Rust Monster: Weapons, Beware!

Destroyed me hammer and me axe, it did. Put me faith to the test that day, it did.

Brawn Thunderstones, dwarf paladin of Dumathoin

Not the most creative name, is it? Rust Monster? That’s like calling a bird ‘flappy flying creature.’

Lore: Rusty Insects

Usually placid, a rust monster feeds off of the metals it decays. They usually wander underground passages, ignoring anything that doesn’t bear metal and becoming hostile to anything that does. However, their single-minded pursuit of food makes them easy to trick. They can even be made into companions or pets, which is what many denizens of the Underdark do.

This isn’t especially good lore. It can make for some fun Underdark flavor text; maybe there are some tamed rust monsters hanging around in an Underdark settlement. But if you’re looking for an actual enemy for your party to fight, this one’s usefulness extends only as far as a random encounter.

Though, knowing how most players operate, they’d try to tame the thing even as it tries to kill them. So… prepare for that, I guess?

Design: Cute or Horrifying?

I honestly can’t tell. Granted, it’s the size of a cow. Does that make it more or less nightmarish?

I kinda like this design. It’s not especially amazing, but it’s pretty neat! Like a giant rust-colored termite!

Is it as interesting or bizarre as some of the more creative monster designs on the list? Honestly, no. But at least it isn’t boring and generic. It’s still a fun and interesting design.

Overall, I’d say it’s slightly above average. Now, let’s see how it fights.

Stats: Fighters, Beware!

Despite it’s looks, a rust monster is hardly a durable monster. Their AC isn’t awful but it isn’t all that hard to beat, and its HP is pretty low. If you decide to kill one, it probably won’t be hard.

But you’ll probably lose a good chunk of your gear, so beware! With its Rust Metal ability, any nonmagical weapon that strikes it corrodes. After damage is dealt, the weapon takes a permanent -1 to damage rolls. Once that adds up to a -5, the weapon breaks. In addition, nonmagical ammo that hits the creature is non-recoverable.

Now, let’s talk actions. Its Bite attack does… just about what you’d expect. Far more annoying is its Antennae action; with this, it corrodes a nonmagical metal object. If this affects armor, it takes a permanent -1 to its AC. Should the AC drop to 10 (or a shield’s bonus be reduced to 0), the item breaks.

Honestly, this fight comes across more as frustrating than fun or challenging. It’s more about killing the monster before it destroys their gear than anything else. Not the most fun experience.

Still, it can lead to some potentially interesting consequences. How do they repair their gear? How do they deal with the trials to come with weakened gear? That could be fairly memorable. Unfortunately, it has little to do with the monster itself.

Placement

As a whole, this isn’t a particularly good monster. It has a decently strong design and its stats can make for an interesting challenge. Unfortunately, its lore is underwhelming and those stats are more punishing and annoying then they are fun and challenging.

With that in mind, the Rust Monster is going to #132 on the Best of the Bestiary!

1. Beholder
2. Death Tyrant
3. Mind Flayer
4. Dragon Turtle
5. Mummy/Mummy Lord
6. Nagas (all three of ’em)
7. Green Dragons
8. Red Dragons
9. Blue Dragons
10. Black Dragons
11. White Dragons
12. Silver Dragons
13. Couatl
14. Behir
15. Aboleth
16. Sea Hag
17. Lamia
18. Bronze Dragons
19. Brass Dragons
20. Copper Dragons
21. Gold Dragons
22. Chuul
23. Kuo-Toa
24. Gibbering Mouther
25. Kraken
26. Intellect Devourer
27. Chimera
28. Death Knight
29. Fomorian
30. Bone Devil
31. Dracolich
32. Faerie Dragon
33. Gelatinous Cube
34. Lich
35. Peryton
36. Remorhaz
37. Orcs (all four of ’em)
38. Magmin
39. Kobold
40. Kenku
41. Hobgoblins
42. Night Hag
43. Green Hag
44. Black Pudding
45. Ankheg
46. Hook Horror
47. Oni
48. Purple Worm
49. Storm Giant
50. Hill Giant
51. Empyrean
52. Efreeti
53. Grimlock
54. Minotaur
55. Dao
56. Cloud Giant
57. Manticore
58. Drow (all four of ’em)
59. Shadow Demon
60. Modrons (all five of ’em)
61. Marilith
62. Drider
63. Aarackockra
64. Azer
65. Demilich
66. Spectator
67. Gray Ooze
68. Ochre Jelly
69. Hydra
70. Rakshasa
71. Marid
72. Harpy
73. Werejackal
74. Otyugh
75. Half-Dragon
76. Cambion
77. Fire Giant
78. Nothic
79. Pixie
80. Animated Armor
81. Roper
82. Banshee
83. Basilisk
84. Yochlol
85. Bulette
86. Cloaker
87. Darkmantle
88. Doppelganger
89. Revenant
90. Ghoul and Ghast
91. Ettin
92. Medusa
93. Pit Fiend
94. Erinyes
95. Chain Devil
96. Bearded Devil
97. Barbed Devil
98. Spined Devil
99. Ice Devil
100. Mimic
101. Djinni
102. Merrow
103. Nalfeshnee
104. Glabrezu
105. Chasme
106. Grell
107. Barlgura
108. Horned Devil
109. Balor
110. Shadow Dragon
111. Myconids (all four of ’em)
112. Piercer
113. Werebear
114. Lizardfolk
115. Vrock
116. Dretch
117. Pseudodragon
118. Gnolls (all three)
119. Goristro
120. Hezrou
121. Manes
122. Quaggoth
123. Frost Giant
124. Weretiger
125. Werewolf
126. Duergar
127. Quasit
128. Dryad
129. Flumph
130. Goblin
131. Nightmare
132. Rust Monster <——————
133. Wereboar
134. Wererat
135. Githyanki
136. Owlbear
137. Planetar
138. Imp
139. Ogres/Half-ogres
140. Roc
141. Clay Golem
142. Flameskull
143. Displacer Beast
144. Carrion Crawler
145. Githzerai
146. Grick
147. Invisible Stalker
148. Rug of Smothering
149. Bugbear Chief
150. Bugbear
151. Flesh Golem
152. Vine Blight
153. Twig Blight
154. Needle Blight
155. Mephits (all six of ’em)
156. Bullywug
157. Hellhound
158. Ettercap
159. Gas Spore
160. Cockatrice
161. Lemure
162. Homonculus
163. Merfolk
164. Solar
165. Deva
166. Gorgon
167. Hippogriff
168. Griffon
169. Cyclops
170. Centaur
171. Ghost
172. Pegasus
173. Fire Elemental
174. Water Elemental
175. Air Elemental
176. Stone Giant
177. Deep Gnome
178. Dinosaurs (All six of them)
179. Iron Golem
180. Stone Golem
181. Earth Elemental
182. Galeb Duhr
183. Helmed Horror
184. Flying Sword
185. Crawling Claw
186. Violet Fungus
187. Shrieker
188. Gargoyle