). They are large, muscle-bound creatures with innate immunity to radiation and disease. They are most frequently encountered in central Boston, most of which can be identified by the telltale signs of hanging meat bags, twisted girders protruding out of the ground, cages and gory waste piles with which they enjoy decorating their surroundings.
BRAHMIN
Brahmin are two-headed cattle that mutated after the Great War. They still provide meat, milk, hide and manual labor. This makes them an integral part of any settlement, as well as the caravans that connect them. Brahmin have the appearance of a pre-War cow but are distinguished by their abnormally large udders and two heads. They also have eight stomachs, but otherwise do not differ significantly from their pre-War ancestors. Additional mutations include the growth of several disfigured horns and coloration of the skin.
GAZELLES
The gazelle is the mutated version of the pre-War animal of the same name. After two centuries of exposure to radiation, the gazelle has mutated and grown one additional head and two additional legs, similar to radstags at the base of the left head's neck. The legs are too short to touch the ground and their eyes, if any, are not visible.
DOGS AND MONGRELS
Some dogs are wild, plaguing the wastes and killing livestock, but tame versions are necessary for many struggling wastelanders. There are also rare cases of domestic breeds that act as companions towards their bipedal counterparts. Humans and super mutants are the only species known to truly tame and domesticate these canines.
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MUTANT HOUNDS
These are dogs that have undergone major mutations from being exposed to the Forced Evolutionary Virus. Usually, they are accompanying super mutants. They may have been created in the FEV lab of the Institute, along with the rest of the super mutants that are seen throughout the Commonwealth.
CATS
Before the Great War, domestic cats were a popular household pet. They were known for their companionship and for hunting common household pests, such as rats. Cats survived the nuclear holocaust, subsequently existing in reduced numbers, found commonly throughout the Commonwealth region. Similar to before the war, cats are usually found near human habitation.
MOLE RATS
Mole rats are mutated rodents that are much larger than their pre-War counterparts, the naked molerat. They have survived as a species by burrowing underground where the soil protected them from direct nuclear explosions. However, they still were greatly mutated by the subsequent fallout, increasing their size as well as their viciousness. A few people in the wastes have even been known to train them and keep them as pets.
RADSTAGS
YAO GUAI
Named by descendants of those held in Chinese internment camps before the Great War, yao guai are mutated American black bears, and one of the more vicious creatures of the wasteland, sporting razor sharp claws and teeth, and a nasty temperament.
DEATHCLAWS
Originally engineered before the Great War by the U.S. government as a cheap replacement for human troops during combat operations, deathclaws were derived from a mixed animal stock, primarily the popular Jackson's Chameleon. Although the project was successful in creating a ferocious predator capable of surviving on its own in the wild, no references exist of them ever being deployed on the battlefield. After the Great War, deathclaws escaped into the wild and quickly spread across the continent. Their gradual spread throughout the wasteland raised awareness of their existence, until they entered common consciousness as a lethal predator.
GATORCLAWS
Gatorclaws are a genetically engineered mix of Jackson Chameleon and American Alligator enhanced with FEV that were created centuries after the Great War. Identical in posture and general anatomy to a deathclaw, gatorclaws have minor external traits that reflect their alligator genetics. They can sometimes be seen lying flat in the same manner that alligators do.