Borers no longer exist
As of 28-06-17, Cortical Borers have been removed from the /tg/codebase #28851 This page is archived for historical purposes.
Cortical Borers are small worms that crawl in your brain and take control to reproduce. While it may seem bad at first, there are some upsides and reasons to keep that worm in your brain. If you don't want a worm injecting 45u of meth when you least expect it, there are ways to kick them out too!
Remember, borers are like abductors. There are reasons to kill hosts, but make sure you have a good reason to do so.
Getting a Host
Outside of the host, Borers are very weak. Your only ability is hivemind communication with other borers and a stun ability that can temporarily incapacitate your soon-to-be host.
Ambush tactics work best for acquiring a new host. Hide under a table and wait for an unsuspecting victim to pause in front of it and stun them, then crawl right in. It's worth noting that your stun only works on the tile in front of whatever direction you're facing, and it has a long cooldown. The host will also get a notice when you start crawling in.
Delicious Brain Juice!
So, you're in a brain now and you're (technically) not a useless worm anymore! You can now access most of your abilities! As long as you're in a host, you generate chemicals over time. You have a maximum of 250, and you use chemicals to cast abilities.
Your objective is to reproduce: Borers need 10 infected hosts on the escape shuttle to win. Being selective with your targets is crucial. Should you infect the e-sword wielding maniac, or the humble janitor just trying to stay alive? Why not both!? Wriggle your way into that traitor and pull the plug on them, then give our friendly janitor a speed boost so they, and you, make it onto the shuttle.
Abilities
| Name | Host Requirements | Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralyze Victim | No Host Only | 150 seconds | Sending a psychic lance straight to an unsuspecting victim, this stuns the host long enough for you to crawl in! Use sparingly, the lance has a long cooldown. When being chased, the lance can also be used to stun someone trying to kill you, though keep in mind you have to be looking at the victim, and the victim needs to be right next to you. good luck! |
| Hide | No Host Only | No Cost | Allows you to hide under tables, pipes and (be careful with this one) lockers. A borer's fav |
| Infest | No Host Only | No Cost | Allows you to bury yourself into a host! Use with psychic lance for maximum effect. |
| Release Host | Host required | No Cost | Starts to leave the host |
| Converse with Host/Trapped mind | Host required | No Cost | Talks to the host. Nobody can intercept this. Only the host. |
| Secrete Chemicals | Host required | Chemical Cost Varies | Injects different kinda of chemicals into the host, from meth to bicardine. |
| Punish | Host required | 75 Chemicals | Allows you to blind, deafen, or stun the host. Keep an eye on the cost, it's not cheap. |
| Assume Control | Host required | No Cost | Allows you to assume direct control of your host. This has a long delay, increased if the host has brain damage, and isn't possible at all if the host has mindshield implant. The host will then become trapped in his own mind, but he can resist and take back his body in about 40 seconds, after which he'll probably beeline for sugar and a surgeon. |
| Jumpstart Host | Dead Host required | 250 chemicals | Revives the host. It also fully heals the host! Removes any and all stuns, too. It requires all of your chemicals, though, so prepare to save up for this one if need be. |
| Reproduce | Host required | 200 | Spawns a new Cortical Borer from the host. You must be controlling the host for you to be able to reproduce! |
Chemicals
| Chem | Cost | Quantity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epinephrine | 30 | 10 | Prevents oxygen damage, and heals the host if he's in critical status. |
| Leporazine | 75 | 10 | Quickly stabilizes the host's temperature, preventing damage from fire or space. |
| Mannitol | 30 | 10 | Heals the host's brain damage. |
| Bicaridine | 30 | 10 | Heals the host's brute damage. |
| Kelotane | 30 | 10 | Heals the host's burn damage. |
| Charcoal | 30 | 10 | Heals the host's toxin damage, and purges other chemicals in his bloodstream. |
| Salbutamol | 30 | 10 | Heals the host's oxygen damage; the host won't need internals while he has this chem. |
| Methamphetamine | 50 | 9 | Reduces stuns and increases movement speed of the host, but causes addiction when giving more than 10, and overdose when giving more than 20. |
| Space Drugs | 75 | 10 | Causes drugginess in the host, and makes him step randomly every once in a while. |
| Ethanol | 50 | 10 | Gets the host very drunk. |
| Rezadone | 30 | 10 | Instantly heals the host's cellular damage. |
Worm away
So you just saw a botanist vomiting up slugs, and they just crawled into the vents. What can you do to stop them from brain controlling the whole station? Or did you just get a chill, and now something is talking to you and trying to take control? Here's how to stop those slugs!
Sugar
Sugar dulls the Borer, and renders it unable to use any abilities. If the Borer doesn't like you, or needs to do something, it will start to take full control. You'll need to act fast before it figures out what you're doing. The quickest way to get sugar in your system is snacks. The sugar in your bloodstream should last long enough to get to chemistry, where you can make more sugar. From there, it's a simple surgical procedure to get that sucker outta your head!
Finding a Borer
Get a MedHud! This will show who does and who does not have a borer in them. You could shoot them with a syringe gun full of sugar and morphine, then while they sleep, remove the Borer. Morphine only needed if they don't want to lose their slug friends.
Remember, too, that the slugs can be in anyone, even the head of security.
Super Strats
Borers can't stop you from eating sugar if they don't know you even have sugar on you! Try to hide it. Make a ketchup packet with sugar in it. Add sugar to the chef's burgers. Fill a dental implant with sugar in it. Those slugs won't know what hit them.
