Brotherhood of Steel hierarchy

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:30, 4 March 2018
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	The [[Brotherhood of Steel]] relies on a strict '''hierarchy''', where orders flow through the ranks and are carried out without hesitation. The [[Chain That Binds]] doctrine is intended to ensure obedience and conformity among the members of the Brotherhood, maximizing the efficiency of the Brotherhood as a war machine.	+	The [[Brotherhood of Steel]] relies on a strict '''hierarchy''', where orders flow through the ranks and are carried out without hesitation. The [[Chain That Binds]] doctrine is traditionally intended to ensure obedience and conformity among the members of the Brotherhood, maximizing the efficiency of the Brotherhood as a war machine.
−	Members of the Brotherhood are divided into distinct classes, each with a function of their own:	+	'''<big>west coast</big>'''
		+
		+	Members of the west coast Brotherhood are divided into distinct classes, each with a function of their own:
		+	* Initiates are trainees and amateurs of the Brotherhood of Steel who are expected to perform well enough in the training process to be promoted to senior initiates, and later to apprentices. After proving themselves, apprentices are promoted to journeyman knights or scribes. The next rank is senior knight/scribe, and finally the leader of each of these orders is the head knight and head scribe. The initiates must prove the Brotherhood of Steel training is well-developed and that it can make the weak into soldiers, and that the Brotherhood has superior soldiers with enough training via utilizing their skills.
		+
		+	* Scribes are responsible for copying the ancient technologies, maintaining the current technology and even experimenting with new weapons and other useful devices to be used on the field by the knights and paladins. Scribes rarely leave the safety of the bunkers, but they are sometimes called into the field to examine a piece of technology or perform a task beyond the skills of the Brotherhood soldiers. They can act as medics if need be, to test medical advances, but usually the Brotherhood has specialized medic units for that.
		+
		+	* Knights are trained soldiers of war that know their enemy well enough to show their progression on the battlefield. They take part in maintaining strategic advances in the battlefield and they support their fellow soldiers with the utmost honor and respect, even giving their own lives to save their comrades. It is this courage that shows that many have the heart of a true lion. The ranks of knight are: apprentice knight, journeyman knight, senior knight and head knight. From there it is possible to be promoted to paladin.
		+
		+	* Paladins are in charge of all security and outside activities. The paladin ranks are junior paladin, paladin, senior paladin, and head paladin.
		+
		+	* Elders are the most senior members of the Brotherhood, responsible for setting its course. They must go through all ranks before reaching elder and must have many years of experience. The only exception is when one dies and the next elder is "coronated." The leader of the council and the Brotherhood itself is the high elder, traditionally descended from the Maxson family.
		+	'''<big>East coast</big>'''
		+
		+	The east coast detachment utilizes a considerably different system of rank to that of the original Brotherhood on the west coast.
		+
		+	There are 3 main paths an initiate can take: the Army, Air Force or a civilian role as a scribe. The Brotherhood actively recruits wastelanders who have been sponsored by those already in their ranks who take up the mantle of initiate, something not commonplace within other Brotherhood chapters. Those born into the Brotherhood take up the rank of squire and on becoming an initiate will then join one of the services, much like those who have been sponsored and recruited.
		+
		+	The three services are:
		+
		+	The Army is effectively the ground force of the Brotherhood and follow a ranking system which incorporates both knights and paladins (the latter being officers), different from other Brotherhood chapters.
		+
		+	The Air Force consists of lancers, those who pilot the airship the Prydwen as well as the many VB-01 transport and VB-02 Vertibird gunships the Brotherhood has in its possession. The ranking structure is similar to that of the Army's knights, although the rank of lancer-captain is the highest rank in the Air Force as opposed to commander. Several lancer-captains are stationed in the Commonwealth and can be found aboard the Prydwen or piloting Vertibirds, but they report to Lancer Captain Kells who is the second in command to Elder Arthur Maxson and captain of the Prydwen.
		+
		+	Civilian roles are dedicated to the scribes who follow a separate ranking structure to that of the Brotherhood's two military services. Scribes are split into three distinct 'Orders': the Order of the Sword, the Order of the Shield, and the Order of the Quill, which are responsible for the research and maintenance of weapons, the research and maintenance of armor and for history, record keeping and non-combat technology; respectively. Each order is led by a proctor who consults with the head scribe and elder on certain issues.
		+
		+	sentinel is a rare and illustrious rank given to the east coast brotherhoods most distinguished and experienced soldiers. Those who posses this rank do not require orders and usually conduct operations at their own will, yet still answer to the elder
		+
		+	An elder is the leader of the Brotherhood and is selected and instated by the Elder Council back on the west coast. An elder can be selected from any of the three services, though it is most common for elders to be selected from a background of military service. The current elder of the East Coast Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel is Elder Arthur Maxson (as of 2283), descendant of the great Roger Maxson; founder of the Brotherhood.
		+
		+	Ranks on the East Coast can be split up into four parts: regular ground soldiers (initiates and aspirants), non-commissioned officers (knight to knight-commander), junior commissioned officers (paladin and paladin-commander), and field commanders (star-paladins and sentinels). The East Coast still considers Brotherhood High Command structure as the West Coast does, with an elder as supreme commander of their chapter and the high elder as leader of the Elder Council and Commander-in-Chief of all chapters.
		+
		+	It can be seen like this:
		+	* Initiate: private
		+	* Aspirant: specialist
		+	* Knight: sergeant
		+	* Knight-sergeant: staff sergeant
		+	* Knight-captain: first sergeant
		+	* Knight-commander: sergeant major
		+	* Paladin: captain
		+	* Paladin-commander: major
		+	* Star paladin: colonel
		+	* Sentinel: brigadier (1-star) general
		+	* Elder: 4-star general, supreme chapter commander
		+	* High Elder: commander-in-chief of the Brotherhood at large
−	#[[Initiates]] are the youngest and/or least experienced members of the Brotherhood, whose sole purpose is training and learning to become a valued member of either the Knights or the Scribes.<ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1008}{}{Initiates}"''<br/>[[John Maxson]]: ''"{1108}{Gen_60}{Well that's what you are. Initiates train and learn to become knights or scribes.}"''<br/>([[MAXSON.MSG]])</ref>
−	# [[Scribes]] are scientists, responsible for researching and reverse engineering recovered technologies, maintaining the Brotherhood's scientific knowledge, and even experimenting with new ones (though the Brotherhood's focus on preservation means this is rather rare).<ref name="FOB6BOSBg">[[Fallout Bible 6#The Brotherhood of Steel|Fallout Bible 6]]:<br/>''"'''The Brotherhood of Steel''': The Brotherhood of Steel (BOS) is a techno-religious organization, with roots in the US military and government-sponsored scientific community from before the war. The BOS is mostly composed of the descendents of those military officers, soldiers, and scientists, but aside from some outlanders among their ranks, the BOS is as close to pure strain humanity (prime normals) as you're going to find outside of a Vault."''<br/>''"The ranks of the BOS is generally recognized as being composed of the best and the brightest... which means the BOS is a really small organization, at least compared to NCR. They make up for this with their frightening arsenal of pre-war and post-war technology: They have laser weapons, power armor, surgical enhancements, combat implants, and a squad of Brotherhood Knights have the ability to erase an entire town from a map without a scratch.''"<br/>''"The Brotherhood are generally good guys, but they have their faults - (1) they don't care for mutants, (2) they worship technology, and in many cases, put it above human life, and (3) they don't like to share their choicest technological bits, despite the obvious benefits their technology could bring to the wasteland. It's commonly accepted within the Brotherhood that the people of the wasteland are not responsible enough to use (and maintain) all of the technology the BOS has at their disposal. They are known trade some of their technologies with frontier communities and NCR states, but they keep the more sensitive technologies to themselves."''<br/>''"It is believed that the current HQ of the BOS is the Lost Hills bunker in Fallout 1, but at the time of Fallout 2, the BOS is spread across the wastes in small bunkers and installations hidden from the eyes of common folk – finding them all and wiping them out would be a difficult and dangerous task."''<br/>''"The BOS is divided into different ranks: Initiates are trainees who are expected to perform well enough in the training process to be promoted to Squires. After proving themselves, Squires are promoted to Knights. After many years of service and experience, the best Knights are promoted to Paladins - the pinnacle of the Brotherhood military. Paladins who survive to their later years become Elders, and they number among the Brotherhood ruling council."''<br/>''"It is also possible to serve the Brotherhood as a Scribe. Scribes are responsible for copying the ancient technologies, maintaining the current technology and even experimenting with new weapons and other useful devices. Scribes rarely leave the safety of the BOS bunkers, but they are sometimes called into the field to examine a piece of technology or perform a task beyond the skills of the Brotherhood soldiers."''<br/>''"It is said that the BOS symbol, broken down, represents each of these orders. The sword represents the Paladins, the wings represent the Elders (the "wings" control the movement of the sword), the large gear represents the Knights, and the two smaller gears represent the Scribes and the Squires, whose services keep the Knights supplied with the information and the manpower to get their jobs done. No one is sure what the circle means, however."''</ref><ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1009}{}{Scribes}"''<br/>[[John Maxson]]: ''"{1109}{Gen_61}{Well, Scribes copy down the weapon specs. We've got information all the way back to my granddad. Sometimes a scribe comes up with a new idea for a weapon. Hehehe. Doesn't happen too often. They all answer to Vree.}"''<br/>([[MAXSON.MSG]])</ref><ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1005}{}{Scribes}"''<br/>[[Cabbot]]: ''"{1105}{Cab_58}{OK, well, scribes are the keepers of all the histories and the blueprints for the weapons we make. I just love books; that's why I want to be one . . . a Scribe, that is.}"''<br/>([[CABBOT.MSG]])</ref> There are three Scribe orders within the Brotherhood, focusing on different types of technology: the Order of the Sword (offensive), the Shield (defensive), and the Quill (civilian).<ref>''[[Fallout 3]]'' scribes</ref><ref>The [[Courier]]: ''"Tell me about the Scribes."''<br/>[[Melissa Watkins]]: ''"The Scribes are responsible for discovering how all the old tech we recover actually works and sometimes even work on inventing new things. Without them, the Brotherhood could never fulfill its mission. Or at least, that's what my dad always used to say."''<br/>([[Melissa Watkins' dialogue]])</ref> In eastern chapters, Scribes have taken over the duties of Knights, becoming responsible for research and engineering activities of the Brotherhood.<ref>''Fallout 3'' and ''Fallout 4'' [[Scribes]].</ref>
−	# [[Knights]] are the craftsmen and foot soldiers of the Brotherhood. They maintain the Brotherhood's stockpile  of technology, repair and providing technical services where they are needed, as well as producing new weapons to replenish stocks and provide trading goods. Knights also perform patrols, scouting assignments, and support the Paladins in offensive operations. Those that focus on combat training, may be eligible to become Paladins, the protectors of the Brotherhood.<ref name="FOB6BOSBg" /><ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{345}{}{What is the Brotherhood's main purpose?}"''<br/>[[John Maxson]]: ''"{172}{Gen_21}{Our main goal is to survive. The Scribes copy old plans for weapons or design new ones, and the Knights make the guns from 'em. Most guns come from us.}"''<br/>([[MAXSON.MSG]])</ref><ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{173}{}{You trade the weapons to the Hub?}"''<br/>[[John Maxson]]: ''"{176}{Gen_22}{That's the way we get our supplies.}"''<br/>([[MAXSON.MSG]])</ref><ref name="JohnMaxson247" >The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1010}{}{Knights}"''<br/>[[John Maxson]]: ''"{1110}{Gen_62}{The Knights make the weapons. And when he's good enough, a Knight can advance to become a Paladin and then an Elder and so forth. Right now Rhombus is the head of the Knights.}"''<br/>([[MAXSON.MSG]])</ref><ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1006}{}{Knights}"''<br/>[[Cabbot]]: ''"{221}{Cab_59}{Well, you see, they're the ones who want to become protectors of the Brotherhood. There's not many of them, but they train their whole lives to become Paladins.}"''<br/>([[CABBOT.MSG]])</ref><ref>The [[Courier]]: ''"Tell me about the Knights."''<br/>[[Melissa Watkins]]: ''"Knights are in charge of all of our equipment. Power armor, gatling lasers, you name it. All of it built and maintained by Knights. Knights also get to go out on patrols, scouting assignments, and support the Paladins in offensive operations. Being a Knight would mean getting to see more of the world, fight the Brotherhood's enemies, and possibly someday become a Paladin like my mother."''<br/>([[Melissa Watkins' dialogue]])</ref> Eastern chapters have offloaded engineering duties to Scribes, focusing Knights on logistics and combat operations, reflecting their proactive focus.<ref>''Fallout 3'' and ''Fallout 4'' [[Knights]].</ref>
−	# [[Lancers]] are a class of soldiers parallel to Knights, unique to the Eastern division of the Brotherhood. They are pilots, responsible for operating the fleet of [[Vertibirds]] recovered from eastern bases and, of course, the ''[[Prydwen]]''.<ref>[[Lancers]] in ''[[Fallout 4]]''.</ref>
−	# [[Paladins]] are the primary combat force of the Brotherhood, in charge of all security and outside activities. Equipped with the best military technology the Brotherhood has to offer, they are some of the most fearsome foes in the wasteland.<ref name="FOB6BOSBg" /><ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1011}{}{Paladins}"''<br/>[[John Maxson]]: ''"{1111}{Gen_63}{Paladins are in charge of all security and outside activities. I remember tradin' with the Hub, goin' on scouting missions for the Elders. Ah man, those ware a good times.}"''<br/>([[MAXSON.MSG]])</ref> The ranks of the Paladins are reinforced by promoting exceptional Knights and<ref name="JohnMaxson247" /> it's generally impossible to become a Paladin any other way.<ref name="DaeHandeeBible8">[[Fallout Bible 8#BOS corrections|Fallout Bible 8]]</ref> Notably, while [[power armor]] was reserved for Paladin use in the first century of the Brotherhood's existence,<ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{139}{}{What about that metal suit you're wearing?}"''<br/>[[Talus]]: ''"{196}{}{Only Paladins wear Power Armor, someday you may earn the right to wear it.}"''<br/>([[TALUS.MSG]])</ref> the restrictions were relaxed over the decades, allowing Knights and in extreme cases even Initiates to use power armor (usually older models, such as the [[T-45 power armor|T-45]]).<ref>''[[Fallout 3]]'' and ''[[Fallout 4]]'' allow for both classes to employ them.</ref>
−	# [[Elders]] are the highest ranking members of the Brotherhood, its leaders and decision makers, determining everything from meals to the course of campaigns.<ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1004}{}{Elders}"''<br/>[[Cabbot]]: ''"{1104}{Cab_57}{They make all the decisions around here, from what we eat to what our duties are. And uh, they argue a lot, too. The High Elder seems to have to step in a lot.}"''<br/>([[CABBOT.MSG]])</ref> Typically, only Paladins are eligible to become Elders, but exceptions can be made for extraordinary members of other branches.<ref>The [[Courier]]: ''"Tell me about your last Elder."''<br/>[[Edgar Hardin]]: ''"Elijah was a strange one. His even becoming Elder was highly questionable, seeing as how he was a Scribe. Typically, only Paladins are eligible. But an exception was made in his case, on account of him being a genius. Unfortunately, whatever scientific acumen he had didn't extend to tactics. Trying to defend HELIOS was a blunder of the worst kind, and many brothers lost their lives because of it. Many of the senior paladins, myself included, advised him to fight a retreating action, but he refused to budge. Said he almost "had it working". We never did find out exactly what he was talking about. When the perimeter was finally overrun, the Elder had simply vanished."''<br/>([[Edgar Hardin's dialogue]])</ref> Regardless of their branch of service, Elders are elected into the council by other council members,<ref name="DaeHandeeBible8"/>with the High Elder chosen by the council. The candidate can turn down the offer.<ref>The [[Vault Dweller]]: ''"{1006}{}{Elder}"''<br/>[[John Maxson]]: ''"{1106}{Gen_58}{Hehehe. A fine, handsome, upstanding man. The High Elder position is to mediate the meetings between the Elders. You see, two years ago I got talked into it. If I'd of known then...}"''<br/>([[MAXSON.MSG]])</ref> Out of the first four High Elders, three belonged to the Maxson lineage, but there is no requirement for the council to propose the position to a member of the bloodline.<ref>Maxson II was killed in 2155, but John Maxson only replaced him on the Elder council at that date. He only became High Elder in 2155. See [[Maxson II]] for details.</ref> Elders may be dismissed for violating the Brotherhood's charter or laws, such as destroying technological devices without due cause, violating the [[Chain that Binds]], or murdering a fellow member. Due to the requirement for Elders to set an examples, Elders may also be stripped of their position if allowing them to retain it would compromise the morale or integrity of a given chapter.<ref>[[Hidden Valley bunker terminals#Elder Dismissal Incidents|Hidden Valley bunker terminals; Terminal, Elder Dismissal Incidents]]</ref>
	==Models==		==Models==
	* The following section summarizes the three major rank orders that emerged over the centuries of the [[Brotherhood of Steel]]'s existence. They are referred to as the ''Old Model'', used by the core Brotherhood of Steel in [[New California]] and closely affiliated chapters, such as the [[Brotherhood of Steel (Mojave chapter)|Mojave chapter]], the ''Lyons Model'' in use by [[Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel]], and the ''Maxson Model'' introduced in the Eastern division by [[Arthur Maxson]].		* The following section summarizes the three major rank orders that emerged over the centuries of the [[Brotherhood of Steel]]'s existence. They are referred to as the ''Old Model'', used by the core Brotherhood of Steel in [[New California]] and closely affiliated chapters, such as the [[Brotherhood of Steel (Mojave chapter)|Mojave chapter]], the ''Lyons Model'' in use by [[Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel]], and the ''Maxson Model'' introduced in the Eastern division by [[Arthur Maxson]].

from The Vault - Fallout Wiki - Recent changes [en] http://ift.tt/2oPV1EJ