Bud Larsen



Olaf "Bud" Larsen served for two tours in Vietnam, but soon grew disillusioned with the military and returned to get married and start a family. When the world ended, his old instincts kicked in and made him a natural survivor.

Recruitment
Bud can be found in the Old Neighborhood south-west of Splendid on Route 377. When you first encounter Bud, he's holed up in his house, exhausted, paranoid, and not excited to see you break into his home. If you're patient with him, you'll learn his wife was bit while trying to help others, and after she died, he kept her in the basement. If you convince him the best way to honor her memory is to come with you, he will put his undead wife down before coming with you.

Events

 * Around the third month of the game, Bud will tell you that day would have been his 41st wedding anniversary, and that he's feeling extremely depressed. If you force him to work, he'll take a serious Mood hit but be available for tasks. If you allow him to grieve, he'll get a small Mood bonus but be unavailable for work. If you have a Negotiation skill of at least 6, you can convince him to let his anger out by destroying the undead (small Mood bonus). or if you have a Leadership skill of 4 or greater, you can convince him to keep helping without a Mood bonus or penalty.
 * The morning after recruiting Bud, he'll come up to you and let you know he's ready for duty. (All conversation options are flavor, with no risk of Mood penalty.)
 * If Bud has been in the Shelter for more than 5 days and there are more than five infected people, he'll come up to you and protest the situation. If you have a Negotiation skill at 6 or above or Leadership at 5 or above, you can convince him that you'll compromise if the Shelter runs out of antibiotics. If you are patient and convince him you'll do what you have to, he'll let the matter drop - however, if you don't take him seriously or be too emotional about the situation, he'll take a slight Mood penalty.
 * If Bud has been in the Shelter for over a month and has a decent Mood rating, he'll ask you where his skills can best be put to use: this is your chance to decide on one of his Traits. If you say you'd like him to improve his aim, he'll pick up the "Deadly Aim" trait; if you ask him to improve his focus, he'll pick up the "Uncanny Focus" trait.
 * If Bud has been in the Shelter for about two weeks, and it's into the second month of game time, he'll mention a resort where he used to go to with his wife. He'll ask not to go there himself, and will have unhappy reactive dialogue if you do.
 * If Paul is in the Shelter, Bud will have a conversation with him where the two reminisce about military life, and the two suggest several strategies how to make best use of noisemakers to get the jump on your enemies.
 * If Bud is bit, he will take the issue fatalistically, taking a mood loss to Disgruntled.

Special Requests
Luxury Items Upgrades
 * Cigars
 * Bourbon
 * Recreation Room

Stats

 * See also Ally Stats.

Survivors develop their skills over time, these stats represent their starting point.

Bud's skills mostly focus on improving his already-high Ranged and Survival skills, although he occasionally gains a point in Medical, Melee, and Leadership. His stats focus on Agility, Perception, then Vigor.

Traits
Initial Gained Via Conversation OR
 * Veteran: "Due to his combat experience, Bud does not Panic from damage."
 * Recreator: "This ally enjoys having a Rec Room active in the Shelter, and will gain a one-time mood boost after it is completed."
 * Nothing Gold: "This character either has a personality that does not allow them feel joy for long or has suffered too much. As a result, their Mood cannot remain raised above Content."
 * Deadly Aim: "Bud has decided to hone his ranged skills to a metaphorical razor edge, improving his critical with ranged weapons by 5%."
 * Uncanny Focus: "Bud has decided to improve his focus with ranged weapons, improving his chance to hit with them by 15%."

Play Style
A must have, Bud is near the Shelter and has an excellent Ranged score for how early he can be recruited. Give him a rifle (save some of that ammo for the Shooting Range upgrade!) and watch him pick off both zombies and looters before they can get close.

Bud will react negatively to killing neutral survivors.

Trivia

 * Age: 62
 * Hometown: Goldthwaite, TX
 * Sick event: drunk
 * Subleader Supported: Paul
 * Shelter Location: First floor, main hall, near the infirmary
 * If Bud is angry with you, he'll mention that one of his superior officers in Vietnam was fragged by his own troops: he didn't participate, but didn't report the issue, either.
 * Bud's visual reference is character actor David Morse.