Post by ThreeDawg on Jun 2, 2016 3:33:46 GMT -5
The Brotherhood of Steel Chapters:
General Description:
The Brotherhood of Steel at its heart is a military body. Founded in the fresh ashes of the Great War as a section of the United States Army it maintains a similar structure - although over two hundred years it has drastically changed its external and internal appearance. The primary purpose of the Brotherhood of Steel serves as an organisation that sequesters technology away from the hands of those which may abuse it. They seek to protect humanity from itself, although each chapter takes a different stance to humanitarian efforts themselves.
The Brotherhood in the West and Mid-Regions have both fallen on harsh times in recent years, following wars with both the New Californian Republic and Caesar's Legion. In the East the Brotherhood has grown dramatically, becoming the dominant power in the region - but internal strife threatens to break the faction into civil war. Either way, the Brotherhood across the Wastelands is well mobilised for war and extremely dangerous.
Brotherhood of Steel Knightly Orders of the Knights and Paladins:
The military body of the Brotherhood of Steel is technically split into two Orders, the Knights and the Paladins. The Knights are the main foot soldiers for their chapters, and also the training body for the squires and initiates. The Paladins are considered the elites of the Brotherhood military - charged with defending the Brotherhood at every step. Equipped with the best weapons and armour available to a Chapter, the Paladins are a force to be reckoned with and recruit exclusively from the more proven members of the Order of Knights. The two Orders are expected to work together, but often the senior Knights feel chaffed under the swagger of the Paladins.
Brotherhood of Steel Order of Lancers:
The Order of Lancers is the Brotherhood of Steel's airforce. Many chapters lack access to vertibirds, so lack such an Order, but the East Coast and partially West Coast Brotherhoods maintain an Order of Lancers that pilots and maintains the Vertibird fleets.
Brotherhood of Steel Scholarly Orders of the Sword, Shield and Quill:
The "Scholarly Orders" are three separate bodies charged with the upkeep, production, acquisition and research of technology, food and equipment. The Order of the Sword is charged with research, production and upkeep of weaponry - including Vertibirds. The Order of the Shield's jurisdiction lies in structural fortifications and armours including power armour. The Order of the Quill is perhaps the most important as it is charged with chronicling the history of the wasteland and the pre-war world, but also exploring biology, chemistry and physics branches. The Order of the Quill is also charged with maintaining the medical core and train the Field Scribes in medical matters.
Council of Elders:
The Council of Elders makes up the directive body of the entire Brotherhood of Steel. They are its most experienced and most worthy rulers, usually, and maintain lines of communication with each other to inform and make decisions on matters that affect the entire Brotherhood.
Uniforms and Armour:
Brotherhood Scribe Robes:
The scribes of the Brotherhood wear many robes, but they all serve their function. They protect against radiation, they protect against energy burns. Different chapters have different colour schemes from each other and different orders usually do too. For example, Scribes on the West Coast typically wear red, the Mid Regions wear black and the East Coast scribes wear anything from Red to Grey.
Brotherhood Jumpsuits:
These jumpsuits form the main dress for most Brotherhood. They're refurbished pre-war suits used for flight crew and engineers, but they've been taken up as the casual dress by most chapters and the active dress for the various Orders of Lancers.
Brotherhood Fatigues:
Pre-war military fatigues are used right across the Brotherhood for active and casual duty wear, typically for scribes (or Knights) with no access to combat armour. In some chapters, like the East Coast chapter, the fatigues are post-war in production but follow pre-war characteristics. They may also contain some sort of ballistic armour, although usually only minor, if the wearer visits the Wasteland often (like Field Scribes).
Field Scribe Armour:
The Field Scribes wear military fatigues bolstered by some sort of ballistic protection either metal plates or ballistic weaves. While not overly defensive, they can keep the scribe from succumbing to a wound that could be easilly prevented. These fatigues also usually come with far more storage space, and of course a backpack.
Reinforced Robes:
Sometimes Brotherhood of Steel members might be required to hide their affilitions from the wasteland. They leave their bunkers wearing robes that aim to make them as incognito as possible, simple, brown and made post-war. Every member of the Brotherhood is a vital member, however, so the robes often contain subtly hidden pieces of armour in case things out there turn sour. Such robes are widely employed by the Circle of Steel, who have taken it upon themselves to monitor the Brotherhood for rogue members.
Brotherhood of Steel Combat Armour:
Combat Armour is by far the most effective non-powered armour in the United States. It saw wide use by the pre-war military in its various forms and as such they have become the primary non-powered armour of choice for the Brotherhood of Steel. Of course to distinguish themselves, the Brotherhood will always paint over their power armour with the sigil of the chapter they belong to. If anything they are prideful in their defense.
"Recon" T-45 Undersuit:
Earlier models of power armour were given undersuits to make the frame more comfortable on the body. Many of those suits still survive, even if they were made redundant. They provide some amount of protection for the body, so they do find use as a poor replacement for combat armour in those chapters suffering from shortage - they also make great uniform for initiates and squires.
"Advanced Recon" T-51 Undersuit:
When T-51 suits were first made, they also required an undersuit. They soon dropped the undersuit, but a number of the suits still survive out in the wastes (particularly in the East Coast and Mid Region chapter's possession). They provide more protection from firearms, energy weapons and fire than the earlier recon suits but the fact that T-51 production soon dropped the undersuit design severely limits their availability. They're the armour of choice for Brotherhood members that value freedom of movement.
Brotherhood T-45 and T-51:
The most noticeable part of the Brotherhood is their extensive use of power armour. Across the US, hidden military installations held hundreds of these suits kept in stasis. Many of them have been reclaimed by the Brotherhood already, with the older suits of T-45 and T-51 being the most numerous. Both sets of suits are often used in unison - any power armour is better than no power armour - but the T-51 suits provide more benefits to defense and mobility than the older, more numerous, T-45 models.
Brotherhood T-60:
Rolled out in 2077 mere months before the Great War, T-60s are somewhat rare in the Wastes. The single largest stockpile in the US was discovered by the East Coast chapter - who now have the limited capacity to produce their own versions of the armour. Providing better defense, mobility, modularity and ease of maintenance than the older versions of power armour the T-60 is truly without compare. Well, until you look at the Enclave's X-01 (and later) series of power armours - but even the Brotherhood refuse to make use of those armours, prefering to break them down and use their frames over looking like their enemies.
Weaponry:
The Brotherhood of Steel make most use out of energy weapons. Scribes and Lancers are typically afforded plasma/laser pistols or scatter-shot laser weapons. Knights use the widest range of weapons, coming equipped to the field with automatic, semi-automatic or scatter-shot laser weapons with the occasional plasma rifle. Paladins are equipped similar to Knights, although may bring the heaviest weapons in the Brotherhood arsenal - weapons like missile launchers, gatling lasers, tesla cannons/rifles or gauss rifles that require Power Armour to wield effectively.
West Coast Brotherhood of Steel:
Headquarters: Lost Hills Bunker, Maxson State, California.
The West Coast Brotherhood of Steel are struggling in the aftermath of the NCR-Brotherhood War. A fission in their society between forward-thinking Elders and the traditionalist Circle of Steel Elders threatens to fracture the ailing Brotherhood into independant chapters. The peace is kept by the High Elder, Andrea Brixley. She was voted Elder after the NCR-Brotherhood War for her valiant defence of the Maxson Bunker in North Nevada and her grand work to make ties with the tribals in the region. It was her army of Brotherhood, marching alongside a small army of allied tribals, that broke the siege of Lost Hills and bought the Brotherhood time to recouperate. Unfortunately, the last Maxson was underage and stranded on the other side of the country. Brixley was chosen as High Elder - first of her line and first of the High Elders to not be descended from Maxson. There has been little peace since then.
After the Courier brought an end to the NCR-Brotherhood War, the Brotherhood have since come out of hiding to explore the wastes once more. The peace is strenuous, at best, so the Brotherhood maintain a strong force ready to defend against NCR or Legion at any moments notice. The victories of Elder Maxson on the East Coast and the unification he brought to the troubled East Coast chapter led the West Coast to adopt some of his principles - particularly the overhaul of the ranking structure and the unification of the Knights and Paladins. High Elder Brixley and the other progressive Elders (like the Mojave's Elder McNamarra) bandied together enough support to adopt the principles, but those conservative Elders - headed by Elder Patrocolus of the Montana Chapter - remain reluctant of the changes enacted by Brixley and Maxson, preferring to keep the Orders of Knights and Paladins seperate entities.
General Description:
The Brotherhood of Steel at its heart is a military body. Founded in the fresh ashes of the Great War as a section of the United States Army it maintains a similar structure - although over two hundred years it has drastically changed its external and internal appearance. The primary purpose of the Brotherhood of Steel serves as an organisation that sequesters technology away from the hands of those which may abuse it. They seek to protect humanity from itself, although each chapter takes a different stance to humanitarian efforts themselves.
The Brotherhood in the West and Mid-Regions have both fallen on harsh times in recent years, following wars with both the New Californian Republic and Caesar's Legion. In the East the Brotherhood has grown dramatically, becoming the dominant power in the region - but internal strife threatens to break the faction into civil war. Either way, the Brotherhood across the Wastelands is well mobilised for war and extremely dangerous.
Brotherhood of Steel Knightly Orders of the Knights and Paladins:
The military body of the Brotherhood of Steel is technically split into two Orders, the Knights and the Paladins. The Knights are the main foot soldiers for their chapters, and also the training body for the squires and initiates. The Paladins are considered the elites of the Brotherhood military - charged with defending the Brotherhood at every step. Equipped with the best weapons and armour available to a Chapter, the Paladins are a force to be reckoned with and recruit exclusively from the more proven members of the Order of Knights. The two Orders are expected to work together, but often the senior Knights feel chaffed under the swagger of the Paladins.
- Squire:
Born into the Brotherhood of Steel, Squire is the title given to the children being trained by the Brotherhood to become Initiates in either the Lancers, Knights or Scribes by the age of 14. - Initiate:
An Initiate into the Knightly Orders is classified under two loose terms, "Buck" and "Senior". While both officially perform the same duties as they train to become a Knight the unofficial ranks are used by the initiates themselves to separate the fresh-faced from those close to wrapping up training. Training takes approximately one to two year and includes weapons training, equipment training, combat training and upkeep of both.
In the Eastern chapters open recruitment of Wastelanders to the Brotherhood is performed through a sponsorship program. Worthy applicants will be selected (or conscripted) by Knights or Paladins to become an Initiate in the Knightly Orders - backed by their sponsor and mentored in part by them. In the Mid Regions chapters Wastelanders are openly recruited en masse and put through training. For both methods, the Initiate process is longer than if the Initiate had previously been a Squire. Initiates are notable across all chapters by their jumpsuits. - Aspirant:
An Aspirant is the next step for an Initiate in the Knightly Orders. They, more-so than Initiates, are sent regularly on missions into the Wasteland. Typically patrols, collection or as guards for a brotherhood shipment. These are considered "Low Risk" for a Brotherhood operant, but are an important step between Initiate and the full Knight. Aspirants are typically only granted combat armour when on deployment. - Knight:
A Knight is the standard foot soldier of the Brotherhood of Steel. In more well equipped or smaller chapters, Knights may be offered the protection of a suit of power armour. In larger chapters, or when resources are scarce, Knights are equipped in stripped-down recon under-suits or preferably combat armour. - Knight-Sergeant:
Knights that have proven themselves in combat may be promoted to Knight-Sergeant. While not a strictly command roll, Knight-Sergeants may be given command of small squad of Knights and Aspirants if Knight-Captains or Paladins are indisposed. Typically Knight-Sergeants given this command will only be in charge of "Low Risk" patrol or guard deployments.
A particularly distinguished Knight-Sergeant may go on to be recruited into the Order of Paladins. A Knight-Sergeant showing an interest in upkeep of armour, weapons and equipment may go on to become an Operations Officer for their chapter. Otherwise, they can be promoted further to Knight-Captain. - Knight-Captain:
Knight Captains are soldiers in charge of squads on "Mid Risk" missions - such as scouting potentially dangerous ruins or escorting scribes into the wilderness. They can also be found in more elite squads headed by Paladins.
Knight Captains are the peak of the Order of Knights for most Knights. They, like Knight-Sergeants, can be chosen by the Senior Paladins to enter into the Order of Paladins. Otherwise they may move on to becoming a Knight-Commander. - Knight-Commander:
Knight-Commanders are the officers in charge of commanding multiple squads of Knights and organising their movements. They form the upper-cohort of Knights that command their Order.
More experienced Knight-Commanders may be promoted to the Circle of Senior Knights by the Circle and Head Knight of a chapter. - Senior Knight:
A chapter's Circle of Senior Knights act as an advisory and elective body for the Head Knight. Senior Knights also act as the traditional instructors of the Initiates and Squires into the Knightly Orders when not filling their advisory positions. - Head Knight:
Head Knights are selected by a combination of the Circle of Senior Knights and the Elder of the Chapter. They are the de facto head of the Order of Knights and the Circle of Senior Knights. They act as advisors for the Elder of their chapter. They're also in charge of organising the distribution of Knights across the chapter, and must sign off on every Knight taken into a Paladin-led squad.
Head Knights may be granted the position of Elder by the Council of Elders or to General of a larger chapter. - Paladin:
The first step into the Order of Paladins comes when a Knight-Sergeant or Knight-Captain is offered a position by the Council of Senior Paladins. Paladins are the veterans of the Brotherhood military - elite troopers equipped with power armour and lethal energy weapons. They are known to lead "High Risk" expeditions of Knights and Field Scribes into uncharted territories, or lead a small squad in tackling a group of Raiders. They also form the backbone of all-Paladin squads headed by Paladin-Commanders. - Paladin-Commander:
Paladin-Commanders are appointed from the most experienced and skilful Paladins by the Circle of Senior Paladins. They typically fill a similar roll to regular Paladins, leading squads of Knights and Field Scribes on "High Risk" missions. They are however the only soldiers allowed to lead elite squads of Paladins on "Extreme Risk" missions into dangerous territory, in combat against Raider groups or in exterminating Mutant threats. - Senior Paladin:
Paladins who have distinguished themselves in service to a chapter may be promoted to the Circle of Senior Paladins in the chapter. Senior Paladins advise the Head Paladin on affairs of warfare and missions of extreme danger. They may also act as commanding officers of multiple Paladin squads in large-scale offences. - Head Paladin:
Head Paladins are elected from the Council of Senior Paladins by the Council and the Elder of the Chapter. These Paladins serve as the mouthpiece for the Order of Paladins but also command the loyalty and respect of most of the members of the Knightly Orders. This often makes them quite a challenge for Elders if they happen to disagree with their decisions.
Head Paladins are often given full command of the Knightly Orders by promoting them to General of a large Chapter, although occasionally this title is granted to Head Knights themselves. They are typically also promoted to Elder, should the new one be required. - Operations Officer:
Recruited from the lower ranks of Knights, Operations Officers are in charge of procurement, maintenance and appropriate use of arms, armour and power armour in a chapter. Typically they take a less combative role than their previous rank, and may choose a number of Initiates and Squires as temporary aides. - Star Paladin/Paladin Lord:
The distinction between Star Paladins and Paladin Lords is down to the Elders of the Chapter themselves - who may use both, one or none of the titles.
These Paladins are recruited directly by the Elder to serve as their closest guards and their hands outside of the Knightly Orders. Effectively, these Paladins surpass the rank structure of the Orders and only listen directly to the Elder. In this capacity they may act alone outside of the Brotherhood's normal operation parameters - rarely going against the very codes of the Brotherhood themselves. - General:
A temporary title given to Head Knights or Head Paladins, the General of a Chapter is typically only used in times of war by larger chapters that may struggle to coordinate effectively without a single head of military.
General's may also be appointed from Elders by the Council of Elders and the Head Elder in times of war to command a combined Brotherhood army. The last such general was promoted, and died, in the NCR-BoS War. - Sentinel:
Sentinel is an honorary title granted to Paladins (or very rarely Knights) selected for the exemplary service to a Chapter. It is a rare title, only given after exceptional achievements. The last active Sentinel on the East Coast, for example, was Sarah Lyons herself.
The title of Sentinel can be offered posthumously, as was performed for the "The Knight" - the Brotherhood of Steel member that fought valiantly to destroy the Institute and died in the Bombing of the Prydwen.
Brotherhood of Steel Order of Lancers:
The Order of Lancers is the Brotherhood of Steel's airforce. Many chapters lack access to vertibirds, so lack such an Order, but the East Coast and partially West Coast Brotherhoods maintain an Order of Lancers that pilots and maintains the Vertibird fleets.
- Squire:
Squires, as happens in the Knightly Orders, are afforded minimal training amongst the Order of Lancers. Afterwards they may choose to enter into the Order as a Lancer-Initiate - if they pass certain physical requirements and skill tests as the Order of Lancers is the most selective Order of the Brotherhood. - Lancer-Initiate:
Lancer-Initiates are the first step in the career of potential Lancers - the pilots of the vertibirds found or manufactured by the Brotherhood. Lancer training is brutal, with many potential Lancers dropping out and returning to the Knightly Orders. Ideally only the best and most suited will pass the tests and simulations, maximising the effectiveness of the Vertibirds and minimising loss of the expensive equipment. - Lancer:
When the Lancer-Initiates have passed their tests, they are put straight into the pilot seat. Lancers are typically only used on "Low Risk" missions such as transporting equipment, manpower or supplies, rarely they'll be tasked with dropping squads close to combat zones - but never in fire. - Lancer-Knight:
More experienced Lancers become Lancer-Knights and are tasked with the "High Risk" missions like deployments into unknown areas or combat zones. Lancer-Knights are fully expected to be capable of self sufficiency in their deployment. Typically they're the Lancers given command of gunship or assault vertibirds to directly strike at the enemy. - Lancer-Sergeant:
When Lancer-Knights have proven themselves in combat and as masters of the vehicles they command they may become Lancer-Sergeants. These Lancers may lead flight wings, coordinating assaults of multiple vertibirds or leading long expeditions into deeply unknown territory. - Lancer-Captain:
A Lancer-Captain is the de facto head of the Order of Lancers. Typically they are in charge of organising the expeditions of the lancers under their command, working closely with the Heads of the other Orders to maximise efficiency. The previous Lancer-Captain of the East Coast was in charge of running the Prydwen for Elder Maxson. Sadly, he went down with his vessel.
Brotherhood of Steel Scholarly Orders of the Sword, Shield and Quill:
The "Scholarly Orders" are three separate bodies charged with the upkeep, production, acquisition and research of technology, food and equipment. The Order of the Sword is charged with research, production and upkeep of weaponry - including Vertibirds. The Order of the Shield's jurisdiction lies in structural fortifications and armours including power armour. The Order of the Quill is perhaps the most important as it is charged with chronicling the history of the wasteland and the pre-war world, but also exploring biology, chemistry and physics branches. The Order of the Quill is also charged with maintaining the medical core and train the Field Scribes in medical matters.
- Squire:
All Squires undergo some training in the Scholarly Orders. Mostly it sets a foundation for more technical training amongst the Knights but for the few that show a certain flare for the academic arts it is a foot in the door of greatness. - Scribe Initiate:
Squires that have shown certain talents in their Scholarly training are taken on as Initiates. They are granted mentorship under a full scribe and initiated into one of the three Scholarly Orders. They begin training to fulfil their duties as scholars - producing, analysing, breaking down of technology both pre-war and post. - Scribe:
Full scribes are the workhorses of the Brotherhood. They produce, they repair, they research. They are the beating heart of the organisation and the main directive force. Characterised by their robes or jumpsuits, Scribes rarely leave the safety of the Brotherhood's bunkers. However, more adventurous or humanitarian scribes may opt to leave their safety and become Field Scribes - not a promotion exactly. - Field Scribe:
Field Scribes take the risky move of leaving Brotherhood bunkers - under guard of course - on expeditions to find or salvage technology. They're the frontline of Brotherhood research, trained under the Knights to defend themselves and given armoured scribe clothing and weaponry. Field Scribes are also charged with keeping the Knights and Paladins they accompany on their feet - acting as field medics until they can be escorted to a physician or airlifted via vertibirds. - Senior Scribe:
Scribes or Field Scribes that have performed their duties admirably for years may receive a promotion to Senior Scribe. These scribes often head research programs and are given permission to explore their own personal projects (even take brotherhood resources in pursuit of these projects). - Proctor:
Proctors are a Chapter's heads of each Scholarly Order. The three Proctors form a scientific council of sorts that advise the Head Scribe of a Chapter and the Elder. Typically the Proctors have the most power of the direction of their Orders, with the Head Scribe acting more as a respected figurehead and intermediary force between the three Scholarly Orders. - Head Scribe:
The Head Scribe is appointed directly by the Elder of a chapter from one of the three Proctors. The Head Scribe leaves his position of Proctor and transcends the boundaries of the three Scholarly Orders. In the roll of Head Scribe they direct the course of Brotherhood research and advise the Elder and other Heads of the Chapter on scientific matters.
Council of Elders:
The Council of Elders makes up the directive body of the entire Brotherhood of Steel. They are its most experienced and most worthy rulers, usually, and maintain lines of communication with each other to inform and make decisions on matters that affect the entire Brotherhood.
- Elder:
Each Elder is in charge of a chapter and each is appointed from said chapter by the Council of Elders themselves. Typically Elders will have been one of the Heads of an Order in the chapter. If a new Chapter is to be established, the Elder may be chosen from Heads or one of the Senior Paladins, Knights or Scribes. - Head Elder:
The High Elder is technically appointed by the Council of Elders as a directive force for the Brotherhood as a whole. The prestigious position however is always given to one of the descendants of Maxson - effectively turning it into an elected monarchy position.
Uniforms and Armour:
Brotherhood Scribe Robes:
The scribes of the Brotherhood wear many robes, but they all serve their function. They protect against radiation, they protect against energy burns. Different chapters have different colour schemes from each other and different orders usually do too. For example, Scribes on the West Coast typically wear red, the Mid Regions wear black and the East Coast scribes wear anything from Red to Grey.
Brotherhood Jumpsuits:
These jumpsuits form the main dress for most Brotherhood. They're refurbished pre-war suits used for flight crew and engineers, but they've been taken up as the casual dress by most chapters and the active dress for the various Orders of Lancers.
Brotherhood Fatigues:
Pre-war military fatigues are used right across the Brotherhood for active and casual duty wear, typically for scribes (or Knights) with no access to combat armour. In some chapters, like the East Coast chapter, the fatigues are post-war in production but follow pre-war characteristics. They may also contain some sort of ballistic armour, although usually only minor, if the wearer visits the Wasteland often (like Field Scribes).
Field Scribe Armour:
The Field Scribes wear military fatigues bolstered by some sort of ballistic protection either metal plates or ballistic weaves. While not overly defensive, they can keep the scribe from succumbing to a wound that could be easilly prevented. These fatigues also usually come with far more storage space, and of course a backpack.
Reinforced Robes:
Sometimes Brotherhood of Steel members might be required to hide their affilitions from the wasteland. They leave their bunkers wearing robes that aim to make them as incognito as possible, simple, brown and made post-war. Every member of the Brotherhood is a vital member, however, so the robes often contain subtly hidden pieces of armour in case things out there turn sour. Such robes are widely employed by the Circle of Steel, who have taken it upon themselves to monitor the Brotherhood for rogue members.
Brotherhood of Steel Combat Armour:
Combat Armour is by far the most effective non-powered armour in the United States. It saw wide use by the pre-war military in its various forms and as such they have become the primary non-powered armour of choice for the Brotherhood of Steel. Of course to distinguish themselves, the Brotherhood will always paint over their power armour with the sigil of the chapter they belong to. If anything they are prideful in their defense.
"Recon" T-45 Undersuit:
Earlier models of power armour were given undersuits to make the frame more comfortable on the body. Many of those suits still survive, even if they were made redundant. They provide some amount of protection for the body, so they do find use as a poor replacement for combat armour in those chapters suffering from shortage - they also make great uniform for initiates and squires.
"Advanced Recon" T-51 Undersuit:
When T-51 suits were first made, they also required an undersuit. They soon dropped the undersuit, but a number of the suits still survive out in the wastes (particularly in the East Coast and Mid Region chapter's possession). They provide more protection from firearms, energy weapons and fire than the earlier recon suits but the fact that T-51 production soon dropped the undersuit design severely limits their availability. They're the armour of choice for Brotherhood members that value freedom of movement.
Brotherhood T-45 and T-51:
The most noticeable part of the Brotherhood is their extensive use of power armour. Across the US, hidden military installations held hundreds of these suits kept in stasis. Many of them have been reclaimed by the Brotherhood already, with the older suits of T-45 and T-51 being the most numerous. Both sets of suits are often used in unison - any power armour is better than no power armour - but the T-51 suits provide more benefits to defense and mobility than the older, more numerous, T-45 models.
Brotherhood T-60:
Rolled out in 2077 mere months before the Great War, T-60s are somewhat rare in the Wastes. The single largest stockpile in the US was discovered by the East Coast chapter - who now have the limited capacity to produce their own versions of the armour. Providing better defense, mobility, modularity and ease of maintenance than the older versions of power armour the T-60 is truly without compare. Well, until you look at the Enclave's X-01 (and later) series of power armours - but even the Brotherhood refuse to make use of those armours, prefering to break them down and use their frames over looking like their enemies.
Weaponry:
The Brotherhood of Steel make most use out of energy weapons. Scribes and Lancers are typically afforded plasma/laser pistols or scatter-shot laser weapons. Knights use the widest range of weapons, coming equipped to the field with automatic, semi-automatic or scatter-shot laser weapons with the occasional plasma rifle. Paladins are equipped similar to Knights, although may bring the heaviest weapons in the Brotherhood arsenal - weapons like missile launchers, gatling lasers, tesla cannons/rifles or gauss rifles that require Power Armour to wield effectively.
West Coast Brotherhood of Steel:
Headquarters: Lost Hills Bunker, Maxson State, California.
The West Coast Brotherhood of Steel are struggling in the aftermath of the NCR-Brotherhood War. A fission in their society between forward-thinking Elders and the traditionalist Circle of Steel Elders threatens to fracture the ailing Brotherhood into independant chapters. The peace is kept by the High Elder, Andrea Brixley. She was voted Elder after the NCR-Brotherhood War for her valiant defence of the Maxson Bunker in North Nevada and her grand work to make ties with the tribals in the region. It was her army of Brotherhood, marching alongside a small army of allied tribals, that broke the siege of Lost Hills and bought the Brotherhood time to recouperate. Unfortunately, the last Maxson was underage and stranded on the other side of the country. Brixley was chosen as High Elder - first of her line and first of the High Elders to not be descended from Maxson. There has been little peace since then.
After the Courier brought an end to the NCR-Brotherhood War, the Brotherhood have since come out of hiding to explore the wastes once more. The peace is strenuous, at best, so the Brotherhood maintain a strong force ready to defend against NCR or Legion at any moments notice. The victories of Elder Maxson on the East Coast and the unification he brought to the troubled East Coast chapter led the West Coast to adopt some of his principles - particularly the overhaul of the ranking structure and the unification of the Knights and Paladins. High Elder Brixley and the other progressive Elders (like the Mojave's Elder McNamarra) bandied together enough support to adopt the principles, but those conservative Elders - headed by Elder Patrocolus of the Montana Chapter - remain reluctant of the changes enacted by Brixley and Maxson, preferring to keep the Orders of Knights and Paladins seperate entities.
- Vehicles:
The Brotherhood of Steel on the West Coast make use of Vertibirds found, stolen from the Enclave or (rarely) produced using blueprints and expensive resources. They will make use of VB-01 "Assault", VB-02 "Gunship" and VB-03 "Transport" vertibirds although very few of the VB-03s survived the wars with the Enclave.
A small number of APCs have found their way into the hands of the Brotherhood, but only in a select couple of chapters and they are typically only used for moving long distance between chapters if Vertibirds are unavailable. - Robotics:
The West Coast Brotherhood make some use of robotics, like Sentry Bots, when available but prefer to focus on defensive turrets instead of mission-ready robots. They learnt the lesson long ago that centuries old robots are not as reliable as they seem.
East Coast Brotherhood of Steel:
Headquarters: The Citadel, Capital Wasteland, Washington D.C.
After the rise of Elder Maxson the Brotherhood became so succesful in the Capital Wasteland that their numbers and coverage swelled. D.C. effectively belongs to the Brotherhood, an ordenstaat country controlled and defended by the Brotherhood. With a strong military backed by an airforce and the capability to mass produce weapons, armour and vertibirds the East Coast chapter stands as one of, if not the most, strongest Brotherhood chapters. From Adams Airforce Base vertibirds fly across Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and even beyond bringing supplies and soldiers to reinforce the Brotherhood's new borders. Field Scribes are a relatively common sight in most of the Brotherhood's range, backed by Knights and the occasional Paladin.
However, the loss of the Prydwen, it's supplies and the personnel that manned it was a severe hit to the Brotherhood's efforts. The expansionistic state has been forced to retreat back from its greatest extent. Manpower is running low, while the next generation is recruited (or conscripted, in some areas) and trained. The most distant outposts find themselves struggling to get supplies in from the Capital Wasteland - as most of the Vertibird fleet is tasked with supplying the ill-fated Commonwealth Expedition that continues its war with the Institute.
Headquarters: The Citadel, Capital Wasteland, Washington D.C.
After the rise of Elder Maxson the Brotherhood became so succesful in the Capital Wasteland that their numbers and coverage swelled. D.C. effectively belongs to the Brotherhood, an ordenstaat country controlled and defended by the Brotherhood. With a strong military backed by an airforce and the capability to mass produce weapons, armour and vertibirds the East Coast chapter stands as one of, if not the most, strongest Brotherhood chapters. From Adams Airforce Base vertibirds fly across Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and even beyond bringing supplies and soldiers to reinforce the Brotherhood's new borders. Field Scribes are a relatively common sight in most of the Brotherhood's range, backed by Knights and the occasional Paladin.
However, the loss of the Prydwen, it's supplies and the personnel that manned it was a severe hit to the Brotherhood's efforts. The expansionistic state has been forced to retreat back from its greatest extent. Manpower is running low, while the next generation is recruited (or conscripted, in some areas) and trained. The most distant outposts find themselves struggling to get supplies in from the Capital Wasteland - as most of the Vertibird fleet is tasked with supplying the ill-fated Commonwealth Expedition that continues its war with the Institute.
- Vehicles:
The East Coast Chapter has possibly the single largest collection of each type of Vertibirds in the Wastelands at its disposal. With the capacity to produce new Vertibirds from Adams Airforce Base, their supremacy of the skies is all but assured unless the Enclave raise their ugly head in some capacity again. Their mastery of the air even extended to a mobile aeriel base - but the destruction of the Prydwen over Boston was a massive setback, to create another would take up to 7 years or longer still. - Robotics:
A lot of robots are used by the East Coast Brotherhood on patrol missions, particularly sentry bots and mister gutsies. A couple of eyebots have fallen into East Coast care - used to spread propaganda across the capital wasteland in an eerily reminiscent way to the Enclave.
Mid Regions Brotherhood of Steel:
Headquarters: Alpha Vault, Bloomington, Illinois.
The Mid Regions Brotherhood of Steel[is an unusual beast. It recruits openly, like the East Coast Chapter but recruits from Ghouls and Super Mutants too (there are even reports of other, stranger, beasts in their ranks). As such this chapter boasts an incredibly varied mix of troops but little power armour to supply demand. The Mid Regions chapter, like the Circle of Steel, maintains the archaic seperation between the Orders of Knights and Paladins. They also lack vertibirds entirely, although make up for this with the largest assortment of combat ready robots of all the chapters.
The rise of Caeser's Legion has seen a reduction in the Mid Regions Chapter's ability to range west, after losing dozens of outposts and tribal affiliates in raids by Legion-backed forces. The irretrievable loss of power armour has seen the number of power armoured troops drop dramatically in the region. Now most Brotherhood of Steel Paladins are forced to wear lesser metal or combat armours emblazoned with the Brotherhood's sigil - and even equip standard firearms.
Headquarters: Alpha Vault, Bloomington, Illinois.
The Mid Regions Brotherhood of Steel[is an unusual beast. It recruits openly, like the East Coast Chapter but recruits from Ghouls and Super Mutants too (there are even reports of other, stranger, beasts in their ranks). As such this chapter boasts an incredibly varied mix of troops but little power armour to supply demand. The Mid Regions chapter, like the Circle of Steel, maintains the archaic seperation between the Orders of Knights and Paladins. They also lack vertibirds entirely, although make up for this with the largest assortment of combat ready robots of all the chapters.
The rise of Caeser's Legion has seen a reduction in the Mid Regions Chapter's ability to range west, after losing dozens of outposts and tribal affiliates in raids by Legion-backed forces. The irretrievable loss of power armour has seen the number of power armoured troops drop dramatically in the region. Now most Brotherhood of Steel Paladins are forced to wear lesser metal or combat armours emblazoned with the Brotherhood's sigil - and even equip standard firearms.
- Vehicles:
The Mid Regions chapter originally had several airships, not unlike the Prydwen, at its disposal. Each has since been destroyed by the volatile weather systems in the mid regions - caught in so-called "mile wide" radioactive tornados or hurricane systems that saw each crash to the wastland and lose many of their compliments. Of all the Brotherhood chapters, the Mid Regions chapter is the least likely to use vehicles as not many are available.
They will, however, make regular use of brahmin-pulled carts. - Robotics:
Of all the chapters the Mid Regions brotherhood makes the most active use and diversity of robotics. Anything from Protectrons to Assaultrons and Loader Bots are used by this chapter to offset their loss of power armour. They were largely reclaimed from the Calculator's army, after the rogue A.I. was permenantly shut down.
Lyons' Loyalists:
Headquarters: Loyalist Command, somewhere beneath Washington D.C.
Fighting an insurgent war against one of the most well fortified, well supplied and well armed groups in the Wasteland isn't easy. It certainly isn't easy when you've been forced underground, to dwell with the Ferals and Mutants. That doesn't put off the Lyon's Loyalists, though, who fight with all the zeal of a Brotherhood that knows exactly which side is right and which is wrong. The Loyalists are equally as well equipped as their foes, wearing 'reclaimed' T-51, T-60 and even X-01 suits. Wearing the emblem of Lyon's Pride on their breast, these soldiers are the most well-trained Lyon's had to offer - before his death.
The Loyalists remain unfaltering in their desire to oust Maxson from his throne, recruiting from the Brotherhood itself as members are put off by the more desperate acts Maxson commands. They are allied with many groups in the D.C. Wasteland, groups that chafe under the Brotherhood's Steel Fist - eyes and ears that guide the Loyalists to strike with lethal efficiency.
Lyon's Loyalist T-51 and T-60:
Headquarters: Loyalist Command, somewhere beneath Washington D.C.
Fighting an insurgent war against one of the most well fortified, well supplied and well armed groups in the Wasteland isn't easy. It certainly isn't easy when you've been forced underground, to dwell with the Ferals and Mutants. That doesn't put off the Lyon's Loyalists, though, who fight with all the zeal of a Brotherhood that knows exactly which side is right and which is wrong. The Loyalists are equally as well equipped as their foes, wearing 'reclaimed' T-51, T-60 and even X-01 suits. Wearing the emblem of Lyon's Pride on their breast, these soldiers are the most well-trained Lyon's had to offer - before his death.
The Loyalists remain unfaltering in their desire to oust Maxson from his throne, recruiting from the Brotherhood itself as members are put off by the more desperate acts Maxson commands. They are allied with many groups in the D.C. Wasteland, groups that chafe under the Brotherhood's Steel Fist - eyes and ears that guide the Loyalists to strike with lethal efficiency.
Lyon's Loyalist T-51 and T-60:
- Vehicles:
Lyon's Loyalists have only a small handful of vertibirds, but flying them is considered far too risky - they instead remain hidden for the fights ahead. - Robotics:
The Lyon's Loyalist have very few robots, most are used on defense - many of them being simple turrets dotted around their HQ in defensive positions.
Danse's Outcasts:
Headquarters: Bunker 52, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Danse's Outcasts, like the group that previously took the name 'Outcast' fight a guerilla war against the Brotherhood of Steel in the North. Born out of members of the Commonwealth Expedition that felt Maxson had taken his war too far, Danse's Outcasts follow Paladin Danse in his fight against Maxson's crusade. Danse's Outcasts find themselves poorly equipped to fight a war, being forced to scavange the wasteland (especially the Prydwen's ruins) for whatever they can find. What soldiers fight for the Outcasts equip only what they brought with them.
Luckily, Danse has found temporary allies with the Minutemen and the Railroad. The two groups send supplies and direct fresh recruits to the Brotherhood in return for continued aid in their war. While ill equipped, they do have the people of the Commonwealth wasteland on side. To make themselves stand out from the Commonwealth Expedition, Danse's Outcasts have taken the colours of the old Outcasts - red and black. A symbol of defience for those Brothers that remember the old schism.
Danse's Outcasts T-51:
Headquarters: Bunker 52, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Danse's Outcasts, like the group that previously took the name 'Outcast' fight a guerilla war against the Brotherhood of Steel in the North. Born out of members of the Commonwealth Expedition that felt Maxson had taken his war too far, Danse's Outcasts follow Paladin Danse in his fight against Maxson's crusade. Danse's Outcasts find themselves poorly equipped to fight a war, being forced to scavange the wasteland (especially the Prydwen's ruins) for whatever they can find. What soldiers fight for the Outcasts equip only what they brought with them.
Luckily, Danse has found temporary allies with the Minutemen and the Railroad. The two groups send supplies and direct fresh recruits to the Brotherhood in return for continued aid in their war. While ill equipped, they do have the people of the Commonwealth wasteland on side. To make themselves stand out from the Commonwealth Expedition, Danse's Outcasts have taken the colours of the old Outcasts - red and black. A symbol of defience for those Brothers that remember the old schism.
Danse's Outcasts T-51:
- Vehicles:
Like the Lyon's Loyalists, Danse's Outcasts have only managed to take a handful of vertibirds from the East Coast chapter and rarely uses them for fear of losing them. It is usually only used on low-risk supply runs between the chapter and its allies. - Robotics:
Like the Loyalists, Danse's Outcasts have only a handful of robotics at their disposal. They do, however, have a number of Synthetics in their numbers - Synthetics striving to fight for a fairer, equal, future.
Circle of Steel:
Headquarters: Montana Bunker, Fort Williams, Helena, Montana.
When the High Elder started the radical changes in the West Coast of unifying the Orders of Knights and Paladins, many Elders and particularly High Paladins stood against the decision. A reactionary faction formed inside the Brotherhood, called the Circle of Steel. They do not seek to break away from the order, instead they look to convince and pressure the Council of Elders into revoking their decision. The traditionalist movement is largely peaceful, but the direct refusal to follow the chain of command hasn't gone unnoticed. The relationship between conservative and progressive Elders has soured - the word 'Traitor' has been bandied around many times - and only the threat of potential NCR and Legion aggression binds these two camps of elders together.
The soldiers of the Circle of Steel are as equally well equipped and trained as the other chapters of the West Coast. Typically these chapters are the chapters that survived the NCR-BoS War the least unscathed though - they have only bore witness to the near death of the Brotherhood not felt it first hand. The Circle of Steel have taken it upon themselves to monitor the Brotherhood for rogue members or threats from within, they will do anything to keep the Brotherhood secure and that makes their members a necessary evil for progressive Elders.
Headquarters: Montana Bunker, Fort Williams, Helena, Montana.
When the High Elder started the radical changes in the West Coast of unifying the Orders of Knights and Paladins, many Elders and particularly High Paladins stood against the decision. A reactionary faction formed inside the Brotherhood, called the Circle of Steel. They do not seek to break away from the order, instead they look to convince and pressure the Council of Elders into revoking their decision. The traditionalist movement is largely peaceful, but the direct refusal to follow the chain of command hasn't gone unnoticed. The relationship between conservative and progressive Elders has soured - the word 'Traitor' has been bandied around many times - and only the threat of potential NCR and Legion aggression binds these two camps of elders together.
The soldiers of the Circle of Steel are as equally well equipped and trained as the other chapters of the West Coast. Typically these chapters are the chapters that survived the NCR-BoS War the least unscathed though - they have only bore witness to the near death of the Brotherhood not felt it first hand. The Circle of Steel have taken it upon themselves to monitor the Brotherhood for rogue members or threats from within, they will do anything to keep the Brotherhood secure and that makes their members a necessary evil for progressive Elders.
- Vehicles:
Elders who share the values of the Circle of Steel have a number of Vertibirds, and APCs, at their disposal - mostly because they are still technically part of the West Coast Brotherhood. - Robotics:
The Circle of Steel, like the West Coast Brotherhood, makes only light use of robotics - prefering to take more direct actions with (power armoured) human hands.