Modron

"To look at one modron is to look at all of them."

— Planar saying

Modron
Plane	Material Plane

At other wikis
Forgotten Realms	Modron
Planescape	Modron

The modron is a hierarchy of mechanical creatures appearing in Dungeons & Dragons.

Modron is pronounced "MO-dran". They are called modrontificus rigidilus by sages.

Description

Appearance

Modrons are mechanical creatures divided into fifteen sub-species of increasing rank and power. All modrons of a given rank appear identical and are practically impossible to tell apart, unless some particular effort is made to track or mark individuals (which they do not appear to mind). Although approximately humanoid in form, the low-ranking modrons take on regular geometric shapes, while the higher-ranking castes look increasingly strange and alien. A modron's body is partially constructed from metal plates, gears, and pulleys.

The monodrone is a small sphere-shaped mechanism with spindly arms and legs and a large central eye, occasionally armed with weapons. One twelth of modrons possess wings, and are sometimes called messenger monodrones. The duodrone is similar to the monodrone but blocky and rectangular. The tridrone is a taller three-sided pyramid with three eyes, mouths, and arms, one on each side, and three legs. The quadrone is cubic with eyes on all six sides, two legs, and four arms; some replace one pair of arms with a set of wings. The pentadrone is an unusual starfish-shaped creature, five-legged and with an eye on each of five sides.

These base modrons are ruled by several tiers of hierarch modrons, bizarre-looking creatures treated with almost godlike reverence by the base modrons. The decaton is a four-eyed ten-tentacled sphere on stumpy legs, with a single mouth at the very top. The nonaton is a large two-eyed two-mouthed nine-tentacled cylindrical creature with three stumpy legs. The octon is large and torpedo-shaped with two eyes and two mouths, eight tentacle arms, and an unusual collar that allows it propulsion through water. The septon is a much more typical humanoid form of humanlike height, with a propulsion collar and seven arms. The hexton is a large humanoid with two arms with six-fingered hands, four tentacled claws, and fanlike wings. The quinton is a large stocky four-armed humanoid with a prehensile tail (also with a hand) and fanlike wings and a diamond inscribed in its forehead. The quarton is a twelve foot tall humanoid with four arms and wings. The tertian is a twelve foot tall bald horned humanoid with two arms and a tail ending in a macelike ball. The secundus is a large, thin humanoid with a long face and deep-set eyes.

Finally, the ultimate ruler of the modrons is Primus, a unique being of deific power level. It takes the form of a massive humanoid, with its right hand glowing in rainbow light and its left in darkness. Primus can also take the form of an androgynous humanoid.

Some rogue modrons take a specific quadrone-like cubic form standing exactly six feet tall (or 5½ feet all, by some accounts), with two arms, two legs, a face on one side, and vestigial wings. Such modrons are strictly speaking exiled modrons, who avoid destruction for going rogue by petitioning via the modron bureaucracy, with the result that they are recalled by Primus and assigned this particular cubic form and disconnected from the modron Energy Pool. Modrones of tridrone and lower rank often lack the self-awareness to apply to exile until it is too late. Rogue modrons not exiled are hunted down and destroyed with prejudice.

Modrons are genderless, although some rogue modrons choose gendered pronouns.

Personality and alignment

Modrons are beings of unwavering logic and order. Each modron holds a rigidly fixed position in modron society and obeys the orders of its superiors without question. They lack a sense of individuality, referring to themselves as "we".

Modrons are unable to comprehend the nature of modrons more than one rank above themselves. A tridrone understands the duodrones and monodrones under its command, and the quadrones to whom it reports, but it is completely unable to understand that a pentadrone is a modron. Should the tridrone be promoted to a quadrone, the new-found knowledge that pentadrones belong to the modron species is world-shattering to them.

Low-ranking modrons are limited in their ability to take independent decisions. Monodrones are particularly single-minded and incapable of creative thinking; monodrones ordered to fight will do so to the exclusion of all else until ordered to stop, even fighting each other to fulfil the letter of the order. Tridrones are capable of limited planning, and quadrones and above are able to react to unexpected occurrences. Some modrons are easily distracted by asking them to calculate pi, or name the current time, since describing the time accurate to one second takes longer than one second, requiring the modron to continually start over.

Only a handful of modrons appear capable of individual thought or consider the possibility of disobeying their superior. Known as "rogue" modrons, they are swiftly dealt with to maintain order in modron society. A corollary of the modron's unwavering obedience is that a rogue modron still retains command of their non-rogue underlings, who are incapable of disobedience. However, rogue modrons are still highly logical predictable, and difficult for a non-modron to tell apart from a normal modron. They are highly curious and seek to understand the structure of the multiverse through an individual perspective. They do not believe in the concept of luck, but rather see the world as a complex deterministic system.

Alignment

All modrons, aside from rogue modrons, are lawful neutral in alignment. They are unable to comprehend the concepts of good and evil.

Abilities and traits

Modron senses vary by rank. Monodrones have inferior vision to humans, but with a short-range ability to see in the dark. Higher-ranking modrons have equal or greater senses than humans, with quadrones and pentadrones having notably superhuman capability in this field. Septons, officials who maintain order, notably have all five human senses plus ESP and the ability to detect magic.

Base modrons have limited ability to communicate. Monodrones can perfectly convey messages of up to 48 words, an ability used by the winged messenger modrons.

Modrons are unharmed by mind-affecting magic or life-draining effects. The hierarch modrons are effectively impossible to take by surprise, and are capable of magical abilities including teleportation and astral and ethereal travel.

Pentadrones have the ability to exhale a stream or paralysis gas which they can also aim downward to levitate for a period of time. Decatons have the cleric-like ability to turn undead and cure damage and disease of nearby modrons, and can float by generating lighter-than-air gas. Nonatons, the modron police captains and hunters of rogue modrons, can detect lies, cast webs, and produce a mirror image, among others. Octons have cleric-like abilities, can propel themselves through air or water with great maneuverability using a wide collar, can magically walk on water, and use telekinesis.

All modrons of Septon rank and above resist psionics. Septons with their smaller collar can move through water, and cast both divine and arcane magic at high level. Hextons can cast divine spells as high as 9th level. Quintons are capable of legend lore and detect magic at will as well as cast spells as a 20th level cleric. Quartons exceed even this level of power, and tertians are supreme masters of both divine and arcane magic. Each secundus has mastered both arcane and divine magic and has monk-like abilities, including the quivering palm.

Primus himself is of godlike ability, possessing powers including instant telepathic communication across his entire plane, the ability to banish visitors to Arcadia or Acheron with a touch of either hand, and the use of divine and arcane magic.

Like many D&D creatures, the exact abilities of each modron vary between rules editions.

Ecology

Environment

Modrons are native to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus. The majority inhabit the modron capital of Regulus, but they are often found moving across the planes to carry out their inscrutable tasks. They are frequently spotted in the city of Automata in the Outlands. Many inhabit the planar city of Sigil, where some squat in Gear Street, and show peculiar respect to in a mechanical craftsman's shop called The Hands of Time. They can be found scavenging for metal junk in Acheron, which they sort into orderly piles, and modron mining colonies have been established in that plane's two lower layers.

Splinter groups of rogue modrons occasionally colonize demiplanes. A few live in the abandoned city of Malatanni. A rogue modron inhabiting Sigil is nicknamed a "box".

The modron capital occupies 64 cogs of Mechanus, each of which is termed one sector. Four sectors together form a region, and four regions (16 sectors) form a quarter. At a central cog stands the Tower of Primus, nearby the modron cathedral, a slender and impossible tall tower that houses the Orrery from which Primus can observe the planes. Perhaps thanks to Primus' near omniscience in his realm, the modrons are aware of all astral conduits leading to and from Mechanus.

In Eberron, modrons inhabit Daanvi, the Perfect Order.

Life cycle

When a modron is destroyed, its life force returns to the energy pool at Regulus. The nearest available modron of the rank below is immediately promoted to fill its place, in a traumatic transformation. Promotions are made without regard to individual ability, as modrons lack individualism necessary to distinguish themselves in the way human military officers do.

The position left vacant by this modron's promotion is then filled with another modron of lower rank, and so on down to the monodrone rank.Decatons are replaced with pentadrones, who are promoted into the ranks of the Hierarch Modrons. New monodrones can be created by fission from other monodrones, who draw their life force from the energy pool at Regulus; however, it is also believed that Primus can create new monodrones from the energy pool, whereupon they are sent off through the planes on their task.

Even the ultimate modron, Primus, is replaced by promotion of a secundus if destroyed, an event which has happened at least once in the past. The destruction of of Primus pits the four secundi in a week-long contest to avenge the being's destruction and slay as many chaotic beings as possible. The winner ascends to the rank of Primus. Establishing the new Primus takes time, throwing Modron society into a small amount of chaos, sometimes misinterpreted as a modron war by outsiders.

The transformation involved in the promotion of most modrons takes the better part of a day. It is also believed that, in absence of promotion, modrons of any rank can be reconstituted from the energy pool at Regulus within 9 days. Pentadrones may even be decommissioned and their life force returned to the pool if the current number of base modrons is deemed too high.

Modrons do not age. Some modrons are known to have lived 500 years or more. A destroyed modron disintegrates, and a captured modron will eventually disintegrate. However, it is still possible to acquire leftover modron parts.

Modrons occasionally transform into rogue modrons, who lack the perfect obedience of normal modrons, and seek their own way in the multiverse. Modrons can go rogue for a number of reasons: mechanical failure, exposure to chaotic forces such as infection by slaad eggs or the mere presence of an archslaad, insanity caused by misinterpretations leading to contrary orders via two chains of command, an error occurring during promotion, or intentional modification by Primus for reasons unknown.

Diet

Modrons are capable of subsisting on air alone. While modrons do eat food, they are sustained by the energy contained within it, rather than the chemical substance of it.. They intake liquid and solid in precisely equal amounts.

Society and culture

The Modron March

Main article: Great Modron March

Once every Grand Cycle—17 cycles, each cycle approximately 17 years, the amount of time it takes the main cog of Mechanus to rotate once—a massive parade of modrons spills out of Mechanus and marches across the entire Great Wheel. The purpose of the March is unknown, but it is suspected to be a kind of reconnaissance or information-gathering mission for Primus.

The March's route is well-documented. It begins at the modron capital of Regulus on Mechanus and marches to through a portal to the gate-town of Automata in the Outlands. From there it marches clockwise around the Great Wheel, visiting the first layer of every Outer Plane via gate-towns connecting each plane. Finally, they travel back to Mechanus. Over 10,000 modrons take part in any given march, and it may take anything from months to decades to complete.

Planescape sources disagree as to the frequency of the Great Modron March. The Great Modron March (1997) places it every 17 cycles, with one cycle approximately 17 years, while other sources suggest that one cycle is exactly 17 years. Planes of Law (1995) and The Factol's Manifesto (1995) contradict this with a claim that the March occurs once every cycle, i.e. every 17 years. Sage Advice, Dragon #251 (Sep 1998), p.24 clarifies that it is indeed 17 times 17 years.

According to D&D 5e product Out of the Abyss (2015), the last March took place over 200 years ago, which may be prior to 1,290 DR by the Faerûnian calendar, at least 66 years prior to the AD&D 1e Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (1e) (1987).

Organization

Modrons are organized into a strict hierarchy. There are two castes: the Base Modrons, who are by far the most numerous, and the Hierarch Modrons, who supervise and rule over their realm. Obedience is absolute, although a small number of defective modrons occasionally go "rogue" and manage to disobey the hierarchy.

The ultimate ruler of is Primus, a being of practically godlike power and almost complete omniscience over his realm. Below him is a system of Hierarch Modrons beginning with four secundi (singular "Secundus"), who serve as viceroys; below them, nine tertians, who serve as judges; sixteen quartons, who serve as regional rulers; twenty-five quintons, who serve as record-keepers; 36 septons, who serve as inspectors; 64 octons, who act as regional governors; 81 nonatons, who act as police chiefs and over see law and order; and finally 100 decatons, whose responsibility is the welfare of the Base Modrons.

The most powerful of the Base Modrons are pentadrones, who serve as law enforcement and number at least half a million. Below them are the quadrones, supervisors numbering at least 1.5 million; next, the tridrones, who number at least 6 million and are capable of multiple tasks; the duodrones, who number over 55 million and are given complex tasks; and finally the monodrones, numbering over 300 million, who are capable only of simple tasks and have limited decision-making skills.

Destroyed modrons are replaced by promotion of a modron of lower rank, who is in turn replaced with another of the rank below. Decatons are replaced with promoted pentadrones. Modrons can also be demoted by a superior.

Social structure

Modrons do not live in families or social groups in the human sense. The closest thing to modron social grouping is is a rigid numeric and hierarchical structure, where orders are passed down from modrons of one rank to the next. Modrons frequently query their superiors up the chain of command over matters of regulation (which occasionally are decided as high as quinton or even tertian rank) or matters outside of the modron's field of competence (which rarely go higher than pentadrone or decaton rank).

Monodrones are arranged into groups of twelve, with each group supervised by a duodrone or tridrone. A duodrone can supervise one group of monodrones, while a tridrone supervises a larger unit of 144 monodrones and duodrones. Quadrones serve in entry-level bureaucratic roles in the capital of Regulus.

One decaton is assigned to each Mechanus' 64 sections, and one to each of 36 armies. Each nonaton is served by 12 pentadrone lieutenants, each commanding 12 quadrone sergeants, each of whom in turn commands 12 tridrone police. Each octon is assigned to one of Mechanus' 64 sectors, and has a personal staff of 1 decaton, 1 nonaton, 5 pentadrones, 16 quadrones, 81 tridrones, 256 duodrones, and 1,728 monodrones.

One septon serves each quinton, four per secundus, and eight serve Primus. Each quinton leads a bureau in each sector and quarter and five bureaus in the capital. Each quinton is served by one septon and a staff of 25 pentadrones, 64 quadrones, 81 tridrones, and numerous duodrones and quadrones. Each quarton has a personal guard unit of 36 pentadrones, in addition to overseeing lower ranked units. Eight of the nine tertians serve the secudi, and one reports personally to Primus. Each secundus has a personal staff of 2 tertians, 2 hextons, 4 septons, and countless base modrons.

Each hexton has a personal guard of between 12 and 48 pentadrones, dedicated to protecting the hexton at all costs.

Military

A large number of modrons are arranged into 36 armies: one for each of the 16 regions of their home realm, two armies in service of each of the four secundi, three armies shared by the nine tertians as special police, and nine armies serving Primus directly, with one of those nine armies serving as the tower guard of Primus. Each modron army is divided into the following structure:

Unit	Commander	Composition
Army	1 hexton	4 corps
Corps	40 pentadrones	2 divisions
Division	20 pentadrones	4 brigades
Brigade	10 pentadrones	4 regiments
Regiment	5 pentadrones	2 battles plus 1 squad of winged monodrone messengers and 1 special squad of 12 pentadrones assignd to regimental headquarters as an elite unit; total composition 3,142 (70 officers, 192 NCOs, 252 messengers; 2,628 line troops)
Battle	4 quadrones	6 monodrone companies, 2 duodrone companies, 1 special tridrone company, 1 elite quadrone squad, 1 messenger squad
Company	3 officers	12 squads and 3 officers; arranged into 2 wings and one headquarters unit
Squad	NCO	12 troops including one NCO of the same type as the troops
Special units		Include messengers, shock troops, and others; may be attached to the headquarters units at the brigade, visision, or corps level.

Each hexton general is in constant telepathic contact with the 40 pentadrones of each corps. Despite their adherence to perfect order and discipline, modrons are relatively lacking at combat compared to other planar species, and often lose battles.

The modrons take part in the Blood War, with the ultimate goal of restoring order. They will side with devils as readily as archons to this end. The modron Army of the Blood War, as it's known, consists of 36 decatons, 500 pentadrones, 6,400 quadrones, 32,400 tridrones, 202,400 duodrones, and 691,200 monodrones. It is led by 12 hexatons who take turns as the army's chief officer, changing once per 17-year cycle.

Enemies

Modrons, beings of order, oppose all that is chaos. Notably, Tenebrous, an aspect the demon lord Orcus, once destroyed the modron ruler Primus.

The greatest enemy of modrons is rogue modrons, who are hated even more than chaotic beings.

The modrons have created some animosity among various planar inhabitants during their great marches. The chaotic lillendi are deadly enemies of the modrons.

The paraii, enigmatic beings who transform others into their species in search of perfection, are enemies of the modrons, who have a different idea of what constitutes perfection.

A rogue hexton modron created the first steel predators.

Allies and minions

Two-dimensional mathematical constructs called moignos, native to Regulus, serve the modrons as calculators, occasionally supplying calculations on the gear movements of Mechanus.

Coggles, massive sentient gears of Mechanus, move about the plane and insert themselves into its gearworks for a time before moving on. They serve the modrons as troop transports.

Gear spirits inhabit Mechanus and care for the plane's gears in the manner that a dryad cares for a tree. They are considered subservient to the modrons, who they work with to maintain and clean the cogs.

Factol Hashkar has the power to summon ten monodrones.

Religion

Modrons do not follow a religion in the usual sense. They are unable to comprehend the concept of a deity, holding reverence only for the purity of logic. Although unwaverngly loyal to Primus, they do not, strictly speaking, worship that being. In fact, only the secundi are directly aware of Primus; those of lower ranks are unable to comprehend that Primus is a modron.

No creatures other than the modrons worship Primus. However, a few beings on the prime material plane worship hierarch modrons.

Language

Modrons speak their own highly precise language, sometimes called Modron. Modrons above the rank of monodrone may also speak Common. It is highly complex and difficult to learn due to its basis in unique concepts, and has its own system of numeral notation.

At least one work of poetry in the modron language appears to exist.

Additionally, hierarch modrons are capable of telepathic communication over a distance of several miles.

Treasure

Equipment

Modron soldiers carry manufactured weapons. Monodrones are commonly equipped with weapons such as a half-spear, crossbow, or fouchard. Duodrones carry thrusting and smashing weapons. The four-armed quadrones are able to wield two bows at once. Tridrones also carry three javelins. However, modrons are not equipped with weapons unless currently undertaking a duty that requires them.

Harvesting

Modrons disintegrate into dust when destroyed, making it difficult to use them. However, modrons parts are occasionally able to be acquired. Modron teeth are collected by alchemists who use them as spell components. Modron gears are also collected. The clockwork heart of a modron hierarch, still beating if removed, may be worth as much as 25,000 gp.

History

Origins

The original creation of the modrons is a mystery. A theory posits that they derived from a specied of insectile creatures with a hive mind, who learned how to store energy in a pool at Regulus and recover it again to sustain themselves. Another suggests they were planar outsiders shaped by the clockwork of Mechanus, while others think they may have begun as proto-inevitables who formed a unique bond with the Energy Pool.

Another story tells that Primus was present during an Age of Creation, before the rise of gods, and took part in the ordering of elemental chaos that created the worlds which allowed mortal life to flourish. Horrified at the destruction of one such world by a being called the Nine-Tongued Worm from the Far Realm, Primus slew that creature in an epic battle, but was wounded as a result. Primus dissolved itself in the energy of Order and was reborn as the numerous modrons, whose first task was to spread across the multiverse and seal breaches to the Far Realm.

According to The Trial of Asmodeus by Anodius, Primus and the modrons have existed since the creation of Asmodeus' Ruby Rod, which Primus forced Asmodeus to carry. The modrons are speculated to be as old as the Great Wheel itself, perhaps influenced by the cogs of that plane. Some ancient records describe the modrons as pure geometrical objects, suggesting that they were once different to the mechanical forms known today.

Ancient history

The modrons constructed their capital, Regulus, in a process which took exactly 289 years to the millisecond.

The god of giants, Annam, won the secret of rune magic by defeating a hierarch modron in an epic game of lots.

Less than a thousand years ago, moignos came close to conquering Mechanus until the modrons convinced them to spend all their effort calculating pi.

Past history

Lady Polaris of Netheril once used gate spells to summon five decaton modrons as vault guards, but found that they would disappear within five days, somehow recalled by high-ranking modrons. She replaced them with five pentadrones.

Tysiln San of Oerth once apprenticed to a powerful human mage who was killed attempting using a variant gate spell to summon a hierarch modron, but received a death slaad instead.

Ondrild, a wizard who studied modrons, was slain and his laboratory destroyed in a highly ordered manner.

Recent history

The archdemon Tenebrous once managed the impossible feat of invading Primus' chamber and slaying him with a power called the Last Word. Tenebrous was able to replace Primus and acquire control of the Infinity Web. This resulted in Great Modron March occurring out of sync, only 100 years after the previous March instead of around 300 years. This was known as the Rogue March. Tenebrous used the this for reconnaissance in an attempt to find the Wand of Orcus before abdicating the position.

This evil influence affected one of the secundi, who invoked the ancient rite of succession by battle based on who could kill the most chaotic creatures in one week. The corrupted secundus controversially slew chaotic good gnome petitioners in Bytopia and cheated by using modron minions to aid him, resulting in disqualification. He took just under one million modrons and left for Acheron, with the depletion of power causing the modrons to lose many cogs of Mechanus to the formians and inevitables.

Notable modrons

For a full list of named modrons, see Category:Modrons.

• Ylem, a rogue modron influenced by slaad chaos
• Gearbox, a monodrone sent to investigate the works of Kwalish
• Zess 8, a rogue modron blacksmith
• Logicus Prime, modron leader of the world of Logicus
• Yellowslash, hexaton general in the Blood War who someone marked with a yellow symbol
• The Keeper, rogue quadrone modron member of the Fraternity of Order
• Bluestreak, decaton commander of Nemausus
• Jag-Edge, quarton
• Slag, duodrone maintainer of an arcane machine
• Halastron, rogue quadrone serving Halaster Blackcloak
• 57EV1E, "Stevie", rogue pentadrone
• Zin Omega, a diplomat of Primus

Related spells and items

A small squad of Monodrones can be summoned by the spell summon modron I. The wizard Argramund of the Rock is said to know this spell, and was known to be developing a summon modron II which summons a group of duodrones. The spells summon monster I, summon monster II, summon monster III, summon monster IV and summon monster V can summon modrons from the rank of monodrone to pentadrone, and a few spellcasters have been able to summon a monodrone as a familiar.

The spell modron mind causes the caster to become temporarily more logical and structured in their thought patterns. However, despite the name, it is not strictly related to the modrons.

Using unique modron magic called Truphysik, modrons have created the spells correlate data, harmony, set the path, and true arrow of law.

Septons use unique modron magic to craft magic items, which are built into modrons as needed. Items include the clockwork sling, clockwork spinsword, crystal of clear focus, delay fire crossbow, flying harness, lens of protection, limb extensions, magnetic clump, mirrorball, truebridge, and winch of giant strength.

The rare modron heartspear is crafted by Primus from the spirits of destroyed baatezu devils, for the purpose of tanar'ri demons. They are wielded by the speical dozen-units of the modron Army of the Blood War.

A modron cube is a small mechanical puzzle. It should not be mistaken for the modron toy, a tiny mechanical rogue modron of great magical power capable of summoning a duodrone and opening a portal to a small pocket dimension.

The blade of modron death is an ancient dust blade which is more powerful against modrons undergoing the Great March, owned by previous factols of the Doomguards.

A type of scroll of outer-planar protection exists which offers protection specifically against modrons.

Publication history

AD&D 1st edition

Modrons first appeared in the Monster Manual II (1e) (1983), p.86-91, by Gary Gygax.

They are mentioned in Manual of the Planes (1e) (1987), p.85-86, and make an appearance in OP1 Tales of the Outer Planes (1988), p.92-93.

They are given substantive mentions in The Ecology of the Spectator, Dragon #139 (Nov 1988), p.87-89.

AD&D 2nd edition

Modrons, including rogue modrons, appear in Planescape sourcebooks, given detailed statistics and description in the Planescape Campaign Setting (1994), p.16-24, and starring in The Great Modron March (1997). The modrons gain their iconic mechanical look in this edition.

They are mentioned in numerous other Planescape sourcebooks including A Guide to the Astral Plane (1996), p.93, A Player's Primer to the Outlands (1995), p.30, Dead Gods (1997), Doors to the Unknown (1996), Hellbound: The Blood War, The Dark of the War (1996), p.33, On Hallowed Ground (1996), p.51, Planes of Law (1995), and The Planewalker's Handbook (1996). Of note, Planes of Law contains a supplement which attempts to chart the modron hierarchy in detail.

The spell summon modron I appears in Wizard's Spell Compendium Volume Four (1998), p.896-897, adapted from Polyhedron #18 (1984).

Modrons make a few appearances in non-Planescape works. A pentadrone appears in How the Mighty are Fallen (1996), p.31, and modrons are briefly attested in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (2022).

They are given substantive mention in The Plane Truth Part II: A Journey to the Outlands, Dragon #204 (Apr 1994), The Dragon's Bestiary, Dragon #221 (Sep 1995), p.77. Rules for rogue modron player characters appear in Planar Heroes, Dragon #235 (Nov 1996), while magic items of the modrons appear in Modron Magic, Dragon #241 (Nov 1997). The modron heartspear weapon appears in The Planar Armory, Dragon #272 (Jun 2000).

Modrons are mentioned in parody module WG7 Castle Greyhawk (1988) as inhabitants of the Plane of Silly and Unused Monsters.

D&D 3rd edition

Modrons are only briefly mentioned in D&D third edition sourcebooks, with a passing reference in Manual of the Planes (3e) (2001), p.129. However, they appear in a number of magazine and web articles.

Modrons are detailed in the Manual of the Planes web enhancement, an 18-page free PDF titled The Modrons, by Mark Jindra. It provides full statistics for all five tiers of base modrons and all classes of hierarch modron except Primus. It cites as its sources Planes of Law, the Planescape Monstrous Supplement, and Scott Greene's fan conversion The Book of Modrons, which also included statistics for Primus.

The other major third edition source on modrons is the article Return of the Modrons, Dragon #354 (Apr 2007). A modron appears on the cover of that magazine.

Modrons make an appearance in the web-original adventure module Force of Nature. Modrons are mentioned in The Ties that Bind, Dragon #341 (Mar 2006), in reference to Primus as a vestige for binders, and briefly in Planescape article The Gatetown of Ecstasy, Dragon #351 (Jan 2007).

A tertian hierarch modron appears in the epic-level adventure Quicksilver Hourglass, Dungeon #123 (Jun 2005). Modrons are mentioned in The Clockwork Fortress, Dungeon #126 (Sep 2005). A tertian also appears in Diplomacy, Dungeon #144 (Mar 2007).

Apocryphal

Modrons appear in the Living Greyhawk adventure modules COR3-14 Hunt for the Rogue and COR5-07 Rings Within Rings. According to thiese modules, the Great Modron March passed through Oerth in autumn 593 CY, and a few were left behind.

D&D 4th edition

Modrons did not appear in any D&D 4th edition sourcebook.

They are mentioned in the article Modrons' March in Bart Carrol's D&D Alumni article of January 26, 2011. They are detailed in the article Ecology of the Modron, Dragon #414 (Aug 2012), with stats for the rogue monodrone, rogue duodrone, tridrone, pentadrone, and nonaton. They are described in Creature Incarnations: Modrons, Dungeon #186 (Jan 2011), which provides statistics for the monodrone, duodrone, quadrone, and a modron hierarch.

D&D 5th edition

Modrons appear in the Monster Manual (5e) (2014), p.224-226, which provides statistics for the monodrone, duodrone, tridrone, quadrone, and pentadrone. It re-uses Julie Dillon's art from the Dragon article Return of the Modrons.

They are attested in the Dungeon Master's Guide (5e) (2014), p.66, with very cute art of a modron adventuring party appearing on that page. They are mentioned in the wild magic table in the Player's Handbook (5e) (2014), p.104.

The winged monodrone Gearbox appears in Lost Laboratory of Kwalish (2018). Monodrones and duodrones appear in Out of the Abyss (2015), while pentadrones and quadrones appear in Tomb of Annihilation (2017), p.177. A rogue quadrone appears in Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (2018), p.41, while replica modrons appear in Acquisitions Incorporated (5e) (2019), p.132.

The modrons are tied into other creatures in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018). They are attested in the Eberron setting in Eberron: Rising from the Last War (2019), p.229, as Daanvi.

Creative origins

Modrons were an original creation for Monster Manual II (1e) (1983). They were created in part by Jeff Grubb, a design consultant on that book whose job was finishing incomplete monster concepts. Grubb was already given the notion of Lawful Neutral inhabitants of the plane of Nirvana who were based on platonic solids, the complete monodrone, the mostly complete duodrone, a description of the tridrone and probably also names for the hierarchs modrons. From there he created stats for the tridrone and up, descriptions from the quadrone and up, and the entirety of Primus.

The visual appearance of the modrons as they appeared in AD&D 2e Planescape onward was designed by Tony DiTerlizzi. Running at short notice, art director Peggy Cooper asked DiTerlizzi to skip the initial sketch stage, who adapted the original Monster Manual 2 shapes into a style inspired by childhood favorite character Tik-Tok from the Wizard of Oz stories.

The name Modron appears in Welsh folklore, where it is the name of the mother of Arthurian hero Mabon ap Modron. An early mention of the name in a D&D context appears in Dragon #44 (Dec 1980), p.75, referring to a Judges Guild sourcebook describing an area near the City State of the Invincible Overlord.

Reception and influence

In Role-Playing Reviews, Dragon #207 (Jul 1994), p.52, Rick Swan calle the modrons "Arguably the strangest creatures in the AD&D game's menagerie", suggested that "An entire campaign could be strucured around the modrons".

In his foreword to Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff (1999), Sean K Reynolds describes hierarch modrons alongside slaad lords and archdevils as likely inhabitants of a Monty Haul high-powered campaign.

In Kobold Quarterly #5 (Summer 2008), D&D 4th edition designer James Wyatt cited the modrons and Mechanus an example of "needless symmetry", created to fill the Lawful Neutral slot in the Great Wheel. "Neither of them was particularly good for the play of the game".

At Gen Con 2010, Greg Bilsland ran an monster design seminar in which the modron was overwhelmingly voted for in conversion.

References

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