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Modron, Quadrone

Quadrones are the modron equivalent of field officers and skilled laborers. As troop leaders, they are the main point of contact in negotiations with other races, and because of their relatively high intelligence, rogue quadrones are more likely to escape Regulus than rogues of lower castes. As a result, other races deal with quadrones far more often than with other castes, and quadrones are seen by many outsiders as the archetypal modrons.

Quadrones are unflinchingly organized and capable of a high degree of planning and strategy. They prefer to begin combat with ranged attacks and close for melee only when their opponents come to them. They are well aware of lower castes' capabilities and order them to attack according to their strengths, and as the negotiators of the modron race, they are also usually knowledgeable of enemy races' weaknesses. They are ruthless and coldly unemotional in battle.

There are always exactly one-million five-hundred-thousand quadrones in existence at a time. A quadrone resembles a metallic cube with two spindly legs, four arms, and two fleshy faces at the front and back. Exactly one-fourth of all quadrones possess fan-like wings instead of a second pair of arms and act as scouts and aerial assailants.

#type outsider #subtype extraplanar #subtype lawful #subtype modron #cr 5

Modron, Tridrone

Tridrones are low-level supervisors capable of limited resource management and decision making. Their spiderlike climbing ability and all-around vision, as well as their ability to report actions and observations, make them excellent scouts and guards. In the modron armies, tridrones are the equivalent of non-comissioned officers, supervising small companies of duodrones that in turn control a detachment of monodrones.

Tridrones are strange creatures of flesh and metal that resemble upside-down three-sided pyramids with a single eye, mouth, and arm on three of its four sides. Six spindly clockwork legs radiate from the bottom of its body. They are the lowest-ranking modrons capable of speaking the Common tongue, but they are rarely very talkative. There are precisely six million tridrones in creation at a given time.

In combat, tridrones are highly mobile, darting rapidly from one opponent to the next. Because they are used to working alone as scouts or border guards, tridrones are more likely to split up and fight as individuals than lower-ranking modrons. They take advantage of the terrain, preferring to climb walls to throw their javelins then drop down on their opponents.

#type outsider #subtype extraplanar #subtype lawful #subtype modron #cr 4

Modron, Duodrone

Duodrones supervise monodrones and perform labor that requires moderate decision-making ability. Duodrones possess only dim intelligence by human standards, but they are capable of performing slightly more complex tasks than monodrones and employ limited strategy in work and combat.

Duodrones appear as a pair of small, flat rectangular flesh-and-metal boxes stacked on top of each other with spindly arms and legs. There are exactly fifty-five million duodrones in existence at any time.

Though not much taller than a gnome, duodrones are surprisingly strong for their size. They are used as heavy labor or shock troops. In combat, duodrones coordinate their attacks with each other, but are more likely than monodrones to split up to weaken individual opponents. They typically use their surge of strength in the first round of combat in an attempt to appear stronger than they actually are, hoping to scare off opponents without incurring heavy losses.

#type outsider #subtype extraplanar #subtype lawful #subtype modron #cr 3

Modron, Monodrone

Monodrones are the lowliest and most basic of all modrons, the caste from which all others advance. At any given time, there are exactly three-hundred million monodrones in existence; they outnumber all other modrons combined.

Appearing as a metal ball with a single eye and spindly arms and legs, monodrones are capable of performing only a single task at a time, which they perform without question until ordered to stop. When ordered to fight, they focus on a single enemy until it is defeated, then move on to the next, eventually fighting each other if not ordered to desist. If ordered to guard, they stand watch without moving or blinking. If ordered to build, they continue building higher and higher without stopping.

Monodrones are the rank and file of the modron armies, swarming over opponents without mercy. The vast majority of monodrones serve as general labor, however, performing construction, repairs, transportation, and other menial tasks without complaint.

MONODRONE CR: 2 XP: 600 LN Small outsider (extraplanar, lawful, modron) Init: 2; Senses: Low-light vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8 __________________________________ AC: 15, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 natural, +1 dodge) hp: 22 (3 HD) Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +3 Immune: Constructed; Resist: Acid 10, cold 10, fire 10 Weakness: Single task __________________________________ Speed: 20 ft. Melee: Spear +4 (1d6/19-20) Ranged: Light crossbow +5 (1d6/19-20) Special Attacks: Focused strike Combat Gear: 20 crossbow bolts __________________________________ Str 10, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 7 Base Atk: +3; CMB: +2; CMD: 14 Feats: Dodge, Skill Focus (Craft) Skills: Craft (any one) +6, Perception +8, Survival +6; Racial Modifiers: +2 Perception Languages: Modron SQ: Coordinated ally, fixed initiative __________________________________ Environment: Any (Regulus) Organization: Squad (12 plus 1 duodrone), patrol (13-48 plus 1 duodrone per 12 monodrones), platoon (49-84 plus 1 duodrone per 12 monodrones), battalion (85-120 plus 1 duodrone per 12 monodrones and 1 tridrone), or company (121-144 plus 1 duodrone per 12 monodrone and 3 tridrones) Treasure: None __________________________________ Fixed Initiative (Ex): A monodrone never rolls initiative. Its initiative is always equal to half its Hit Dice plus its Dexterity (2 for a typical monodrone). Focused Strike (Ex): Once per day, a monodrone can take an additional standard action in a round. This action must be identical to the one it just performed. For example, a monodrone could make two melee attacks against the same target. It could not, however, move, make an attack, and then move again (as the moves do not immediately follow one another). Single Task (Ex): Monodrones are only able to focus on a single task at a time. This tightened focus in combat translates to only being able to engage a single opponent in combat. Once it attacks a creature, the monodrone continues fighting the same creature until destroyed, its opponent is defeated, or it is ordered to attack another target. A monodrone cannot attack any other creatures except for its target, even if they provoke attacks of opportunity. MESSENGER MONODRONE Exactly one-third of all monodrones (one million, to be precise) have no arms, and instead possess fan-like wings that allow them to fly. These flying monodrones act as messengers.

#type outsider #subtype extraplanar #subtype lawful #subtype modron #familiars #cr 2

Modron, Exiled

On rare occasions, a modron that has gone rogue recognizes its newfound individuality before it can cause disorder in the ranks. To spare themselves the inevitability of being hunted down and destroyed, such rogues can willingly submit to detention and, through the complex bureaucracy of Regulus, petition to be cut loose from the modron hive mind as an exile. Of those who petition, only a select few are granted their request; the rest are destroyed.

Exiled modrons usually begin as quadrones or higher, since tridrones and lower castes are rarely intelligent enough to understand what is happening to them. Regardless of their original form, however, the modron is physically transformed in a ritual within the Modron Cathedral that severs their connection to Primus and the Energy Pool (a new monodrone then emerges to take its place). Regardless of their original rank, base or hierarch, the new exile always has the same form: a boxy winged creature almost identical to a common quadrone, but free from the biological need to belong to their racial collective.

Sages debate as to why some modrons are exiled. The most common theory is that it is simply an act of housecleaning, but certain lorekeepers of the Fraternity of Order believe that Primus himself retains a mental link to the exiles and chooses to let them go to explore the planes free from the rigidity of the modron hierarchy.

Exiled modrons lose almost all memory of their previous life, and other modrons view them as they do any other outsider, as neither a friend nor a foe. Many develop highly eccentric personalities as they begin to mix with other races, but they retain a natural tendency toward lawful alignments. They are far more flexible than other modrons and capable of learning new tricks and solutions to problems, but still have trouble comprehending abstract concepts like art, passion, or honor. All exiled modrons are exactly 5.5 feet in height and 400 pounds in weight and begin their new lives looking exactly the same, but many modify their bodies with paint, piercings, or eclectic clothing.

EXILED MODRON CR: 1/2 XP: 200 Exiled modron cavalier 1 LN Medium outsider (extraplanar, modron) Init: +5; Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7 __________________________________ AC: 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +1 Dex, +2 natural) hp: 14 (1 HD) Fort +5 (+7 vs. disease, exhaustion, fatigue, poison), Ref +1, Will +3 (+5 vs. mind-affecting) Defensive Abilities: Half-construct; Resist: Acid 5, cold 5, fire 5 Weakness: Surprise vulnerability __________________________________ Speed: 30 ft. Melee: Ranseur +3 (2d4+3/x3) or cold iron dagger (1d4+2/19-20) Ranged: Heavy crossbow +2 (1d10/19-20) Space: 5 ft.; Reach: 5 ft. (10 ft. with ranseur) Special Attacks: Challenge (1/day) Combat Gear: 20 crossbow bolts, potion of cure light wounds, alchemist's fire, 2 flasks of oil, healer's kit (2 uses remaining) __________________________________ Str 15, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8 Base Atk: +1; CMB: +3 (+5 to disarm with ranseur); CMD: 14 Feats: Coordinated DefenseB, Improved Initiative Skills: Climb +6, Perception +7, Ride +5, Sense Motive +5; Racial Modifiers: +2 Perception; -2 Charisma-based checks vs. chaotic creatures Languages: Common, Modron SQ: Cavalier order (order of the dragon), half-construct, mount, tactician (1/day) __________________________________ Environment: Any (Regulus) Organization: Solitary Treasure: NPC gear (breastplate [nonhumanoid fit], 2 tindertwigs, whetstone) __________________________________ Half-Construct (Ex): Exiled modrons gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and effects that cause exhaustion or fatigue. Exiled modrons cannot be raised or resurected. Exiled modrons do not breathe, eat, or sleep, unless they want to gain some beneficial effect from one of these abilities. This means that an exiled modron can drink potions to benefit from their effects and sleep in order to regain spells, but neither of these activities is required for the modron to stay in good health. For the purposes of effects targeting creatures by type (such as a ranger’s favored enemy and bane weapons), exiled modrons count as both outsiders and constructs. Surprise Vulnerability (Ex): Due to their conflict of free will and their innate sense of order, exiled modrons have a difficult time reacting to surprise. As such, they are considered flat-footed until the second turn in combat they did not initiate. They are still able to act on their first turn, but remain flat-footed. EXILED MODRON (14 RP) +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma (0 RP) Outsider (3 RP): Exiled modrons are outsiders with the modron subtype, though they do not gain any of the subtype's traits. They have the extraplanar subtype except when on their home plane of Regulus. Unlike other modrons, they do not have the lawful subtype. Medium (0 RP): Exiled modrons are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size. Normal Speed (0 RP): Exiled modrons have a base speed of 30 feet. They possess vestigial wings, but lack any flight ability. Darkvision (0 RP): Exiled modrons can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Half-Construct (7 RP): See above. Alien Mind (0 RP): Exiled modrons retain some of their race's inhuman mindset. They gain a +2 racial bonus on all Will saving throws, but take a -2 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks made against chaotic creatures. Energy Resistance (3 RP): Exiled modrons have resistance to acid 5, cold 5, and fire 5. Keen Senses (2 RP): Exiled modrons gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks. Natural Armor (3 RP): Exiled modrons gain a +2 natural armor bonus to their Armor Class. Nonhumanoid (-1 RP): Exiled modrons cannot wear standard armor or clothing, including robes, vests, and shirts. Such items have to be custom made to fit (+50% gp price). Surprise Vulnerability (-2 RP): See above. Languages (0 RP): Exiled modrons begin play speaking Common and Modron. Exiled modrons with high Intelligence scores can choose from among the following bonus languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Gnome, and Infernal.

#type outsider #subtype extraplanar #subtype modron #races #cr 1/2

Modron

Art by Julie Dillon.

Alien, dispassionate, inscrutable: such are the modrons, embodiments of order and law. These bizarre half-metal creatures exist for one purpose: to study and catalog the whole of existence, forcing chaos into order to fit their worldview. Hailing from the clockwork demiplane of Regulus, the modrons have no concept of the individual, each modron but a single cog in a great machine.

The modrons are strictly divided into fourteen castes that determine their form, function, and abilities. Each caste has a distinct appearance, and each member of a given caste is indistinguishable from all others. The five lowermost castes, the "base" modrons, are the workers, soldiers, guards, and police of their race, performing all menial tasks that keep Regulus running. The nine higher castes, the "hierarch" modrons, are the overseers, governors, inspectors, and judges, tasked with keeping Regulus running like a well-oiled machine.

At the pinnacle of the modron caste system is Primus, the One and the Prime, the sole individual mind in the modron collective; this godlike being is the modron race; all other modrons are as cells in Primus's vast, discorporate body.

Modrons do not reproduce as mortal beings do. There is a fixed number of modrons of each caste; when a modron of a given caste dies, its body crumbles to nothing, and a modron of the next lowest rank is instantly transformed into a member of the dead modron's caste. Another modron from the next rank below that is "promoted" to fill the gap, and so on down the pyramid until a new monodrone emerges from the energy pool at the heart of Regulus. The promoted modrons lose all memory of their previous existence, immediately knowing their new function in modron society.

Each modron is cognizant only of modrons of the rank directly above them and those below them. For instance, a tridrone recognizes only the lower duodrones and monodrones and the higher quadrones, and the existence of Primus is known only to the four secundi. They can acknowledge the presence of higher modrons, but cannot conceive of such inscrutable beings as members of their race. This presents no challenge to the flow of orders or information, however, as modrons follow the directives of their superiors without question, so orders descend from the highest to the lowest castes as easily as water trickling down steps.

THE GREAT MODRON MARCH Every seventeen years (the amount of time it takes for the largest gear in Regulus to make a full rotation), millions of modrons boil forth from Regulus in a vast river of flesh and metal known as the Great Modron March. The march begins with a spiral route around Axis before embarking on a tour of every plane of existence, from the Outer Sphere, through the Astral, to the Elemental Planes, the Material Plane and its mirrors, the Shadow and Ethereal Planes, before finally returning the way it came back to Regulus. The purpose of the Great Modron March is not entirely clear, but it appears to be a knowledge-gathering mission to observe each of the planes in their turn. The modrons leave a swath of destruction in their wake as they mindlessly stomp out chaos and try to force the local landcape into perfect ordered systems. Countless modrons die on the march, their essences returning to Regulus to form fresh monodrones. The Great Modron March is both a threat and a spectacle, viewed by inhabitants of the planes as half invasion, half parade. ROGUE AND EXILED MODRONS Every so often, orders are misinterpreted, contradictory orders reach a single modron from two different chains of command, or a modron simply becomes aware of its own individuality. Such modrons become rogues, and most go mad and rampage. Rogue modrons are ruthlessly hunted down and destroyed, but a few escape to other planes and wreak havoc. Most rogue modrons are base modrons, and pose little threat to the order of Regulus, but on very rare occasions a hierarch goes rogue. When this happens, it can spread its dissenting voice among all lesser modrons under its command, spreading chaos like a disease until it is put down by its former superiors. Some rogue modrons become aware of their newfound individuality early on, however, and systems are in place that allow them to petition peacefully for exile from the modron collective. Exiled modrons are physically transformed and cut loose from Regulus, free to explore the planes on their own initiative. MODRON TRAITS Modrons are a race of lawful neutral outsiders that hail from the clockwork demiplane of Regulus. A modron possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).