D&D 5E Wandering Monsters: Morons and Salads

[Dannyalcatraz]

They really should look like humanoid toads with the colors of poison tree frogs...each being unique.

 

[jadrax]

Even chaos incarnate follows the whims of an ordered multiverse.

Welcome to mathematics. ;o)

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Ditch the clockwork modrons and go back to the hive mind polyhedrons.

Slaads should be agents of pure chaos -- not the uncooperative demon frogs they've become. They should be so chaotic that they warp the laws of the universe where they walk.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So, they eat a lot of Mexican food, then, eh?

 

[JamesonCourage]

What stats does a moron have? And, can I get a reliably description of them? I'd like to keep an eye out for them in real life, for a variety of reasons.

 

[avin]

Leave Modrons alone.

 

[Stormonu]

Although I liked the idea of modrons, I never used them in my games. Other than the modron march, just didn't see them being interesting enough to design an adventure around them.

I'd kind of like to see their appearance being reworked (more clockwork, but Geiger-inspired as being an amalgam of flesh and machinery. Still basically geometric in overall shape, but both more beautiful and frightening at the same time. The modron things adventurers run across should primarily be the "warriors" of the race).

I'd also like to see their philosophy be revised from being passive to be aggressive; somewhat like the borg - "Only true unity with the universe can be achieved by the removal of self. Your culture will be dismantled, your inefficient laws restructured, your petty desires wiped away. You will become part of US. Resistance is futile." (With the likes of the ninoton and such being like Seven of Nine..., Locutus being something like a decaton and Primus being like the Borg Queen. If they want, they can blame the change due to the events with Thanatos/Orcus).

As for the slaad, if they go back to them preying on anything they encounter - including each other if there's no one else around, that's all I'm concerned about.

 

[Klaus]

Although I wouldn't go as far as to say "Geiger", I'd like to see them incorporate clockwork, flesh and insectile qualities (*hive* mind, right?).

Hmm... I might even doodle some stuff just for fun.

 

[Stormonu]

Although I wouldn't go as far as to say "Geiger", I'd like to see them incorporate clockwork, flesh and insectile qualities (*hive* mind, right?).

Hmm... I might even doodle some stuff just for fun.

Yeah, after spending about 20 minutes to find a safe-for-work example, I think I'll back away a bit from Gieger exactly. But still, having modrons being the ultimate expression of flesh and machine seems to fit. The various 3E Inevitables I think would be good models for how modrons appearance should be approached.

Personally, I'd like to stay away from insectile features, but "exposed" brainwork/ "linkable" circuitry in them would be cool in my mind. (In fact, I think one of the things that could make modrons creepy is that their brains are essentially swappable. They could simply make more drones or replace damaged drones with brains "uplifted" from the er... unenlightened - "They weren't using it anyway").

 

[CM]

While Planescape is one of my favorite settings and I love DiTerlizzi's work, I think that his whimsical, goofy style of modron is probably not appropriate for standard D&D. I think there are plenty of talented artists that could give the cyborg modrons a slick revamp while still retaining their traditional polyhedral shapes. Need to put Jon Schindehette's Art Order group on this!

Slaads I don't feel really fit in with the current concept of an aberration. Not everything that transforms or implants a host body needs to be from the Far Realm. I do however think it odd that creatures which are supposed to embody chaos have a structured hierarchy.