"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."
The Borg are a pseudo-species of cybernetic humanoids from the Delta Quadrant. No single individual truly exists as all are joined in a hive mind known as the Collective. The Borg Queen appears to be a possible exception to this no individual entity, although assimilated individuals used as representatives to make assimilation faster with some species have existed with Locutus being the most well known. The ultimate goal of the Borg is the attainment of perfection through the forcible assimilation of diverse sentient species, technologies and knowledge that would be added and absorbed into the hive mind.
The Borg collective is made up of 'drones' made up of varied species they have assimilated and augmented with cybernetics. All Borg will have a number of 'standard' augmentations, but those assigned to specific roles, which is partly determined by the assimilated being's species, knowledge and skills. For example Klingons and Hirogens are typically used as combat or heavy labour drones. All drones cease to grow body hair and develop an ashen, grayish skin colouration, ignoring original skin pigmentation. Cybernetic implants are either surgically attached to the body, or grown internally by nanoprobes injected into the bloodstream.
All Borg will have the following augmentations and traits:
Racial Traits:
Size: Same as base creature.
Cybernetics: All Borg drones will have a number of standard cybernetics (listed below), plus others that are related to their specific duties. But have built in universal translator, communications systems, targeting software, 10 hour oxygen cell, sensors (chemo-, geo-, electri-, mechani- comp sensors at +5 bonus)
Required Regeneration: To help maintain their organs and cybernetic systems, all borg drones must return to a Regeneration Alcove once every 48 hours for 8 hours. While in the Regeneration Alcove, the drone shut down all non-essential bodily systems, and their entire metabolism becomes integrated with the power system and distribution network of their ship, merging their life signs with the ship. While Regenerating heals at double normal rate, does not require food, water and is considered resting. Also while connected, any other member of the Collective can access that drone's knowledge and can use it at a fraction of the original drone's bonus. For every 24 hours past 48 hours the drone goes without regeneration, the drone loses 5 ft to speed, suffers -1 to all rolls (attack, saves and checks). Once the drone's speed reaches 0 ft, the drone shutdowns and is essentially in a coma and a form of stasis. It can remain in this state for up to 10 years. Once it is put in a regeneration alcove and recharges for at least 8 hours, the drone is fully functional again.
Collective Knowledge: All borg drones are connected by the hive mind, and are able to share knowledge quickly and easily. All drones, if they lack a particular skill, or knowledge, can spend a full round action searching and accessing through the hive to get that skill or knowledge required. If the skill is one the drone lacks (has no skill points in) can gain a +4 bonus to that skill. If the drone has skill points in that skill, gains a +8 bonus as they are adding to their knowledge in that particular skill. Knowledge that doesn't require skill checks can also be accessed in this way. If the drone is over 50,000 light years from the nearest borg ship that has the required skills or knowledge, increase the time to access the hive for the knowledge by 1 round per 10,000 light years.
Reputation: The Borg are feared as an unstoppable force that assimilates all in their path. +2 Reputation.
In Coreline, there are a few Borg factions known to exist. Most groups keep to themselves, seeing themselves as the prime collective and look to absorb the others if given the chance. When more than one faction encounters the other, there can be a devastating conflict between the groups as they try to assimilate each other. Borg generally use geometric shaped ships, cubes and spheres make up the bulk of most factions' fleets, while some also have the smaller, flatter angular rectangular scouts and interceptors, the rare diamond ships used by Borg Queens, and some have fusion cubes, where several cubes connect together to create a larger cube for greater tactical power.
The Prime Collective is based in the Delta Quadrant, lead by the Borg Queen, and is the closest to the Borg collective well known. They mostly keep to themselves, but will send out ships occasionally to acquire new technology and biological samples to add to their collective. This is the largest faction, but due to so many other groups that would potentially ally together to fight them, the Prime Collective mostly maintains its borders and only sends small scouting groups to study new races and technology. Watching and waiting for the opportunity to add new technologies and slowly expand their borders.
The Kelvin Borg Collective are made of Borg from the Kelvin Timeline. They have taken over space on the edge of the Alpha Quadrant, south of Federation space. They are the most aggressive of the Borg factions, attacking and assimilating any ship that gets within 10 light years of their borders. They regularly send raids to random systems, capturing ships and assimilating people before leaving. They don't seem to be interested in holding many systems they attack, although they have captured a few systems that seem of little significance quite a distance from their space and defend these systems with the same fervor as their main systems. The Kelvin Borg Collective has several very large cubes, about 10 times the size of regular cubes, which they use to protect their systems. For their main attack fleet they use smaller Tactical Probes, oblong ships with six armoured plates that run the length of the ship and stick out the end, with three on each side.
Unimatrix 5 is a faction of Borg that slowly migrates through space, but don't go about assimilating unique technologies and species, and they are unique in that each member, while part of the Collective, but retain their individuality. They only accept members who willing join their collective, or assimilate those who are close to death to give them a second chance at life. While they have several cubes and other borg ships, they also have a number of other ships they've traded or found derelicts they repaired and assimilated. Systems they move through, they mine or temporarily settle abandoned or uninhabited planets, moons and stations before moving on. If they come to inhabited systems, they negotiate for mining rights where they can and offer services to protect the system from raiders and pirates, or offer technology upgrades or medical aid, but avoid providing offensive technologies.
Standard Cybernetics:
Communication Interlink - Subspace communication device to allow instantaneous communication with the Collective. Allows instant communications with the rest of the borg collect as long as within 10 light years of a borg ship or facility with a communications system.
Myo-Neural Cortical Array - Control movements, enhances Strength and Dexterity by +1 each. (Factored in base stats)
Assimilation Tubule - Also known as injection tubules, a pair of flexible needle-like devices that extend from wrists or fingers of Drones, used to deliver nanoprobes as the first step in assimilation. Capable of penetrating most materials and energy fields known to the Federation and others. After a successful grapple, the drone can make a full round touch attach with the Assimilation Tubules, dealing 1 point of piercing damage, that ignore 30 DR/Hardness, injecting the target with assimilation nanites.
Audio Implant - Ties to the communication Interlink for communications and also enhances their hearing +1 Listen.
Homing Device - Each drone has a homing beacon with its own unique translink frequency. Functions as a Galactic GPS for the collective to find drones.
Typically an eye implant - Basic eye implant allows vision in multiple spectrums, infrared, ultraviolet, can see everything in EM spectrum, telescopic, microscopic, and can be easily modified for other vision types including multispacial, +1 Search and +1 Spot. (Factored into base stats)
Personal Force Field - Borg drones are equipped with a force field, with 50 hit points, that regenerates at a rate of 5 hit points every round. If struck by the same energy weapon more than once, the Borg drone can make a Computer check DC 20 after the first attack to analyze the weapon, with a +1 bonus for every other Borg drone within 50 feet struck by the same weapon, to adapt to the weapon, making the Borg and all others within 1 lightyear immune to that energy weapon.
Exo-Plating - Each drone has exo-plating for added protection against attacks and various environments. Combat and specialist labour drones will have heavier armour. +2 Natural Defence and DR 3.
Limited Fast Heal - The nanoprobes in the borg's body along with other implants allows for limited fast heal. Able to heal Con Modifier HP per round up to half the drone's HP before requiring to go to a Regeneration Alcove.
Hostile Environment - This set of implants allows the drone to function in a number of hostile environments including space. Provides 10 hours of air, +4 saves against poisons, diseases, has the Cold, Hot and Heavy planet adaptions.
Borg Drone
Borg drones are cybernetically enhanced beings connected to the Borg Collective, sharing a hive-like mind, removing all individuality from each member. Each drone is given a numeric designation as part of a group, such as One of Ten, part of a unimatrix, with each group responsible for a series of tasks or responsibilities, and the drone a further specialized within the assigned group's overall purpose. Each drone is enhanced with cybernetic implants determined by their function, but all drones have a number of basic enhancements, including communication interlink, a number of enhancements for strength, homing device, assimilation tubules to allow them to assimilate others, exo-plating and a personal force field for defense.
Borg Drone
CR 6;
Size: Medium-sized humanoid;
HD: 4d8+18, 50 hp, 50 hp force field
Mas: 14
Init: +2
Speed: 30 ft
Defense: 15, Touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +4 Nat Armour)
BAB: +5
Grapple: +10
Attack: +10 melee (1d4+5 lethal unarmed strike), or +8 ranged (3d10 forced plasma beam)
Special Attacks: Assimilate
Special Qualities: Adaptive Forcefield, Adaptive Weapon, DR 5, personal force field 50 hp, Limited Fast Heal 2
FS: 5 ft by 5 ft
Reach: 5 ft
Allegiance: Borg Collective
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +4.
Rep: +4
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: Computer Use +4, Craft Electrical +4, Craft Mechanical +4, Disable Device +4, Gather Information +3, Knowledge Earth and Life Sciences +4, Knowledge Technology +5, Listen +4, Navigate +4, Pilot +4, Repair +4, Spot +4
Assimilate - After making a successful grapple check, the Borg drone can make a full round touch attack to inject the target with their Assimilation Tubules. Target must make a Fort save DC 25 or the target is stunned and paralyzed and is starting to be assimilated. If the target succeeds the save, they are only paralyzed for the round and can make a new save the next round. The target can keep making Fort saves, but each round they resist, the Borg can make a Knowledge: Earth and Life Sciences check DC 17 (as a move action) to increase the DC by +1, each round. A Borg drone can assimilate up to 25 people between regeneration periods.
Adaptive Forcefield - When a drone is attacked by an energy weapon, after the first attack, it can make a Computer Use check DC 20 to adapt the shields to that weapon. If unsuccessful, the drone can attempt again each time attacked by the same weapon, as long as the drone was not attacked by a different type of energy weapon. The drone gets +1 to the check for each other Borg drone within 50 feet also struck by the same weapon. Once the drone is successful on the check, its forcefield is immune to damage from that type of weapon, as well as all other drones within 50 feet.
Note the same type of weapon made by different races require a separate check to become immune. Against magical weapons, attacks, the DC is increased by +5
Adaptive Weapon - The forced plasma beam, mounted on the arm of the drone can be modified to penetrate the shields, and even, with time, the armour of a target. After making a successful attack against a target and dealt damage, the drone can make a Computer Use check DC 30, with a +1 bonus for each borg drone that successfully damages the same target (or targets with similar defenses) within 50 feet. On a successful check, if the target has force fields, one-quarter of the damage bypasses the shields and deals damage directly to the target and three-quarters to the shields. Against a target with DR or Hardness, the weapon gains ignore hardness/DR 3. The drone can make additional Computer Use checks after another attack that successfully damages the target, with a successful check increasing the ignore hardness/DR by +1, and half damage bypasses shields, with a further checks increasing by +1 and one quarter more bypassing shields. After the first successful check, and any additional ones, all borg drones within 50 ft also have the same ability to bypass shields and ignore hardness/DR.
Against magic shields and armour, increase the DC by +5.
Limited Fast Heal - The borg's internal nanites and cybernetics provide the drone with a form of Fast healing, healing 2 HP each round, up to a maximum of 30 hit points. This is replenished after the drone regenerates.
Communication Interlink - Subspace communication device to allow instantaneous communication with the Collective. Allows instant communications with the rest of the borg collect as long as within 10 light years of a borg ship or facility with a communications system.
Assimilation Tubule - Also known as injection tubules, a pair of flexible needle-like devices that extend from wrists or fingers of Drones, used to deliver nanoprobes as the first step in assimilation. Capable of penetrating most materials and energy fields known to the Federation and others. After a successful grapple, the drone can make a full round touch attach with the Assimilation Tubules, dealing 1 point of piercing damage, that ignore 30 DR/Hardness, injecting the target with assimilation nanites.
Homing Device - Each drone has a homing beacon with its own unique translink frequency. Functions as a Galactic GPS for the collective to find drones.
Typically an eye implant - Basic eye implant allows vision in multiple spectrums, infrared, ultraviolet, can see everything in EM spectrum, telescopic, microscopic, and can be easily modified for other vision types including multispacial.
Personal Force Field - Borg drones are equipped with a force field, with 50 hit points, that regenerates at a rate of 5 hit points every round.
Hostile Environment - This set of implants allows the drone to function in a number of hostile environments including space. Provides 10 hours of air, +4 saves against poisons, diseases, has the Cold, Hot and Heavy planet adaptions.
Forced Plasma Beam
This energy weapon built into the arm of the borg drone fires a beam of plasma weapon. Deals 3d10 points of fire damage, 20x3 critical, range of 60 feet, semiautomatic rate of fire, has an unlimited ammunition as it draws energy from the drone as long as it regenerates regularly. If the drone hasn't regenerated for more than 48 hours, after 48 hours, has a capacity of 100 shots, and can't refill until regenerates. However the drone can attach and drain a standard power pack to replenish 50 charges for its forced plasma beam weapon.
Security/Combat Drones
These drones have heavier armour, enhanced strength, stronger shields and weapons. Each borg ship has on average only 5 to 10% of the crew made up of Security/Combat drones, while some smaller ones have none. If the Borg encounter heavy resistance, they will convert a number of regular drones to security/combat versions.
Make the following changes to drone to make a Security/Combat Drone:
+1 hit dice (+10 hit points);
+10 additional hit points;
Personal Forcefield increases to 80 HP;
Strength increased to 22 (+6);
Natural Armour bonus to Defense increased to +6;
Gains +3 to attack rolls, both melee and ranged;
DR increases to 10;
Forced Plasma Beam gains full automatic fire setting;
Add Focused Plasma Blaster to shoulder;
Unarmed strike increased to 2d4+6 damage (factored in increased strength);
Skills upgraded Listen to +6, Search to +4, Spot to +6
Fort and Will saves increase by +2;
Increase CR to 8.
Focused Plasma Blaster
This heavy energy weapon fits over the shoulder of the drone with a pivot and tilt mounting. Deals 5d10, 20x3, fire damage, 75 ft, semi, with 10 rounds that replenish at a rate of 1 per 5 rounds of inactivity. Ignores 5 points of hardness/dr. Can be modified with Adaptive Weapon ability.
Medical Drone
These drones are fitted with various medical equipment and mini nanite factories. They are used to attach various cybernetic devices to recently assimilated beings, aid in repairing damaged drones, or removing useful cybernetics that are not damaged beyond repair from deactivated or dead drones.
Make the following changes to drones to make Medical Drone;
Skills modified Craft Mechanical +6, Knowledge Earth and Life Sciences +8, Repair +6, Treat Injury +8;
Gains Craft Cybernetics, Surgery, Cybernetic Surgery;
Fitted with integrated equivalent of advanced medkit, medicomp sensor, regen wand, medical and surgical kits;
Add Nanite Factory.
Nanite Factory - This cybernetic device builds nanites that the borg use. As long as the drone regenerates regularly, it can ignore the limits of Limited Regeneration. As a full round action, uses its tubules to replenish the nanites of other drones so they can continue to regenerate damage. Able to replenish up to 10 drones' nanites per 24 hour period.
