He was known to his Lamplighter friends as "Sticky Hands," though he calls himself Jack now that he is older. If questioned what his nickname meant, he only replies, "use your imagination." He is a chatterbox who can be annoying and self-centered. Despite being 16, he acts younger than that, although this is due to having a lack of adult role models.[Non-game 1]
Sticky states that his age is 18, while everybody else says he is 16. In 2277, he is forced to leave Little Lamplight as all children must eventually do once they reach the age of 16.
He is first encountered after gaining entry into Little Lamplight, where the other Lamplighters will be telling him he needs to leave, while Sticky displays his unhappiness at leaving.
Sticky is friends with Red in Big Town. He refers to her as his "girlfriend."
Daily schedule
Before the unmarked quest Happy Birthday to You, he can be found in Little Lamplight. Upon successful completion of the quest, he will reside in Big Town spending his days in the town hall, and nights sleeping in the common house.
Big Trouble in Big Town: If one escorts Sticky to Big Town before solving Big Town's super mutant problem, he will help fend off the super mutant raid.
Effects of player's actions
If the Lone Wanderer fires Sticky, or refuses to take him to Big Town, Sticky will remain in the area he was fired from until the next time the Lone Wanderer enters that map cell, at which point he dies.
If one kills him while he is saying goodbye in Lamplight caverns, the other kids will comment that they thought he was annoying.
If the player character refuses to escort Sticky when first meeting him by saying that they "want to visit Little Lamplight first," Sticky will stand on the other side of the gate indefinitely.
If one offers to escort Sticky to Big Town and continues through Little Lamplight via the safer route to Vault 87, Sticky will be left outside the door next to the hacked computer terminal. He won't join in the search of the vault for the G.E.C.K. but will be the first to show up at Raven Rock after one has lost all their companions.
Other interactions
If Sticky is wearing his party hat when the Lone Wanderer initiates conversation, the player character will have the dialogue option "What's with the party hat?" Choosing this option will cause him to give you the hat, as he says he doesn't "want it anymore."
The entire time one escorts him to Big Town, he will attempt to entertain the player character with silly stories and prattle. With a successful Speech attempt, he will stop the eccentric chatter.
If the Lone Wanderer takes him to Big Town after completing the quest Big Trouble in Big Town with the "Small Guns" option (teaching the townsfolk to defend themselves), then he will eventually comment that Big Town seemed like a bad place to live, but the fact that they helped the townsfolk means it is getting better.
If the player character escorts him to Big Town but has not completed Big Trouble in Big Town, the other residents will tell the Lone Wanderer that Red has been kidnapped by super mutants, but Sticky is not to be told because it will upset him. However, he may comment on Red's lack of presence.
Stories
Part One
"Once upon a time, there was this dog"
"Once upon a time, there was this robot"
"Once upon a time, there was this man"
Part Two
"His name was Super Dupe Dave and he went all around rescuing people from Super Mutants and Slavers, and other nasty things"
"His name was Joking Joe and he was always making everyone laugh really hard at all his funny jokes"
"His name was Holy Toledo, and he was really powerful"
Part Three
"And one day a giant ant came up to him and started talking like he wasn't some dumb ant, but a person of some kind! It said 'prepare to die!'"
"And one day this giant super mutant attacked him and tried carrying him off!"
"And one day a space ship from outer space landed right in front of him, and a big green alien jumped out and started eating people!"
Part Four
"And was our brave hero scared? No, not at all, he laughed in the face of danger. 'Ha, ha, ha!' He beat up the monster and everyone cheered!"
"And was our so-called hero scared? You bet he was. He cried like a little baby 'Waah! Waaah! Waaaaaaaaaaah!' And all his friends laughed at him!"
"And what did our hero do, you wonder? He came up with the most cleverest of clever plans...and it worked! And everyone called him a genius!"
Unlike other followers, Sticky will set off mines, often as one plants them, usually with the result of him being injured or killed.
If one lends Sticky any armor or equipment while escorting him to Big Town and they don't take it back before reaching the destination, the only way to retrieve the given items is to pickpocket or kill Sticky.
When trading equipment, Sticky will ask for a cool weapon, like a rocket launcher. The player can give him one, but will not see any further benefit from it after taking him to Big Town. He may also loot weapons from raiders.
Sticky often recites juvenile and poorly thought-out stories to "pass the time."
Sometimes Sticky will whistle along the way; the subtitles transcribe it as "whistling tunelessly."
He is the only human character in Little Lamplight that can be killed.
When Sticky has been taken to Big Town and the player character talks to him, he may end the conversation with "Remember: If you ever need a sidekick, I'm your man," but it is impossible to have him travel with them again. He can be made a somewhat permanent companion so long as the player character never finishes Happy Birthday to You.
If the Lone Wanderer kills him on the way to Big Town, no Karma will be lost.
If the Lone Wanderer travels to Point Lookout while having Sticky in their party, he might show up in Point Lookout and still follow.
Sticky's stories have four parts including the beginning, the middle, the end, with Sticky acting as if there was an audience listening to him and thanking the audience for listening, before ending the story.
↑Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.98-99: "Sticky Hands Known to his Lamplighter friends as "Sticky Hands" though now that he is grown up, he calls himself Jack. If asked what "Sticky Hands" is for, he replies mysteriously "Use your imagination." He's an nonstop-talking, annoying, exuberantly self-centered, 16-year old who acts like he's about 13 (as he hasn't been around enough adult role-models)." (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)
