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Sigil - The Ditch Sigil - The Ditch Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/U2lnaWwgLSBIaXZlIFdhcmQgRGl0Y2g=/44ed76dd4a7e945841b0d3b96d2732ec Board Link Features - Enormous scar dividing the lower ward from the hive, full of polluted water, trash, dead bodies - Crumbling bridges cross the watery chasm - Extensive city sections on both sides of the river, showing the sharp contrast between the industry of the lower ward and the desperate slums of the hive - Hidden portal on the banks of the ditch Notes - Extensive use of Sigil Hive and Lower Ward templates Assets from Tales Tavern None

The modrons are weird, polygonal magipunk constructs from old Dungeons & Dragons. Some folk hate them, as their goofy, cartoonish unrealism clashes with their epic grimdark fantasies. But sometimes the cute creatures end up being the most disturbingly creepy of all. Modrons are from Mechanus, the clockwork Nirvana of the D&D cosmos, and they are lawfully-aligned beyond all mortal comprehension. Lore and miniatures are here for use in your own game. Quite hard to make in Hero Forge! Modrons Made with Hero Forge Monodrone Duodrone Tridrone Quadrone Pentadrone Decaton Nonaton Octon (from D&D 5th Edition Monster Manual - 2014 - [ credits] ) Modrons are beings of absolute law that adhere to a hive-like hierarchy. They inhabit the plane of Mechanus and tend its eternally revolving gears, their existence a clockwork routine of perfect order. Absolute Law and Order. Under the direction of their leader, Primus, modrons increase order in the multiverse in accordance with laws beyond the comprehension of mortal minds. Their own minds are networked in a hierarchal pyramid, in which each modron receives commands from superiors and delegates orders to underlings. A modron carries out commands with total obedience, utmost efficiency, and an absence of morality or ego. Modrons have no sense of self beyond what is necessary to fulfill their duties. They exist as a unified collective, divided by ranks, yet they always refer to themselves collectively. To a modron, there is no “I,” but only “we” or “us.” Absolute Hierarchy. Modrons communicate only with their own rank and the ranks immediately above and below them. Modrons more than one rank away are either too advanced or too simple to understand. Cogs of the Great Machine. If a modron is destroyed, its remains disintegrate. A replacement from the next lowest rank then transforms in a flash of light, gaining the physical form of its new rank. The promoted modron is replaced by one of its underlings in the same manner, all the way to the lowest levels of the hierarchy. There, a new modron is created by Primus, with a steady stream of monodrones leaving the Great Modron Cathedral on Mechanus as a result. Rogue Modrons. A modron unit sometimes becomes defective, either through natural decay or exposure to chaotic forces. Rogue modrons don’t act in accordance with Primus’s wishes and directives, breaking laws, disobeying orders, and even engaging in violence. Other modrons hunt down such rogues. A rogue modron loses the Axiomatic Mind trait and can have any alignment other than lawful neutral. Otherwise, it has the same statistics as a regular modron of its rank. The Great Modron March. When the gears of Mechanus complete seventeen cycles once every 289 years, Primus sends a vast army of modrons across the Outer Planes, ostensibly on a reconnaissance mission. The march is long and dangerous, and only a small number of modrons returns to Mechanus. (from Planescape Campaign Setting Monstrous Supplement - 1994 - [credits] ) What's a mortal to make of the modrons, those strange creatures of absolute order who whir and click on the plane of Mechanus? Theirs are not like other lives - even the infinitely subtle baatezu are more comprehensible than these thronging drones. To an outsider it appears the modrons have no existence other than as a whole. Indeed, there is a saying: "To look at one modron is to look at all of them." It is only logical, as it is with all things modron, that they are native to the orderly plane of Mechanus. The two, plane and modrons, probably would not exist without each other — modron society defines the plane, just as the plane shapes them. To understand the modrons, a being must stop thinking like a person, like an individual. Only then can anyone hope to comprehend the patterns of modron life. Modrons are strictly divided into fourteen castes. Castes are hardly unique, but the modron approach to them is. Not only does each rank have its own functions, but each also has its own body shape, so the rank of any modron can be readily identified by the creature's appearance. Ruling over the castes is Primus, the One and the Prime. It and the plane are one in thought and deed; as Primus turns, so do the wheels of Mechanus. Combat : Regardless of rank, all modrons possess certain abilities and immunities, but because of rank, certain modrons - the hierarchs — possess additional abilities. Whether any of these immunities and powers exist as properties of their race or from association with the plane of Mechanus, no one knows. Most scholars think these powers are natural to the race, as none are lost by modrons operating off the plane of Mechanus. All modrons are unaffected by any illusions or magic that affects the mind, such as beguikment, charm, domination, hold, hypnosis, and sleep. Fear and other emotion spells are similarly ineffective against a modron, as are attacks drawing upon the Positive and Negative Energy Planes (including life-draining powers). All modrons save vs. cold, fire, and acid attacks with a +1 bonus, and they suffer damage from such attacks with a -1 modifier per die. Modron hierarchs are never surprised, and their precision of order always allows them to determine their specific place in the initiative sequence of all attack rounds. Thus, they never roll for initiative, and the DM chooses when they will act. Typically, this comes at the most effective moment, just before the swordsman's blade arcs through the air or the wizard utters the final word of a spell, and so on. The elite modrons also can perform the following spell-like abilities, once per round, at will: clairaudience, clairvoyance, command, dimension door, teleport without error, and wall of force. They also are capable of traveling on the Astral and Ethereal Planes, but will never do so unless ordered by Primus. All hierarchs can communicate telepathically, and the range of this power is as follows: Rank : Decaton = 44 miles Nonaton = 63 miles Octon = 80 miles Septon = 190 miles Hexton = 216 miles Quinton = 238 miles Quarton = 384 miles Tertian = 405 miles Secundi = 420 miles Primus = All Mechanus Septon Hexton Quinton Quarton Tertian Secundus Primus Habitat/Society: To understand modron society, one must abandon all understanding of the self. In such forgetting comes knowledge, so with the surrender victory is gained. Should the scholar retain the slightest glimmer of who he is, his words are tainted and his observations lies. It is said that those able to strip their souls so bare become modrons, themselves, and their spirits become different from their shells. It is a fundamental property of the modrons that each rank can only comprehend the existence of the rank directly above and below it. For example, the monodrones obey the will of the duodrones, but they cannot even conceive of the existence of the tridrones. When a monodrone sees a tridrone, it does not see a modron, and it could not even say what it sees. Some aphasia apparently breaks the link between the sight of the higher modron and what it actually is. This blindness leads to an interesting conclusion, as each rank believes that those immediately above it are the highest form of life and the fountainhead of supreme logic. Thus, Primus's lordship is secret from all modrons but the four secundi, who pass his edicts on to the nine tertians, who in turn pass these to the quartons (who have no knowledge or understanding of either the secundi or Primus), and so on. There is an awareness of all ranks below a modron's station, yet communication is exclusively limited to adjacent ranks. It would seem that the monodrone is almost as alien to the tridrone as the tridrone is to the monodrone. This is not the result of elitism. Rather, the strict order observed by the race completely negates the slightest necessity for communication beyond immediate inferiors and superiors. A modron's perception of its immediate superiors should not be mistaken for deification, either. What others might call a god, the modrons cannot imagine, for they are unable to conceive of such an individual existence. Instead, all life and direction spring from a pool of logical action - all that is right happens because it must inescapably be, and all that is wrong is that which must not be. These metal limitations make dealings with modrons a challenge. Within each rank there is no individuality, either in form or thought. All modrons call themselves "we," and a character has no way of knowing if the pentadrone he spoke to today is the same as the one who held the same post yesterday. This would be minor if the modrons weren't so bureaucratically driven, requiring strangers to appear and reappear before clerks, courts, and boards. Some travelers solve the problem with a brush and paint, marking modrons with runes simply to tell them apart. Unless instructed to remove these marks, a modron may wear a splash of color or a strange sigil for the rest of its life, for they don't seem to notice the markings themselves. Even the size of modron society is rigidly fixed. In each rank there are only a set number of modrons. Should a modron of any rank die, an available candidate from the next lowest rank is promoted, and then the gap in the lower rank is filled by promoting from the still lower rank. This continues until the rank of monodrone is reached. With no lower ranks, the creatures at this level reproduce by fission, as one of their members mysteriously divides into two. (Given this, the claim that all modrons are one might be truer than it first seems.) Promotion occurs seemingly by accident. As soon as a vacancy occurs, the nearest modron of the next lowest rank is recruited to ascend. Since they have no individuality, there's no point in trying to promote the "best and the brightest"; all modrons of a given rank are deemed equal. Promotion is traumatic — not only does the chosen modron undergo a wrenching change of shape to the new rank's form, but it suddenly gains an understanding of a world previously veiled to it: the existence of a yet superior rank. Imagine the shock of a duodrone, who knew only of monodrones, duodrones, and tridrones, when it suddenly discovers those inexplicable creatures around it are quadrones and members of its own race! On the other hand, the newly promoted modron seems to adapt to its new form instantly, and it is the humanoid observer who is often most shaken by the experience. From greatest to least, the castes of the modrons are listed below. Numbers are not given for the modrons, since no scholar has yet produced the definitive organization chart of these creatures. After each name is a brief description of that rank's duties in their realm of Mechanus. Primus: Absolute ruler of all modrons Hierarch Modrons Secundi: Viceroys of the four quarters Tertians: Judges Quartons: Rulers of the four regions of the four quarters Quintons: Bureau chiefs and records keepers Hextons: Generals of the armies of modrons Septons: Inspectors Octons: Governors of the four sectors of the four regions of the four quarters Nonatons: Police supervision Decatons: Physical welfare of base modrons Base Modrons Pentadrones: Lesser police, law enforcement Quadrones: Multiple complex tasks, supervision Tridrones: Multiple tasks, minor supervision Duodrones: Complex tasks Monodrones: General laborers Monodrone Duodrone Tridrone Quadrone Pentadrone Decaton Nonaton Octon The realm of the modrons occupies 64 of Mechanus's coglike wheels, called sectors, and each is governed by an octon. The sectors in turn are grouped into foursector regions, overseen by the 16 quartons, and each group of four regions, called quarters, is supervised by one of the four secundi. And, of course, all of it is ruled by Primus. Born through parthenogenesis, modrons have no family, tribe, or clan. Instead they live in rigid numerical units called, for lack of a better word, battalions. This makes them sound more warlike than they really are, although modrons have standing armies that are not to be trifled with. Although some less-informed scholars state that no modron acts except by the orders of a superior, this is not perfectly accurate. In general, a modron can act and react to a situation on its own, provided the situation falls within the range of its purpose. Thus, monodrones, who can only fulfill a single task at any given time, are rightly seen as incapable of reacting. As one moves higher through the ranks, the range of choices and reactions available to any given modron increases. Even so, modrons are notorious for their predictable and rigid reactions to events. It should be no surprise that the goal and purpose of every modron is to organize Mechanus in the most orderly fashion possible, but their goal is not limited to only their 64 wheels or even Mechanus itself. Given the opportunity, they would spread their rigid pattern of organization over the entire multiverse. Fortunately for the rest of the planes, order is constantly challenged by chaos, even in the clockwork vastness of Mechanus. Since even the slightest imperfection to order is enough to disturb the harmony modrons seek, they seldom find the time or resources to carry their crusade to other realms or planes. Modrons speak their own precise, mathematical language, but those of duodrone or greater can manage at least some of the trade tongue found throughout the planes. Modrons fulfill many roles within Mechanus. They maintain parts of the sphere and are maintained by it. They make war with their enemies and trade with their neighbors. Together, they are one living social entity. Those few that venture outside their plane (on orders from their superiors) will always attempt to bring order out of chaos, sense out of nonsense. Modrons are not completely without their uses to the rest of the multiverse. Their single-minded pursuit of order has a certain usefulness in some fields. On rare occasions, nonmodrons can hire members of this race for particular tasks. The process is never simple, since the potential employee can never make the decision itself - all requests must be approved by its superiors. Usually the request has to pass through several ranks before an answer is given. If permission is granted, some wizards find modrons to be amazingly useful as librarians, and merchants may retain them as bookkeepers, although such modrons must always be watched for overzealousness. Sometimes their understanding of order, far deeper than that of most other beings, defies human understanding. In one library, all the books might be arranged by subject, in another by the first letter of the first word, and in yet a third by the page where the last diagram appears. All three might be vital keys in the overall order of the modron universe. Order, after all, does not necessarily need to be understandable. The bodies of modrons slain anywhere immediately disintegrate. It is suspected that whatever energies were trapped within the creature's mortal form find their way back to Mechanus and merge with the energy field of the plane. This field is what sustains the modron race. Although modrons eat physical food, it is not the substance that sustains them, but the energy essence contained therein. So long as the modrons are able to draw upon this essence, they can continue to split and perpetuate their kind. In fact, it is speculated that the only means to truly crush this race is to cut it off from this energy pool. Given the impossibility of this feat, it is fortunate that modrons are not a particularly aggressive race. Who, after all, could withstand a single-minded army that constantly regenerated itself? PRIMUS (THE ONE AND THE PRIME): Primus is the ruler of all the modron realm. It and it alone understands the whole structure of the modron race, since it sits at its pinnacle. From there it decrees what is order, writes the laws, and establishes the rules and regulations. All other modrons exist to carry out the plans and obey the rules of Primus. Failure to meet this powerful creature's standards will result in a modron being declared rogue and sentenced accordingly. Primus is a huge being who rises from an energy pool in the central part of its great tower at the center of the plane (although Primus also may appear as a normal androgynous human). In giant form Primus's hands are unseen, for the right one is swathed in bright rainbow hues and the left is covered with inky dark clouds. Within Mechanus, Primus has the status of a greater power, except it is possible for Primus to die, albeit only under near-impossible conditions. Its sole concern is for the modrons. It does not send avatars to other planes or even take part in the normal bickering and wars of the planar powers. All modrons with priestly powers gain their spells directly from it. The death of Primus does not break the link in modron society, for like all gaps, the vacancy is filled by promotion of the one of the secundi. However, the process usually creates turmoil since, without a Primus, chaos is allowed to enter into the perfection of modron society. Some scholars have mistakenly interpreted this chaos as civil war within this orderly race. The first act of the new Primus is to return order to its race, a process which can take some time. Rogue Units: Even in the perfect modron world there is disorder, and sometimes this disorder strikes at the very fabric of the modron society. When this happens, a modron may go rogue. This is most common in the base modrons, although there are cases of a few hierarchs being affected this way (but certainly never any hierarch of quarton status or higher!). Rogue modrons do not act in accordance with Primus's wishes and directives, but break laws, disobey orders, and sometime become violent. These rogues are hunted down, usually by the pentadrones under the command of the nonatons. Once captured, the rogue is tried and sentenced according to the laws of Primus. For a lowly base modron, this is a bewildering series of events, as strange beings (hierarch modrons) describe the crimes committed and the punishment that is due. It can only seem like the judgment of angels upon a hapless mortal, and many sages would dearly love to know just what modron theology makes of the whole thing. The Armies of the Modrons: There are 36 great armies in the realm of the modrons, each a powerful fighting force. Each of the 16 regions of the plane has its own army, and the secundi have two armies each, in addition to their regional forces. The tertians have three to aid in law enforcement and punishment. The final nine armies are stationed outside of Primus's tower and serve as a reserve force, should they be needed. Each army is commanded by a hexton and is comprised of four corps. Each corps is led by 40 pentadrones in a telepathic hook-up with the hexton general. Each corps has two divisions commanded by 20 pentadrones, and each division has four brigades led by 10 pentadrones. Each brigade has four regiments, each one being the standard tactical unit, led by five pentadrones. There are 70 officers, 192 NCOs, 252 messengers, and 2,628 line troops in a brigade, for a total of 3,142. A regiment consists of two "battles" plus a squad of winged monodrone messengers and a special squad of 12 pentadrones. Each battle is led by four quadrones and consists of six companies of monodrones, two companies of duodrones, a special company of tridrones, a squad of quadrones, and another squad of messengers. The eight regular companies are each divided into two wings plus a headquarters unit. Each company consists of 12 squads and three officers. A squad numbers 12 troops and will contain an NCO of the same type as the troops. Special units of messengers, "shock troops," and the like may be attached to the headquarters' units of brigades, divisions, and corps. (from 4th Edition Dragon Magazine #414 - 2012 - [credits] ) ECOLOGY OF THE MODRON by R. James: As any learned blood knows, the Great Axioms of the Multiverse are eternal and immutable; they simply exist and cannot be manipulated. Or so I once believed! I’m telling you now, berk, that the universe we perceive around us is mere illusion, an elaborate construct devised by enigmatic beings beyond our ken. You’ve heard of the Far Realm, the plane of nightmares and madness, yes? Well, it has a twin, a realm of law and orderly thought distilled to its purest form. It is from this plane that reason and judgment were born, gifts to us from the Prime Architect. I have communed with the Architect’s minions, glorious beings of ordered thought and perfect reason. They appeared before me in the guise of geometric clockwork entities, bizarre hybrids of metal and flesh. They spoke of a vile malignancy spreading throughout their order, a plague of emotion and dissonance that has erupted into a great civil war. Even now, the conflict threatens to spill into our own cosmos. Listen and heed my words! Everything we believe to be real is a lie. Awaken to the truth before it’s too late! The unraveling of our reality is nigh. Pray not to the gods for salvation, for even they are powerless to stop the Great March of the Modrons. -Ravings of ex-factol Habaro, the Fraternity of Order The March of Time: Living constructs of geometric design, modrons are paragons of absolute order and largely alien to mortal comprehension. Since time immemorial, these enig¬ matic beings have retreated from the cosmos for centuries at a time only to reemerge periodically on an epic scale—tens of thousands of them gating in from their bizarre clockwork dimension to march a grand circuit across known existence. As planar scholars and doomsayers are quick to point out, the end of the next cycle is nearly upon us. If history is any indicator, a modron incursion is imminent, and woe to any who stand in its path. Prime Architect: Many cultures of the mortal world have myths recounting the origins of the universe. Though the details of these legends are colored by cultural bias, most share key events, such as the war between gods and primordials. Yet few can recount the story of an even earlier time in the history of the multiverse, the epoch that witnessed the molding of the Elemental Chaos itself. Accounts chronicled by the Fraternity of Order in Sigil speak of a time in which the Elemental Chaos was still in its infancy, an Age of Creation when primordials shaped and destroyed worlds at whim, unchallenged by the gods. It was an era of wondrous invention on a cosmic scale, but without a frame¬ work to give them permanency, these creations were fleeting. One primordial stood apart from the others. This being’s true name is lost to the ages, but Fraternity archives name it the Prime Architect. It is written that this primordial was the first to peer beyond the veil of the Elemental Chaos to behold something Outside—a region of perfect order and harmony the Prime Architect named the Accordant Expanse. Enraptured by this vision of perfection, the Prime Architect began to shape the Elemental Chaos on a massive scale. The first phase of the grand design required distilling the chaotic maelstrom into four base elements: air, earth, fire, and water. To achieve this end, the Architect enlisted four mighty elemen¬ tal lords as overseers. As the framework took shape, the elemental lords in turn tasked their subordinates, the archomentals, with crafting the latticework of the final structure, incorporating mixtures of the base elements. At last the Prime Architect beheld its momentous creation, raw elemental power molded by symmetry and order. By drawing on this cosmic arrangement of elements, the grand creations of the primordials could persist, allowing mortal life to flourish at last. Rise of the Modrons: Even as the Prime Architect proudly surveyed its handiwork, subtle blemishes began to mar the nascent realms. At first barely perceptible, the minute imperfections began to multiply rapidly, forming fleshlike strands of corruption writhing in bluish slime. The Prime Architect watched in mute horror as a nearby world was dragged into the mass of ten¬ drils and devoured by a colossal wormlike entity lurking within. Finally shaken from its immobility, the primordial moved quickly to intercept the aber¬ rant behemoth before it could chew its way farther out of its dreadful Far Realm. Fraternity documents are sketchy on the details of this colossal battle with the entity now called the Nine-Tongued Worm, but in the end the Prime Archi¬ tect proved victorious. Just barely. It was mortally wounded, no longer able to stabilize the Elemen¬ tal Chaos. It called one last time on the Accordant Expanse, bathing in the cosmic energy of absolute Order. The Prime Architect surrendered its flesh and was re-created as innumerable mechanical life forms, each a distinct entity but inseparable from the whole. Thus the modron race was born. The horde of newly created modrons mobilized into a hierarchy, then quickly spread across the cosmos to seal the remaining breaches to the Far Realm. Once this task was complete, they shifted themselves to the Accordant Expanse en masse. There they set immediately to work engineering a home for their kind, a bizarre realm of gears and cogs they named Mechanus. Year by year, decade by decade, and century by century the modrons toiled, constructing their capital city at the heart of Mechanus. Sixty-four interlinking cogs rest atop each other like a colossal, mechanical ziggurat to form the clockwork metropolis of Regulus. At the heart of their clockwork home the modrons erected a grand cathedral in honor of the Prime Architect. Then, the four highest-ranking among them submerged themselves in a scintillating pool of pure Order and conjoined, triggering an unex¬ pected apotheosis. From the pool arose the vestige of the Prime Architect, given new flesh and purpose: Primus, the One and the Prime. The Great Modron March: It took the modrons 289 years, calculated to the millisecond, to complete construction of their city. Termed a Grand Cycle, this precise measurement of time equals seventeen standard cycles, each being the seventeen-year period needed for the largest of Regu¬ lus’ sixty-four gears to make one rotation. At the end of each Grand Cycle, the modrons march forth from Mechanus, thousands upon thousands of them, on a trek through the cosmos. The purpose of the Great Modron March remains an enigma. No one other than Primus knows it, although the excursions appear to be primarily infor¬ mation-gathering exercises. The modrons have also been observed sealing off or collapsing planar portals and gates along their route, for reasons they have yet to reveal. The route is determined before the march leaves Mechanus, and the modrons do not deviate from it. Their tortuous path is inscrutable to onlookers, and more than one town has been trampled under the relentless procession. Though unfeeling, modrons are not senseless—they won’t fling themselves mindlessly over a cliff, for example. Each march is unique in duration and route. Some last as little as a few months and cover only a handful of planar sites, while others have gone on for decades and traversed every known region in the cosmos. A march never stops once it has begun. The lower orders of modrons do not need to sleep, and the others that do push themselves far beyond normal limitations. When one absolutely must sleep, it is car¬ ried on a litter. This cycle of processions has repeated every 289 years, like clockwork—until 189 years ago, when Primus inexplicably initiated the great march early. Unlike all those before, this procession took a senseless, chaotic course through the planes. Many thousands of modrons became stranded in remote corners of the multiverse. Now the Grand Cycle is once again counting down its final years, and one facet is of particular concern to planar scholars. The recent invasion by plague demons from the malign parallel universe of Voidharrow left countless dimensional cysts eating away at the fabric of the cosmos. Since that outbreak, modrons have been appearing at these sites in num¬ bers as never before. This vanguard appears to be losing the fight against the malignant cysts, and scholars fear that Primus will direct the next Great Modron March through the heart of the planes to eradicate the demonic infestation once and for all. Physiology: Modrons are a physical manifestation of order. They have a decidedly clockwork appearance, their pecu¬ liar geometric bodies fashioned of gears, plates, and rivets forged from rare metallic alloys. Modrons are not wholly artificial, however. Living tissue is inex¬ tricably fused with their metallic exoskeletons. Their most disturbing feature is their eyes; great bloodshot orbs that stare uncaringly. Living Constructs. As living constructs, modrons incorporate both mechanical and biological components; the two are inseparable. Much of their fleshly being is vestigial and nonfunctional, but they retain many features of mortal creatures. The lowest orders of modrons are the closest to purely mechanical beings and do not require sleep; those above them in the hierarchy still need to rest from time to time, though they can go without sleep for long periods when necessary. Some modrons continually strive to improve the efficiency of their race. These inventive beings are able to finely manipulate the latent power of Mechanus’s energy pools to craft spells and devices unique to their physiology. Examples of such modron devices include mechanical limb extenders, magnetic clamps, and winglike appendages Sense Organs. Like other living creatures, modrons can sense their environment. The instruments of perception might be fleshly or mechanical, or combinations of the two. Vision: All modrons have eyes. Hierarchs (see “Hierarchy” below) typically have two, facing for¬ ward, while base modrons can have anywhere from one to ten eyes, depending on type. Certain modrons enhance their vision with mechanical lenses, some magical in nature and others powered by psionic energy, allowing vision even in complete darkness. Hearing: Modrons do not possess auditory organs. Instead, they detect sound through artificial sensors fused to the skull plate or exoskeleton. These sensors are linked, providing acute directional information that surpasses that provided by the hearing of most living creatures. Scent: Very few modrons have olfactory organs, and these are vestigial at best. Most modrons neither possess nor require a sense of smell. Taste: Despite having mouths, modrons experience no sense of taste, nor do they require sus¬ tenance. They do possess tongues, which they employ for verbal communication. In their home plane of Mechanus, communication is primarily telepathic. Since telepathy is not an innate ability among all modrons, their ability to communicate telepathic ally on Mechanus appears to be a feature of the plane, but one that affects modrons only. Primus is responsible for this “gift,” since it greatly expedites tasks. Touch: Modron flesh is infused with both nerves and artificial sensors to perceive physical contact. Modrons can feel pain, to be aware of physical harm, but can voluntarily suppress this sensation when necessary. In battle this ability allows them to forget about the damage they’re taking and focus on victory. Circulatory and Digestive Systems: In a mortal creature, a circulatory system (heart, lungs, and blood vessels) is necessary to disperse oxygen and essential nutrients throughout the body. In addition, most living beings have a digestive tract for breaking down and extracting nourishment. In modrons these systems are largely vestigial, since they have no need to eat, drink, or even breathe. Modron bodies are fueled by a psychomorphic substance found only in the Accordant Expanse—concentrated, raw cognitive energy given tangible form. This fuel has the appearance and consistency of royal jelly, and it glows with inner luminescence. Little is known about the fantastic properties attributed to this substance, but aberrant entities such as aboleths have been striving for millennia to unlock its secrets. In Mechanus, the fuel is harvested by modron laborers and collected into vast pools. A small dollop of the potent substance is enough to sustain a laborer for weeks; higher-ranking modrons require a corre¬ spondingly larger amount. The ruler of the modrons, Primus, bathes eternally in a vast pool of this gel, in which new modrons are birthed. CULTURE: As alien as the forces of chaos can be, the forces of order can be equally strange-if not more so. When dealing with modrons, “order” does not necessarily equate to “logic”-at least, as mortals understand the concept. Society: To understand modron society, one must abandon the idea of the self. Although each modron is an individual, it is one part of a vast collective and does not grasp the idea of separation. Thus, only scholars who do not observe through the distorting lens of individuality can see the truth. It is said that those able to strip their souls so bare can become modrons themselves. Septon Hexton Quinton Quarton Tertian Secundus Primus Hierarchy. Classification is a fundamental tenet of modron soci¬ ety. Modrons assign everything to category, especially themselves. Their society is divided into two primary castes: the base modrons, who are primarily laborers of low intelligence, and the hierarchs, who direct and plan. The base caste contains five ranks, from monodrone up to pentadrone, while the hierarch caste contains ten, including the singular Primus. A modron is permitted to communicate only with others of its own rank or of adjacent rank. This segregation is not the result of elitism, but a simple byproduct of efficiency. Most modrons are not even capable of comprehending the existence of higher ranks beyond their immediate superiors; likewise, those lower in the hierarchy than their immediate reports simply do not exist to them. For example, a pentadrone considers a decaton to be the ultimate form of its kind and cannot imagine anything greater, but when it looks upon a tridrone, it does not see a modron at all—nor can it even classify what it’s observing. Thus, the very existence of Primus is secret to all modrons other than the secundi who directly serve it. Commands from the One and the Prime are passed down through the ranks, progressively translated into a form that the lower (and less intelligent) forms can comprehend. Whenever a modron receives instructions from a superior, it never suspects that those commands originated even higher up. From least to greatest, the ranks of the modron hierarchy are enumerated in the table below. No scholar has yet attempted to produce exact figures for the total population of modrons in the multiverse, but they likely number in the millions. Death and Promotion. Even the size of modron society is rigidly fixed. Each rank contains only a set number of modrons. Should a member of any rank die, available candidates from the next lowest rank are “promoted.” In turn, modrons from the rank below fill in the void created by those so promoted, and so on. Monodrones, having no castes below them, reproduce by fission to replace lost members, drawing on the energy of Regulus’s central pool. Base Modrons: Monodrone = General Laborer Duodrone = Skilled laborer Tridrone = Supervisor Quadrone = Manager Pentadrone = Law enforcer Hierarchs: Decaton = Administrator Nonaton = Arbiter Octon = Mayor Septon = Inspector Hexton = General Quinton = Councilor Quarton = Governor Tertian = Judge Secundus = Viceroy Primus = Absolute ruler The transition for a promoted modron is traumatic — not only does it undergo a wrenching transformation into a new form, but the resultant being must also reconcile the knowledge and memories of its prior selves with its current form. When a modron dies, no corpse is left behind. It simply vanishes, its corporeal essence returning to the central pool, where it forms into a new monodrone. Only in rare regions of “dead space,” where the Accordant Expanse does not intersect with the rest of the cosmos, does this rebirth fail. Here, one might find the remains of a dead modron, but such a discovery is exceedingly rare. Monodrone Duodrone Tridrone Quadrone Pentadrone Decaton Nonaton Octon Outlook and Psychology: With a given rank, all modrons have a similar appearance, and they think as a collective, but they are not exact copies of each other. Each has unique life experiences that, though subtle, give it a distinct personality and quirks. Such differences are more apparent among hierarchs than base modrons. As incarnations of reason, modrons always attempt to bring order out of chaos. Many hierarchs are con¬ vinced that with proper study and analysis, they can unlock the hidden logic within apparently senseless phenomena. To most other beings, modrons come across as passionless and frustratingly bureaucratic. Their overriding goal is to organize, clarify, and regi¬ ment. They view free will as a blight that must be purged from an ordered universe like an infection. Modrons are especially concerned with the prolif¬ eration of portals across the planes. They see these as weak points in the fabric of the cosmos, riddling exis¬ tence like worms burrowing through a rotten apple. They insist that anytime a being passes through a planar portal, the very structure of the cosmic fir¬ mament is weakened. Thus, modrons have begun to appear at portal mouths to contest the passage of other creatures until they can “repair the wound.” Some contingents have started collapsing such pas¬ sages wherever they find them, no matter the purpose of the portals. Modrons in Combat. As the vanguard in the fight against entropy, modrons battle chaos and its minions wherever they find them. Slaad lords have a particular hatred for modrons, and their conflicts over the millennia are legend¬ ary. Modrons fight without remorse or compassion, using logic and proven battle stratagems to win the day. Individually they are capable warriors, but they are most fearsome when they gather into regiments. Fighting together, modrons form a heartless, unstop¬ pable killing machine. In larger-scale conflicts, modron hierarchs never hesitate to employ wave tac¬ tics, sacrificing thousands of base modrons to achieve their objective. Rogue Modrons: Like cancer in a living body, disorder can strike indi¬ vidual modrons. Such uncontrolled modrons might go rogue. A few rogues develop identities and seek objectives apart from Primus’s desires, but others malfunction or keep following old orders. Such an event is most common among base modrons. Since hierarchs are each composed of multiple modrons, all of a hierarch’s constituent modrons would need to malfunction before it went rogue. Other modrons hunt down and capture rogues, which are then either destroyed or subjected to an arduous regimen of rehabilitation. This process strips away all memories of being an individual, and most rogues do not survive the experience. Rogue Modron Companions. Rogue modrons make interesting companions for the characters. A rogue modron might join a party of adventurers for any number of reasons. It might wish to study the characters and see what makes them tick; it might need protection against superiors who seek to rehabilitate it; or it might be confused and searching for purpose beyond what modron society has to offer. Some rogue modrons, given the chance to explore their individuality, desire to belong to something greater than themselves, and the adventuring party becomes a temporary substitute for the order and structure that Mechanus provides. Rogue modrons have trouble understanding emotions or concepts such as friendship, loyalty, and deception. They are, however, able to think for themselves and arrive at certain conclusions based on first-hand observations and experiences. A rogue modron might ally with a group of adventurers out of a desire to learn more about other creatures in the multiverse, but once it believes it has nothing more to learn, it moves on. Thus, modron companions are often “flighty” and can leave the party without so much as a goodbye. HABITAT: Modrons are not creatures of the natural world, nor are they even native to what most think of as the cosmos. The clockwork realm they call Mechanus is just one of many bizarre realities that coexist within an even greater plane sc ape that scholars name the Accordant Expanse. Kin to other anomalous planes such as the Far Realm or the Plane of Mirrors, the Accordant Expanse exists outside the comfortable structure of the cosmos. Its inhabitants claim their reality to be the true universe and all other existence to be a mere construct of their invention, a malignant wasteland of chaos and emotion. The rare individuals who claim to have gazed through a breach to the Accordant Expanse describe the divide as something akin to a shattered mirror—beyond the broken reality shards lies a vision terrifying for the mortal mind to process. Mechanus: A plane of rotating gears and clicking cogs, inextricably linked together with massive pulleys and stretching in all directions as far as the eye can see. Mechanus is a great void filled with unimaginably huge wheels, each interlocking with the next, like the internal cogs of an ornate clock. The plane is filled with thousands of these clockwork disks, the larg¬ est having a diameter of more than 1,000 miles. The slow revolution of this titanic wheel is picked up by adjacent cogs and transferred to others throughout Mechanus, setting the entire plane in motion. Both surfaces of each circular realm have their own gravity, so disks can meet at right angles without disturbing the inhabitants of either one, and crea¬ tures on opposite surfaces of the same disk are drawn to the surface by their own gravity. The void between wheels contains breathable air. Mechanus is a plane of ultimate law, the very antithesis of the Elemental Chaos and every bit as alien to mortal minds as the Far Realm. Light and dark exist here in equal measure, as do heat and cold. All matter here has its place, where it remains irrevo¬ cably. Mechanus harbors no passion, illusion, or pain. Individual consciousness is temporary, serving only while needed and then subsumed into the whole. MECHANUS TRAITS: Type : Extraplanar realm (the Accordant Expanse) Size and Shape: A cube-shaped void roughly 10,000 miles on each side, filled with many interlocking gears. The upper and lower reaches of the void are bounded by a thick metallic casing. Gravity : Each massive clockwork gear has gravity relative to its horizontal plane. The bounded walls of the realm also have normal gravity. Mutability : Divinely mutable (Primus). Primus is able to shape Mechanus at its whim. REGULUS: Sixty-four interlinking cogs at the heart of Mecha¬ nus form the metropolis of Regulus. The cogs of the modron capital rest atop each other, like a colossal, mechanical ziggurat. An enormous rod runs through the center of each sector gear and is apparently the agent of rotation. Each sector is ruled by an octon and periodically inspected by a septon, which in turn reports to a hexton, and so on, until the report reaches a quarton regional governor. Deep in the heart of the modron metropolis is the government sector, Regulus Prime. There stands the Cathedral of Order and the Tower of Primus, demesne of the supreme one. Modron Cathedral: This towering edifice seemingly defies all natural laws — it’s much too slender for its height, and its interior is far vaster than its exterior suggests. Inside, stone walls support vaulted ceilings that spring into the sky, their upper reaches lost in shadows from below. Balconies on hundreds of floors ring the open space in the center, with thousands of modrons moving about on their errands. The central feature of the Cathedral is the Orrery, a mesmerizing latticework of gears that constantly spin and move about. Those knowledgeable in such things can recognize the Orrery as a model of the multiverse, incredibly detailed and infinitely complex. Adventure Hook: Using a passkey provided by the Fraternity of Order, the adventurers are tasked with infiltrating the Modron Cathedral and retrieving the fabled Nexus Cube—a modron relic rumored to grant its bearer immunity against aberrant creatures. Tower of Primus: A fantastically complex clock¬ work fortress, the Tower of Primus is a forty-one-story structure composed of rectangular blocks, each stacked slightly askew from the previous one to form a spiral hovering within the sky over Regulus Prime. The skin of the tower shifts from black as night to bright and shiny, seemingly at the whim of its master. At the heart of the floating structure dwells the One and the Prime in its energy pool, connected to the collective through the Infinity Web (see the sidebar). Adventure Hook: Information obtained from Shemeshka the Marauder in Sigil suggests that one of the seven pieces of the fabled Rod of Law is held in the Tower of Primus under the protection of Secundus Rex, Viceroy of Law. The Infinity Web: The hub of the largest network of information in the cosmos, the Infinity Web is a mesh of mechanical sensors and fleshy strands acces¬ sible by Primus within the sanctum of its tower. Through this device the One and the Prime senses all modrons under its command, and through it Primus’s orders are passed down through the complex chain of viceroys, gover¬ nors, captains, and so on to reach every modron, no matter where it might be in the multiverse. Monodrone Duodrone Tridrone Quadrone Pentadrone Decaton Nonaton Octon Septon Hexton Quinton Quarton Tertian Secundus Primus

Hamatula Hamatula Medium Fiend (Devil), Lawful Evil Hero Forge Mini Double mini, no kitbash Description (From 5th edition Monster Manual - 2014): Creatures of unbridled greed and desire, barbed devils act as guards to the more powerful denizens of the Nine Hells and their vaults. Resembling a tall humanoid covered in sharp barbs, spines, and hooks, a barbed devil has gleaming eyes that are ever watchful for objects and creatures it might claim for itself. These fiends welcome any chance to fight when victory promises reward. Barbed devils are known for an alertness that makes them difficult to surprise, and they attend to their duties without boredom or distraction. They use their sharp claws as weapons or hurl balls of flame at foes that try to flee them. (From Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appendix I - 1994): Hamatula are solitary patrollers of the third and fourth layers of Baator . They are large humanoids, covered from head to toe with sharp barbs right down to their long, meaty tails. Each hamatula has unusually long, sharp claws on its hands, and keen eyes that shift and dart about, giving the creature a nervous look. Hamatula zealously patrol the third and fourth layers of Baator for intruders, knowing that promotion and increased status hinge on success. Relatively solitary, the hamatula travel in groups only when commanded to do so by a superior. They may be deployed in a small group to investigate a report of intrusion. On Phlegethos, the fourth layer of Baator, the pit fiend Gazra lives in a crystal castle. The hamatula cast captured intruders into the cells under the castle for torture. Gazra oversees the first four layers of Baator with an army of 5,000 hamatula. Twenty hamatula with maximum hit points guard him at all times. Loyal service to their lord is the fastest way to rise in status. Unlike other baatezu , hamatula cannot pass from layer to layer on Baator or to other Lower Planes. Sages speculate that this ensures that the creatures do not wander from their duties. Hamatula are doubly unique among the baatezu because only they produce a useful byproduct. A gland behind their ears produces a powerful hallucinogen that is harvested by greater baatezu and used to torment and interrogate prisoners. A few brave (or wealthy) sages have obtained samples of this secretion, though not enough to perform any meaningful experiments. They believe that greater quantities of this secretion could produce an extremely potent potion of illusion . Combat: Hamatula are guardians and patrol troops. They are excellent guardians and are never surprised. Hamatula rarely use weapons in combat, preferrring to attack with two raking claws (2d4 points of damage each) and bite (3d4 points of damage). If a hamatula hits in combat with both claw attacks, it can hug its victim, impaling [them] on its cruel barbs (2d4 points of damage, no attack roll required). The victim is now pinned and takes 2d4 points of damage per round until released. (A hamatula that takes 15 points of damage in a single round will release its victim at the end of the round.) A victim who has 16 or greater strength can tear free with a successful Strength check. In addition to the magical abilities inherent to all baatezu, hamatula have the spell-like powers affect normal fires, hold person, produce flame, and pyrotechnics. Once per day they can also attempt to get in either 2 to 12 abishai (50% chance) or 1 to 4 hamatula (35% chance). Hamatula radiate fear upon striking an opponent for the first time. The defender must save vs. rod, staff or wand or flee in panic for 1d6 rounds. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Baator (Minauros & Phlegethos) Stat Block 5th Edition: - D&D Basic Rules - Monster Manual (2014) - Angry Golem Games - DnDBeyond Abilities - Hurls flame - Barbed hide injures any creature that touches it - Claws, bite, barbed tail - Summon devils - Devil sight pierces magical darkness - Magic resistance Appearance They are large humanoids, covered from head to toe with sharp barbs right down to their long, meaty tails. Each hamatula has unusually long, sharp claws on its hands, and keen eyes that shift and dart about, giving the creature a nervous look. Size Hero Forge: 9'4" (XXL) Lore: Medium (7 ft.) Suggested: Medium to Large Other Monikers Barbed devils Sources 5th Edition: - Forgotten Realms Wiki - D&D Basic Rules - Monster Manual (2014) - Angry Golem Games - DnDBeyond

Hezrou Hezrou Large Fiend (Demon), Chaotic Evil Hero Forge Mini Hero Forge Mini Double mini, no kitbash Description (from Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix I - 1994) The hezrou, among the least powerful of the true tanar’ri , are still creatures of formidable power. They perform the will of the nalfeshnee by wandering the Abyss and overseeing the formation of armies. Hezrou are the long arm of the imperious nalfeshnee. They walk among the layers of the Abyss enforcing directions of the higher true tanar’ri. Due to the chaotic nature of the Abyss, the hezrou’s services are vital. At certain times in a century, the hezrou can plane shift at will. During these Dark Walks, as they are known, the hezrou go forth and make pacts with mortals. They willingly enter into service to a mortal, typically one in dire need, but exact a heavy toll. In exchange for a major service, such as destroying an enemy’s castle or retrieving a lost artifact, the hezrou secure eternal subservience by the mortal, a family member, friend, or lover. The victims come to the Abyss and serve as manes. As true tanar’ri, the hezrou are integral to the Blood War. They enforce the will of true tanar’ri, so they are spared certain death in frontline duty. Hezrou are not as intelligent or intuitive as the other true tanar’ri. This is ideal for their duties, however, for theirs is to obey and enforce. Combat : Hezrou are impossible to surprise. They are immune to attacks from nonmagical weapons and take half damage from all nonmagical attack forms (fire, poison, acid, etc.) Hezrou have infravision to 120’ and have double human normal auditory and olfactory senses. Hezrou are foul-tempered and mean. They attack even those that follow their instructions, just for sheer entertainment. Their claw attacks inflict 1d6 damage, and their blunt, crushing teeth inflict 4d4 points per bite. If both claw attacks successfully hit a target in the same round, the victim is in a powerful hear hug and cannot attack. The victim takes 2d4 damage per round and the hezrou’s bite attacks automatically hit. The victim must succeed in a Strength check against one half its Strength score to escape the hug. A hezrou that takes 20 hp damage in one round releases its victim. The amphibious, frog-like skin of a hezrou emits a foul liquid that coats its skin. Anyone within 10 feet of the creature must save vs. paralyzation or be overcome by its powerful stench. Anyone so overcome lies helpless on the ground, gagging and vomiting. Those that do successfully make their saving throw still take a -2 penalty to their attack and initiative rolls. In addition to those available to all tanar’ri, hezrou have the following spell-like powers, at 9th level of spell use: animate object , blink , duo-dimension (3 times per day), produce flame , protection from normal missiles , summon insects , unholy word (reverse of holy word ), and wall of fire . Three times per day they can attempt to gate in 4-40 least, 1-10 lesser, or 1-4 greater tanar’ri with a 5O% chance of success. Once per day, they can attempt to gate in 1 true tanar’ri with a 20% chance of success. (from Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - 2014) Hezrous serve as foot soldiers in the demonic hordes of the Abyss. Although physically powerful, they are weak-minded and hezrous can easily be duped into sacrificing themselves by more powerful demons. As they press their attacks into the heart of an enemy’s forces, their foul stench can sicken even the toughest foes. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane The Abyss Stat Block 5th Edition: - Monster Manual (2014) - Roll20 - DnDBeyond 2nd Edition: - mojobob's website Abilities - Poisonous stench - Powerful claws, bite Appearance Hezrou look like large, roughly humanoid toads with arms in place of forelegs. They stand upright or on all four limbs by turns. They have rows of blunt, powerful teeth; spines run the length of their back. Size Hero Forge: 4'5" Lore: Large (8 ft.) Suggested: Large to Huge Other Monikers Type II demons, toad demons Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Monster Manual (2014) - Roll20 - DnDBeyond - Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix I - mojobob's website

Bariaur Bariaur Medium Monstrosity, Chaotic Good Hero Forge Mini No kitbash, single mini Description Bariaur were one of the original playable races for Planescape. There were human-sized Bariaur who lived in Sigil and the outlands, and much larger cousins who resided in the plane of Ysgard. (from A Player's Guide to the Planes - 1994) The bariaur is a centaurlike being of the Upper Planes, but it's hardly a centaur. In appearance, it's a combination of man and ram or woman and ewe. Roughly human sized, it has the body of a large goat and the torso and arms of a human. The head is a mixture of human and animal. Males have a pair of ram's horns, but females lack them. Bariaur tend to be fussy about their appearance. They usually wear shirts, jackets, blouses, vests, and leather girdles, but this is a matter of personal taste rather than decorum. They also dye, cut, and shave their pelts to make themselves look more attractive, at least to each other. The look is often finished with jewelry hung from horns or woven into their wooly hair. Bariaur are a carefree lot. To some they appear irresponsible, but it's only a powerful wanderlust that makes them seem unsettled. There are no known bariaur towns, and few bariaur make anything like a permanent home. They do congregate in herds of their own kind, but the more dauntless range far and wide on their own or with adventuring parties. Sedentary bariaur favor a pastoral life of tending sheep herds, watching over meadows, and acting as guardians of the wilderness. This isn't to say they won't be found in cities, but those sods are usually visiting out of curiosity or on business. Most bariaur are found on the plains of Ysgard, with smaller populations on the planes of the Beastlands, Elysium, and Arborea. Bariaur are social and outgoing, friendly to strangers, but not foolishly trusting. They're noted for being fierce fighters, and they particularly hate giants, often going out of their way to attack these creatures. All bariaur possess infravision (60-foot range) and have a movement rate of 15. They usually make one attack per round, but warriors can exceed this limitation as they rise in level. All bariaur are herbivorous, and even the thought of eating meat is revolting to most of them. (from Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol. I - 1994) An under-reported aspect of bariaur life is their robust playfulness. They believe that that the two great goods are the advancing of their strong sense of honor and the need to have a good time. The bariaur often meet in shows of friendly rivalry on the great grassy plains of Ysgard. At these festivals they stage singing contests, tell tales, and play an intricate game not unlike polo. Human observers often mistake the rivalry for pride or pettiness, and are often completely flabbergasted when, at the end of a festival, the bariaur depart on the friendliest terms. Even bariaur adventurers on a hard quest may arrange simple contests to remind them of the joy of life. It is a magical moment when a grimly determined bariaur happens on one of his fellows and puts aside his honor-driven quest for a few minutes (or hours) of race and sport. Such events often do them as much good as a night’s sleep. Then they return to their quests. Nothing saddens a bariaur like learning that a companion is sad. These brave ones fear neither death nor the most monstrous manifestation of the powers of darkness; yet they have been known to journey across the most dangerous planar barriers to visit the sickbed of a valued friend. Bariaurs are herbivores, feeding on berries, nuts, leaves and other foods gathered in the forests. They do not usually travel from one layer of Ysgard to another, but do so if the food supply in an area warrants a move. Bariaurs have few natural enemies in Ysgard, although they battle the giants there. Flocks even attack giant lairs all-out, trying to wipe out the beasts. Combat: Bariaurs are tough, skilled combatants. The bariaur warrior’s club is a personal icon, a family or flock heirloom handed down through generations. Each weapon’s history is etched on it in runes. To lose this personal weapon means such humiliation that the owner generally leaves Ysgard to wander other planes, returning home only when it has redeemed its honor. In combat, a bariaur’s club has the speed factor and damage characteristics of a two-handed sword. Even weaponless, a bariaur can butt with its horns (1d8 points of damage). Male bariaurs use this attack in nonlethal battles for dominion over the flock. A male bariaur can charge at up to half again its normal movement rate (3d8 points of damage, 50% likely to knock down an opponent the bariaur’s size or smaller). The bariaur must move at least 30 feet to charge. Bariaur have uncanny senses of smell and hearing, and therefore receive a +2 bonus on surprise rolls. Bariaurs have a slight enchantment, common for creatures of sylvan origin, that makes them 10% resistant to magic. Even if the resistance roll fails, hariaurs still receive a +1 bonus to any save vs. spells. They also can move from layer to layer on the plane of Ysgard at will. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Ysgard, Outlands Stat Block 5th Edition: Homebrew link 2nd Edition: - mojobob's website Abilities - Ram horn headbutt - Fast movement and climb speed - Goat butt - Great fashion (according to them) Appearance Bariaurs, probably a hardy relative of the centaur and created by the same sylvan being eons ago, have the body of a large ram or ewe and the torso of a muscular human. Their heads mix human and ramlike features. Size Hero Forge: 7 ft. (XL) Lore: 7 ft. Suggested: Medium to Large Other Monikers Many (in their own language) Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol. I (1994) - mojobob's website

Spinagon Spinagon Small Fiend (Devil), Lawful Evil Hero Forge Mini Double mini, no kitbash Description (From 5th edition Monster Manual - 2014): Smaller than most other devils , spinagons act as messengers and spies for greater devils and archdevils. They are the eyes and ears of the Nine Hells, and even fiends that despise a spined devil’s weakness treat it with a modicum of respect. A spined devil’s body and tail bristle with spines, and it can fling its tail spines as ranged weapons. The spines burst into flame on impact. When not delivering messages or gathering intelligence, spined devils serve in the infernal legions as flying artillery, making up for their relative weakness by mobbing together to overwhelm their foes. Though they crave promotion and power, spined devils are craven by nature, and they will quickly scatter if a fight goes against them. (From Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appendix I - 1994): Spinagons, the smallest baatezu , look like gargoyles — small humanoids with wings and a spiked tail. They carry small military forks or other nasty weapons. Spinagons have long, razor-sharp talons on their feet. Spinagons are common throughout the layers of Baator and plentiful in layers three through seven. They serve as messengers and lackeys for more powerful baatezu, which includes just about all of them. Spinagons are loyal messengers, seldom failing to properly deliver a letter or memorized missive. However, many baatezu scorn them as weak and ill-equipped for combat. Indirectly, the spinagons act as scouts for Baator. Because spinagons have a vast number of messages to deliver and errands to run, they travel everywhere in the plane. If these wretched, cowardly creatures discover intruders, they fly off to call a more powerful baatezu. They do not attack or fight unless cornered and unable to barter their way out. A spinagon might even compromise its message to avoid combat. Spinagons herd lemures and nupperibos and marshall them into large armies for more powerful baatezu. A greater baatezu that wants to form its army quickly for an upcoming battle treats the spinagons with respect. Spinagons, though lowly, gain status quickly by gathering armies for greater baatezu. Often less influential baatezu get their armies last, whereas the more important baatezu get theirs immediately. Because of this, spinagons are subject to abuse and threats by middle-level baatezu disappointed with their performance. Baator is a strange place, ruled by a perverse discipline that simultaneously encourages both structured behavior and treachery. But stranger still is the advancement process of the spinagon. When a spinagon advances, those it has served decide how much advancement the spinagon receives. Therefore, if a spinagon serves a gelugon well, it may be promoted as high as amnizu . Stories tell of the pit fiend Greth advancing a spinagon to a hamatula . Combat : Spinagons avoid combat, preferring to flee and alert more powerful baatezu. However, spinagons carry a small military fork (use javelin statistics; 1d6 points of damage). In flight, the spinagon can also rake with the claws on its feet (1d4 points of damage apiece). Small spikes and spines protrude from the spinagon’s body. In combat the spinagon can launch up to 12 of these spikes as projectiles while in flight, two per round. The spikes burst into flame when launched, causing flammable materials to ignite on contact. For purposes of range and damage, treat a spinagon’s spikes as darts. The spinagon can hurl itself at a target and wound it with 1d4 spikes (1d3 points of damage each); they hit automatically and are not used up, but the spinagon cannot otherwise attack that round. Although they do not have the spell-like abilities common to other baatezu, spinagons can use the spell-like powers affect normal fires , change self , command , produce flame , scare , and stinking cloud . Once per day they can attempt to gate in 1 to 3 additional spinagons (35% chance of success). Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Baator Stat Block 5th Edition: - Monster Manual (2014) - Angry Golem Games - DnDBeyond 2nd Edition: - Mojobob's website Abilities - Burning tail spines can be fired at range - Skilled at flyby pitchfork and bite attacks - Magic resistance - Immune to fire, poison - Telepathy 120 ft. Appearance Spinagons look like gargoyles — small humanoids with wings and a spiked tail. They carry small military forks or other nasty weapons. Spinagons have long, razor-sharp talons on their feet. Size Hero Forge: 7 ft. (XXL) Lore: Small (2-3 ft.) Suggested: Small Other Monikers Spined devils Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Monster Manual (2014) - Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appendix I (1994) - Angry Golem Games - DnDBeyond - Mojobob's website

Bodak Bodak Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil Hero Forge Mini No kitbash, single mini, 1 variant below Description (from Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. I - 1994) The grim bodaks are formed from hapless mortals who ventured into parts of the Abyss too deadly for them. A Sigil legend called “The Bodak Who Walked Home” is probably apocryphal, but it expresses the eternal hope of triumph against vastly more powerful forces. Once an evil king named Basiliedus ruled his small city-state through dark magic. He captured a fair woman named Helen and sought to make her his queen. Helen’s lawful husband, Diomed the swordsman, went to the palace of the dark lord and demanded his wife. Basiliedus, who could have killed the swordsman with a mere word or gesture, asked what he would do to win back his bride. “Anything,” answered Diomed. So Basiliedus suggested that Diomed visit the Abyss and bring back a handful of soil. Diomed agreed, and Basiliedus transported him there, feeling glee at the swordsman’s awful fate. Years passed, and Helen sickened and died, escaping at last the loveless union forced on her. One day a cowled man, evidently a rich merchant, came to Basiliedus’ castle. He claimed to have a present for the hated lord. The cowled one was shown into Basiliedus’ audience chamber. “I have brought you this,” said the visitor. He poured soil from a black silk bag onto the floor. The soil became blood, and the blood became snakes. Basiliedus knew this was soil from the Abyss, but before he could act, the visitor removed his cowl. The sight of the bodak killed all within, and Diomed, the bodak, walked outside the castle to tell the people their dread lord was dead. The sun scorched his impure flesh, but just before the rotting mass fell, Diomed is said to have smiled. Bodaks are only vaguely humanoid in appearance, but sometimes retain some small feature of the mortal they once were. This may manifest itself in a nervous twitch, a peculiar combat style, or anything else that the bodak may have possessed during its normal lifetime. Bodaks have no language of their own. They speak the language common to the tanar’ri and their dark servants, and generally they remember a few words of the common speech. Combat: Any person or creature that meets a bodak’s death gaze must save vs. petrification or die. The gaze is effective to 30 feet. A victim who dies in the Abyss transforms into a bodak in one day. Only cold iron weapons or +1 or better magical weapons can hit a bodak. They are immune to charm, hold, sleep, and slow spells and to poison. Bodaks possess infravision to 180 feet. Unaccustomed to its brightness, bodaks hate the sun. Direct sunlight inflicts 1 point of damage per round. Bodaks have a faint attachment to their former lives as mortals. Rarely, this preoccupation causes the bodak to pause in combat while it considers its actions. There is a base 5% chance, rolled once per encounter, that the creature sees something in an enemy that reminds it of its mortal life. The bodak pauses and make no attacks for one melee round. After that, the bodak takes a -2 penalty to all attacks against that one character. Bodaks can attack once per round with hand weapons such as swords and maces, but they rarely carry weapons or bother with them in combat. (From Volo's Guide to Monsters - 2016) A bodak is the undying remains of someone who revered Orcus. Devoid of life and soul, it exists only to cause death. A worshiper of Orcus can take ritual vows while carving the demon lord’s symbol on their chest over the heart. Orcus’s power flays body, mind, and soul, leaving behind a sentient husk that consumes life energy near it. Most bodaks come into being in this way, then are unleashed to spread death in Orcus’s name. Bodaks are extensions of Orcus’s will outside the Abyss, serving the demon prince’s aims and other minions. Orcus can recall anything a bodak sees or hears. If he so chooses, he can speak through a bodak to address his enemies and followers directly. A bodak retains vague impressions of its past life. It seeks out its former allies and enemies alike to destroy them, as its warped soul seeks to erase anything connected to its former life. Minions of Orcus are the one exception to this compulsion; a bodak recognizes them as kindred souls and spares them from its wrath. Anyone who knew the individual before its transformation into a bodak can recognize mannerisms or other subtle clues to its original identity. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane The Abyss Stat Block 5th Edition: - Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) - DnDBeyond - DnDWiki Abilities - Death Gaze - Withering Gaze - Aura of Annihilation Appearance Bodaks are humanoids with gray, pearly skin and hairless, muscular bodies of no apparent gender. Their eyes are empty and milky-white, deeply set into their long, distorted features. Size Hero Forge: 7 ft. Lore: Medium Suggested: Medium Other Monikers None Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) - Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix I (1994) - mojobob's website

Hero Forge: 7 ft. (XL) Lore: 8 ft. Suggested: Large to Huge Planetar Large Celestial, Any Good Hero Forge Mini Hero Forge Mini Description (From Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - 2015): Planetars act as the weapons of the gods they serve, presenting a tangible representation of their deities’ might. A planetar can call down rain to relieve a drought, or can loose an insect plague to devour crops. A planetar’s celestial ears detect every falsehood, and its radiant eyes see through every deception. Sometimes sent to aid powerful mortals on important tasks for good, planetars are especially fond of missions that involve battling fiends. (from Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol. I - 1994) Planetars are powerful spirits that directly serve the powers of the Upper Planes. Like all aasimon , planetars are corporeal good entities that exist outside any ecosystem. Planetars aid only the most powerful mortal servants of good. As a rule, characters of at least 12th level on a mission directly related to a good power have a base 5% chance to gain the attention of a planetar, plus 1% per level above 12th. Modify this chance according to circumstances. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Upper Planes Stat Block 5th Edition: - D&D Monster Manual - Roll20 - DnDBeyond 2nd Edition: - Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol 1. (1994) - mojobob's website Abilities - Angelic Greatsword - Healing Touch - Detects Lies, Truesight - Flight - Miraculous Innate Spellcasting Appearance 2e: "They are tall, commanding humanoids who have smooth emerald skin, white feathered wings, hairless heads, and eyes of a penetrating blue. Their overall manner projects strength and confidence." 5e: "Planetars are muscular and hairless and have opalescent green skin and white-feathered wings. They tower over most humanoids, brandishing immense swords with grace. " Size Hero Forge: 7 ft. (XL) Lore: 8 ft. Suggested: Large to Huge Other Monikers Warrior Angel Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol. I (1994) - mojobob's website - Roll20 - DnDBeyond

Pandemonium - Pandesmos Tunnels Pandemonium - Pandesmos Tunnels Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/UGFuZGVtb25pdW0gLSBQYW5kZXNtb3MgVHVubmVscw==/79a63e754d675cb2ee3e128169601c37 Board Link Features - The Plane of Madness, strongly chaotic and mildly evil-aligned - The entire plane is a maze of pitch-black, claustrophobic tunnels and caverns that twist in on themselves - The tunnels are constantly blasted with howling winds, sometimes as strong as the gales of a hurricane - The winds are maddening, carrying the screams of Pandemonium's inhabitants through every tunnel and corner of the plane; creatures exposed overlong to the noise slowly go insane - The wind is blinding and deafening; flying grains of sand and dirt sting the eyes; speech can only be heard at screaming volume - Torches and nonmagical fires are immediately extinguished by the gales, and spellcasting with verbal components is very difficult - There is no "up" in Pandemonium; gravity is relative to whatever twisting surface one treads on; a person can walk on any wall or cavern roof, and never really knows whether they're traveling up or down - Most creatures avoid Pandemonium at all costs, and so the plane is largely uninhabited, but one will find encounters with the lost and the insane, who were unable to find a way out before madness overtook them; a few demons , slaadi , and unfortunate githzerai stumble their way into Pandemonium from Limbo or the Abyss, and forget the way they came - The gods and powers of the multiverse use Pandemonium as their dumping ground, consigning all sorts of cursed artifacts, unkillable monsters, and terrible secrets in the twisting tunnels, hoping such things will be lost forever - The few native creatures to Pandemonium are Howler fiends, and the Howling Dragon ; both channel the maddening winds of the plane as a weapon, and both are quite insane - The Bleak Cabal has an outpost on Pandemonium, and are the only Sigil faction that willingly travels here; their philosophies of the mindless chaos of existence are reinforced by the plane - The cursed river Styx travels through some passages on Pandesmos, the plane's most merciful layer. If a body has a boat, they can ride the Styx out of Pandemonium and into the neighbouring Abyss (though that isn't much more pleasant); one touch of the Styx's waters, however, takes a creature's memory, and identity, forever Notes DISCLAIMER : This map is supposed to represent the "plane of madness," and it's not an easy one to inflict on players; it's experimental in that it is designed to be intentionally maddening... so dark and disorienting that the party quickly gets lost, and becomes unsure what direction they're going, where they've been, or where they need to travel. Some tunnels also go nearly straight up and down, as Pandemonium's gravity is relative to every cavern wall; letting players walk along the ceiling, if they wish, finding new holes or vertical tunnels they'd never consider if they were thinking horizontally. Players are meant to traverse the inside of the horseshoe-shaped caverns - if a mini ever gets on the roof of a tunnel, put them back inside. I spent a lot of time sealing the chaotic, rocky walls of the tunnels so that minis wouldn't clip through and fall out of the map, but it may still occasionally happen, and require a DM's intervention. Recommend players use the arrow keys instead of dragging the mouse to move their minis. If a mini is ever fully lost, as a last resort, there's an atmosphere block outside the map that sets lightning to default brightness - the block can be seen at an eerie purple string of light on some stone floor tiles near the portal (blue fire ring). There's a 2nd atmosphere block directly next to the portal that restores the map's darkness. I would also make it very difficult for players to brighten their surroundings with spellcasting or "magic light," as this ruins the maddening atmosphere of the plane. Have the howling winds extinguish fires and ruin the verbal casting of spells, or have the cursed, pitch-black rocks of the tunnels suck the light from their magic. At first glance, every winding passage looks the same, but there are distinct landmarks if folks look carefully. Players are meant to leave markers and think smart in order to track their progress, and make sure they're not going in circles... but this style of play isn't appropriate for every table. If you think your players will just get frustrated, I suggest not using this map at all, and consider theatre of the mind instead, to convey the maddening atmosphere of Pandemonium without pissing everyone off. Don't bother trying to brighten the map, as more light just ruins the mood and makes the dungeon look bad. Hide volumes can be switched on and off if geometry from an upper level interferes with player visibility. The portal (blue fire ring) can also be closed with a hide volume. There are several hidden treasures throughout the map, including 3 mysterious black chests at creepy altars with hooded statues; DMs might use these chests for ancient, cursed artifacts, or pieces of a portal key that might lets players escape Pandemonium. Players can also exit the dungeon by finding an underground passage connected to the River Styx, and paying the fiendish boatman for a ferry ride. Assets from Tales Tavern None

Outlands - Plague-Mort Crater Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/T3V0bGFuZHMgLSBQbGFndWUtTW9ydCBQb3J0YWwgQ3JhdGVy/2af65255499b69b8974f8a97e461a1be Features - Massive, gaping volcanic pit where the town used to be - City dragged into the abyss - a few half-eaten buildings are all that remain - Abyssal portal floats, small and ominous, over the crater after consuming the town - Blasted lands around the abyssal gate drained of life, or made malevolent - Survivors pile the dead onto a huge pyre Notes - Map based on 2nd Edition Planescape Module "Recruiters" from A Well of Worlds adventure book - In my campaign, Plague-Mort was sucked into the Abyss, but players went through the portal, and fought hard to rescue survivors from demons in the Abyssal Fortress of Indifference (from a different Planescape adventure) Board Link Outlands - Plague-Mort Crater Assets from Tales Tavern None

Bloodthorn Bloodthorn Large Plant, Unaligned Hero Forge Mini Kitbashed, double mini Description (from Fiend Folio - 2003): The bloodthorn is a tough, wiry plant that grows in thick, briarlike patches out in the barren wastelands of the Outlands, Carceri, the Abyss, and Pandemonium. The plant subsists entirely on the blood of living creatures by draining it out through 3-inch-long, hollow, needle-sharp spikes on its tendrils. Bloodthorns appear as black, desiccated vines with small-bladed leaves. Bright red, succulent berries grow on the plant continually. The berries produce a fragrant odor that appeals to most species, especially in the deserts where bloodthorns grow. If a creature survives a bloodthorn’s attack and steals away a few berries, it discovers its efforts were in vain—the berries are bitter and provide no sustenance. On rare occasions, a bloodthorn is transplanted onto the Material Plane. Such plants usually die in a few days, but some survive and grow to great size in the wastelands. COMBAT: A bloodthorn seems to be a normal plant until a living creature comes within the reach of its tendrils. It then lashes out with as many tendrils as possible and drains the victim of blood. A bloodthorn allows scavengers to remove the carcasses, thus keeping the area around the plant free of its consumed prey. A bloodthorn can be summoned using a summon nature’s ally IV spell. Blood Drain (Ex): If a bloodthorn grabs an opponent, it begins draining blood. It deals 1d4 points of Constitution damage with each successful grapple check. If the opponent wins a grapple check, one of the bloodthorn’s tentacles comes loose from the opponent’s body. The resulting wound continues to lose blood for 1 additional round. Improved Grab (Ex): If a bloodthorn hits an opponent that is at least one size category smaller than itself with at least two tendril attacks, it deals normal damage for each tendril and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity (grapple bonus +11). If it gets a hold, it can use its blood drain ability. Thereafter, the bloodthorn has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use two tendrils to hold the opponent (–20 penalty on grapple check, but the bloodthorn is not considered grappled). In either case, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals tendril damage and drains blood. (from Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. II - 1995): he bloodthorn’s a tough, wiry plant that grows in thick, briarlike patches. It’s normally dull black, and its stem is dry and desiccated. The plant has several luxurious clumps of small-bladed leaves and lush, reddish berries; in the barren wastelands of Gehenna and Pandemonium, the bloodthorn appears almost too good to be true. ’Course, in the kinds of places a body finds bloodthorn, anything that’s too good to be true is just that, and any cutter with a lick of sense knows enough to give these things a wide berth. Then again, it’s astonishing what some sods’ll overlook when they’re really hungry and the bloodthorn’s berries look ripe for the picking. If a body takes a moment to look carefully at the bloodthorn bush, he’ll probably spot a number of long, dangerous thorns lying close against the vine’s stem. Even then some sods aren’t dissuaded from trying to get at the berries; unless a body’s right on top of the plant, it doesn’t even quiver. Only when something’s in striking distance does the bloodthorn make its move. Combat: When an animal or traveler comes within 10 feet of a bloodthorn plant, the vine quickly abandons its innocuous pose and lashes out at its prey. The plant can strike with 3 to 8 long, thorn-studded stems. The thorns extend to their full length of 3 inches, and each tendril becomes a razor-lined lash. If any vine hits by a margin of 4 or more (over the attack number needed to hit), it manages to wrap around its prey and embed its thorns in the victim’s flesh. Each round that the victim is caught by a vine, he loses hit points equal to the initial damage caused by the attack. For example, if the initial slash of the vine caused 4 points of damage, the vine drains 4 hit points of blood in each subsequent round until the victim dies or breaks free. The bloodthorn’s not particularly strong, but its vines are tougher than a Taker’s heart, and the cursed thorns tend to lock and catch on each other if the vine circles the victim’s body or legs. As a result, a creature trying to pull free by brute force has to succeed at a bend bars/lift gates roll. The whole plant usually doesn’t weigh more than 200 or 360 pounds, so a strong basher might end up dragging the whole bloodthorn patch after him if he just tries to pull himself free. Cutting the vine’s a better way to go, but a sod’ll need a Type S weapon. The vines are AC 3, and each one takes 8 points of damage to sever. The thorns of a severed vine still drain blood until the whole vine is carefully removed — a process that takes a full round. The bloodthorn briar has only one truly vulnerable spot: a dense root-bulb or base stem hidden under all the other thorny stems. It’s hard to get to, and killing the base stem doesn’t stop any blood drain that’s already taking place. Any stems that haven’t latched on to something stop attacking when the plant is killed, anyway. The bloodthorn’s a mindless thing that attacks until it or its prey is dead. The whole plant retreats from open flame, and any stam that’s seared immediately releases its victim and curls back up under the main plant. Habitat/Society: Bloodthorns are found all over the area of the Outlands nearest the Abyss, as well as the neighboring planes. Unless a cutter knows what to look for, it’s real easy to be surprised by what appears to be nothing more than an ordinary briar of some kind. Attempts to plant patches as a deterrent to intruders usually fail because of the plant’s ability to move itself to better hunting grounds. One of the dead giveaways about the bloodthorn’s true nature is the fact that it grows in places where other plants can’t survive. The bloodthorn derives most of its sustenance from the blood of small animals and birds, and is pretty much independent of any kin of sunshine or rain. In the barren places of its home planes, the bloodthorn often grows in patches of several plants. These can be especially dangerous, since a sod could find himself attached to several plants each trying to drain him dry before the others. Ecology: As noted above, the bloodthorn subsists on the blood of its victims. Most normal animals of its home planes have learned to be wary of it, but it keeps spreading into new parts of the Outlands where the local wildlife (and careless travelers!) don’t know to stay away from it. The plant’s berries act as a lure for hungry wayfarers, but if someone perseveres and manages to collect some of the bloodthorn’s fruit, it’s barely worth the trouble — the berries are bland and tasteless. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Outlands, Carceri, Abyss, Pandemonium Stat Block 5th Edition: - DMAcademy Reddit (homebrew) 3rd Edition: - Realmshelps.net 2nd Edition: - Mojobob's Website Abilities - 10 ft. razor-barbed vines lash out, embed thorns that drain blood over time - Vines extremely tough to break free of Appearance Size Hero Forge: 6' (12') (XXL) Lore: Large (10 ft. vines) Suggested: Large to Huge Other Monikers Vampire vines Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Realmshelps.net - Archive.org (Fiend Folio - 2003) - Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1995) - Mojobob's Website

Astral Plane Astral Plane Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/QXN0cmFsIFBsYW5lIDAx/cb44a2534ce00e71c2f7d982a43d037c Board Link Features - Barren, eternal transitive plane where there is no effects of time, and the mind and spirit define physical prowess, not the body. - All creatures who will it may fly in any direction. - No hunger, no aging. - Mysterious "color pools" drift in the astral sea, each a portal to other planes of existence. - Colossal corpses of dead goads float in the astral, fossilized; their surface and innards are sometimes inhabited. - Ruthless Githyanki raiders, pirates and slavers patrol the void sea in massive flying cruisers, some with spelljammer helms granting extraplanar travel. – Other denizens include the Berbalang , Dhours , Astral Searchers , Devourers , Astral Streakers , the Garmorm , Foo Creatures , Invisible Stalkers , and Astral Devas , though many other magical creatures, celestials, and psionic beings may be encountered there as well. The most formidable monsters on the plane are the Astral Dreadnaught and Astral Dragon Notes - Dead god is traversable inside and out; pretty happy how it turned out. Don't laugh at the backdoor! - Githyanki ship is part void cruiser and part spelljammer. Tried not to depart from lore too much but I don't know Spelljammer that well honestly. - Gith minis from Gonsplitters, MZ4250, and various artists in awesome TS community creature content Assets from Tales Tavern None