Ghost people

Ghost people, also called locals and/or Villa inhabitants, are hostile mutated creatures found in the Sierra Madre .
==Background==
===Origins===
Unique to the deadly labyrinthian streets of the Sierra Madre, the "ghost people" are the unintentional legacy of an agreement made between the Madre's pre-War owner Frederick Sinclair and executives of Big MT. In exchange for significant funding and access to advanced technologies developed in the Big MT research facility, Sinclair gave them free rein to use the Sierra Madre as a giant testing ground for experimental technologies. One of these experiments, entirely unknown to the construction workers employed by Sinclair to build the Villa, was the use of an experimental chemical developed by Big MT's Z-43 innovative toxins plant.Z-43 innovative toxins plant terminal entries; terminal, Requisition Order: Chemical SuitsY-17 medical facility terminal entries; terminal, Sierra Madre: Test Case? The chemical turned out to be extremely toxic, airborne, and readily absorbed by the skin. These effects were first discovered when the low-quality construction of the Villa led to the ventilation system at the Puesta del Sol switching station backing up and starting to spew a rust-colored cloud that caused immediate, severe lung and tissue damage. The incident left three workers hospitalized, forcing Mr. Yesterday to hurry and try to conceal the incident from Sinclair.Puesta del Sol switching station terminal entries; terminal, Status Report 
The station foreman investigated the matter at the request of the clinic's physician, to preempt government interest, and escalated it to Sinclair.Villa clinic terminal entries; terminal, Gas Leak Once he became aware of the toxins' effects, Sinclair reached out to Big MT again who offered the use of specialized chemical hazmat suits to protect the workers. Unknown to Sinclair and the workers, the Big MT executives were following up one experiment with another, supplying untested hazmat suits to fight the chemical and closely monitoring the Villa for data. The workers of the Madre were turned into unwitting test subjects, in a callous experiment that horrified the scientists responsible for creating the chemical and the suits.
When the suits arrived, the workers discovered quickly that they were bulky and difficult to move in, and that the suits' cowl-like respirators made it difficult to talk, forcing the workers to resort to sign language to communicate while wearing them.Puesta del Sol switching station terminal entries, Terminal, Suits are Here. They also discovered the suits were challenging to remove; unlocking the clasps typically required the assistance of another person. Despite concerns among the workers, they were immediately put to use. The chief physician suggested ordering spares, anticipating a possible leak of the toxins in the Villa. They did not even have to show Sinclair cost estimates for a wider scale chemical leak they had prepared, as Sinclair immediately greenlit the request.Villa clinic terminal entries; examination room terminal, Safety Suits The construction crews were pulling double shifts already to cover for the loss of workers, knowing any chemical leaks would halt construction for the rest of the year.Puesta del Sol switching station terminal entries; terminal, Second Shifts
The first attempt to investigate how the toxic "cloud cocktail" had formed in the ventilation system revealed the biggest drawback of the experimental suits. While investigating the main pipe, the crews were exposed to trace amounts of the gas, which corroded the metal of the suit's locks, penetrating inside the hazmat suits and trapping the wearers within them.Puesta del Sol switching station terminal entries; terminal, Maintenance ReportToxic samples After failing to break the corroded clasps with regular tools, the workers were forced to use cosmic knives from the kitchens (made out of a Big MT experimental polymer) to cut themselves out of the suits and receive medical attention at the Villa clinic. While the clinic staff were not pleased with the loss of the hazmat suits, the workers considered it a necessity.Puesta del Sol switching station terminal entries; terminal, Suit Damage
===Creation===
When the Great War erupted and destroyed the world, the various workers and guests at the Sierra Madre were left stranded with no way to escape. While the guests and staff within the casino itself were massacred by hologram security, the fate of the workers and residents of the Villa in the aftermath is more uncertain. Some time soon after the War, the Villa's infrastructure started failing apart, slowly filling the air with the toxin that became infamously known simply as the Cloud. After several years with nobody to stop it, it came to blanket the entirety of the Sierra Madre, blotting out the sky and sun completely.Courier: "Tell me about the Cloud."Dean Domino: "The Cloud? Showed up after the Bomb. {Frowns}I think. I got used to it in small doses. Now, it covers the city. {Slightly sad for a moment} Over the years, it kept climbing up out of the Sierra Madre, until it was curtains for the sun. Didn't see the sky again. Doesn't seem to bother the Ghost People. Can't see through it too well, though, so sometimes I can use the Cloud for cover... if I get desperate." Although the precise sequence of events that led to the creation of the "ghost people" is not known,Dead Money loading screen hints: "The origins of the Ghost People are a mystery, as is their strange reverence of the holographic ghosts that fill the city streets." their familiarity with the intricate layout of the Villa and always being seen wearing the hazmat suits heavily imply that they are what remains of the former workers who put the suits on to protect against the Cloud, only to end up trapped inside them and the Madre at large.
Dean Domino, a pre-War performer-turned-ghoul who has remained in the Sierra Madre since the War, has spent some time thinking about the mystery of how the ghost people came to be, but eventually came up empty. He does however speculate that the absence of "focus", something to anchor one's thoughts, was a factor contributing to their loss of faculties, similar to feral ghouls.Courier: "Where did they come from?"Dean Domino: "{Slight exasperation, as if he's thought about this a lot, then tries to recall Hamlet quote}Friend... "there's more mysteries in heaven and earth..." wait, no, "there is more between heaven and earth..." oh, forget it. I'd sooner ask what makes me an undying son of a bitch than spend any thought as to why {emph}they crawled to life here. I'm counting myself lucky I still have my faculties - they sure don't. Then again, they may not have had the... focus I do."Courier: "Focus?"Dean Domino: "Always had the Sierra Madre to keep my mind occupied.  Most folks, they don't have the same drive, the same need. Not worth my time. Pretty much Ghost People before the Bomb, now Ghost People after."
===Biology===
Over the course of two centuries, the ghost people became a permanent element of the Sierra Madre, trapped within ancient hazmat suits and tied to the unique pollution that covers the complex.Courier: "What is the Cloud?"Elijah: "{Slight admiration as if for beautiful vista}The Cloud is what blankets the sky here... you may smell it in the air, copper and sulfur... burns the lungs and seeps into the skin. As for its origins... I am not certain. Pre-War industrial pollutants... something in the Sierra Madre structure... {Contemplative}It is unique across the wasteland... and deadly. It has kept this place preserved since the Great War." The Cloud's decaying touch twisted the ghost peopleCourier: "Will exposure kill me?"Elijah: "{Hardcore Only}No... while it will erode your health, {need to be clear, slow, here}it will only bring you to the point of death, no farther. At that point... The air here is lethal only if you enter concentrated pockets of the Cloud. Too long inside one, you'll die, so be careful where you step. I've seen some survive concentration of the Cloud for short periods of time if healthy enough - others were too weak. Rebreathers, chemical suits... there is no protection against it, it decays all it touches. {Beat, slight anger}I've found fighting it useless." to the point that when sufficient force manages to penetrate the suits, pockets of compressed gas are visibly released.The Courier: "Do you know how the Ghost People taste?"Dog: ""(Dog and God's dialogue) and emit a green, gaseous cloud at regular intervals from the suit's vents and rebreather.Animations attached to the ghost people model constantly emit small puffs of green gas from the vents and the rebreather. Their mutated flesh and blood are discolored yellow, and apparently tastes like plastic or copper. similar to how the Cloud itself tastes.Courier: "Me hear voice, too? Then got here, bad place."Dog: " "God: "Air tastes like copper. {Beat, smiles}Or Old World gold."
The main effect of the mutation is that the ghost people are very hard to kill. gun shots or stab wounds that would kill regular humans only render them inert for a short period of time. Shortly afterwards, they start twitching, making gaseous noises,Dog: "{A little quieter}Voice doesn't get mad when Dog feeds on the people here. Voice not like Ghost People, worried there are too many to eat, too many knives. {Slight frustration}Started eating them because wouldn't go quiet when Dog smashed them with bear jaw. Only want one. {Frustrated}Got Dog angry, others kept cutting him and slicing him with knives when he tried to make one go quiet with teeth. Dog can tell when they not yet dead... twitch a bit, make low noise, then noise when they get back up, listen." then get up and continue their attack. The only reliable method is to dismember, disintegrate, or otherwise blow them up.The Courier: "How tough are they?"Dean Domino: "You shoot them, they get back up. You stab them, they get back up. That's why I have explosives all over this place - unless you blow them up, chop them up, disintegrate 'em, Not enough bullets in the town to spend on them. So unless you're a real good shot, save one for yourself right before they catch you."(Dean Domino's dialogue) Devouring them also works.Dead Money loading screen hints: "Dismemberment, energy weapons, explosives... and devouring... work best against the Ghost People of the Sierra Madre." Like ghouls and super mutants, they also appear to be unable of dying due to old age. This is likely tied to the potential restorative effects of processed Cloud, which invigorates, rather than decays.Sierra Madre martini
Either the mutation or the stiff, bulky suits also cause the ghost people to move in an unnatural manner. They have a hunched posture with their hands held up and unnaturally curled fingers, and move in a manner akin to shambling, dragging their feet and twisting their torso, as if to pull the leg forward.Ghost people animations when moving. 
Finally, the ghost people do not speak,The Courier: "Is anyone else alive around here?"Dean Domino: " They're a little... uncivilized. They don't talk much. As in, at all."(Dean Domino's dialogue) though it's unclear if it is the mutation itself, or the suits' rebreathers that prevent communication.
===Behavior===
While the ghost people appear similar to feral ghouls at a glance, there are some major differences. The main one is that they are not actually feral. Although the Cloud twisted them, they retain the ability to use tools and weapons. While they do not use firearms, they are very adept at using improvised spears, bear traps as gauntlets, and even crafting improvised explosives. Furthermore, while feral ghouls attack on sight with no sense of self-preservation, ghost people often use traps to ambush unwary victims (typically bear traps or falling beams)Dean Domino: "" and use bait to lure prey.Dead Money loading screen hints: "The Ghost People seem to prefer primitive traps, favoring falling beams, bear traps, and luring prey into toxic areas." Supplies useful to those exploring the Madre are commonly used as bait.Dean Domino: ""
Ghost people are one of the main hazards at the Madre and attack any outsiders with unrestrained aggression once they learn of their presence. As a result, anyone who braves the open desert to reach it,Gala opening: "Let your eyes take in the luxurious expanse of the open desert, under clear starlit skies. Gaze straight on into the sunset from our Villa rooftops." is immediately attacked by the Cloud and the ghost people. If they come as part of a group, then greed and the prospect of an untouched pre-War resort to loot frequently leads to infighting.Courier: "Have other people shown up in search of the Sierra Madre?"Dean Domino: "Tourists, you bet. They don't stay long... and they don't stay alive long. If they survive the Cloud, the Ghost People, the traps, then greed takes over, and they start sizing each other up for funeral suits." 
Ghost people do not typically roam the Villa in large numbers, however, and only small groups will appear in the ruins under normal circumstances. They are more prevalent in the outlying western and eastern districts of Puesta del Sol and Salida del Sol.Courier: "We'll head out, then."Elijah: "{Start Act 2 Quests}I'd suggest taking the FEV reject to his position first... {more to himself, thinking of other dangers}although you may need his brutality and strength elsewhere first. As easy as the Villa was to navigate... the outlying areas of the Villa are far more dangerous, thicker with the Ghost People, traps, and toxins. Use your team as I use you... listen to your collar, watch where you step. You're no use to me dead." The bulk of them haunt the derelict buildings and underground service networks.The Courier: "If I clear out all the Ghost People in the area, will you change your mind?"Dean Domino: "No, you want to know why? Because there's more beneath the streets, in the buildings, and oh - everywhere else. They hear anything out of the ordinary, especially "music" screaming through the speakers when I close the connection? They'll be here, fast."(Dean Domino's dialogue) These ghost people will only emerge in response to a significant change in the ambient noise of the Madre,Dean Domino: " Look... I strike up the speaker system, there's going to be ghosts all over this place. Any change in the sounds around here… ...the Ghost People are not big on talking, they are big on listening. Hunting. Killing. More vicious than music critics, trust me." which triggers a violent reaction, as larger numbers of ghost people emerge to investigate the disturbance.Courier: "All right. What's it going to take?"Dean Domino: "Take? It's not going to take anything because you couldn't {emph}offer me anything to stay here. The Ghost People'll come out of the woodwork when the Gala Event starts blaring, and when they see me trapped up here? It's curtains for Dean."The Courier: "Is there anything else about them I should know?"Dean Domino: ""(Dean Domino's dialogue) This change can be anything significantly out of the ordinary, such as music loud noises,Dean Domino: " "(Dean Domino's dialogue) or even shouting:Courier: "Any advice to getting through this?"Dean Domino: "Well... considering my life's on the line, too, yeah, a few things. First off, keep everyone together. Keep checking behind you, make sure your partners are following... {emph}don't let them wander. Also, don't go running crazy everywhere. Almost every inch of this town is lethal. So if you're not sure, take it real slow. And speaking of slow, don't go shouting, or attracting attention. Go quiet. The Ghost People find you, it's over." God setting off the Villa police station alarm to prevent Elijah from contacting Dog also inadvertently caused the ghost people to flock to the station.Courier: "...and the alarm sound outside helps as well. Your doing?"God: "[SUCCEEDED] Very good. Yes... it's another layer of white noise to ensure privacy. Unfortunately, it's also acted as a dinner bell for the residents. As long as the holographic greeter outside is active, however, I can get by them... the Holograms fascinate them. Ghost-worship, perhaps." 
The holographic greeter at the station kept them from entering it, as the ghost people are fascinated by the holograms, in what is described as a form of "ghost worship" by God. Ghost people revere the holograms, and over time may even come to regard certain humans as holograms, leaving them in peace.Christine Royce ending: "{Christine Alive: Narration}Christine, her mission complete, found new purpose as the Sierra Madre's warden. She watched over it silently - by choice. {Narration}Over time, the Ghost People came to see her as one of the Holograms. They would watch, silently, as she walked among them. {Narration, a little tender here}At times, Christine thought of the Courier, who had kept Elijah's hand from her throat. {Narration}The Courier reminded her of the {slight emph}other courier she had met in the Big Empty, and wondered if the two had found each other at last. {Narration, quiet}She did not think of them again until she heard the legends of the Divide.{Slow, reverent - this is quietly dramatic, ends on a sad downnote}The Divide, where the two messengers, the two couriers, fought beneath an ancient flag, at the edge of the world."
==Characteristics==
All ghost people are hostile to the Courier. They are difficult to pin down, as they will constantly lurch and leap around during engagements. They also actively avoid the player's aim, particularly near their head. They do not utilize firearms, using only primitive weapons made from resources found in the Sierra Madre villa. Ghost people also do not take extra damage from headshots. This is somewhat balanced by their complete lack of functioning armor.
They are difficult to kill permanently by normal means. They must be disintegrated, dismembered or eaten by Dog, or they will simply get up and continue attacking. The simplest way to keep them from getting back up is to cripple or dismember their limbs with a melee weapon (like a cosmic knife), an explosive (like a demolition charge) or from concentrated ranged attacks to a single limb. The loss of a limb will always kill the ghost person. If a ghost person is already down, attack with a melee weapon or target their limbs with a ranged weapon until a limb is removed to stop them from reviving. 
Crippling a limb while a ghost person is conscious will dismember the limb, killing them even if the crippling attack does not reduce their health to 0. The Bloody Mess perk helps considerably with this task since it increases the chance of dismemberment with standard firearms. The revival of the ghost people is indicated by characteristic gurgling, so it is recommended to either stand back or quickly destroy one of their limbs before they wake up. When a ghost person revives their limb health is severely reduced, making it easier to kill them permanently.
However, after a certain dialogue path with Dog starting with the phrase "I watched you devour one of the ghost people," Dog will give the Courier the Ghost Hunter perk, allowing one to kill ghost people without Dog or chopping off their limbs.
Often the only warning of their presence is a strangled choking or muttering sound they make. Ghost people should be exceedingly easy to sneak by, as they have minimum Perception, however, sneaking is very inconsistent in the Sierra Madre; the reason for this is that New Vegas' sneak calculations account for light separately from Perception,GECK Wiki Detection articles so being near lights will allow ghost people to notice the player from further away than expected. Despite looking relatively dim, the lights scattered around the Sierra Madre are considered nearly as bright as daylight, and so stepping into one can cause the player to be spotted instantly. Additionally, Ghost People level with the player character above level 30 (the level cap for creatures in the base game), up to the maximum of level 50. This exponentially increases their ability to detect the player from further away than Fallout: New Vegas' highest level creatures, such as the legendary deathclaw.Sneak and Detection in New Vegas
Other than the obvious lights, the visual effect of stepping into fog is partially achieved by changing the current weather, and during daytime the toxic fog weather is nearly as bright as daylight, so ghost people may detect the player when this happens. Finally, while most Villa areas have dim ambient lighting, in Puesta del Sol, the ambient light is always comparable to Mojave daytime, making sneaking effectively impossible in this area.
==Variants==
Each variant of ghost people has six levels of difficulty. Each level has identical statistics except for level and health. Through the sneaking detection system, however, the higher the level the easier it is for all types of ghost people to detect the player, with variants spawning from player level 21 to 30 having detection ability greater than any creature in the base game. Variants at level 50 have the ability to detect the player beyond the maximum detection radius.
Player level	Ghost People level
1 	5
2-10 	15
11-20 	25
21-30 	35
31-40 	45
41-50 	50
===Ghost harvester===
Ghost harvesters are the most common variant of ghost people. They are the smallest variant and are easily distinguished by their hoods and smaller gas masks. They are equipped with knife spears and throwing knife spears, using the throwing spears until they are expended and then charging the target equipped with a knife spear unless the prey closes to melee range first.
They are not the most durable or proficient opponent in close combat, but their throwing knife spears can cause great damage in a short time. After throwing a spear they will usually perform a jump to the right or left, which makes them hard to target with a firearm outside of V.A.T.S. During one section of Fires in the Sky, ghost harvester corpses will contain ghost harvester remains for Dog to eat.
===Ghost trapper===
Ghost trappers can be identified by their large size and lack of hoods. They are only equipped with bear trap fists. Ghost trappers are also responsible for the inordinate amount of bear traps and trip wires in the Sierra Madre. They are capable and tough unarmed fighters, so they are best picked off from a distance. However, ghost trappers are often found in groups with knife spear-bearing harvesters or seekers.
===Ghost seeker===
Ghost seekers are the least common variant of ghost people. They are taller than ghost harvesters but smaller than ghost trappers and wear a hood. They are equipped with knife spears and gas bombs, throwing one or two gas bombs and then closing to attack with a knife spear. While they do not withstand as much damage as ghost trappers, ghost seekers are extremely capable in melee combat. The gas bombs that seekers throw can cripple limbs.
==Notes==
* The notion that ghost people have infinite Perception due to a supposed bug in their AI is inaccurate. Their base Perception of 1 is reduced to 0 through gameplay modifiers, but this does not cause any changes in how they detect the player. Sneak calculations do not allow for enemy Perception to go below 1, and even if an NPC's Perception is reduced to 0, this would not cause an overflow. The reason for frequent detection by ghost people is because of light detection, as mentioned above.
* Ghost people are considered abominations and will count towards the "Abominable" challenge.
* If their heads are not destroyed, their corpses will continue to breathe, even if all other limbs are removed, as can be shown by the green mist that is periodically issued from their breathing masks.
* Miss Fortune is able to kill ghost people instantly if her attacks cripple any limbs.
* The incomplete hazmat suit worn by ghost people is discoverable and usable by the Courier in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues, located in the Hazmat testing ground at Big MT.
* Ghost people will not set off tripwire-based traps.
* It is possible, while in Sneak mode, to see ghost trappers resting with one knee on the floor and holding a knife spear as support, even though they do not use knife spears or have any on them upon death.
* If summoned using commands, ghost people will only be hostile to the Courier and their companions, and only the Courier's companions will be hostile to them. Other NPCs, however, will still say lines such as "Watch out!"
* A seeker can be observed nailing boards to a gate connecting Salida del Sol North and South, and on the northside, the word "escape" crossed out can be seen.
* Ghost people have glowing green eyes. The same is true of some glowing creatures in Fallout 4 and some Scorched creatures in Fallout 76.
* Although the content of Fallout Shelter does not usually draw inspiration from New Vegas, the Wasteland gear appears to be the garb and mask of a ghost person.
==Appearances==
Ghost people appear only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Dead Money. The origin of the ghost people suits is further hinted in the add-on Old World Blues.
==Behind the scenes==
When asked who came up with the ghost people, Joshua Sawyer responded that he was "pretty sure" it was Chris Avellone.Fallout: New Vegas 10th Anniversary Charity Stream Part 2 (reference starts at 48:10)Joshua Sawyer: "Who came up with the ghost people in Dead Money? I think- I'm pretty sure that was Chris Avellone, not 100% sure, but pretty confident."
==Sounds==
* Ghost people breathe loop
==Gallery==
Deadmoney-3.jpg|A ghost harvester in combat
Deadmoney-1.jpg|Close-up shot of a ghost trapper
Deadmoney-4.jpg
GhostPeopleHead.png|Ghost people close-up
HazmatHelmet.png|Unhooded version of the hazmat suit worn by the ghost people
Ghost Hunter.png|As depicted in Ghost Hunter
RavenousHunger.png|As depicted in Ravenous Hunger
Chris Avellone GDC 2012 ghost people concept art.png|Concept art, shown in Chris Avellone's GDC 2012 presentation
==References==
Non-game
 
de:Geistervolk
es:Fantasmas
pl:Ludzie duchy
pt:Ghost People
ru:Люди-призраки
uk:Люди-привиди
zh:Ghost people