Fallout 5 Edition: Expanded Suiciders System

Introduction

The wasteland is already full of dangers, but Fallout 5 can elevate the sense of dread by evolving the Suicider archetype. No longer just Super Mutants with mini-nukes, Suiciders now span across multiple factions and lifeforms—each with distinct lore, behavior, and psychological impact on players.

By diversifying Suiciders into Super Mutants, Humans, Robots, and Dogs, Fallout 5 would make every faction encounter unpredictable. The sight, sound, or even smell of a Suicider should trigger instant panic and force players into snap tactical decisions.

1. Super Mutant Suiciders

Lore

Super Mutants glorify Suiciders as expendable champions—“fire that clears the weak.”
Their deafening roars are both intimidation and ritual sacrifice.
Warlords breed or coerce specific mutants into this role, ensuring they live long enough to close the gap.

Variants

Classic Mini-Nuke Carrier: Charges directly with a live nuke.
Dual-Pack Suicider: Two bombs, one in hand and one strapped to the back.
Mutagenic Variant: Releases radioactive spores instead of fire.
Chained Suicider: Bound with others, dragged forward to force simultaneous explosions.

AI Behavior

Loud roar before charging.
Fake-outs with dud bombs to waste player ammo.
Coordinate in pairs or packs—one distracts, another flanks.
Crawl with bombs if crippled instead of dying quietly.

2. Human Suiciders

Lore

Raider Kamikazes: Chem-fueled glory hounds strapped with dynamite.
Cultist Martyrs: Chanting zealots detonating plasma grenades for their “god.”
Slave Collars: Collared humans forced into suicide missions by raiders or slavers, creating morally charged encounters.

AI Behavior

Raiders may sneak before sprinting.
Bluff with fake bombs to terrify enemies.
Chants or screams apply fear effects, lowering settler morale.
Collared suiciders may be remotely detonated, forcing players into hard moral choices: shoot them or try to disable the collar.

3. Robot Suiciders

Lore

Rust Devils and rogue AIs engineer robots as clean, expendable bombs.
Some bots view suicide bombing as “logical efficiency”—one machine for many kills.
Pre-War prototypes resurface, reactivated by factions or environmental triggers.

Variants

Suicide Bots: Protectrons or Mister Handys wired to explode.
Crawler Bombs: Low-to-ground spider drones.
Hover Drones: Lock on with targeting lasers before detonation.
EMP Suiciders: Explode in energy bursts, disabling power armor, turrets, or robot companions.

AI Behavior

Target power armor first using scanners.
Paint players with a laser beam before rushing.
Audible ticking/alarm gives a short window to react.
EMP bursts add tactical depth without necessarily killing.

4. Dog Suiciders

Lore

Raiders weaponize feral dogs, strapping explosives to their sides.
Super Mutants crudely modify mutant hounds with bomb harnesses.
Rumors whisper of Enclave cyber-hounds carrying mini fusion cores.

Variants

Raider Dogs: Homemade bomb collars.
Mutant Hounds: Explosive harnesses strapped to hulking beasts.
Ghoul Dogs: Radiation bursts on death instead of explosives.
Cyber-Hounds: Robotic, guided like drones with self-destruct cores.

AI Behavior

Smell-based detection: target weak or bleeding characters.
Circle prey before charging in packs.
Panic if bomb harness is damaged—running unpredictably and creating chaos.
Cyber-hounds track with red laser eyes before exploding.

Gameplay Impact

Risk–Reward

Suiciders are devastating, but clever players can detonate them early, turning their chaos against their own faction.

Environmental Consequences

Explosions can collapse tunnels, break settlement walls, ignite fuel tanks, or even destroy quest-essential infrastructure—forcing careful play.

Morality & Player Choice

Shooting a collared human Suicider might save a settlement, but it also means executing a slave against their will.
Alternatively, trying to disable collars may risk catastrophic failure.

Atmosphere & Audio Cues

Super Mutant roars, cultist chants, ticking collars, robot alarms, and dog barks all serve as faction-specific panic triggers.
Each sound instantly shifts the battlefield mood, teaching players to react instinctively.

Mission & Encounter Ideas

Settlement Defense: Raiders release collared suiciders against walls; the player must decide between lethal or rescue tactics.
Vault Siege: Super Mutants chain multiple Suiciders together to smash a Vault entrance.
Robot Ambush: A field of inactive Protectrons all at once boot up—some are bombs, others decoys.
Dog Pack Hunt: In the dark, the sound of barking grows louder as explosive collars flicker red in the distance.
Cult Ritual: A cultist camp forces players to fight through martyrs detonating one after another in ceremonial waves.

Conclusion

Expanding the Suicider archetype into mutants, humans, robots, and dogs gives Fallout 5 a terrifying unpredictability. Each type has its own lore justification, unique soundscape, AI tactics, and moral dilemmas.

The result is a layered gameplay system: not just enemies who blow up, but enemies that embody the psychology of fear, desperation, fanaticism, and twisted logic across the wasteland.

⚠️ Imagine walking through a ruined street when a cultist chant echoes from a nearby church, a robot alarm starts ticking, and distant barking grows louder—not knowing which Suicider will hit first.

Fallout 5 Suicider Usage by Faction

1. Super Mutants

Preferred Suicider Types: Super Mutant Suiciders, Mutant Hounds

Why: Mutants view Suiciders as sacred sacrifices—strength through destruction.
Tactics:
- Mutant warbands use Suiciders as the opening charge to break defenses.
- Dual-pack or chained Suiciders used against fortified settlements.
- Mutant hounds released in packs to chase stragglers into explosions.
Psychology: Mutants respect Suiciders who "burn bright," celebrating their sacrifice with war chants.

2. Raiders

Preferred Suicider Types: Human Kamikazes, Raider Dogs, Collared Slaves

Why: Raiders thrive on chaos and intimidation; Suiciders are tools of terror.
Tactics:
- Drug-fueled raider kamikazes rush with Molotov belts or pipe bombs.
- Raider bosses send waves of collared slaves—denying players the comfort of morality.
- Dogs strapped with dynamite are used as siege-breakers in ambushes.
Psychology: Raiders glorify “crazy glory hounds.” Death is entertainment, and fear is a weapon.

3. Cultist Factions (Children of Atom or new wasteland cults)

Preferred Suicider Types: Human Martyrs, Mutagenic Mutants, Ghoul Dogs

Why: Religious zeal; martyrdom is their doctrine.
Tactics:
- Martyrs chant prayers as they charge, sowing panic.
- Mutagenic variants release spores or radiation clouds, sanctifying the ground in their faith.
- Ghoul dogs used as “sacred beasts of judgment.”
Psychology: Suicider deaths are seen as ascension—each explosion a holy ritual.

4. Enclave / Advanced Tech Factions

Preferred Suicider Types: Cyber-Hounds, Suicide Drones, EMP Bots

Why: Precision warfare and ruthless efficiency.
Tactics:
- Deploy cyber-hounds to breach settlements and flush enemies from cover.
- Suicide drones used for surgical strikes against Brotherhood of Steel patrols.
- EMP bots disable power armor before the main force strikes.
Psychology: Cold, clinical, viewing human lives as too valuable to waste when machines can die instead.

5. Brotherhood of Steel (as a rare twist)

Preferred Suicider Types: Captured Robots / Rigged Tech

Why: The Brotherhood rarely uses suiciders intentionally, but desperate war chapters may weaponize captured bots.
Tactics:
- Repurposed Protectrons rigged to explode inside enemy camps.
- A “last resort” tactic during outnumbered engagements.
Psychology: The Brotherhood despises wasting tech, so suiciders are seen as dishonorable—used only by splinter factions.

6. Independent AI Factions (Rogue Robots / Synths)

Preferred Suicider Types: Suicide Bots, Hover Drones

Why: Logic-driven warfare—self-sacrifice is efficient programming.
Tactics:
- Hover drones swarm and explode in waves.
- Spider bots crawl into bunkers or under defenses before detonating.
Psychology: AIs calculate cost-benefit without morality—self-destruction is just math.

7. Wasteland Slaver Gangs

Preferred Suicider Types: Collared Human Suiciders

Why: Maximum cruelty and control over slaves.
Tactics:
- Force slaves to walk into settlements with bombs strapped on, detonated remotely.
- Threaten to explode collars if settlements don’t surrender resources.
Psychology: Psychological warfare, breaking communities by forcing them to kill innocents.

8. Wild Wasteland Encounters

Preferred Suicider Types: Hybrid or Mutated Variants

Why: Surprise encounters to keep exploration tense.
Tactics:
- A feral ghoul stumbles with glowing cores strapped to its chest.
- A pack of irradiated coyotes with volatile glands that burst into plasma flames.
Psychology: Adds randomness and unpredictability—players never feel safe in the wasteland.

Summary Table

Faction	Suicider Types	Reason/Doctrine
Super Mutants	Mutants, Dual-Pack, Mutant Hounds	Ritual sacrifice, brute siege weapons
Raiders	Kamikazes, Dogs, Collared Slaves	Chaos, intimidation, cruelty
Cultists	Martyrs, Mutagenic Mutants, Ghoul Dogs	Religious zeal, holy martyrdom
Enclave/High-Tech	Cyber-Hounds, Suicide Drones, EMP Bots	Precision warfare, expendable machines
Brotherhood (splinter)	Rigged Robots	Desperation, dishonorable exceptions
Rogue AI/Synths	Suicide Bots, Hover Drones	Logical efficiency, no morality
Slaver Gangs	Collared Human Suiciders	Fear, cruelty, domination
Wild Wasteland	Ghoul Dogs, Hybrid Abominations	Surprise, unpredictability

Closing Vision

By spreading Suiciders across all factions in Fallout 5, Bethesda could make them more than a gimmick—they become a recurring mechanic of fear, morality, and unpredictability. Each faction’s use of Suiciders reflects its philosophy: brute force for mutants, chaos for raiders, devotion for cultists, efficiency for tech factions, and cruelty for slavers.

Players would learn to associate different sounds, visuals, and encounters with unique dread: the roar of a mutant, the chant of a cultist, the ticking of a slave’s collar, the bark of a cyber-hound, or the whine of a drone.

Every encounter becomes a test: Do you panic, shoot, rescue, or use the enemy’s madness against them?

Fallout 5: Suicider Morality System

Core Concept

Suiciders aren’t just explosive threats — they’re moral tests. How the player chooses to handle them (kill, save, exploit, or ignore) creates ripples across:

Personal Karma (good/neutral/evil actions)
Faction Reputation (how groups view you)
Companion Reactions (trust, loyalty, or disapproval)

1. Player Choice Paths

A. Kill Instantly (Pragmatic/Cold)

Action: Shoot the Suicider before they reach you, prioritizing survival.
Effect: Efficient but seen as ruthless, especially with collared humans/slaves.
Consequences:
- Karma: Small negative if victim was coerced (slave, civilian).
- Faction Rep: Raiders may respect the brutality; slavers may approve.
- Companions: Morally good companions (e.g., Brotherhood paladin, wasteland doctor) disapprove. Ruthless companions approve.

B. Save Attempt (Heroic/Idealistic)

Action: Attempt to disarm collars, free slaves, or disable robots before detonation.
Effect: Risky; failure may cause more deaths, but success earns massive goodwill.
Consequences:
- Karma: Strong positive if successful, moderate positive even if failed (for trying).
- Faction Rep:
  - Settlements + Minutemen-like groups approve.
  - Slavers and raiders view you as “weak.”
- Companions: Moral companions approve, hardened killers disapprove.

C. Exploit/Redirect (Opportunistic)

Action: Intentionally lure Suiciders into enemy groups or environmental hazards.
Effect: Clever tactical play, but morally questionable if innocents die in the process.
Consequences:
- Karma: Neutral if used against raiders/mutants, negative if it harms civilians.
- Faction Rep: Raiders respect the cunning, cultists fear you, settlements distrust you if collateral is high.
- Companions: Tech-minded companions may admire the cleverness, but humanist companions may call you out for cruelty.

D. Ignore/Hide (Cowardice/Survival)

Action: Avoid engaging, letting the Suicider reach their target.
Effect: Keeps you safe but allows greater destruction to allies or settlements.
Consequences:
- Karma: Negative if lives are lost, neutral if no one is harmed.
- Faction Rep: Settlers lose trust; raiders and mutants mock your cowardice.
- Companions: Cowardice may lower loyalty in brave companions, but stealth-oriented allies may approve.

2. System Integration

Karma Impact

Expands the classic Fallout karma system:
- Positive = saving innocents, defusing bombs.
- Negative = executing coerced suiciders, using them as weapons against civilians.
- Neutral/Gray = exploiting suiciders against enemies in tactical ways.

Faction Reputation

Settlements & Civilians: Judge you on compassion vs pragmatism.
Raiders & Slavers: Respect brutality or cunning, scorn compassion.
Brotherhood: Split response — strict knights approve of efficiency, idealists admire saves.
Cultists: View mercy as heresy; respect those who let martyrs burn bright.

Companion Reactions

Each companion archetype reacts differently:
- Moral Crusader: Approves saves, disapproves executions.
- Mercenary/Survivor: Respects efficiency, scorns “wasted time” saving.
- Tech Companion: Praises clever exploitation or robot disarming.
- Raider Ally: Loves brutality, mocks compassion.

3. Long-Term Consequences

Settlement Trust Meter: Saving suiciders builds trust; killing them in front of settlers lowers morale.
Companion Loyalty Quests: Decisions on suiciders may trigger companion-specific quests (e.g., a companion confronts you about executing slaves).
Faction Wars:
- If known as a “savior,” settlements and rebel slaves rally to your banner.
- If known as “the Butcher,” raiders or cultists may seek you out for alliances.

4. Unique Perks & Traits

Martyr’s Grace (Positive Karma): Gain charisma/morale buffs when saving others from explosive deaths.
Cold Logic (Neutral): Using suiciders tactically increases explosive damage when redirecting.
Fearmonger (Negative Karma): Enemies are more likely to flee after witnessing your ruthlessness with suiciders.

5. Atmospheric Layer

Audio/Visual Feedback:
- Saving someone = grateful cheers, hopeful music stings.
- Killing someone = horrified screams, hushed whispers.
- Exploiting someone = companions may bark lines like “That was cold, boss.”
News Spread System: Word of your actions spreads across settlements and raider camps. NPCs comment:
- “That’s the one who saved my brother from a collar!”
- “Stay back… that’s the Butcher of Quincy!”

Closing Vision

The Suicider Morality System transforms what could be a “cheap enemy type” into one of Fallout 5’s deepest narrative mechanics. Instead of just fighting bombs with legs, the player is forced to confront:

Do I kill? Save? Exploit? Run?
How will this choice echo across the wasteland?

Every encounter becomes both survival gameplay and a moral mirror, ensuring no two players walk away with the same reputation or conscience.