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Sunday 17 February 2019

Modron, Nyssian Bound

Have long loved the idea of the Modron - aliens to the mortal realms that are stuck to the rigidity of law. Or perhaps, it is the thought of the outsiders, torn between their lawful-bound rules and the particulars of living in the mortal's world. These Nyssian Bound, are those who are 2nd or 3rd generation, still stuck to the same outer planar rules, yet they are fully mortal creatures. 

Modron, Nyssian Bound

These Modrons are outsiders from a lawful plane that were mortally injured on Nyssa, an alien world and unable to continue with their mission.  While their internal repair functions eventually repaired them, the few who were abandoned here learned to function on this prime world.

They are best described as self-aware bio-mechanical units, built for a specific work function not social interactions. Most have grey metal-skin, on a box-like body with small legs, arms and other features. Within their shell, they do have fleshy organs, which can bleed and get sick. Their joints, skin and internal bones are all metal.

Being socially awkward, they rarely know what to do or say, so they stand out in other mortal communities. Yet, due to knowing the importance of interaction, they try to fit in to the world by becoming members in lawfully-aligned or large social groups. Most often it's a lawful church (such as Quanna or Casna) or in a city's bureaucracy. From this they try to learn the social etiquette, history and culture of their adopted world and the people who they are with and follow the social rules. At a certain point they learned how to generate their own kin, then they create small & specialized communities that rarely number more than 23 units.

When Modrons meet others of its kind, they are almost always immediate enemies, while both may be lawful neutral, it is rarely enough to offset their mistrust of strangers. Unless their functions directly oppose each other, they will not get into physical combat. If they ever physically touch peacefully, they reflexively share everything about their learning and their own individual pasts.  It is common for Modrons to join with each other in a cause but never as equals, there must be one determined Commander. If they cannot determine among each other this strata - they cannot become partners.

The starting goal of a Bound Modron is to find a portal back to their home plane. Strangely, if they find one, they are hesitant to go through as they are unsure of where or even if they will fit in with "True Modrons". There is no known instance of any Bound Modron who ever returned back to their home world, so whether they are transformed, destroyed or celebrated is not known among the prime world kind.

Bound Modrons that adventure do so because their unit has been either been hampered or the individual has been assigned to learn about an aspect of the world and travelling or adventuring is the best way to do this.

Modrons

-2 Charisma, +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence:  Socially inept, the Rogue Modron is nevertheless highly intelligent and their fleshy bodies are optimized for durability.

Box-like body, They have a face on the upper part of the box, small legs at the bottom, small wings on their shoulder portion relative to their face, their skin . All clothing and armor needs to be custom fitted. Standard pieces of armor or jewelry (even magical pieces) do not fit them. Nyssian Modrons match the Quadrone description regardless of their HD.

Nyssian Modrons do not change shape or form, most retain their box-like regardless of their HD or level, which is very distinct from Modrons on other planar worlds who transform when ready to ascend levels or HD. Modrons that travel the multiverse may learn how to change their form but they lose the ability if they return to another primal location.

Alignment: Modrons are devoted to lawful neutral aligned beliefs.

Medium: As a Medium creature, Modron has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.

Speed: Modron base land speed is 30 feet. They may gain a fly speed (see Wings).

Darkvision: Modrons can see 60 feet in the dark.

Racial Skills: A Modron's outsider levels give it skill points equal to 5 / HD.  Its class skills are Acrobatics, Appraise, Balance, Climb, Craft, Disable Device, Knowledge (Any, all taken separately), Linguistics, Perception, Profession, Spellcraft, Stealth and Survival. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (Mechanical) or Disable Device checks. In their first five HD, any knowledge skills taken, is automatically doubled.

Metal Body: Modrons have construct traits but are treated and detected as mortal creatures. While they are healed normally by positive energy, they take half the standard benefits from cleric healing spells from chaotic aligned individuals. They can count either as a construct type or outsider when its beneficial, but receive none of the types immunities. Modrons need to eat and sleep at half the normal consumption rates of a human. They do not starve if hungry but do slow down. They do not need to breathe yet if they do stop breathing for more than ten rounds they go into a stupor, and will take an hour per minute break-down to re-awaken.

Matched Parts: As sentient constructs, Modrons are created by bursts of magical energies into fully formed but inactive bots. These are awakened into living, sentient, metal bodies by divine, mental or magical energies directed into them, usually by other Modrons or allies. Every standard Modron have perfectly matched parts, so they can replace arms, legs and wings if needed.

Racial Feats: They gain one feat at first level, and a new one every 2nd HD

Automatic Languages: Modron (A standard, non-written language.) It will speak a common tongue of the region they are in. It usually uses either common or dwarven for their written language.

Bonus Languages: Choose more based on intelligence score - Phaetox, Minotaur, Elven, Dwarven, Celestial, Infernal, and Undercommon.

Natural Armor: Modrons gain +1 natural armor at 1 HD. As they increase in levels, their armor becomes more hardy and they increase in natural armor benefits. They are unable to wear standard metal armors. Metal armors can be sculpted to fit their body template, but it provides little protection to mid or higher level Modrons. They do not gain benefits wearing standard armors, though some do wear sculpted magical armor types or AC granting magic pieces such as rings or capes.

Regulate: A Modron is able to perform difficult actions with surprising regularity. They can take 10 on any single d20 roll 1/day even if it normally would not be able to take 10. It gains an additional use of regulate at 4th HD and every 4th level beyond. At 20 HD, it becomes an action they can take once per round. They must select what each usage can be utilized for, each usage they can select a new action.

Wings: Even at their lowest HD, they possess a pair of small wings on their metal limbs, but are incapable of supporting themselves in flight, but they can minimize falling damage to half or none if they make their saving throw. At 6 HD, the Modron gains a fly speed of 20 feet (poor), and at 9 HD it becomes 40 feet (good). At 15th HD it becomes 60 (perfect.) They gain +2 to their fly skill / HD at 6 HD and higher. Some Modrons forego wing advancement - if they choose this they gain +1 in AC at 6th, 9th & 15th HD instead.

Socially Awkward: A Modron is socially awkward for anyone not in their circle, taking a -2 to social interactions with any skill check to non-allies. Once a Modron has been introduced and is socially familiar to an individual, (5+ times) they lose the -2 social interaction penalty

Aligned Being (Ex): Modrons gain a +2 racial bonus on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks against chaos-aligned creatures in combat interactions. They also take a -2 penalty on saving throws against chaos aligned spells and effects in non-immediate combat scenarios..

Nyssian Bound: Treat Nyssa as the prime world for Bound Nyssian Modron Units

Energy Resistance Select One: Acid, Cold, Fire 5.

Detect Law or chaos: A Rogue Modron can detect presence of law or chaos at a range of 120 feet once per HD / level

2nd: Fortification (Ex): A Rogue Modron possess 10% fortification at 2nd level and an additional 5% every additional HD level. At 11th level and higher, this bonus changes to 1% each new level.

3rd: Logical Mind (Ex): Rogue Modron gain a +3 bonus against mind-affecting, chaos and illusion
spell effects.

Increase Attacks and Saving Throws as clerics of the same HD

Nyssian Modron HD

1st level Metal Body, +2 AC, +12 Skill Points, Regulate Action, Auto Half Dmg from falling; Increase Dmg, Replacaple Parts, Nyssian Bound

2nd level + 1 AC, +5 skill points, Gain Fortification (10%/level), Choose Energy Resistance                                    Acid, Cold or Fire 5, Gain Feat

3rd level + 1 AC, +5 on skill points, +2 on one of Dex, Con or Int; Logical Mind, Gain Feat

4th level Aligned Actions (Gain +2 on attacks, skill and ability checks vs Chaos-aligned creatures),                               +5 on skill points, Regulate Action (2/day); Increase Dmg

5th level + 1 AC Armor, +5 on skill points, +2 on one of Dex, Con or Int, Gain Feat

6th level Flight 20 (Poor), Choose Energy Resistance Acid, Cold or Fire 10, +5 on skill points

7th level +5 on skill points, +2 on one of Dex, Con or Int, Gain Feat; Increase Dmg, + 1 AC Armor

8th level Aligned Actions (Gain +5 on attacks, skill and ability checks vs Chaos-aligned creatures),                                 +5 on skill points, Regulate Action (3/day)

9th level Flight Speed 50 (Good), +5 on skill points, +2 on one of Dex, Con or Int, Gain Feat;                                        Increase Dmg, + 1 AC Armor

10th level   +5 on skill points, +2 on one of Dex, Con or Int; Increase Dmg

11th level   +12 on skill points, Choose Energy Resistance Acid, Cold or Fire 20, +5 on any selection                       ability scores (no more than +2 on any one), Gain Feat, + 3 AC Armor

Rogue Modrons do not need to advance up this listed level chart. They can gain non-standard HD or class levels at any time, however, if they ever gain non core HD they are unable to further advance in their natural Modron class levels again.

After 12th HD their most preferred class options are: Fighter, Monk, or Sorcerer.


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