Cerebrate

(Version 1.00 - Last Modified: 07/15/2002)

History

The Cerebrates are the generals in the Zerg Swarm. The directly serve the Overmind and command large numbers of troops. Generally, the Overmind will give a mission to a Cerebrate and allow the Cerebrate to work out the details of its mission. Although the number of Cerebrates is relatively low, new Cerebrates are often formed to replace Cerebrates that the Overmind finds incompetent or that fail it too often. While the Cerebrates are intelligent, all are completely loyal to the Overmind and will never act against it or conspire against it in any way. All will obey any command of the Overmind, even if it results in the death of the Cerebrate.

Within the Cerebrates, there is a hierarchy, with the oldest and most trusted Cerebrates ruling over their younger brethren. There are six highly influential Cerebrates within the Zerg Swarm. Daggoth leads the Tiamat Brood, the largest force within the Zerg Swarm, and can be considered the second in command of the Zerg Swarm. Nagril leads the Fenris Brood, a small but highly skilled force, and is in charge of finding new races and genetic material for the Zerg Swarm. As is usual, Nagril did not take part in the invasion of Aiur, instead it was searching for new races for the Overmind and its current location is unknown. Gorn leads the Baelorg Brood and specialized in terror tactics and sowing confusion within enemy ranks; a favored tactic of the Zerg prior to a full scale invasion. Zasz leads the Garm Brood, which is one of the two primary strike forces of the Swarm. Unfortunately, Zasz was permanently killed by the Dark Templar Zeratul on the planet Char, but in the battle that led to Zasz’s death, the Overmind was able to discern the location of Aiur from Zeratul’s mind. Araq leads the Jormungand Brood, the other primary strike force within the Zerg Swarm, and while Araq is not exceedingly bright, it has never failed the Overmind on any mission it has been given, no matter how difficult. The last influential Cerebrate is Kagg, who leads the Surtur Brood, a heavy support force within the Zerg Swarm. Kagg is known for its brutal treatment of its own troops and lack of respect for other Cerebrates, but the results it achieves continues to gain it the approval of the Overmind. While Sarah Kerrigan is not a Cerebrate, she shares nearly all of their abilities and has many unique abilities of her own. A newly formed Cerebrate, created to directly serve and protect Kerrigan, also became very influential within the Zerg Swarm, first acting under the orders of the Overmind to protect Kerrigan at all costs, and then under Kerrigan during her efforts to reunite the Swarm under her control. Currently the Cerebrate, whose name is unknown, is one of the highest placed Cerebrates within Kerrigan’s Swarm and commands a huge number of troops.

All Cerebrates are highly intelligent and powerful spell casters. The Cerebrates are modeled off of the Overmind’s own design, but they are significantly less powerful. The powers of the Overlord are similar to that of the Cerebrate, and that of the Overmind itself, but the Cerebrate can control and direct a huge number of individual creatures and at incredible ranges. Another powerful ability of the Cerebrates, also shared by the Overlords, is their ability to cast spells through any Zerg creature. One of most unique abilities of the Cerebrates is their ability to instantly transfer their intelligence and personality back to the Overmind. This allows the Overmind to create a new Cerebrate and place the intelligence and personality of a deceased Cerebrate in the new body. This gives the Cerebrates a form of immortality, so that if their body is destroyed, they can simply be reborn by the Overmind. Somehow the Dark Templar are able to prevent the transfer of a Cerebrate’s personality at the moment of death, permanently killing it.

Racial Statistics

• Racial Type: Zerg, Supernatural Creature - Alien Intelligence
• Alignment: None, considered to be an evil animal.
• Attributes:
  
  • I.Q.: 25+2D4
  • M.E.: 30+1D6
  • M.A.: 1D6
  • P.S.: 30+1D4 *
  • P.P.: 16+1D4
  • P.E.: 22+2D4 *
  • P.B.: 1D6
  • Spd: Immobile
  • * PS and PE are considered supernatural
• Size: 30’ (9.1 m) high, 60’ (18.3 m) wide, and 60’ (18.3 m) long.
• Weight: 85 tons (77.1 metric tons)
• M.D.C.: PEx100 in magic rich areas, each of its four tentacles has 10% of the M.D.C. of the main body.
• M.D.C. Armor Rating: See ability number 3, Armor, under the Natural Abilities section.
• S.D.C.: PEx100 in non-magic rich areas, each of its four tentacles has 10% of the S.D.C. of the main body.
• Hit Points: 2D6x100 in non-magic rich areas
• Armor Rating: See ability number 3, Armor, under the Natural Abilities section.
• Average Life Span: 8000 years after being created by the Overmind.
• Horror Factor: 16
• P.P.E.: 4D6x100+600
• Magic Powers: All Cerebrates know the following spells: All invocation spells from level 1 to 8, six spells each from levels 9 to 12, and four spells each from levels 13 to 15.
• Natural Abilities:
  
  1. Dimensional Travel:
     
     The Cerebrates have the ability to travel both physically and sending their minds instantly across vast distances. To send the Cerebrates mind back to the Overmind, only done at the point of death, requires 200 PPE, but to physically transport the Cerebrate requires 400 PPE. While this ability can be used to transport a Cerebrate to another dimension, the Overmind has no concept of other dimensions and will only allow transportation within the same dimension and usually only within the same galaxy. This ability can only transport the Cerebrate and anything touching it.
  2. Command Antennae:
     
     The Cerebrate is equipped with powerful antennae allows it to See the Invisible, See Aura, Sense Magic, Presence Sense, and Sense Dimensional Anomalies with a range of 1000 miles (1609 km). Everything the Cerebrate sees and senses can be instantly passed on to any Zerg creatures within 10,000 miles (16,093 km) of the Cerebrate. The Cerebrate is also capable of giving directions to up to 5,000,000 Zerg creatures of any type, although it can only completely control 5000 creatures simultaneously. The Cerebrate can give directions to Zerg up to 100 light-years away, but it must be within 100,000 miles (160,934 km) for it to completely control a Zerg creature.
  3. Zerg Spell Casting:
     
     By using the Khaydarin Crystals that lace its body and the bodies of the other Zerg strains, the Cerebrate is able to cast spells through Zerg creatures within 1000 miles (1600 km) of it. The Cerebrate can cast up to eight spells per melee in this manner, but no more than one spell can be cast through a single creature per melee and both the Cerebrate and the other Zerg creature must expend PPE to cast it. For example, if the Cerebrate wishes to cast a spell that costs 10 PPE, both itself and the Zerg creature it wishes to cast the spell through must expend the 10 PPE to cast it.
  4. Armor:
     
     All Zerg creatures have incredibly tough exoskeletons that reduce the damage that they receive from any incoming attacks. Reduce all damage from any source by 10 points. For example, if a volley of mini-missiles inflicted 66 points of damage, it would be reduced to 56 points of damage. Damage cannot be reduced below zero. The creature has an M.D.C. Armor Rating of 6 in magic-rich environments.
  5. Regeneration:
     
     A feature from the original Zerg creature, the Scourge can regenerate at an amazing rate, and can regenerate whole limbs and body parts. The creature regenerates at a rate of 10 M.D.C. per melee. It will take ten minutes to 0 regenerate a tentacle.
  6. Hive Mind Immunities:
     
     From the fact that at a basic level all Zerg share the same mind as the Overmind, individual Zerg creatures are very resilient to mental attacks. Any mind altering or mind affecting spells or psionic powers such as sleep, possession, or hypnotic suggestion will not work on a Zerg creature. This also functions as a permanent Mind Block on all Zerg creatures.
  7. Survival Instincts and Immunities:
     
     From the ingrained survival instincts that were developed by evolution and the Xel’Naga, and incorporated by the Overmind, all Zerg creatures are immune to diseases, toxins, poisons, and gases, both normal and supernatural. The Zerg are also unaffected by Horror Factor and Awe Factor and any attempts to intimidate them. With the assimilation of several space borne creatures, all Zerg can function completely normally in space, in an atmosphere, or underwater, with no maximum depth, with no penalties. Zerg creatures can survive temperatures between -200 to 500 degrees Celsius. Land based Zerg creatures have no way of propelling themselves in space besides pushing off from solid structures.


• Combat Skills: 8 attacks per melee or 4 by magic, +3 to strike, +1 to parry, and +1 to dodge.
• Damage: A Tentacle Strike inflicts 3D6 M.D. with a W.R. (Weapon Rating) of 6. Increase W.R. of all attacks by +1 for every four points of supernatural PS above 10 (at values 14, 18, 22, etc.). In non magic-rich environments, attacks inflict S.D.C. damage, but normal PS damage bonuses apply.
• Bonuses: +6 to save vs. all types of magic and +6 to save vs. psionics (counts as a non-psychic).
• Penalties: Cerebrates are overconfident in their own abilities and the abilities of the Zerg Swarm, also, because they can be revived by the Overmind, they have little regard over their personal well being and could care less if an anyone tries to destroy them, the result will be merely inconvenient. While this has been shaken by the death of Zasz and several other Cerebrates at the hands of the Dark Templar, most Cerebrates still act them same way when facing other opponents.
• Natural Skills:
  
  • Detect Ambush (60%)
  • Interrogation Techniques (70%)
  • Science: All (90% each)
• Allies: The Zerg have no real allies, but since the death of the Overmind, several independent Cerebrates have banded together and given each other aid.
• Enemies: The Zerg have made many enemies over the millennia that they have been traveling throughout the galaxy.