The Forecaster

Clay,The Courier: "Do your thinking about 'Everywhere.'"The Forecaster: ""(The Forecaster's dialogue) better known as The Forecaster, is a young clairvoyant psychic living under the overpass at the 188 Trading Post in 2281.
==Background==
A young boy sitting on a bedroll, surrounded by a collection of assorted objects, will greet passersby that traverse underneath the overpass. He can provide insight, or "forecasts," into both the future and the past. He will share his thoughts with the Courier, and is forthright and practical about his unique ability. He tells the Courier that people who have heard his thoughts before have found them interesting and called it a "gift." He is modest, explaining that he sees and hears a lot living at the 188, which may account for his unique ability in part.The Courier: "You sell *thoughts?*"The Forecaster: "I can take off my medicine and do some thinking. People say it's real interesting. I don't know, I never hear it. Some people say that it's a gift. Other people say that it's the kind of thinking anyone could do if they watched more than they talked. I don't know which is true. I see a lot, I think a lot. There's a lot to hear through the 188, too, that maybe accounts for the thinking."(The Forecaster's dialogue)
If he utilizes this ability too much, he suffers from headaches and wears a psychic nullifier, which he refers to as his "medicine," to avoid the side effects.The Courier: "What is your 'medicine' and how do you take it off?"The Forecaster: "This thing on my head is headache medicine. It works real good, except I can't think when it's on. think, I mean."(The Forecaster's dialogue) However, while it prevents the migraines, it also blanks his mind. The Forecaster deals with this feeling of loneliness by surrounding himself with items collected from the wasteland, such as books, cameras, and flags, which he describes as valuable, as people had to think in order to make them.The Courier: "You don't sell that junk behind you?"The Forecaster: "That's not junk. That's other people's thoughts. People had to think to make them, and the thoughts got stuck inside. I need other people's thoughts to fill my head when I'm not thinking myself. Otherwise it's... kind of empty."(The Forecaster's dialogue)
The Courier can inquire as to why he is all alone at his young age, to which he will reply that his parents passed away, and he can only see them when he takes off his medicine, but is generally used to being on his own.The Courier: "Where are your parents, kid? Are you here all alone?"The Forecaster: "I don't have a mama or papa anymore. I see them sometimes when I take off my medicine, but they can't stay. I'm pretty used to being on my own."(The Forecaster's dialogue) The Forecaster will share his thoughts with the Courier in exchange for caps, but will not sell his nullifier. If the Courier does not have the 100 caps required, the Forecaster will tell them that it is alright, as they will have the caps someday.The Courier: "Sounds interesting... I don't have 100 caps, though."The Forecaster: "That's all right, /. You will someday."(The Forecaster's dialogue)
==Interactions with the player character==
===Interactions overview===
===Quests===
* Thought for the Day: The Courier can hear the Forecaster's thoughts on three topics, which he describes as "you," "here," and "everywhere."
;Quotes
Topic 	Quote 	Sound file
"You" 	You're playing the hand you've been dealt, but you don't let it rest, you shuffle and stack, and a gamble... a gamble that may pay off? Forecast: Rapidly changing conditions.	
"Here" 	 	
"Everywhere"	Forecast: A rain of blood will flood the desert and not purify it. 	
==Inventory==
==Notes==
* His headgear is a psychic nullifier that cannot be pickpocketed. Therefore, it is only obtainable through console commands.
* His wasteland scout uniform can be reverse pickpocketed.
==Appearances==
The Forecaster appears only .
==Behind the scenes==
* The Forecaster was designed by Joshua Sawyer and written/scripted by John Gonzalez.Asbury: "Speaking of examples of great writing: anyone know who came up with The Forecaster? Because--maybe embarrassingly--I had one of those clarity-dude meme moments when the kid said the stuff wasn't junk, but thoughts."Joshua Sawyer: "I designed him; John Gonzalez wrote him."(Joshua Sawyer on SomethingAwful Forums) Sawyer was inspired by the experiments of the Cathedral in Fallout and the concept of psykers. He also wanted the first child the player would likely meet to be friendly and helpful. Sawyer later stated that he somewhat regretted going "a little over the edge" with the writing.Joshua Sawyer: "Even though the Forecaster was my idea, I still felt like he might have gone a little over the edge (not the writer’s fault, my fault)."(Joshua Sawyer on Tumblr)Q: "I can an relate to the forecaster bc I have migraines everyday as well. I've had them everyday for the past 11 years. How did you guys come up with him and does his "medicine" actually help him?"Joshua Sawyer: "He was inspired by the experiments performed in the Cathedral in Fallout 1. The Master's minions were performing experiments with psykers. The psychic nullifiers they wore were part of the experiments. He's honest when he says the nullifier makes him feel better, but we don't explain how or why. I also wanted the first child the player was (likely) to meet to be friendly and helpful."(Joshua Sawyer Formspring answers)
* The Forecaster is referred to as "Clay" in dialogue script notes.
==Bugs==
 If the player character has the Mister Sandman perk, visits the Forecaster at night and tries to pickpocket him while he sleeps, he will get the murder option. However, the Forecaster is a kid and cannot die, but the player character still gets the bonus XP.
==Gallery==
FNV Forecaster home 1.png|Taking a snooze
FNV Forecaster home 2.png|The Forecaster's collection
==References==
Non-game
Category:188 Trading Post characters
Category:Fallout: New Vegas human characters
de:Der Prognostiker
it:Il previsore
ru:Предсказатель
uk:Провісник
zh:The Forecaster