A Modron Compendium

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THE MODRON COMPENDIUM

(A Hierarchy of Form)

By: R.M. WalkerOriginally Posted on Initiative or What?

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INTRODUCTION

Modrons first appeared on the scene during the heady days of the 1st Edition of Advanced Dungeons andDragons®. They were tucked in behind the magmen of the Monster Manual II® and presented an entertainingplanar alternative to the overused demons and devils. I'm not sure what their immediate appeal was. Perhaps itwas their regimented organization, or the neat (if not a little uneven) power progression. Personally, I likedthe idea of the "rogue" modron. In fact, I even designed an adventure regarding a rogue modron (and itssubordinates) hunting for an artifact in a dwarven mine.Yeah, I like me some modrons.Well, I've cracked open the Adventure Tools™ and dipped into the energy pool on Nirvana to create someexcellent modrons. Before I dive into those, I thought I'd give you some general information about modrons andhow they're organized.Modrons are a highly organized and regimented society on Nirvana, a now nearly forgotten plane on the AstralSea. Modrons are unaligned, but have been called "lawful" for lack of a better word to describe them. Thecaste like society of the modrons works well for them. Each modron has a specific task and does that task asefficiently as possible. Strangers to the modron home plane get the feeling that the society is working towardssome arcane goal, but even scholars are at a loss to explain that goal.Modrons follow orders from their superiors without question. Occasionally, though, a modron will "break down"and "go rogue". Most of these "rogue units" are quickly found and returned to the energy pool central toNirvana, but occasionally the smarter ones escape the plane and bring their underlings along to pursue strangeand often dangerous tasks.Rogue modrons make a great foil for adventurers, and the great bureaucracy of modron society makes for agreat role-playing opportunity for adventurers visiting the plane. In this compendium, I'll be covering my 4thEdition take on the long neglected modrons. Each post will cover a couple of different types of modrons.One additional note. With the introduction of "Minion" type creatures in the 4th Edition of Dungeons andDragons, I decided to create the lower types of Modrons (the Base Modrons) in two different forms. You'll see a"Minion" type and a "Standard" type. So without further ado...let's get on with...The March of the Modrons.

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BASE MODRONSMonodrones

Monodrones appear as small sphericalcreatures with spindly legs. The vastlegions of Monodrones are the singlepurpose labors and soldiers within theGreater Modron Hierarchy. AMonodrone Infantry Unit canunderstand and complete only oneaction at a time. A MonodroneInfantry Unit will continue to performits given action unless its superiorgives it another action. If for somereason a Monodrone Infantry Unitcannot perform its task, it will standquietly until circumstances allow it toact.

One in twelve Monodrones lack theusual spindly legs and fly using asmall set of leathery wings. Suchcreatures are the messengers of theGreater Modron Hierarchy. AMonodrone Messenger can understandand relay perfectly, a message of upto 48 words. The MonodroneMessenger has a simple bite attack,but will not use it unless defendingitself or commanded to do so by asuperior. If for some reason aMonodrone Messenger cannot relay itsmessage, it will hover quietly nearbyuntil command to do otherwise.