Manual of the Planes

Wholeness of Body (Su): A secundus can cure itsown wounds, healing up to 36 hp per day. It can spreadthis healing out among several uses if desired.PRIMUS (The One and ThePrime)Primus rises from the communal energy pool in itsgreat tower at the center of Regulus. It usually appearsas a gigantic humanoid, though it can also take the formof an androgynous human if desired. When Primus is ingiant form, its hands are masked—the right one isswathed in bright, rainbow hues and the left is cloakedin inky, swirling clouds.Primus speaks the modron tongue, plus Abyssal,Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Draconic, Ignan, Infernal,Sylvan, Terran, and the trade tongue of the planes. Itgives orders to the secundi but takes them from no one.Primus is a lesser deity of Mechanus and the ruler ofthe entire modron realm. Primus and Regulus are onein thought and deed; as Primus turns, so do the wheelsof the city, and thus, the wheels of all Mechanus. Thedomains with which Primus is associated are Law,Protection, and War.Primus alone understands the whole structure of themodron race. It is Primus who decides what constitutesorder, writes the laws, and establishes the rules and regulations.All other modrons exist to carry out theirdeity’s plans and obey its rules. Any modron who fails tomeet Primus’s standards may be declared a rogue andsentenced accordingly.Primus’s sole concern is for the modrons. It does notsend avatars to other planes or even take part in the normalbickering and wars that occupy the other planarpowers. Though it does use the Orrery to keep track ofevents on other planes, it rarely interferes unless it seesa direct threat. It devotes most of its energy to perfectingand protecting Regulus and its inhabitants.Though Primus technically has few actual worshipers,since only the secundi are even directlyaware of its existence, it does influence the lives of allmodrons in many ways. Primus grants divine spells,domain powers, and domain spells to all the hierarchs.Indirectly, it also controls all modrons, since itsorders filter down through the modron ranks untilthey reach the proper level for implementation.Contrary to popular belief, the death of Primus doesnot throw modron society into chaos. Like all gaps,that vacancy is immediately filled by promotion of asecundus. That creature immediately gains the powersof the old Primus, but not its memory or its plans.Thus, it usually takes a bit of time for the new Primusto determine the state of the planes and of Regulusand decide what needs to be done. During this periodof adjustment, some chaos can enter the perfectionof modron society. Some scholars have mistakenlyinterpreted this situation as civil war within theorderly modron race, but it is merely confusionresulting from the temporary lack of direction. Thefirst act of the new Primus is to restore order to itsrace—a process which can take some time.ABOUT THE AUTHORMark A. Jindra has been a fan of DUNGEONS &DRAGONS for 20 years. After five years of organizingRPGA Network events for more than 75 Midwesternconventions and game days, he landed a job as a webdeveloper for Wizards of the Coast. He is currentlythe developer of the D&D website. Mark hasauthored or coauthored various tournaments for theRPGA Network, including the LIVING CITY’S “TheEye of the Storm” and the combined roleplayingminiaturesMechWarrior/BattleTech event “Falcon andthe Wolf.”18