Primus (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
Primus is the supreme ruler of modrons
, in the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game.
Primus appeared in the Planescape Campaign Setting
boxed set (1994). In the adventure The Great Modron March (1997), the modrons are set on an unusual course, and in the adventure Dead Gods
(1997), it is revealed that the Primus who sent the modrons on their march had been killed and replaced by a being with a mighty power.
Primus appeared with the modrons in the web enhancement for the third edition Manual of the Planes
in 2001.
) and its left hand by darkness (a portal to Acheron
).
Primus is aware of all modrons, because it is at the top of the hierarchy.
In 4th edition, the modrons are described as "cells" of the unknown being Primus.
One Primus was killed by Tenebrous, the undead shade of the demon lord
Orcus
, using the Last Word, an utterance so powerful that it can destroy deities.
Chourst
once visited Mechanus, although he barely survived the encounter; Primus itself showed up to deal with the slaad lord after he had worked enough mayhem and disorder on the orderly plane, and still seeks justice against Chourst.
For eons Primus existed at the hub of the central cog of Regulus, the supreme intelligence of the modron race. If by some calamity Primus was destroyed, a secundus modron was immediately promoted to replace it. However, in this time of transition, while the new Primus examined the state of the planes and its race, some chaos would enter the modron species, something that other races sometimes mistook for civil war.
For as long as records have been kept, Primus would call forth a Great Modron March every seventeen cycles of Regulus's largest gear (each cycle lasting 17 years by Oerth
's reckoning). During the Great Modron March, "thousand upon thousands" of modrons would transverse every outer plane in the Great Wheel, trampling those who got in its way, with those few who survived the journey reporting to Primus on what they had witnessed. Some believe the March has no purpose other than to temporarily bring a modron's vision of order to every plane, while others believed the purpose was simply to destroy as many modrons as possible and thereby renew the modron race.
In approximately 587 CY, however, an unprecedented disaster occurred: Primus was slain by the undead shade of a demon god, who secretly replaced Primus in the Infinity Web of the modrons, guiding the entire modron race without the knowledge of anyone else. Impersonating Primus, Tenebrous called for an early Modron March, disrupting the cycle that had previously been as regular as Mechanus's own clockwork gears. At Tenebrous's direction, the modrons scoured the planes for the long-lost Wand of Orcus, which Tenebrous needed to complete his resurrection and prevent the slow death he was experiencing as the possessor of the Last Word. When this Rogue March was completed, Tenebrous simply abandoned the modrons, leaving them to promote a new Primus in his place. The version of Primus that the Last Word had destroyed now exists as a vestige.
However, Tenebrous's fell taint had corrupted the modrons, and one of the secundi contested the promotion of one of its fellows. While normally promotion was instant and the egoless modrons accepted the arbitrary elevation of one of the four secundi as the proper order of things, Tenebrous's lingering influence inspired one to invoke an ancient rule that permitted Primus's successor to be chosen through a contest. The terms were simple: whichever secundus destroyed the most chaotic beings in a single week would win. While one traveled to Limbo
to single-handedly massacre slaad
i and similar creatures, the tainted secundus instead ordered its subordinates to destroy towns of gnome
petitioners on the plane of Bytopia
. At the end of the week, both secundi declared victory, with the one who had gone to Limbo objecting that the souls of Bytopia were not purely chaotic; nor should acting through subordinates have counted. The tainted one disagreed, and instead of accepting defeat it led nearly a million subordinate modrons on an exodus of the plane, bringing them to Acheron
and promising to build its military might so that it could take Regulus by force. Though the promotion of the other secundus went on, the power of the modron race had been divided, even crippled.
The formian
s took advantage of the modrons' weakness, invading Regulus and taking control of outlying gears formerly under modron control. Thus far, however, the energy pool of the modrons has spawned new modrons for every one destroyed, resulting in a stalemate. The inevitables, too, expanded into modron territory in order to gain new resources for their kind, though recently (as of 597 CY) the new Primus has formed a truce with the inevitables, granting them space in Regulus and monodrone assistants in the inevitable factories in exchange for the ending of hostilities.
Modron (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the fictional multiverse of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Modrons are mechanical looking creatures native to the outer plane of Mechanus. Modrons resemble geometric shapes with humanoid limbs and represent a living, physical manifestation of law without regard to good or evil...
, in the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game.
Publication history
Primus (The One and The Prime) first appeared with the modrons in the original Monster Manual II (1983).Primus appeared in the Planescape Campaign Setting
Planescape Campaign Setting
The Planescape Campaign Setting was a boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook and published in 1994, and introduced the Planescape setting.-Contents:...
boxed set (1994). In the adventure The Great Modron March (1997), the modrons are set on an unusual course, and in the adventure Dead Gods
Dead Gods
Dead Gods is an adventure module for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The book was published in 1997, and was written by Monte Cook, with cover art by rk post and interior art by rk post, Adam Rex, and Josh Timbrook.-Plot summary:Dead Gods is...
(1997), it is revealed that the Primus who sent the modrons on their march had been killed and replaced by a being with a mighty power.
Primus appeared with the modrons in the web enhancement for the third edition Manual of the Planes
Manual of the Planes
The Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe....
in 2001.
Description
Primus manifests as a gargantuan humanoid rising from a pool of pure energy, or as an androgynous human. In its gigantic form, its right hand is obscured by rainbows (a portal to ArcadiaArcadia (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Arcadia or more fully, the Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, is a lawful neutral/lawful good-aligned plane of existence...
) and its left hand by darkness (a portal to Acheron
Acheron (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Acheron , also known as The Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, is a lawful neutral/lawful evil-aligned plane of existence...
).
Primus is aware of all modrons, because it is at the top of the hierarchy.
In 4th edition, the modrons are described as "cells" of the unknown being Primus.
Relationships
Primus is the supreme ruler of all modrons. The four secundus modrons report directly to Primus.One Primus was killed by Tenebrous, the undead shade of the demon lord
Demon lord (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demon lords are demons who have gained great power and established a position of preeminence among demonkind. Each demon lord has a unique appearance and set of abilities. Most control at least one layer of the Abyss...
Orcus
Orcus (Dungeons & Dragons)
Orcus is the fictional demon prince, and lord of the undead in many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He is named after Orcus of Roman mythology. His symbol is a mace with a human skull as the head...
, using the Last Word, an utterance so powerful that it can destroy deities.
Chourst
Chourst
Chourst the Unpredictable is the slaad Lord of Randomness, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Publication history:Chourst appeared in second edition in Dragon #221 .-Description:...
once visited Mechanus, although he barely survived the encounter; Primus itself showed up to deal with the slaad lord after he had worked enough mayhem and disorder on the orderly plane, and still seeks justice against Chourst.
History
The history of Primus, like the history of the modrons, is possibly as old as the planes themselves. It may be that the modrons shaped the gears of Mechanus in the Age before Ages, or that the gears of Mechanus shaped the modrons from the stuff of pure Law. It's suggested that the first modrons might have been proto-inevitables who learned to store energy in a central pool of energy, or that they were creatures of pure geometry that the plane of Mechanus slowly transformed into constructs. 4th edition suggests that Primus may have been a machine-like primordial.For eons Primus existed at the hub of the central cog of Regulus, the supreme intelligence of the modron race. If by some calamity Primus was destroyed, a secundus modron was immediately promoted to replace it. However, in this time of transition, while the new Primus examined the state of the planes and its race, some chaos would enter the modron species, something that other races sometimes mistook for civil war.
For as long as records have been kept, Primus would call forth a Great Modron March every seventeen cycles of Regulus's largest gear (each cycle lasting 17 years by Oerth
Oerth
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
's reckoning). During the Great Modron March, "thousand upon thousands" of modrons would transverse every outer plane in the Great Wheel, trampling those who got in its way, with those few who survived the journey reporting to Primus on what they had witnessed. Some believe the March has no purpose other than to temporarily bring a modron's vision of order to every plane, while others believed the purpose was simply to destroy as many modrons as possible and thereby renew the modron race.
In approximately 587 CY, however, an unprecedented disaster occurred: Primus was slain by the undead shade of a demon god, who secretly replaced Primus in the Infinity Web of the modrons, guiding the entire modron race without the knowledge of anyone else. Impersonating Primus, Tenebrous called for an early Modron March, disrupting the cycle that had previously been as regular as Mechanus's own clockwork gears. At Tenebrous's direction, the modrons scoured the planes for the long-lost Wand of Orcus, which Tenebrous needed to complete his resurrection and prevent the slow death he was experiencing as the possessor of the Last Word. When this Rogue March was completed, Tenebrous simply abandoned the modrons, leaving them to promote a new Primus in his place. The version of Primus that the Last Word had destroyed now exists as a vestige.
However, Tenebrous's fell taint had corrupted the modrons, and one of the secundi contested the promotion of one of its fellows. While normally promotion was instant and the egoless modrons accepted the arbitrary elevation of one of the four secundi as the proper order of things, Tenebrous's lingering influence inspired one to invoke an ancient rule that permitted Primus's successor to be chosen through a contest. The terms were simple: whichever secundus destroyed the most chaotic beings in a single week would win. While one traveled to Limbo
Limbo (Dungeons & Dragons)
In Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy role-playing game, Limbo or more fully, the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo, is a chaotic neutral-aligned plane of existence...
to single-handedly massacre slaad
Slaad
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, slaad are a fictional race of Outsiders that resemble giant humanoid toads of various colors.-Development and licensing:...
i and similar creatures, the tainted secundus instead ordered its subordinates to destroy towns of gnome
Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarves; however, gnomes are more tolerant of other races and of magic, and are skilled with illusions...
petitioners on the plane of Bytopia
Bytopia
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Bytopia, also known as the Twin Paradises or more fully, the Twin Paradises of Bytopia is a lawful good/neutral good aligned plane of existence...
. At the end of the week, both secundi declared victory, with the one who had gone to Limbo objecting that the souls of Bytopia were not purely chaotic; nor should acting through subordinates have counted. The tainted one disagreed, and instead of accepting defeat it led nearly a million subordinate modrons on an exodus of the plane, bringing them to Acheron
Acheron (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Acheron , also known as The Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, is a lawful neutral/lawful evil-aligned plane of existence...
and promising to build its military might so that it could take Regulus by force. Though the promotion of the other secundus went on, the power of the modron race had been divided, even crippled.
The formian
Formian
In the fictional world of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, formians are extraplanar insectoid outsiders.-Publication history:...
s took advantage of the modrons' weakness, invading Regulus and taking control of outlying gears formerly under modron control. Thus far, however, the energy pool of the modrons has spawned new modrons for every one destroyed, resulting in a stalemate. The inevitables, too, expanded into modron territory in order to gain new resources for their kind, though recently (as of 597 CY) the new Primus has formed a truce with the inevitables, granting them space in Regulus and monodrone assistants in the inevitable factories in exchange for the ending of hostilities.
Additional reading
- Bilsland, Greg; Bruce R. Cordell (27-01-2011). "Creature Incarnations: Modrons". Dungeon #186. Wizards of the Coast. Available online (behind a paywall): http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/duci/201101modrons
- Marable, Ken. "Return of the Modrons." DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#354. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Sernett, Matthew. "The Ties that Bind." DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#341. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.