Perks

Perks are abilities chosen every three levels (or every four levels if you took the skilled optional trait). Unlike traits, perks are all benefit with no drawback. They range from highly beneficial to downright innane, but all benefit the player in one way or another. Each perk has it's own set of requirements as well; a grunting neanderthal wouldn't be able to take the Master Trader perk. However, if said neanderthal were to take the right drugs to boost his charisma to 7, and his barter skill was at 60%, the perk would then appear in his menu as an option, even though the charisma boost is temporary he can keep the perk forever. Also important is the fact that you don't need to choose a perk right away, if you click the cancel button, the box will appear the next time you open your character window (giving you a chance to drug-up or otherwise boost yourself to meet the requirements). However, if you fail to choose a perk for a whole 3 levels, you will lose the chance as the newly earned perk will be waiting to be chosen, in short, you can't stockpile perks. However, all the perks from a previous level will be available later on, assuming you haven't taken the maximum number of ranks (often just one) in them. Meaning you could take "Awareness" at level 6, even though it is a level 3 perk. In the table below, parenthesis with a numeber inside, such as Action Boy (2), means that a character can take that perk up to the number of times within the parenthesis for additional benefit. If you find the acronmys confusing, please refer to the Glossery.

Sorted by Required Level

• Level 3 Perks
• Level 6 Perks
• Level 9 Perks
• Level 12 Perks
• Level 15 Perks
• Level 18 Perks
• Level 24 Perks

Perks are rated from GODLY (****!) to useless (*).
Perks Sorted by Required Level Level 3 Perks

Name	Rank	Description	Requirements
Awareness	****!	Allows players to see NPCs exact hit points, weapon, and remaining ammo using the left click menu's binoculars.	PE 5
Bonus HtH Damage (3)	**	+2 damage for each level of this perk.	AG 6, ST 6
Cautious Nature	*	+3 to perception when modifying placement within encounters. Outdoorsman and decent perception will take care of this on their own.	PE 6
Comprehension	*	+50% to skill points gained from books. Skill points that can be gained from books are capped at 91%, and books are fairly uncommon.	IN 6
Earlier Sequence (3)	*	+2 to combat sequence. Every +1 to perception improves combat sequence by 2, you'd be better off taking Gain perception later on, and something else at level 3	PE 6
Faster Healing	*	A small bonus to your rate of healing has no real impact upon the game, it's a worthless perk unless you're roleplaying for time, and even then, there's healing powder and stimpacks.	EN 6
Healer (2)	**	Each rank improves the healing done with the doctor and first aid skills by 2-5 points. Negligable bonus unless you're big on NPCs.	PE 7, AG 6, IN 5, First Aid 40%
Kama Sutra Master	*	Improves your sex rating, which is stored invisibly in the game. Only becomes useful once or twice in the game.	EN 5, AG 5
Magnetic Personality	**	Allows you to have one additional NPC over your charisma limit.	CH < 10
Night Vision	*	Reduces penalty for accuracy at night. Not really a big deal to begin with.	PE 6
Presence (3)	*	Improves all NPC reactions by 10% for each rank. It's easy enough to get on people's good side, especially with CH 6..	CH 6
Quick Pockets	***	Reduces the cost for opening your inventory in combat from 4 AP to 2 AP. Once in the inventory you can reload, use as many simpacks as you need, take chems. It can be useful, but not the best.	AG 5
Scout	*	Increases the area you see on the map, and increases the chance for special encounters.	PE 7
Smooth Talker (3)	*	+1 to IN for dialog purposes. Why not just take Gain intelligence later on?	IN 4
Stonewall	*	Halves your chance to be knocked down in combat.	ST 6
Strong Back (3)	*	+50 pounds max carry weight for each level of this perk. Carry weight isn't that big a deal to begin with.	ST 6, EN 6
Survivalist (3)	*	+40 to Outdoorsman skill	EN 6, IN 6, Outdoorsman 40%
Swift Learner	*	+5% to all experience gained. It sounds great, but it's actually not all that much. Between level 3 and level 30 it amounts to 2 levels if you take this perk three times. Not worth it.	IN 4
Thief	*	+10 to steal, sneak, lockpick, and traps.
Toughness (3)	***	+10% to damage resistance. With perks and armor, damage resistance is capped at 90%, so don't go overboard.	EN 6, LK 6

Level 6 Perks

Name	Rank	Description	Requirements
Adrenaline Rush	*	+1 to ST in combat, only when hit points drop below 50%. Gain Strength is so much better.	ST < 10
Bonus Move (2)	***	Get 2 extra action points each turn that can only be used for movement. Very nice for both ranged and melee!	AG 5
Bonus Ranged Damage (2)	***	+2 Damage to all ranged attacks for each level of this perk. It doesn't seem like much, but for burst weapons this bonus is applied for each bullet!	AG 6, LK 6
Educated (3)	**	Get two more skill points each time you gain a level for each level of this perk. Skill points are fairly common, so this isn't that great.	IN 6
Empathy	***	Color-codes dialogue by how the NPC will react, can be useful on the first play-through.	PE 7, IN 5
Fortune Finder	*	Random encounters will yield more money. Kinda useless since money is easy to find.	LK 8
Gambler	**	+40% to Gambling skill. Gambling is a fringe skill to begin with, but this could be useful.	Gambling 50%
Ghost	*	+20% to sneak skill at night or in dark areas.	Sneak 60%
Harmless	**	+40% to steal skill.	Steal 50%, Karma higher than 49.
Heave Ho! (3)	*	+2 ST when determining thrown weapon range. Blech.
More Criticals	***	+5% to critical chance, nice if you're not going for sniper or slayer.	LK 6
Negotiator	*	+20% to speech and barter skills.	Speech 50%, Barter 50%
Pack Rat	*	+50 pounds carry weight.
Pathfinder (2)	*	Each rank reduces travel time on the overworld map by 25%. This doesn't really matter, as there is no real time limit.	EN 6, Outdoorsman 60%
Rad Resistance (2)	*	+15% Radiation resistance for each level of this perk. It appears so rarely it doesn't matter.	EN 4, IN 6
Ranger	*	+20% to outdoorsman skill, slightly more special encounters.	PE 6
Salesman	**	+40% to barter skill.	Barter 50%
Silent Running	***	Allows the player to run without breaking sneak, it's more than convinient, it gives npcs less time to notice you.	AG 6, Sneak 50%
Snakeeater (2)	*	+25% poison resistance for each level of this perk. Poison occurs too infrequently for this to be worthwhile.	EN 3

Level 9 Perks

Name	Rank	Description	Requirements
Beter Criticals	****!	+20% to critical damage, does not make criticals more likely.	PE 6, LK 6, AG 4
Demolition Expert	**	Explosives always detonate at the right time, and do more damage.	AG 4, Traps 90%
Dodger	**	+5 to your armor class, making you harder to hit.	AG 6/TD>
Explorer	*	Makes it more likely to find special encounters.
Here and Now	**	Gain a level immediately. More skill points, and more immediate hit points, but there are better things to spend a perk on.
Karma Beacon	*	Doubles karma-based reactions, for better or worse (Ack!).	CH 6
Light Step	*	Player is less likely to set off traps. This perk is bugged, and is only even taken into account on one or two maps.	AG 5, LK 5
Master Trader	*	You get a 25% discount at all shops, not that money is problem.	CH 7, Barter 60%
Mutate!	***	Change one of your optional traits to a different one, this can be useful!
Mysterious Stranger	*	You have a chance to gain an temporary ally in a random encounter.	LK 4
Pyromaniac	*	+5 Damage when using fire-based weapons.. Of which there are two..	Big guns 75%
Sharpshooter	**	+2 Perception for range modifiers in combat.	PE 7, IN 6
Speaker	**	+40% to speech skill.	Speech 50%

Level 12 Perks

Name	Rank	Description	Requirements
Action Boy (2)	***	You gain one additional action point each to use in each round of combat.	AG 5
Cult of Personality	*	All reactions become positive. Way too steep requirement!	CH 10
Gain Agility	***	+1 AG	AG < 10
Gain Charisma	**	+1 CH	CH < 10
Gain Endurance	***	+1 EN	EN < 10
Gain Intelligence	***	+1 IN	IN < 10
Gain Luck	***	+1 LK	LK < 10
Gain Perception	**	+1 PE	PE < 10
Gain Strength	**	+1 ST	ST < 10
HtH Evade	****!	Instead of getting +1 to armor class for each unspent AP at the end of a turn, you get +2, and then +(unarmed / 12). That adds up fast!	Unarmed 75%
Lifegiver (2)	***	For each rank of this perk, the player gains an addition +4 hitpoints every time they gain a levle. It adds up fast.	EN 4
Living Anatomy	**	+20% Doctor skill, +5 damage against living things.	Doctor 60%
Master Theif	**	+20% to lockpick and steal skills.	Lockpick 50%, Steal 50%
Medic	**	+20% to first aid and doctor skills.	First aid 40%, Doctor 40%
Mr Fixit	**	+20% to repair and science skills.	Repair 40%, Science 40%
Tag!	***	Tag an additional skill, granting +20% immediately and +2% for skill points spent.
Weapon Handling	*	+3 ST when determining weapon requirements (ex: a person with 4 ST could use a Flamer requiring 7 ST without penalty)	AG 5

Level 15 Perks

Name	Rank	Description	Requirements
Bonus HtH Attacks	****!	Hand-to-hand and melee attacks cost one less action point in combat.	AG 6
Bonus Rate of Fire	****!	Ranged attacks cost one less action point in combat.	AG 7, IN 6, PE 6
Pickpocket	***	With this perk facing and size modifiers are ignored when stealing, meaning taking a single coin from a merchant's pocket is just like taking the 10 pound machine gun from his shelf.	IN < 10

Level 18 Perks

Name	Rank	Description	Requirements
Silent Death	****	This perk allows the player to deal double damage if they can strike an enemy in the back (with a melee or unarmed attack) while sneaking. This can be done several times if you keep circling the npc.	AG 10, Sneak 80%, Unarmed 80%

Level 24 Perks

Name	Rank	Description	Requirements
Slayer	****!	This perk causes all unarmed and melee attacks to be critical hits if they pass a luck roll. A luck of 10 causes 100% critical hits.	AG 8, ST 8, Unarmed 80%
Sniper	****!	This perk causes all ranged attacks to be critical hits if they pass a luck roll. A luck of 10 causes 100% critical hits.	AG 8, PE 8, Small GUns 80%