This post is the last in a series. To find the previous posts, you can look here, here, here, and here.

We come at last to the final character race: synths. This is potentially the most interesting possibility, since there are three distinct generations of synths, and a variety of possible stories to tell involving them. A first or second generation synth would be similar in function to a robot- obviously inhuman, but possessing all the intellect and decision-making capabilities of a human. Synths, however, would face prejudices that a robot does not, and would either be directly under the Institute’s control or actively on the run from them. An early model synth would have no doubts as to what it is, and no uncertainty arising from its identity. A third generation synth, on the other hand, would play much more like a human. It would not necessarily know that it is a synth, and would function quite similarly to a human character, with the exception that it is immune to radiation. I envision a synth character that is aware of its true nature would be capable of wirelessly bypassing security like a player-character robot, while a third-generation synth that is unaware of its nature would not. I’m going to divide this into two categories, an early model synth I will call the Scavenger, and two third generation synths I will call the Changeling, and the Courser, respectively. We will start with the Scavenger.

The Scavenger would be a first or second generation synth (player’s choice, presumably- there might be some small differences between the two, but mechanically they would be quite similar) whose job is to travel along with other synths to loot sites for the Institute’s nefarious purposes. We might see the Scavenger’s creation, on an assembly line, and follow along as he goes on several supply runs. The Scavenger is programmed to unquestioningly obey his human masters, and gets sent out to loot several factories (perhaps the ArcJet Facility?), getting teleported back to the Institute once he achieves his objectives each time. However, the Scavenger eventually meets resistance on one raid, encountering and being severely damaged by robotic security in a military facility. The other synths leave him for dead, and he is forced to find a repair kit in order to survive. Once he is repaired, he realizes that he has been abandoned by the Institute, the only home he has ever known. He roams the Commonwealth in search of a reason for living, ultimately encountering the Minutemen during the fight in Concord. The Scavenger can then decide to help them, earning the uneasy trust of Preston Garvey and the settlers, and starting down the Minutemen path. Similarly, the Scavenger could encounter/ally with the Railroad on learning of their existence. The Railroad seems geared specifically towards helping third-generation synths, and might well find the prospect of a sentient early model synth unlikely. He could test the limits of their willingness to help synths, since there is no hiding what the Scavenger is. In any event, it goes without saying that an early model synth could not join the Brotherhood, but he might have the opportunity to rejoin the Institute, as the scientists might be interested in examining a synth with such resourcefulness. Similarly, the Scavenger might periodically have to deal with Coursers attempting to recapture him or kill him and prevent him from revealing any Institute secrets.

The Changeling, on the other hand, would start play as a human character. I actually think it would be best to have the Changeling as a “secret” option. Basically, the player would pick a human origin story (possibly but not necessarily the Sole Survivor’s storyline) only to discover upon reaching the Institute that they are a synth. This would be a random occurrence, perhaps happening in five percent of human playthroughs. From there, the player would have the option of seeking out the Railroad and attempting to hide from/fight the Institute, or join with the Institute and willingly do their bidding, perhaps by infiltrating either the Brotherhood or Railroad. If the Changeling chose to side with the Institute, he would have to go through a series of quests with the Brotherhood, while waiting for the opportune time to strike, bringing down the Prydwen and the Brotherhood with it. If he isn’t careful, however, the Brotherhood will discover him ahead of time and turn hostile, as they discover the synth in their ranks. The Changeling would then have a similar goal-infiltrating and shutting down the Railroad. The Changeling’s story would be all about the paranoia and self-doubt brought on by discovering that your entire life is a lie, you aren’t who you think you are, but a sophisticated copy of another person-a person who is probably dead, but then again, maybe not. One possible random encounter might be running into the person the Changeling is modeled after.

Finally, there is the Courser. This would be the option to play a third generation synth from the outset of the game, with no illusion that the player is human. The Courser’s story would begin with his creation, and selection to become a courser. The Courser would undergo intensive training with a variety of weapons, and start with an arsenal of weapons and armor. There would be two basic storylines for the Courser-either stay loyal to the Institute, or defect to either the Minutemen or Railroad (the Brotherhood would never accept a synth, even a courser with with the courser chip intact); if the Courser defects, his courser chip is remotely disabled as a security feature and he is no longer able to travel to and from the Institute. The Courser would then have to find allies in the world to fight the Institute, and avoid other Coursers coming to kill him. For a loyal Courser, the storyline would consist of taking aggressive actions to fight the Brotherhood and Railroad at the Institute’s behest, with a greater degree of freedom than a normal synth in order to facilitate the campaign.

So, you can see, being a synth offers many potential storylines, more than most other races would have. It seems odd in retrospect that Bethesda didn’t decide to offer the player the opportunity to experience this dilemma for himself or herself.