ROUND TWO!!
Agnes - Artificer: Alchemist
“Masters of invention, artificers use ingenuity and magic to unlock extraordinary capabilities in objects. They see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and then harnessed in their spells and inventions."
- Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
As an expert in synthetic life Agnes is an Artificer. The Alchemist subclass provides Chemical Mastery which gives her resistance to acid and poison damage, a trait we see in action when she survives (just) a full hypospray of whatever neutralised the Romulan tracker in her blood. Alchemist also gives her the ability to cast Greater Restoration and Heal, very useful for when you have to bring a certain French guy back from the dead. Other Artificer features like The Right Tool for the Job and Flash of Genius really feel like Agnes using the field replicator to pull off the hundreds of ships ruse at the end of S1.
Her background is Sage, which gives her the Researcher feature as well as “a letter from a dead colleague posing a question you have not yet been able to answer”, which I’ll take as Maddox’s Synth research. Agnes gets a 1 level dip into Rogue for Sneak Attack (bye-bye Maddox) as well as expertise in Persuasion and Stealth (“I have a gift!”).
Hugh - Paladin: Oath of Redemption
Hugh is so much of a Paladin in HURTS. But first we have to dish out some xB pain.
All xBs have 1 level of Warlock to account for The Horrors, and since there are no Borg on the list of Patrons, The Undead will have to do. Besides, it fits pretty well:
“You've made a pact with a deathless being, a creature that defies the cycle and life and death, forsaking its mortal shell so it might eternally pursue its unfathomable ambitions."
- Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
As a 1st level Warlock Hugh receives Form of Dread, which gives some temporary hit points, as well as once per turn a creature might become frightened due to some physical manifestation of his Patron - in this case Hugh’s implants are a sign of his ‘pact’ with the Collective, and it freaks people out. Meanwhile he’s immune to the frightened condition - he’s seen too much for that. 1 level of Warlock also lets him cast Infestation, which serves as a stand-in for his nanoprobes.
That’s his xB side out of the way - now on to his life as the Director of the Borg Reclamation Project, as an Oath of Redemption Paladin:
“Paladins who dedicate themselves to this oath believe that any person can be redeemed and that the path of benevolence and justice is one that anyone can walk."
- Xanathar's Guide to Everything
As a Paladin Hugh can use Aura of Protection to give his allies a bonus to saving throws, and Aura of Courage that means friendly creatures 10ft around him are immune to the frightened effect (because the xB’s in his care, love and trust him so so much. HELP).
The tenets of Oath of Redemption are: peace, innocence, patience, and wisdom. For Oath of Redemption Paladins violence is a weapon of last resort, they understand that change takes time, and are working to heal the wounds of a deeply flawed world. Starting at 7th level, he gets Aura of the Guardian and can shield his allies from harm, at the cost of his own health.
His background is Ruined (I’m not crying you’re crying) which comes with the Still Standing feature:
“You have weathered ruinous misfortune, and you possess hidden reserves others don’t expect. You gain the Alert, Skilled, or Tough feat (your choice). Your choice of feat reflects how you’ve dealt with the terrible loss that changed your life forever. If you’ve kept your senses sharp for every opportunity and climbed your way out of misery by seizing the tiniest scrap of hope, choose Alert. If you’ve redoubled your efforts to reclaim what was once yours, choose Skilled. If you’ve stoically persevered through your misfortune, select Tough.”
- The Book of Many Things
Any of those traits are enough to give me feels for a month, so I think it’s dealer's choice which one he ends up with, since you could make a case for all of them.
Equipment wise, Warlock comes with two daggers, though one of which Hugh unwisely seems to have in his neck…
Seven - (FENRIS! lol) Ranger: Swarmkeeper
Seven as a character feels like a messy multiclass- she was human, then Borg, then Voyager’s freshly tamed ex-Borg, mellowing to xB, then branching out as a Fenris Ranger, an expert pilot and finally a member of La Sirena.
She has the same 1 level of Warlock as Hugh, giving her Form of Dread and Infestation for those xB heebiejeebies she gives the normies. After this, but while still on Voyager, she takes 2 levels of Cleric (hear me out!). Divine Spark allows her return hit points to a creature, which is putting it lightly since she brings Neelix back from the dead with her nanoprobes. She also gets Turn Undead, which lets her walk around a Borg cube without getting reassimilated. Seven doesn’t stick with that class long enough to get any more features though and instead multiclasses again to Ranger:
“Rangers learn to track their quarry as a predator does”
- PHB
Outside of the irresistible Fenris Ranger connection, life as a (5e) Ranger suits Seven perfectly. Starting equipment comes with Studded Leather Armor, which takes the form of that excellent jacket! Rangers have a Favoured Enemy, which is Seven’s case would be Bjayzl (or xB hunters in general). For fighting style she ops for Two-Weapon Fighting since we see her duel-wield those phaser rifles so impressively. Seven also benefits from the features of Tireless, Relentless Hunter, and Feral Senses - buffs that all feel very *her*. At 3rd level she takes the Swarmkeeper subclass, as she (temporarily) becomes a Borg Queen on board the Artefact:
“The swarm becomes a potent force in battle, as well as helpful—if potentially disturbing—company for the ranger.”
- Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
Seven’s background is Faceless, since in her mind:
“Being who you are, you could never be a hero. Whether due to your class, your people, your family, or your sins, something about you prevents you from effectively pursuing the path you've chosen. Even so, that doesn't stop you. You've left your old face behind, taking on a new persona, becoming something more. // Characters with the faceless background don a disguise—literally or otherwise—as they adventure.”
- Baldur's Gate - Descent into Avernus
Seven can’t hide her implants, but she's sure doing a lot more masking than in her Voyager days. This background has a tragic vibe to it that makes me want to chew furniture, which is always a good sign in D&D prep.
Narek & Narissa - Paladin: Oath of the Watchers
“Paladins who follow the Watchers' oath are ever vigilant in spotting the influence of extraplanar forces, often establishing a network of spies and informants to gather information on suspected cults.”
-Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
I feel less invested in figuring out these two - but the Oath of the Watchers was too good a match not to mention!
Thanks for reading! And thanks @moonxshape @song-spero and @dragonroar87 for asking me about this and giving me a reason to actually post it :D
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