Readers of the site know that I’ve been working on bringing the many different starship designs from Star Trek Online to Star Trek Adventures. Takeshi Yamato has been helping a lot with the last few posts and he’s carving out his own corner of the Star Trek Online galaxy to develop new spaceframes. But this time, it’s Klingons!
Takeshi is a pretty rapid writer and he’s got a lot of spaceframes already written. When possible, he’s been using this file from my Klingon Campaign Options post for basic Spaceframe Stats. We’re going to be debuting them here on Continuing Mission on Saturdays (at least until we run out) so give some love here if you want to affect the development of the Imperial Fleet!
Without further ado, I hand you over to Commander Yamato…
25th Century Klingon Rules
As with Federation ships in the 25th century, some updates need to happen to get to STO‘s default era. The following rules apply to Klingon Starships made after 2400, as they work to keep pace with Federation technology.
Systems and Departments
As usual, Departments give up to +3 total to the Mission Profile, but spread out across the various Departments. No more than +2 to any one Department. As with Starfleet, more robust systems allow for System values to go up to 13, and said ships have at least 62 points to work with.
Quantum Torpedoes and Advanced Torpedoes
While the Klingons didn’t develop Quantum Torpedoes, they do know their value, and sometime before 2400 were able to acquire schematics for the weapons. As such, 25th-century Klingon Spaceframes have Quantum Torpedoes as standard equipment, just like their Starfleet Counterparts. However, the Klingons are not ones to just steal weapons technology from their neighbors – instead, they take it, and then improve upon it. As such, Klingon weapons engineers have designed improved torpedo types, which use the same Advanced Torpedo Talent as 25th Century Starfleet ships. The listing of Klingon 25th Century torpedoes are below:
| Torpedo Type | Range | Damage | Qualities |
| ‘Otlha (Quantum) | L | 4CD Vicious 1 | High Yield |
| Li’chod (Plasma) | L | 3CD Persistent 3 | |
| Hargh’peng (Radiation) | L | 4CD Persistent 3, Piercing 2 | Calibration |
| Morat Ro’ (Adv. Quantum) | L | 4CD Vicious 2 | Calibration, Devastating, High Yield |
| NuH’im (Verteon) | L | 4CD Piercing 2 | Calibration, High Yield |
These torpedoes can be added in the Tactical Operations Mission Profile or the Harassment and Raiding profile found in Mephit James’s document.
Cloaking Devices
All Klingon ships as of the latter half of the 24th Century and beyond carry cloaking devices. These are not as advanced as their Romulan counterparts, but this doesn’t make them any less potent and in fact by the 25th century Klingon cloaking technology has advanced along different lines to that of the Romulans. Research on the device used by General Chang during the Khitomer Incident has continued which allows cloaked ships to fire photon torpedoes without losing their cloak. The device is currently only in limited production and standard for a single prototype spaceframe, but it is an active area of research for the Klingons and a source of much anxiety for Starfleet analysts.
Advanced Klingon Cloaking Device
Restrictions: Raider Spaceframe, 2400 or Later
This cloaking device is an experimental design, the culmination of research by Klingon engineers which has been underway since the late 23rd century. This advanced cloaking device functions like most regular cloaking devices, but it enables the use of torpedo launchers while cloaked. Torpedoes are the only weapon that can be fired while this device is active, but doing so has a cost of Escalation 2 in addition to any other cost. While it is clearly a more powerful cloaking technology, this device is only standard-issue on the Kor-class Bird-of-Prey (found below) that was specifically built to use it. However any Klingon vessels with the Raider Spaceframe Trait can be retrofitted with one through the use of Milestones. If a ship which has the Cloaking Device Talent and later gains the Advanced Klingon Cloaking Device Talent, this Talent will replace the previous one.
Raider Spaceframes
While the backbone of the Klingon Empire is their mighty Battlecruisers, the deadly point of the fleet is made of agile and deadly raiding craft. Also called birds-of-prey, these small and powerful craft can cruise for months under cloak, drop their cloaks and deliver devastating attacks to unsuspecting targets, then ripple back into cloak again. All birds-of-prey possess the Raider Spaceframe Trait which means, among other things, that they can be equipped with the Advanced Klingon Cloaking Device in the 25th Century. The constraints of packing so much firepower into so compact a spaceframe, though, limits other design elements and engineers have few degrees of freedom when developing a new raider spaceframe. In game terms, all raider spaceframes have the following spread of Department modifiers: Conn +1, Security +1, and Engineering +1. Other modifiers (including Mission Profile) will adjust these modifiers normally and many birds-of-prey that have been in service for a long time are modified beyond belief… of course long service without being destroyed is a rarity for raider vessels. More commonly, it’s in variant designs that you see deviations.
B’rel-class Variants
The B’rel-class bird-of-prey is the second Klingon ship to grace the silver screen (first seen commanded by Commander Kruge in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) and one of the most iconic starships in the Empire. In Star Trek Online, it is your starter ship and it remains the basic Klingon vessel in many cases. It has been part of Star Trek Adventures from the beginning with an NPC stat block in the core rulebook and it’s also one of the ships statted in our Klingon Campaign Options post and has a decent statblock. With the changes found here, of course, it needs to have the Raider Spaceframe Trait but there are also three different variants to pick from.
The Koloth-class bird-of-prey’s design strikes me more as being a scout bird: a ship that goes beyond the borders of the Empire to seek out new resources and such. As such, when making a Koloth, start with the B’rel-class stats and remove the +1 from Security to give to Science instead. We’ll give the Koloth class a 2382 launch date, so we have 11 refits. Weapons aren’t quite as important for a scout bird so only a +1 there, and the same for Structure as birds-of-prey are still rather fragile and have a focus on agility and stealth. Sensors gets +3 to represent advanced scanning technology and the other Systems get +2. For Talents, replace Improved Reaction Control System with High Resolution Sensors so that the Koloth class can gather as much data as possible on its various runs. Now, Improved Reaction Control System would still be very handy for a ship like this, so the last thing I’ll say here is a strong recommendation to give all Koloth-class vessels the Pathfinder and Reconnaissance Operations Mission Profile with Improved Reaction Control System as your Profile Talent.
Koloth-class Variant 
Kor-class Variant 
B’Rolth-class Variant 
B’rel-class Bird-of-Prey
The B’Rolth-class bird-of-prey was originally a carrier pet in Star Trek Online before it became a C-Store T1 ship. That happened around the time of the Klingon Faction revamp, giving them a proper tutorial. The original pet was basically an upgrade to the B’rel Carrier Pets that were also available, so this thing is clearly meant for a support role: a garrison boat for starbases or a large support frigate for carriers. That said, the skin of the B’Rolth-class has a shiny reflectiveness that I associate with certain Klingon 25th century designs. To start out with, let’s give the B’Rolth class a launch date of 2400 which gives us 14 refits for it since we’re advancing the B’rel class more than a century. General improvements in technologies across the board give us +2 to all Systems, with an additional +1 for Comms (garrison/support ships require the ability to coordinate with parent facilities) and +1 to Structure (extra durability beyond that of most raider craft). For Departments, bring Conn down to 0 and raise Engineering to +2 to present a greater focus on survivability. Apply the standard 25th Century Rules (found above), which mostly modifies the attack list, and remove Improved Reaction Control System from the default Talents to give the B’Rolth class Rugged Design instead. This thing is meant to take a pounding and come back for more, even as it provides support fire for its parent facility.
The Kor-class variant is the pinnacle of the B’rel class design series and it is another advanced 25th-Century design with reflective metallic skin and black trim, intricate infrastructure, and an abundance of glowy red bits across the hull and on the cannons. A Entered Service date of 2410 gives us 15(!) refits to work with when designing the Kor-class variant. The Kor spaceframe’s development team focused on fitting every last scrap of firepower they could into the spaceframe as well as fitting it with the most advanced drive systems and cloaking device available. Represent this by giving a +5(!!) to both Engines and Weapons and +2 to Sensors, representing the standard upgrades there. However, Comms, Computers, and Structure only gain +1 each to represent less of a focus there in favor of making this thing the pinnacle of light raiding craft. Take the +1 from Engineering and raise Security to +2 to represent its greater offensive focus and the cloak. Applying the rules for 25th century ships (found above), which changes the photon torpedoes to quantum torpedoes, and for Talents the big change is the Cloaking Device. In Star Trek Online, the Kor starship has an Enhanced Battle Cloak (the Chang cloak) and we represent that by swapping the regular Cloaking Device Talent for an Advanced Klingon Cloaking Device Talent. Lastly, the Kor is ideal for either the Tactical Operations or Harassment and Raiding mission profiles. Personally, I would use the Harassment and Raiding Profile, using the Rapid-Fire Torpedo Launcher Talent to represent the unique console the Kor has in STO or possibly Advanced Torpedoes. But that’s just me.
QulDun-class Bird-of-Prey 
Qaw’Dun-class Variant
QulDun and Qaw’Dun
The free second tier bird-of-prey in Star Trek Online, the QulDun class maintains the classic bird-of-prey look and yet at the same time adds some very distinctive elements. As this isn’t a variant of the B’rel class in the game, we’re going to have to stat this one from scratch. Check the link below for the full write-up.
The QulDun class only has one variant, the Qaw’Dun-class bird-of-prey. Also called the M’Char-class, it is a much different beast than the QulDun class in appearance with the unique wing design, mission pod, and cockpit. It also possesses the metallic reflective exterior, dark green paint, black trim, and red glowy bits that seem to define 25th century birds-of-prey. We will still treat this as a variant of the QulDun for mechanical purposes, though, and start we’ll give this a launch date of 2402 and apply the 25th century rules described above. This gives us 9 refits to work with starting with the QulDun-class stats. Put +1 into everything, representing general improvements, then an extra +1 into Weapons, Engines, and Computers. For Departments, take the +1 from Conn and give it to Weapons, representing a bigger boom. For Talents, swap out the Secondary Reactors for Fast Targeting Systems: the Qaw’Dun class will have advanced target-tracking systems, thanks to the help of the Klingons’ new allies and subjects in the Orions and Gorn.
This is very well done, please continue with all of the Klingon ships (and maybe the Rommies too? )
Working on it. I’ve gotten all the BoPs and most of the Raptors and Battlecruisers done, I just need to get a few more T6 ships on both categories done, as well as some of the Destroyers. Only ones I’m not doing yet are Carriers, Miracle Worker Cruisers, and Temporal ships, as those are waiting for Mephit to do the Fed versions of them.
Also, this particular set of the project is ONLY doing ‘official’ Klingon ships – no Gorn, no Orion, no Nausicaan, no Ferasan, no Lethean, no JJTrek Klingons, and no STD Kling’hai ships.
Thank You