The Zerg do not really have technology as most races understand it, instead the Xel’Naga, and later, the Overmind, gave the Zerg access to special materials and knowledge. One of the most important materials that the Zerg have access to are the Kyahdarin Crystals, which are also used by the Protoss, but in a different manner. The other very important material available to the Zerg is a substance that is commonly referred to as the Creep.
Khaydarin Crystals are an invention of the Xel’Naga and they have used it with both of their recent experiments, the Protoss and the Zerg. The crystals are extremely versatile and can have many uses, if the users know how to manipulate them properly. The crystals have magical and psionic properties as well as several strange characteristics that not even the Overmind can discern. Even though the Zerg were designed with magic in mind and several have innate magical abilities, the Overmind did not have a firm understanding of magic until it forced another magical species to share its knowledge with the Swarm.
When it did learn how to completely control magical energies, the Overmind was astonished to discover that the entire Zerg Swarm had been feeding off of magic since the Xel’Naga interfered with the original creature. The Xel’Naga had incorporated large Khaydarin Crystals into the very body of the Overmind, which had duplicated that design in its own Cerebrates. Amazingly enough, Khaydarin Crystals had also been laced into the Creep, which served as the primary food source of the swarm. With a far better understanding of magic, the Overmind grew large fields of Khaydarin Crystals and changed the entire swarm to use the crystals better. Even with these successes, the Overmind knew that to use the crystals to their fullest extent would require a mastery of psionic energy, which would only occur when the Protoss race was assimilated.
Each Zerg strain incorporates a Khaydarin Crystal in its body, usually a small crystal centered in its brain. These internal crystals are the reason that each Zerg creature has such a large amount of PPE. All of the flying strains have large crystals to enable them to magically increase their speeds when needed and the Defiler has a large crystal so it can use its own special magical abilities. Even though the crystals are in each Zerg creature, the greatest concentration of Khaydarin Crystals is in the creep.
The most important use of Khaydarin Crystals in the Zerg Swarm is the Creep. The Creep is similar to a fungus and will grow and cling to any surface. Buried in the genetic code of the Creep are microscopic Khaydarin Crystals, which gives the Creep impressive natural abilities. The Zerg use the Creep as a natural defense and as food.
The Creep constantly emits a poisonous toxin into the air surrounding it and those unprotected become very ill and weak. This provides excellent protection from creatures that cannot protect themselves from airborne toxins. Unfortunately, during the invasion of Aiur, the Protoss proved to be naturally immune to the toxins. For every square meter patch covered by the Creep, the toxins will extend an equal number of meters in the air. For example, a patch of Creep that covers an area of 10 square feet (0.9 square meters) will also extend 35.4” (0.9 m) into the air. As soon as a creature comes into contact with the toxins and after every minute of exposure, the creature must roll to save vs. poisons. If the save is failed then the creature loses 25% of its health (split evenly between S.D.C. and Hit Points or M.D.C.), becomes physically weak (-25% to PS, PP, PE, and -50% to Spd), and suffers from severe pain, nausea, and headaches (-50% attacks per melee, -3 to initiative, and -6 to strike, parry, and dodge). These penalties will last for 1D6+4 minutes after the creature leaves the area of effect otherwise they are permanent.
One of the most important purposes of the Creep is too greatly enhance Zerg creatures that are operating within its area of effect. When in direct contact with the Creep or within 2D4 melees of last touching the Creep, a ground troop increases its regenerative capabilities by 50% and gains the following bonuses: +2 to ME, +3 to PS, +1 to PP, +2 to PE, +5 to Spd, +1 to initiative, and +1 to strike. A ground creature will also regain 5 PPE per melee spent in direct contact with the Creep. Airborne units that land on the ground will gain all the bonuses listed above for being in direct contact with the Creep, but they gain different bonuses if they are flying within the area of effect for the toxins or are within 1D6 minutes of being exposed to the toxins. Airborne units flying through the toxins will gain the following bonuses: +2 to ME, +2 to PP, +1 to PE, +10% to Spd, +2 to initiative, +1 to strike, and +2 to dodge. These bonuses make assaulting a Zerg Hive Cluster even harder.
All Zerg creatures and buildings, which are living organisms, must feed off of the Creep to survive. The amount of Creep needed to feed a Zerg creature varies from strain to strain, but usually a Hive Cluster will have an abundance of the constantly growing substance. A Zerg creature only needs to eat once every day to remain healthy, but it will not begin to starve until after ten days of not eating. Zerg buildings will starve to death if they are cut off from the Creep for more then five days.
The Creep will naturally grow from the center of a Hive at a rate of 1’ (30.5 cm) every minute until it has reached 10 miles (16.1 km) from the hive. To extend the Creep further, the Zerg must employ Creep Colonies, which provide additional nutrients and breeding ground to increase the size of the area affected by the Creep. Creep can stick to any surface and at any angle, which means that Creep can be located on vertical walls and even on ceilings. Creep that is not within 10 miles (16.1 km) of a Hive or 5 miles (8.1 km) of a Creep Colony will wither and die after three days. Also note that each 10 square foot (0.9 square meters) area of the Creep has 15 M.D.C. and regenerates at a rate of 1 M.D.C. per melee.
Creep Spores allow the Overmind to seed a planet with Creep before any troops actually land. This is usually done either just prior to an actual invasion or to prepare several planets simultaneously for invasion. The spores are released in the atmosphere, usually by a Zerg Deep Space Probe, and they enter the atmosphere and disperse either across a large section of planet or immiediately settle to the ground in a localized area. The spores quickly burrow into the ground and are almost completely undetectable. With a single command from the Overmind, the spores will begin to mutate and grow into normal Creep. Within two days of the command being given, the Creep will break the surface of the ground. The Creep will survive for two months before additional nutrition from a Hive or a Creep Colony is required.
While not always done, some Creep Spores are distributed with larvae is suspended animation. When the Spores become active, so do the larvae. Within the two months before the newly born Creep dies, the larvae can construct Hives and Creep Colonies to keep the Growing Hive Clusters alive. In this manner, the Zerg do not need to send any additional troops to a planet; they only have to seed it from orbit with Creep Spores.
Creep Colonies are horrible sights to behold. They are living organisms that contain rotting and decaying creatures, which are slowly combined with Khaydarin Crystals and converted into Creep. A Creep Colony only serves a single purpose in a Zerg Hive Cluster: to increase the area covered by the Creep. The Creep will grow from the Creep Colony at a rate of 2’ (61 cm) every minute until it has reached a distance of 5 miles (8.1 km) from the hive. There is no benefit to overlapping Creep, so putting two Creep Colonies beside each other will not affect the Creep in any way.
Creep Colonies can also evolve into permanent defensive structures for Hive Clusters. A Creep Colony can either evolve into a Sunken Colony or into a Spore Colony and an Overlord, Cerebrate, or the Overmind chooses when the transformation will take place. It takes two weeks for a Creep Colony to transform into either of the defense structures. While it is transforming, the Creep Colony is encased in a shell that has 200 M.D.C. and regenerates at a rate of 1 M.D.C. per melee, if the shell is damaged, destroyed, or punctured, then the Creep Colony can be attacked directly. After the transformation is complete, the structure still functions as a Creep Colony and will continue to support the Creep in the surrounding area.
A Creep Colony stands 60’ (18.3 m) tall at its highest point, 70’ (21.3 m) wide, and 50’ (15.2 m) deep, has 2000 M.D.C., and regenerates at a rate of 40 M.D.C. per minute. A Creep Colony counts as a small building when determining the length of time needed to transform a Drone into a Creep Colony.
Sunken Colonies are specially designed, immobile structures that serve as defense emplacements for Zerg Hive Clusters. They employ a very long spiked tentacle that is extremely powerful and deadly. Like all Zerg buildings, the Sunken Colony is a living organism and it is equipped with a movable tentacle and a highly complex brain that allows it to use the tentacle with deadly accuracy.
The tentacle has a range of 6 miles (9.7 km) and will cause 4D6x10 M.D. every time it strikes a target. The tentacle can attack three times per melee. The tentacle gets a bonus of +5 to strike a target that is standing on a patch of Creep, but has a penalty of -3 to strike a target that is not on a patch of Creep. Sunken Colonies have extreme difficulty attacking targets in the air and can only reach 500’ (152.4 m) in the air even though the tentacle is 6 miles (9.7 km long) and has a penalty of -5 to strike any target in the air. A target is considered to be in the air if it is hovering or flying higher than 100’ (30.5 m) off of the surface.
A Sunken Colony stands 40’ (12.2 m) tall at its highest point, 350’ (106.7 m) wide, and 250’ (76.2 m) deep, has 4000 M.D.C., and regenerates at a rate of 80 M.D.C. per minute.
Spore Colonies are similar to Sunken Colonies, except that instead of being equipped with a large tentacle designed for ground combat, it fires a ball of acid at airborne targets. Also like the Sunken Colony, the Spore Colony continues to function like a Creep Colony in all ways. The Spore Colonies are living organisms that are usually dispersed throughout a Hive Cluster to provide protection from any airborne attackers. The acid spores that the colony fires are highly corrosive, but unlike other types of acid used by the Zerg, it dissipates quickly.
The Acid Spores have a range of 5 miles (8.1 km) and will cause 2D6x10 M.D. each time they strike a target. The Spore Colony can fire up to six times per melee and has an infinite supply of spores, which it is constantly replacing. The colony has a bonus of +4 to strike airborne targets, but has a penalty of -5 to strike airborne targets less than 100’ (30.5 m) above the surface of the ground.
A Creep Colony stands 400’ (122 m) tall at its highest point, 250’ (76.2 m) wide, and 250’ (76.2 m) deep, has 4000 M.D.C., and regenerates at a rate of 80 M.D.C. per minute.
A unique ability of the Zerg is their ability to infest other creatures. Infestation allows a Cerebrate or the Overmind to integrate new DNA into the Zerg Swarm and bring creatures under its control. Infestation requires that a creature be brought onto the Creep for a period of time. During this time, the Creep will grow and completely cover the creature.
The process of infestation can be very time consuming or very short depending on the type of infestation required. Assimilating DNA is very quick and a creature can be assimilated after only four hours and an expenditure of 100 PPE. Since the Overmind wants to have a complete knowledge of a species to see if there is any merit in incorporating it into the Zerg Swarm either as an independent strain or to incorporate only certain abilities, it wishes to assimilate many creatures in this manner, not just one. This is the reason why the Zerg will usually hunt a species into extinction before they incorporate changes into the swarm. To infest a single creature will require 1 day and 50 PPE for each point of ME the creature possesses. The resulting creature will be completely loyal to the Overmind but still remain identical in every manner. This process was used to infest the Terran Duran and the Dark Templar Matriarch Razagal.
Sarah Kerrigan was a special experiment by the Overmind. He saw in her great psionic powers, more powerful than any other living Human. Wanting to see how that power could be used, the Overmind created a special Human / Zerg hybrid. The resulting creature was powerful, intelligent, and deadly. Kerrigan served the Overmind loyally until its death, at which point Kerrigan sought to rule the Zerg and eventually achieved her goal. The Overmind believed that Kerrigan is an example of what would happen to Zerg after they assimilated the Protoss.