User:Some Sort

Calculating "BP"

 * BP = Barrage Power, the amount of damage done by a weapon in one full VATS sequence @ 140 AP with no critical damage considered, assuming 100% condition and 100% in the appropriate weapon skill.
 * BP+ = The amount of damage done by a weapon in one full VATS sequence @ 140 AP with 10 luck, Finesse, Ninja (where applicable), and Better Criticals, assuming 100% condition and 100% in the appropriate weapon skill.
 * Data gathered from the Fallout 3 weapons page.
 * Chart contains only "weapons of interest". Weapons of interest are loosely defined as any weapon with an exceptionally high BP (Vengeance, Terrible Shotgun, etc), any weapon whose BP is surprising (either high, such as Plunkett's Valid Points, or low, such as Eugene), or any extremely common weapon with a BP comparable to that of many uniques (such as Combat Shotgun or Plasma Rifle).
 * BP is best used as a measure of the relative power of various weapons in VATS-heavy builds. For instance, while Blackhawk and Lincoln's Repeater appear comparable to A3-21 in conventional statistics, and while both are probably significantly better choices when free-aiming, A3-21's absurd BP+ means that characters who are heavily reliant on VATS will find it to be clearly and demonstrably superior.

Discussion of Weapons

 * Obviously the best weapons according to BP+ are going to be the MIRV, Fat Man, Nuka Grenades, the Alien Blaster, and Firelance. None of those five weapons really lend themselves to VATS-heavy builds, however, for a couple of reasons. All five use the rarest forms of ammo in the entire game. There are only 59 freely-occurring mini-nukes in the game, although if one is patient one can acquire an unlimited supply by continuously restocking Flak and Shrapnel (at considerable personal expense, of course). Nuka Grenades require the very rare Nuka Cola Quantum to create, and a maximum of ~180 can be created from freely occurring supplies (occasional random encounters and luck at the vending machines can increase that number). Another big drawback is that Nuka Cola Quantum is a very useful item in its own right for VATS-heavy builds, do to the +20 AP boost upon consumption. The Alien Blaster and Firelance both run on Alien Power Cells, which are limited to ~300-350 if you have the Scrounger perk (250 without). It goes without saying that, with those weapons, ammo conservation is far more important than whatever maximum-overkill value you could achieve by dumping large amounts of ammo on a single target in VATS.
 * According to basic BP+, the Shishkebab and the Terrible Shotgun are the best weapons in the entire game that don't suffer from extreme ammo shortages (i.e. Nuka Grenades or Alien Blasters). This is extremely misleading, however, because they come with some pretty severe drawbacks. The Shishkebab's power is heavily reliant on the Ninja perk, which obviously precludes the character from getting Grim Reaper's Sprint (outside of the level cap being lifted some time). Given that BP+ is really only useful for VATS-heavy builds, foregoing Grim Reaper's Sprint is a massive sacrifice. And, of course, even without that sacrifice, Shishkebab is a melee weapon and therefore requires closing to melee range before VATS becomes available, making attacking several targets more difficult. The Terrible Shotgun's BP+ is dependent on all pellets hitting, which is unrealistic unless at literally point-blank range or unless fighting a massive monster (such as a Deathclaw). While old Terrible can chew through Behemoths and Deathclaws, its real-world VATS performance will be disappointingly low compared to its theoretical output.
 * Plunkett's Valid Points is sort of the little engine that could- they surprisingly deal more VATS damage than any melee weapon other than the Deathclaw Gauntlet and the Shishkebab, and are a fun weapon for a brawler looking to break from the ordinary. Regardless, they suffer the same drawback as the Shishkebab (melee only, requires the Ninja perk). Also, while they are the optimum means of delivering Paralyzing Palm strikes, I find that 400 Armor Piercing damage (courtesy of the Deathclaw Gauntlet) kind of makes paralyzing palm a moot point, anyway. Plunkett's is best used as a novelty, or when surrounded and wishing to spread the paralyzing palm among several targets, or when going melee with a Behemoth. Otherwise, stick with the Deathclaw or the Shishkebab.
 * Most of the best free-aim fully auto weapons in the game are surprisingly weak in a full-on VATS barrage. The three lowest BP+ values on the table belong to Eugene, Xuanlang, and Colonel Autumn's Laser Pistol, which are full-auto machines of death in free aim mode. A large part of this is a result of the dramatically lowered chance of critical strike that comes with fully automatic weapons. My advice? If you're a VATS junkie, give them to a hireling and let him/her put them to good use.
 * Despite the previous point, Vengeance is an absolute BEAST in VATS. It clocks in as the strongest weapon without limited ammo when you don't factor in criticals, and a close second to A3-21's Plasma Rifle when you do. Add to this its obscene damage output in free-aim mode, its incredible accuracy at range, and the lack of a spin-up time and there is a very strong argument that Vengeance is the strongest and most versatile gun in the entire game. It excels in and out of VATS, at close or long range. Its ammo is uncommon, but occurs in huge amounts when you do find it. Its only real drawback is repairs, because its condition deteriorates rapidly and spare parts are hard to find. If you upgrade Crazy Wolfgang (and especially if you reverse-pickpocket a RobCo jumpsuit onto him), however, then Vengeance becomes a terrific gun choice.
 * The craziest part of Vengeance's power is that it's all achieved with only 4 shots in VATS (120 AP required). If you can get your AP to 150 through edibles, Vengeance receives a rocking +25% boost to both BP and BP+, pushing an already deadly gun into the realm of overkill.
 * If you're looking for a more budget alternative to Vengeance, A3-21's Plasma Rifle is very easy to acquire even at low levels, uses extremely common ammunition, and rates similarly well on BP and BP+ comparisons. What it lacks is free-aim functionality- due to its slow-moving ammunition, it's really only good at low-to-mid ranges. My suggestion? Take them both with you. Those two guns are all you'll ever need.

Some Sort's Junkie in-depth character build
Goal: To create a character whose maximum strength is heavily dependent on the effects of addictive chems, and who manages to marginalize the drawbacks of the inevitable addiction. Prospective addictions: The character build needs to reach either 125 AP or 130 AP for optimum efficiency. Why 125 or 130? Well, Vengeance hits an AP breakpoint at 120 AP. A3-21 hits an AP breakpoint at 125. Therefore hitting 125 AP gives the maximum non-drugged shots with both weapons. After that the next breakpoint for both weapons is 150. With 125 you can hit 150 with a shot of Jet. With 130, you can hit 150 with either Jet *OR* Nuka Cola Quantum. After that, the next breakpoint is 175 for A3-21's and 180 for Vengeance. At 125 AP, Quantum + Jet = 175, while 130 + Quantum + Jet = 180. In other words, 125 is easier to reach, while 130 gives you more power once you start adding drugs to the mix. Reaching either value will require use of the Action Boy perk and Ledeaux's Hockey Mask. After that, you need 3 Agility and Ranger's battle Armor *OR* 5 Agility to hit the 125 breakpoint. To hit 130, you'll need either 5 Agility and Ranger's Battle Armor *OR* 8 Agility to hit the 130 breakpoint. Remember that you must be able to meet that AG requirement even AFTER any AG penalties resulting from addiction. In other words, if you're going to be addicted to Jet (-1 AG), Ultrajet (-2 AG), Med-X (-1 AG), and alcohol (-1 AG), you'll be facing a total deficit of -5 AG, meaning you'll need to have 9 base starting AG, +1 from the bobblehead, and you'll have to wear the Ranger Battle Armor in order to hit the 130 breakpoint.
 * Jet - +30 AP; addiction grants -1 AG and -1 CH. Jet is the foundation of the build. The character is going to be a very VATS-heavy, relying on the extremely high BP+ A3-21's and Vengeance. As powerful as both weapons are in VATS, there's still a ton of untapped potential, because even at 140 AP their power is a result of few shots, and they are very near another AP breakpoint (at 150 AP, A3-21's goes from 5 shots to 6, resulting in a 20% power increase, while Vengeance goes from 4 to 5, resulting in a 25% power increase). Jet is cheap, common, and suffers minor drawbacks (the -1 CH is essentially pointless, and steps can be taken to ensure that the character meets AP requirements even with the -1 AG).
 * Nuka Cola Quantum - +20 AP, +10 rads; addition grants -1 CH and -15% Rad Resistance. Quantum grants an AP boost similar to Jet, although smaller in magnitude. Its chance for addiction is dramatically lower, and the outcome of addiction is almost entirely negligible (since CH is essentially useless and Rad Resistance is barely any better). The drawback, of course, is the rarity- as a result, Quantum won't replace Jet for everyday use... but will be reserved for special occasions when it can be stacked with Jet for even more spectacular results.
 * Ultrajet - +40 AP; addiction grants -2 AG, -1 PE, -1 ST. While Jet is highly desireable, Ultrajet is less so. The loss of a point of PE and a point of ST is much harder to offset than the loss of a point of CH, and the AG loss is now DOUBLED, meaning our AG must be another point higher to offset the loss and keep us above certain AP breakpoints. Ultrajet is also harder to come by and in shorter supply than Jet, meaning it's best reserved for those battles where Jet + Quantum alone aren't enough. Adding Ultrajet to the mix makes things get out of hand in a real hurry.
 * Alcohol - +1 ST, +1 CH, -1 INT; addiction grants -1 AG, -1 CH. Generally not worth it for this build- the loss of a point of AG is far more detrimental than the gain of a point of ST is helpful. Extremists can abuse Alcohol just to add another addiction to the list, but for the most part, the Junkie is better off drinking responsibly (or better, not at all).
 * Mentats - +5 IN, +5 PE; addiction grants -1 PE, -1 IN. This is a personal preference. Abusing Mentats doesn't really add any significant advantage (although the +5 PE is really nice in wide-open areas), and the addiction doesn't really add any significant disadvantage (although the -1 PE can be a mild irritation at times.
 * Buffout - +60 HP, +2 ST, +3 EN; addiction grants -1 ST, -1 EN. Basically, Buffout is a massive HP boost in a bottle. It's rare enough that this character will need a HP boost that the drawbacks (-1 ST, -1 EN) typically outweigh the benefits. Good for rare use, but not the type of chem to abuse on a regular basis.
 * Psycho - +25% damage; addiction grants -1 EN, -1 PE. One shot of Psycho is about as effective as a shot of Jet in terms of damage boost, and the two can be stacked for a MASSIVE damage boost (to say nothing of adding Quantum and Ultrajet to the mix). The drawbacks are greater than the drawbacks for Jet, and Jet is more common, so Jet should always be your first drug of choice... but Psycho is a great second option.
 * Med-X - +25% damage resistance; addiction grants -1 AG, -1 IN. A much better defensive option than Buffout with much more palatable drawbacks, provided you build in enough AG to cover the loss. Going from 70% DR to 85% DR will double the amount of damage you can take before dying, making Med-X an extremely potent defensive drug.
 * Ant Nectar - +4 ST, -2 IN, -2 CH; addiction grants -2 ST. The drug itself is far too rare and the effects far to mundane for Nectar to play a serious role in the build.
 * Recommended addictions: Jet, Med-X, Psycho, Quantum. Total penalty = -1 PE, -1 EN, -2 CH, -1 IN, -2 AG, -15% Rad Res.
 * Final Gear- Ranger's, Ledeaux, A3-21, Vengeance, Wazer Wifle, Lucky 8-ball
 * Minimum Initial Stats- ST- 4+, PE- 4+, EN- 4+, CH- 1, IN- 3+, AG- 6, LK- 7
 * Recommended Initial Stats- ST- 4, PE- 8, EN- 5, CH- 1, IN- 9, AG- 6, LK- 7
 * Final Stats- ST- 5, PE- 10, EN- 6, CH- 2, IN- 10, AG- 7, LK- 10
 * Post-addiction final stats- ST- 5, PE- 9, EN- 5, CH- 1, IN- 9, AG- 5, LK- 10

Perks: Wildcard perks: Intense Training, Bloody Mess, Fortune Finder (LK 5), Scrounger (LK 5), Strong Back (ST 5, EN 5), Mister Sandman (sneak 60), Mysterious Stranger (LK 6), Cannibal, Fast Metabolism, Lifegiver (EN 6), Robotics Expert (Science 60), Silent Running (AG 6, Sneak 50), Contract Killer, Lawbringer, Light Step (AG 6, PE 6)
 * LV2- Black Widow
 * LV3- Intense Training
 * LV4- Educated (IN 4)
 * LV5- Comprehension (IN 4)
 * LV6- Toughness (EN 5)
 * LV7- Wildcard
 * LV8- Commando
 * LV9- Wildcard
 * LV10- Finesse
 * LV11- Wildcard
 * LV12- Sniper (AG 6, PE 6)
 * LV13- Wildcard
 * LV14- Chemist (Med 60)
 * LV15- Cyborg (Med 60, Sci 60)
 * LV16- Action Boy (AG 6)
 * LV17- Better Criticals (PE 6, LK 6)
 * LV18- Concentrated Fire (small guns 60, energy weapons 60)
 * LV19- Wildcard
 * LV20- Grim Reaper's Sprint