Automatic Promotion. When Primus is slain, the highest-ranking secundus is immediately promoted to become the new Primus.
Axiomatic Mind. Primus can't be compelled to act in a manner contrary to its nature or its instructions.
Colossal. Primus is immune to forced movement, does not provoke opportunity attacks and cannot make opportunity attacks.
Disintegration. If Primus dies, its body disintegrates into dust, leaving behind its weapons and anything else it was carrying.
Immutable Existence. Primus is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form or send it to another plane of existence.
Innate Spellcasting. Primus's spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 26). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:
- at will: detect thoughts, dispel magic, heat metal, mending, pulse wave, silvery barbs
- 3/day: antilife shell, gravity sinkhole, hold monster, slow, temporal shunt, wall of force
- 1/day: power word kill, time stop, wish
Law of Truth. Creatures within 120 feet of Primus can't speak deliberate lies.
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Primus fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Limited Magic Immunity. Unless it wishes to be affected, Primus is immune to spells of 6th level or lower that target it or include it in their area of effect. Primus has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.
Scales of Equilibrium. Primus's arms represent a pair of scales, balancing light against dark. As long as these scales are in balance, all dice rolls of any kind made by Primus always yield the average result, Primus can use both its light and dark attacks and it projects an aura of law and order within 120 feet of it, which causes the following effects:
- The area within 120 feet of Primus is filled with dim light and any modron within that area cannot be charmed or frightened.
- All damage rolls made by all creatures within 120 feet of Primus always yield the average result.
- No roll made by a creature within 120 feet of Primus can be affected by advantage or disadvantage.
If Primus takes at least 60 radiant or necrotic damage in a single turn, the scales are thrown out of balance, tipping towards either light if triggered by radiant damage or dark if triggered by necrotic damage. When this happens, all creatures of Primus's choice within 120 feet of Primus, must make a DC 26 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until balance is restored. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
In addition, while in this state, Primus no longer projects an aura, is immune to the triggering damage type, cannot use its bonus actions and some of its other abilities change accordingly.
Once the scales have been thrown out of balance, they remain in that state for three rounds or until Primus takes at least 60 damage of the opposite type.
Multiattack. Primus makes an attack with its Gyro Slam once against each creature of its choice within 20 feet of it while rotating around its own axis and then uses dark and light once each. If a creature got hit by both light and dark on the same turn, Primus uses its Enforce Balance on it.
if Primus's scales are out of balance, it can only use either light or dark depending on the triggering damage type.
Light. Ranged Spell Attack: automatic hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 30 radiant damage.
If Primus's scales are out of balance, this attack requires an attack roll with a +18 to hit, deals 54 (12d8) radiant damage and the target must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn.
Dark. Ranged Spell Attack: automatic hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 30 necrotic damage.
If Primus's scales are out of balance, this attack requires an attack roll with a +18 to hit, deals 54 (12d8) necrotic damage and the target must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw or have its maximum HP reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken.
Gyro Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: automatic hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 60 bludgeoning damage and the target is pushed 10 feet away from Primus and knocked prone if it is huge or smaller.
If Primus's scales are out of balance, this attack requires an attack roll with a +18 to hit and deals 54 (12d8) bludgeoning damage.
Enforce Balance. Primus targets a creature within 120 feet of it that got hit by both light and dark on the same turn. The target must succeed on a DC 26 Charisma saving throw, or it cannot use reactions or bonus actions and all its dice rolls always yield the average result until the end of its next turn.
Pulse of Equilibrium (Recharge 5–6). Primus's spheres of light and dark begin to pulse and emit a wave of magical energy with a 120-feet radius centered on Primus. The effect depends on the state Primus's scales of equilibrium are in:
- Balance: All creatures of Primus's choice within the area take 30 radiant and 30 necrotic damage, all summoned creatures within the area are returned to their planes of origin and spells cast to summon them end, and all modrons within the area regain 60 hit points.
- Out of balance, dark: All creatures of Primus's choice within the area must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw, taking 90 (20d8) necrotic damage on a failure or half as much on a success and the area becomes filled with magical darkness until the start of Primus's next turn. In addition, until the start of Primus''s next turn, any modron within the area deals an additional 1d8 necrotic damage with its attacks.
- Out of balance, light: All creatures of Primus's choice within the area must make a DC 26 Constitution saving throw, taking 90 (20d8) radiant damage on a failure or half as much on a success and the area becomes filled with bright daylight until the start of Primus's next turn. In addition, on a failed save, a creature gains a level of exhaustion, and until the start of Primus's next turn any modron within the area deals an additional 1d8 radiant damage with its attacks.
Shift Gear. (3/day) The great gears start picking up speed, empowering Primus itself and modrons fighting at its side to restore law and order in the Clockwork Nirvana. Until the start of Primus's next turn, Primus itself and all modrons within 120 feet of Primus gain a +5 bonus to their attack rolls and ability checks and have their movement speed doubled.
Armor of Mechanus (3/day). Gears and other metal clockwork parts manifest as protective armor around Primus and any modron within 120 feet, granting them 60 temporary hit points, and, while these temporary hit points persist, a +5 bonus to their AC and saving throws.
Blood of the Machine. When Primus has less than half its maximum hit points and takes damage from a weapon attack, an oil-like liquid leaks from the wound. Each creature within 20 feet of Primus takes 24 acid damage and must make a DC 26 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. The area within 20 feet of Primus is considered difficult terrain for creatures other than modrons or Primus itself until the start of Primus's next turn.
Primus can take 5 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Primus regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Command Modron Squadron. Primus commands up to 6 modrons it can see within 120 feet of it to use their reactions to make one weapon attack.
Modron March through Space and Time. Primus teleports up to 6 modrons it can see within 120 feet of it to unoccupied spaces within that area.
Scan. Primus learns the location of any hidden creature and the presence of any magic as per the detect magic spell within the Great Modron Cathedral.
Cast a Spell (Costs 2 Actions). Primus casts one of its spells.
Light and Dark (Costs 2 Actions). Primus makes one attack with its light and one attack with its dark. If a creature got hit by both light and dark on the same turn, Primus uses its Enforce Balance on it.
if Primus's scales are out of balance, it can only use either light or dark depending on the triggering damage type.
Clockwork Cavalcade (Costs 3 Actions). Primus summons the following amount of modrons: one pentadrone, two quadrones, three tridrones, four duodrones and five monodrones. The summoned creatures have maximum hit points, appear in unoccupied spaces within 120 feet of Primus and obey its commands. Whenever one of these modrons dies, unless it was a monodrone, a new modron of a lower rank is immediately promoted to fill that spot according to their hierarchy. When Primus uses this legendary action again, only those spots vacated by destroyed or promoted modrons are filled up.
Description
Primus, also known as the One and the Prime, is the greater deity of balance and order and the ruler of Mechanus and its inhabitants, the modrons. His orders are considered absolute and are obeyed by all modrons.
Primus appears as an over 60 feet tall roughly humanoid-shaped construct made of golden and silver metal with four arms and is clad in robes which cover an intricate clockwork mechanism resembling a miniature version of the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus. Primus's right arms appear to be holding onto a sphere of light, while its left arms hold onto a sphere of dark - which those who have seen Primus describe as resembling a set of scales, keeping light and dark in balance.
Unlike other deities, Primus actually is mortal and can be slain like any other modron. When Primus is slain however, the highest-ranking secundus would immediately take over the old Primus's place and become a new Primus. Simultaneously, the highest-ranking tertian would become a new secundus and so forth, following the strict hiearchy of the modrons, until a new monodrone is born. This hierarchy was created by the first Primus
Mechanus. The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus is the plane of law and order. Just like the name indicates, it is a giant clockwork made of country-sized gears often measuring a thousand miles or more in diameter. All these gears were inhabitable at one or both sides and projected their own gravity, allowing creatures to walk on them as if they were flat ground. In addition, all gears were interlocking and turned slowly, albeit constantly in synchronicity, resulting in constant ticking and clacking noises.
A plane of absolute order, Mechanus had equal amounts of light and dark, heat and cold, and the elemental forces were balanced against each other. Even individuals living here had adapted themselves to a perfectly regulated society, there is no pain, no passion, no fatansy, all the inhabitants of Mechanus strive for is working together like the gears of a clockwork.
The largest of all gears in Mechanus requires 289 years for one full revolution, which is known as the Grand Cycle of Mechanus and is subdivided into seventeen periods of seventeen years each. This greatest gear, if one so will, can be seen as the gear which drives the entirety of Mechanus; and each time a Grand Cycle is completed, thousands of modrons gather for the Great Modron March to travel through all outer planes of the multiverse, heralding the completion of the Grand Cycle, gathering information needed for calibrating the gears of Mechanus and bringing at least a semblance of law and order to the planes, even if just temporarily.
Lair and Lair Actions
Primus rules over Mechanus from the center of the greatest gear. There, in a large palace-like building with countless of gears, cogs and other clockwork parts constantly moving, the holy halls of law, order and balance are located - also known as the Great Modron Cathedral. Primus can move around freely, but usually is found on the central altar where it can connect itself to the great clockwork of Mechanus and calibrate and control the movement of the various gears.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20, Primus takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; Primus can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Gear Crush: Rotating gears materialize within a 30-foot cube centered on a point within 120 feet of Primus, turning the area into difficult terrain. Each creature of Primus's choice that starts its turn within that area or enters it for the first time on a turn takes 24 bludgeoning damage and must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone and restrained until the gears disappear. A restrained creature can use its action to attempt a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to free itself. The gears disappear after one minunte or when Primus uses this option again.
- Pendulum Swing. A giant pendulum swings through the area, hitting all creatures within a 120-foot line that is 15 feet wide. Each creature within the area must succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 30 bludgeoning damage, be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone. In addition, if Primus's scales of equilibrium were out of balance on one side, they are now out of balance on the other side and the respective effects apply to Primus and its abilities from now on.
- Tick-Tock Trauma. The sound of constant, rythmic ticking and clacking intensifies to a level that is unbearable for anyone not aligned to the perfect law and order of Mechanus. Each creature in the Great Modron Cathedral with an alignment other than Lawful Neutral must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw, provided it can hear these sounds. On a failure, it becomes incapacitated and deafened until the end of its next turn. If it fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it develops a long-term madness in addition to the other effects.
- Around the Clock. Giant clock hands materialize within 120 feet of Primus. The minute hand moves forward by ten steps, covering the area of a 60-feet cone. Each creature in this area must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or take 24 force damage. In addition, time moves forward by ten minutes according to the minute hand's movement, causing all spells and abilities with a duration of 10 minutes or less to end.
- Machine Tremor. Primus can only use this lair action if he used its shift gear bonus action on its last turn. As the gears of Mechanus move quicker than usual, rythmic tremors shake the Great Modron Cathedral. The ground in the area becomes difficult terrain and any creature of Primus's choice on the ground within the cathedral must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. In addition, rach creature on the ground that is concentrating must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's concentration is broken.
Regional Effects
The region around the lair of Primus is warped by its clockwork magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- On the greatest gear, the presence of absolute order is stronger than anywhere else in Mechanus. Even items within containers such as bags of holding always remain in order. If a creature attempts to pull out an item from such a container, it can do so using its item interaction instead of its action if it succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check to recognize the pattern.
- If a creature spends at least one hour on the greatest gear of Mechanus, it starts developing a need for absolute order and balance. It must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or have its alignment changed to Lawful Neutral and be compelled to keep everything in order and balance and refuse anything that can be considered even remotely chaotic. This goes so far as that even its movement happens in rythm of the always-present ticking of the gears of Mechanus. A greater restoration or similar spell can end this effect. if a creature succeeds on the saving throw or is freed from this effect, it becomes immune to it for the next 24 hours.
- On the greatest gear of Mechanus, taking a long rest is impossible for all creatures with an alignment other than Lawful Neutral due to the constant ticking and clacking sounds of moving gears and occasional clock strikes - this perfect order feels too alien, unusual and does not allow creatures to recover properly when attempting to rest.
- Within 5 miles of the Great Modron Cathedral, Wild Magic Surges and similar random abilities or effects cannot be triggered. In addition, dice used in dice games will always roll average and cards in a card deck will always be drawn in order, regardless of how well they were shuffled.
- Within 1 mile of the Great Modron Cathedral, the clockwork mechanisms become more intricate and complicated. Primus always is in direct telepathic contact with all modrons within this area and can directly control the clockwork contraptions, which might be used to attempt to stop intruders from progressing further, such as by moving gears, pendulums and other parts similar to its lair actions to block off pathways and so forth.
Previous Versions
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