Lobotomite

Lobotomites are surgically-altered humans found in Big MT in 2281.

Background
Lobotomites are the result of medical experiments performed at Big MT. They were once used as assistants to clean up the Big MT after experiments, but have since begun to wander in aggressive bands.

Biology
As their name suggests, they are lobotomized humans without a conscience. Their brains have been replaced with advanced Tesla coils, allowing them to perform simple tasks such as walking, breathing and defend themselves against aggressors. They also have better resistance to chem addiction and shock from bodily damage. They are unable to talk normally and mainly grunt, but can be heard to say "die," "stop you" and "never" on occasion. It also appears that the Tesla coils give them a relatively long life since a lobotomite called Test Subject 1, probably the first created in Big MT, is still alive in 2281.

Dr. Dala's observations of the "skinvelopes" report that 43% of the time when two lobotomites are left together, they will either fight for dominance or "...inject bodily fluids into each others' orifices." It can be assumed that the other 57% is the behavior players are not exposed to. They are spread all across Big MT, but appear to have a particular home in The Cuckoo's Nest, where there is a shrine, composed of random objects, mostly toasters.

Gameplay attributes
Lobotomites wear lobotomite jumpsuits or patient gowns which offer very little protection against damage. This apparel has a low damage threshold, but the medium to high health of the lobotomites somewhat counterbalances this.

Lobomites are armed with either a firearm or melee weapon. Lobotomites level with the player, gaining increasingly damaging equipment as the player becomes a higher and higher level. For this reason, they still pose a credible threat even to very high level players.

Usually, they attack in groups of three - with two melee-oriented members and one ranged. This can be a helpful thing to remember, as if you kill five of them, there's probably still one lurking nearby.

Variants

 * Test subject 1

Appearances
Lobotomites appear in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues, on a loading screen of Fallout and they were to appear in Fallout 2 in a cut encounter.

Behind the scenes

 * Lobotomites were to appear in Fallout 2, as slave soldiers of the Brotherhood of Steel (in an early draft, the Brotherhood was an evil force enslaving mutants and fielding an army of lobotomites). The player would have been ambushed by them at one point, with a Renegade Brotherhood soldier (in some sources referred to as a Desert Ranger) coming to his aid.


 * In real life medical usage, a lobotomy involves cutting to and from the frontal lobes in the brain to remove part of it. Though very rarely used today because of antipsychotics, it was used most commonly in the 1940s to the 1950s to treat serious mental illnesses that otherwise required institution.

Bugs

 * Lobotomites are notorious for spawning right in front of the player. For example, fast-traveling to Ulysses' Point and waiting for a few seconds will cause lobotomites to spawn near Higgs Village and in front of the entrance to Ulysses' Point as well. The lobotomite that spawns at the entrance to Ulysses' Point may actually exit from the entrance at times, but generally just pops up upon fast travel.