The marching modrons of Mechanus are iconic Dungeons & Dragons creatures who are delightfully alien yet familiar. If you’ve ever found yourself working in one of those gray corporate hellscapes of cubicles, casual Fridays, and micromanagement, you know what I’m talking about. Humans were not designed to toil in endless loops of menial tasks and impersonal hierarchies. Modrons, however, were designed for that specifically!

In the Monster Manual, we’re treated to the first five models of modrons, from monodrones to pentadrones. But Morte’s Planar Parade from Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse gives us a look at other, more powerful models of modrons: the hierarch modrons. They’re the upper management bracket of Mechanus, and they’d like a word with you about the unsanctioned kitten calendar in your cubicle…

• Mechanus: A Plane of Perfect Order
• 5 Types of Hierarch Modrons

Mechanus: A Plane of Perfect Order

Artist: BRUCE BRENNEISE

Let’s begin by exploring where modrons come from.

These goofy constructs straight out of a Douglas Adams novel are like an absurdist satire of corporate drone culture. Their unquestioningly lawful neutral nature tugs at our brain bits because we all know what it feels like to be a cog in a vast, uncaring, complicated, system—the dull ache of losing your identity, but also the simple comfort of knowing you have a place and a purpose. For modrons, that place is the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, a plane of absolute order, and their purpose is to keep its massive, cosmic gears turning no matter what.

Primus, Your Boss’s Boss’s Boss

At the heart of Mechanus is a god-like entity known as Primus, who commands the modrons and uses them as instruments of order within the multiverse. Primus is revered as the ultimate incarnation of lawful neutrality, so much so that they served as the impartial judge during The Trial of Asmodeus. They’re sorta like Mechanus’s CEO, HR rep, and sentient workplace management software all wrapped up in one entity. They are the architect of every weird law in Mechanus.

Limited Communication Among Modrons

Modrons can only communicate with other modrons of their rank, or one rank above or below them; any modron beyond that cannot be understood. Imagine being an intern and meeting your boss’s boss, but when they speak all you hear is the dial-up modem noise.

Modron Promotions

There can only be a set number of modrons in existence at once. This leans into why the entity known as Primus isn’t quite a god, it’s more of a title. Think of modrons, including Primus itself, as objects on a metaphysical conveyor belt. When one modron dies, every modron that came before it moves up one position.

Let's say, hypothetically, there are 1,000 monodrones in existence, and for whatever reason, duodrone No. 1 dies. Monodrone No. 1,000 would be promoted and transformed into the new Duodrone No. 1, and Monodrone No. 999 would become the new Monodrone No. 1,000, and so on and so forth down the line, ending with one fresh Monodrone No. 1 walking out of Primus’s Grand Cathedral.

The same order of advancement applies to every modron. Monodrones eventually become duodrones, duodrones become tridrones, and so on. Therefore, it is possible that if Primus dies, a secundus could be promoted to replace it, and then every modron in existence would subsequently get a promotion.

The Great Modron March

Every 289 years (or 17 cycles on Mechanus), a massive army of modrons leave Mechanus by Primus’ order and travel the Outer Planes in what is known as the Great Modron March. No one knows exactly why Primus insists on this march, but most believe it is to gather information.

5 Types of Hierarch Modrons

Managing a team is hard work! But someone’s gotta do it. And the hierarch modrons are likely the most methodical managers in the multiverse. Here’s a preview of them:

Artist: IRINA NORDSOL

• Decaton Modron
• Nonaton Modron
• Octon Modron
• Septon Modron
• Hexton Modron

Shared Traits Among Hierarch Modrons

Like all modrons, the hierarch modrons possess the Axiomatic Mind ability, making them totally unable to behave in any way that’s contrary to their nature, even by magical means. They also all have advantage on initiative rolls and they all disintegrate into dust upon death (which is sad but also efficient, I guess?).

But the hierarchs possess a few special abilities that their subordinates don’t. Each of them has the ability to cast plane shift on themselves once per day, and they all possess 120 feet of true sight.

Hierarch modrons also can communicate telepathically, giving them the ability to communicate with all modrons, no matter their rank, and other creatures. All of these extra perks allow hierarch modrons to better monitor the day-to-day tasks of base modrons and intervene when they require repairs, get lost, or suddenly go rogue and start leading a clockwork revolt. (They have countermeasures for it in place, which means it has happened before. I don’t know what to do with that horrifying and sad information, but there it is…).

Decaton Modron

We begin with the lowest-ranked hierarch modron, the decaton modron. These stubby little weirdos are responsible for keeping their 10 eyes fixed on the well-being of base modrons.

You may find a decaton amidst a few hundred base modrons, focusing on their charges, cataloging and mending any damage they may endure. If needed, the decaton can defend their charges by unleashing a bolt of lightning from each of their 10 eyeballs, or grapple up to 10 creatures with its long mechanical tentacles.

Artist: JULIE DILLON

Nonaton Modron

Whether or not your party has been invited to Mechanus, a nonaton modron will likely be the first type of modron to seek them out for questioning. These big mechanical worm-like modrons were created for the sole purpose of maintaining the rule of law within Mechanus. Typically this means tracking down and dealing with rogue modrons.

Yes, even modrons can go rogue, and when they do, they may be snatched up by one of a nonaton’s nine mechanical arms and scrutinized thoroughly with its high Investigation. If you attempt to fool a nonaton with a little shapeshifting, such as alter self, polymorph, or Wild Shape, good luck. One of their innate abilities is called Pillar of Truth, which conjures a crushing cylinder of force damage that automatically forces any creature caught by it to revert to its natural form.

Artist: JULIE DILLON

Octon Modron

Each sector of Mechanus is highly regulated by octons, fastidious and detail-oriented robot octopi who are tasked with gathering data and passing it off to the proper stakeholders. They may provide diagnostic data to decatons, to aid them in monitoring the modrons’ overall health, or they may gather and pass along productivity reports to a septon.

They have eight mechanical tentacles that they can use to multitask with breathtaking efficiency or unleash a whirlwind of bludgeoning and lightning damage.

By extending its eight arms and spinning around like a tornado, all creatures within 20 feet of it can be immediately grappled and pulled closer to it. It can then make two free tentacle attacks on every creature within 10 feet of it.

Septon Modron

Septon modrons act as quasi project managers of Mechanus. Their primary function is to monitor all base modrons in their sectors and audit whether or not they’re doing a good job. They process data to decide things like whether or not a sector earns a pizza party (or whatever the lawful neutral equivalent of pizza may be). Septon modrons are the only modrons that can cast sending (that we know of), which they probably make great use of as they monitor and coordinate the behavior of every modron in their sector.

They are bipedal constructs with two arms, one that sprouts four mechanical tentacles and the other sprouts three, each one capable of grappling an enemy if need be. When a septon needs to lay down the law, they can unleash their lightning network, a 30-foot cube of lightning originating from them that stuns every creature within it that fails a Dexterity saving throw.

Hexton Modron

And finally we have the hexton modron, the big daddy of hierarch modrons presented in Morte’s Planar Parade. They’re Huge, they’re scary, and they answer the question, “What if The Iron Giant was directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky?”

Hextons are field generals, commanding modron troop movements that happen specifically outside of Mechanus. They’re most commonly overseeing The Great Modron March, but if your party ever sees one outside of that context, well … let’s just say I hope they’re not on the wrong end of their six tentacles. In the rare event that Primus ever deploys their modrons to quell the forces of chaos, rest assured, a hexton will stand combat ready at the head of the army.

Like the other hierarch modrons, hextons possess a number of mechanical appendages equal to their namesake (in the hexton’s case, it’s six glowing tentacles) and each of them is capable of grappling a single creature. But hextons also possess a pair of arms that each end with powerful pincers, which can incapacitate any creature if they fail a DC 17 Constitution saving throw.

They are the only hierarch modron with Legendary Resistances, of which they have four. But strangely enough, that’s not their most deadly detail. What truly makes hextons a gem in the crown of Mechanus’ military might are their reactions.

Hextons can take up to three reactions per round, but only once per turn. One of their reactions, Counter Magic, allows a hexton to interrupt the spellcasting of any creature it can see. Its second reaction, Lighting Rebuke, automatically targets any creature within 120 feet that damages the hexton, forcing them to take lightning damage. Yikes.

Lawful Neutral, But Make It Terrifying

Remember when you thought all modrons were toothless little minions with weird lips? Yeah, those days are over.

The modron hierarchs presented in Morte’s Planar Parade present a new flavor of lawful neutrality that can give DMs a lot of interesting depth to play with if they bring their players to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus. They also expand the cast of characters your players might see if they ever cross paths with the infamous Great Modron March, and hopefully gives them second thoughts before they shake down a lowly little monodrone for their lunch money.

Kyle Shire (@kyleshire) is a contributing writer to D&D Beyond and a producer for Critical Role. In the past, he worked as a producer, writer, and host for Machinima Studios and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. He's appeared on HyperRPG as the Mayor of Kollok and the Saving Throw Show. He currently lives in Los Angeles.