#julie dillon

Image by Julie Dillon, © Wizards of the Coast

[Probably the modron with the most Oz vibes, and that’s saying something. I like the distinction in the Dragon Magazine version that they’re surprisingly strong for being such goofy little dudes, and so continued with that theme. Something that basically all editions of D&D after AD&D 1e forgot was that monodrones and duodrones had a swim speed. I took swimming off of the monodrone in order to lean into the wings, but have restored that to the duodrone.]

Modron, Duodrone
CR 2 LN Outsider (extraplanar)
This boxy humanoid is made of metal. Its upper and lower halves are divided by a gear-like waist, and its limbs are thin with prominent joints. Its upper half is taken up by an eerily organic-looking face. It carries a spear seemingly too large for it.

Duodrones are the second tier of the modron hierarchy, and are more intelligent and versatile than monodrones (albeit not by much). Unlike monodrones, a duodrone can multitask, albeit only with two goals at once. They act as supervisors of monodrone laborers and soldiers, and are stronger on the battlefield. Duodrones are amphibious, their hands and feet spreading out into flippers when they come into contact with water. Thus, duodrones are often put to work in flooded environments where monodrones cannot maneuver easily.

A duodrone will fight to defend itself even without orders, although if in a group, one member of the group will typically retreat to inform a superior (or send a monodrone with a message to do the same). Duodrones consciously work to flank opponents and set up tactical advantages, sometimes to the point of leaving themselves exposed. Most duodrones use their surge of strength at the beginning of combat.

The closest a duodrone comes to having an individual personality is in favoring a particular weapon over others. Few duodrones use ranged weapons to any great extent, and they have a fondness for polearms. A few of them, particularly those who come into contact with non-modrons on a regular basis, may gain a nickname based on their weapon of choice.

Duodrone              CR 2
XP 600
LN Small outsider (extraplanar, lawful, modron)
Init11 (fixed); Sensesdarkvision 90 ft., low-light vision, Perception +7
Defense
AC13, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 size, +2 natural)
hp23 (2d10+2 plus 10)
Fort+1,Ref+3,Will+3
Resistacid 10, cold 10, fire 10
Defensive Abilities constructed
Offense
Speed20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee2 slams +4 (1d4+1) or spear +4 (1d8+1/x3) or Lucerne hammer +4 (1d12+1)
Rangedspear +3 (1d8+1/x3)
Space5 ft.; Reach5 ft. (10 ft. with Lucerne hammer)
Special Attacks surge of strength
Statistics
Str13,Dex11,Con12,Int6,Wis10,Cha5
Base Atk +2;CMB+2;CMD12
FeatsPower Attack
SkillsCraft (any one) +3, Perception +7, Stealth +9, Swim +14
LanguagesModron
SQcoordinated ally, fixed initiative, oversized weapon
Ecology
Environmentany (Regulus)
Organizationsolitary, pair or squad (3-12)
Treasurestandard (2 Medium spears, Medium Lucerne hammer, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Oversized Weapon (Ex) A duodrone can wield weapons designed for creatures one size larger than itself without penalty.
Strength Surge (Su) Once per day as a swift action, a duodrone can grant itself a +4 racial bonus to Strength for 1 round.

Image © Wizards of the Coast, by Julie Dillon

[In 1e through 3e, there were alternate versions of some of the modron drones. Winged monodrones had no arms, and quadrones either had two wings and two arms, or four arms and no wings. These have been flattened out by 5e, using the art by Julie Dillon that first appeared in Dragon 354. I’m fine with that, so my monodrones will have both arms and wings.]

Modron, Monodrone
CR 1 LN Outsider (extraplanar)
This small metallic creature has a spherical body and spindly arms and legs. A pair of small wings grows from its upper surface. It has a single large eye overlooking a fleshy mouth.

Monodrones are the simplest, weakest and most numerous of the modrons. They exist in teeming millions, serving the will of Primus as laborers, servants and foot soldiers. A monodrone is single minded in its focus and monomaniacal in its efforts—a monodrone told to dig will do so until its shovel breaks or it destroys itself in the act if not ordered to stop. In a factory or other regulated environment, this allows a monodrone to function with incredible efficiency at one very particular subset of a task. Modron engineering is designed around mass production, and enormous quantities of monodrones help to manufacture and assemble weapons, armor and tools at a staggering rate. However, in chaotic environments such as on a battlefield, or when faced with creatures not as perfectly devoted to order, monodrones require intense supervision to make sure they don’t injure themselves or others.

Monodrones typically flee from aggression, even harsh words, in order to report the altercation to a superior capable of analyzing and making decisions. If ordered to fight, a monodrone brings its obsessive zeal to combat, to the point that they can only attack a single foe at a time. A monodrone cannot switch targets without being told so by a superior modron. They are implacable in their attempt to destroy their focused target, so much so that they can overclock themselves and attack or give chase past their bodies’ normal capacity. Monodrones can fly, but are clumsy in the air and rarely use this ability on the battlefield (unless, of course, they are ordered to). Monodrones, like most drone modrons, are willing to fight to the death once battle is joined.

Monodrones have no individual personalities, functioning more like cells in a body in their utter pursuit of their tasks. They do not even have specific numerical designations, but they may be referred to by their unit or superior (typically a tridrone or quadrone in rank). They almost never communicate directly with non-modrons.

Monodrone          CR 1
XP 400
LN Small outsider (extraplanar, lawful, modron)
Init11 (fixed); Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +6
Defense
AC13, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +1 natural)
hp15 (1d10 plus 10)
Fort+0,Ref+3,Will+2
Resistacid 10, cold 10, fire 10
Defensive Abilities constructed;Weaknesssingle minded
Offense
Speed20 ft., fly 40 ft. (poor)
Meleeslam +3 (1d3-1) or short sword +3 (1d4-1/19-20)
Rangedlight crossbow +3 (1d6/19-20)
Special Attacks focused action
Statistics
Str8,Dex13,Con10,Int4,Wis10,Cha3
Base Atk +1;CMB-1;CMD10
FeatsWeapon Finesse
SkillsCraft (any one) +5, Fly +3, Perception +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Craft (any one), +2 Perception
LanguagesModron
SQcoordinated ally, fixed initiative, relay message
Ecology
Environmentany land or underground (Regulus)
Organizationsolitary, pair, patrol (3-12) or army (13-144)
Treasurestandard (Small short sword, Small light crossbow, 20 bolts, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Focused Action (Su) Once per day, a monodrone can take an extra move or standard action in its turn, as long as it is exactly the same action as it took immediately prior. For example, it could move and then make two short sword attacks, or move twice and take one short sword attack, but could not move, attack once and then move again.
Relay Message (Ex) A monodrone can retain and recite perfectly a verbal message or any other sound of 1 minute or shorter in duration. It does not need to understand the message in order to relay it. This cannot be used to cast a spell, even one with only a verbal component.
Single Minded (Ex) A monodrone can only focus on a single task at a time. When in combat, it only attacks a single foe unless ordered to stop or change targets. This means that it always fights until slain if not ordered to retreat, and can only make attacks of opportunity against the target it is focusing on.