Of all the creatures on the planes, none are so strange and confusing as are the modrons, children of the plane of Mechanus and beings of the most ultimate order. Caring not for the vagaries of good and evil, modrons exist in a world where the law - and only the law - matters. All else is irrelevant, and they pursue their quest for perfect organization with a frighteningly fanatical zeal.

The modrons themselves are odd clockwork creatures, a curious blend of flesh and gears that work to maintain their home on Mechanus and to spread the tenets of order throughout the multiverse. All in all, there are fifteen different varieties of modron (not counting rogue modrons, of course), but very few modrons are actually aware of this.

You see, modrons exist in a bizarre society that only allows them to comprehend modrons of a caste immediately above or below their own. For example, a tridrone can communicate with a duodrone and a quadrone, but not a monodrone or pentadrone. An odd mental screen prevents a modron from seeing those beings more than one step evolved than themselves.

This causes a modron to perceive its superiors as the supreme source of law and order in all creation. This isn't a deification by any means; however, since modrons value order above all else, they will obey their superiors immediately, without question. The highest source of order cannot be mistaken, now, can it? As far as modrons are concerned, they cannot.

They remain aware of those more than one step below themselves, of course, but there is no use attempting to communicate with them in any way, as they won't be able to discern what the higher level modron is or, at any rate, what it is saying. This strange caste society is what has formed and reinforced the pervasive modron chains of command.

And of course, the biggest bureacracy in the multiverse, bar none.

Now, while the modrons themselves work to maintain the entire plane of Mechanus (save where a deity or two expels them from his realm), they themselves hail from a powerful realm on Mechanus known as Regulus, a region comprised of 64 gears that interlock to form a sort of turning, ever-moving pyramid composed of continent-sized gears.

At the center of Regulus lies the tower of Primus, the One and the Prime, the singular leader of the modrons, and arguably, the most powerful proponent of order in the multiverse. This godlike being oversees a vast pool of energy from which all modrons are created, and where the energies of modrons return once they are destroyed.

You see, all modrons are created from a communal pool of energy. When a modron dies, its energies return to this pool, in order to a) allow for the promotion of a modron of lower status to replace it, and b) once this chain of promotion reaches back to the level of monodrone, to allow for the creation of an all new monodrone from seeming nothingness.

This is why some people surmise that when one looks at one modron, he is really looking at them all - they all share the same lawful energies. This belief is further strengthened by the modrons themselves, who never refer to themselves as 'I', only 'We'. They may be so orderly that they seem to share one group mind, an idea bolstered by the existence of the Infinity Web in Primus' tower.

This also fits the theory that modrons are descended from some form of insect intelligence - one that existed long, long ago - and was then shaped by the lawful nature of Mechanus into the modrons we know today. Regardless of their origins, however, modrons are definitely mysterious beings, and can be encountered almost anywhere - Mechanus or beyond.

Base Modron Powers:

Agelessness: all modrons, regardless of rank or station, are ageless in nature; instead of having the resistance to aging power, which implies an eventual lifespan, modrons simply do not age whatsoever. In fact, if not slain by accident or design, a modron may effectively live on forever, gaining new and additional forms as it ascends the ladder of law.

Invulnerability to Emotion Control, Illusion, Life Drain, Psionic Attack, and Paralysis / Sleep Attacks: modrons of all varieties are completely resistant to these attack forms. Note that base modrons lack the protection against all psionic (Willpower) attack forms, having 'only' invulnerability to mind control. This comes in awful darn handy during the Great Modron March...

Resistance to Acid, Cold, and Fire attacks: hardy little creatures, modrons of all stripes are more resistant to these types of attacks than other beings. The standard level of resistance that a modron possesses against these phenomena is +2, though some may have it higher, such as the pentadrone; such instances are so noted.

Hierarch Modron Powers (in addition to the above):

Dimensional Travel: an offshoot of the hierarch modron's ability to teleport, this power allows a modron to transport itself to another plane of existence altogether. However, this power only works at intensity 10, and has the risk of materializing the modron in solid matter unless it intimately knows the area it is travelling to. Hence, all modrons use this power sparingly, if at all.

ESP: the modron high-ups have unbelievably acute sensory apparatus, allowing them to sense anything within the plane they currently occupy. Distance isn't a factor, but simply knowing where to look / listen / taste / touch / smell is. This power functions for hierarch modrons at intensity 10, allowing them an unheard of awareness of their surroundings.

Force Field: hierarch modrons have the ability to form a specialized force field in their immediate vicinity, in either a hemisphere or full sphere form. Either way, this force field acts as an intensity 20 barrier against any incoming damage - even magical attacks! However, a determined opponent can teleport through it with ease, but then, that's what a modron's other powers are for...

Hypnosis: though limited in scope, hierarch modrons can use this to great effect when confronted with non-modrons. Working at intensity 10, this power allows a hierarch to attempt an easy hypnosis action (opposed by the target's Willpower score). If this action succeeds, the modron can cause its opponent to execute (or attempt to) a one word command.

Resistance to Magic: modron hierarchs are resistant to magical powers, though each brand of modron has a different level of immunity to such abilities. For instance, the decaton has +1 magic resistance; however, each rank of modron above decaton may add a +1 to this resistance; in other words, Primus is virtually immune to the stuff (+10).

Telepathy: all of the modron hierarchs can stay in telepathic contact with each other at all times. However, the range with which they do so is somewhat limited, as is the exact intensity at which they can use this power. The intensity of this power begins at 2 for decatons, and increases by 2 for each additional modron hierarch detailed after that.

Teleportation: all hierarch modrons have the innate ability to teleport at will, transporting themselves to just about any place they know of within their current plane of existence. This essentially translates into intensity 20 teleportation, and modrons using this power have no chance whatsoever of materializing in a solid object - this supernatural power is that precise!

Equipment:

Modrons, if on a special mission, can be equipped with just about any type of necessary device. Modron hierarchs, however, are typically without armament of any variety, in that they have more than enough physical weaponry 'built in' to their bodies to deal with any opponent who would be stopped by a sword, spear, axe, etc...

Commmon Modron Talents (Base Modrons)

Law: more than anything else, the modrons are ultimate masters of law, knowing their own clockwork plane in and out. They extend this basic knowledge of What Should Be to all aspects of existence, and should make any Intellect action based on the knowledge of orderly systems at one difficulty level lower than normal, two if this action involves the laws of Mechanus.

Mechanics: furthermore, in their capacity as the caretakers of Mechanus (as far as they are concerned, at least), modrons have a preternatural knowledge of mechanical systems. In addition to allowing them to keep the gears of their home plane running smoothly, this skill doubles as an effective first aid skill for modrons, letting them to utilize basic medicine skills on their brethren.

Common Modron Talents (Hierarch Modron talents, in addition to the above)

Leadership: knowing how to spread resources around and delegate tasks like no other beings alive, all hierarchs have this skill as a general matter of course. If they can pass an average difficulty Willpower action, these modrons can add a +1 to the action scores of anybody they lead. If the modron loses its ability to lead, however, this bonus turns into a -1 penalty.

Personality:

Perhaps the hardest planar race to comprehend, save for the rilmani, the endless hordes of modrons act in confusing, often indecipherable ways. This is not actually the case, in that the bizarre caste system the modrons obey, as well as their unswerving love of order, cause them to behave as they do. They always act orderly; the specific order simply being unapparent to all but them.

Appearance:

Modrons are a strange curiosity in the multiverse, being a fantastic cyborg race. This is, of course, because their bodies are strange mixes of clockwork machinery and organic tissues. Most of their bodies are covered with gray metal, but their faces are invariably fleshy. The non-humanoid varieties of modron all have a similarly vague, humanoid look to their faces.

Ecological Niche:

Like the baatezu are to Baator, and the slaad are to Limbo, the clockwork race of modrons are the principal planar race of Mechanus. The embodiment of order unfettered by good or evil, the modrons work to keep their own plane functioning within the letter of the law, and free of chaotic influences, whether they come from within or without.