FREQUENCY: Uncommon
FREQUENCY:
Common ([Dungeon Level IV])
FREQUENCY:
Common ([Dungeon Level VIII])
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 18”
HIT DICE: 5
% IN LAIR: 10%(7 Rust Monsters:
subterranean, TPL any (see below), REF4.82)
TREASURE TYPE: [Q] (X 10)
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 ~ 15
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Nil
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Destroy
metal
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit on
monster destroys metal
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE:
III | 185 + 4
Rust monsters inhabit only
dark subterranean places. They roam such
places in search of their
food -- metals of all sorts, but principally ferrous
based metals such as iron,
steel, and steel alloys (such as mithral and
adamantite arms
and armor).
Destroy Metal: If the
rust monster touches the metal with its two antennae (roll ”to hit” die)
it rusts or corrodes the metal.
Note that magically endowed
items gain a saving throw, a 10% chance of not being
affected for each plus, i.e.
a +2 weapon or armor gains a 20% chance of
being saved. Metal affected
rusts or corrodes and immediately falls to
pieces (which are easily
eaten and digested by the creature).
Hit On Monster Destroys Metal: Weapons striking a rust monster are affected just as if the creature’s antennae had touched them.
Rust monsters can smell metal
at 9” distance. They will stop
for a melee round to devour
such items as a handful of iron spikes or a
mace if a fleeing party throws
them away, but they will go after ferrous
metal in preference to copper,
silver, etc.
Originally by Tim Kask
ADQ: Why must a rust
monster hit a
victim's normal AC? Magickal
plate <mail> +4
would
seem to be as easy to hit
as
non-magickal armor -- and
both far easier
than penetrating that armor
to inflict
damage.
ADA: Come On -- rust
monsters are nasty
enough already. If you insist
on being logical
about it, and use a base
of AC 10 modified
only by magick and DEX, then
continue the logic to cover
the situation. If a
hit is scored, check to see
if Metal was hit,
or merely leather or Something
Else. This
might be a 70% chance for
plate mail, less
for other types. Then if
Metal was hit,
check to see if it was the
armor, or merely a
fitting, a gauntlet, a boot,
shield, etc. <define fitting>
Note the
DRAGON magazine
article on the
ecology of the rust monster
offered a plausible but not
official rationale
of its attack mode.
The AD&D
Game uses the abstract "to
hit" roll for maximum playability
without
extreme unrealism. Game modifications
for
more "realism" (in a fantasy
Game?) usu.
add More complexity and result
in
slower play. If that's what
you want, go
ahead -- but be sure to consider
all the
aftereffects of each change
before implementing
it.
(Polyhedron #21)
Q.
What happens to cursed armour
and/or weaponry when hit
in combat
by a rust monster or disenchanter?
A. We suggest that
when any cursed
metal magick item is hit
by a rust
monster it should be treated
like any
other magick item attacked
in this
fashion. The cursed
object will have a
10% chance that it will not
rust per
'minus' of the object.
A rust monster
is not interested in the
magickal
nature of the metal object,
merely its
food value as rust.
We think
the disenchanter will probably
have a disinclination for
draining
the magick from a cursed
item. It lives
on the energy inherent in
magick
items, and the energy in
cursed items
might be expected to come
well down
on its gourmet preference
list. But
Don Turnbull thinks otherwise,
and
he wrote the thing. Take
your pick.
<Roger Musson is listed
as the creator of the disenchanter!>
(Imagine #7)
The original rust monsters ....
Heh...
As near as I can recall the
rust monster was brought into action first on the sand table in my basement
at 330 Center Street back in early 1973.
gideon_thorne wrote:
The rust monster always had
to be one of the most feared creatures in my game.
Mainly for the embarrassment
factor. One can beat up, abuse, harass, damage and otherwise do all manor
of unpleasant things to a character, and they would sit and take it.
But dissolving their nice
shiny plate armor was always something these same characters would crawl
over broken glass to avoid. Especially otherwise dignified paladin types. 
Yes indeed!
Cheers,
Gary
AFAIK the monster figures were imaginary creatures...e,g. the ones we named bulette, owl bear and rust monster.
Cheerio,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tav_Behemoth
1) Can you confirm that the
bulette and rust monster were originally a plastic toy that you created
a creature around in order to use it on the miniatures table?
That is so, but the name
and stats were created by Tim Kask, then editor of Dragon Magazine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steverooo
Okay, here's one I always
wondered about (and I can't be the only one in the Universe):
Where are all the Metal-
ters
in the (A)D&D Universe(s)? I mean, with all of those blasted (or Magic
Missiled) Rust Monsters running around, how is it that there is any metallic
ore left on any of the (A)D&D planets, unless something's making it?!!
<stick out tongue>
Pish!
The scrap from iron battleships would feed all the Oerth's rust monsters for a century, that without considering automobile junkyards <devious>
Heh,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steverooo
Ah, Pish-tush, Sirrah! Very
few of ANY of those, on Oerth! <stick out tongue>
As if the iron ore fouind
on Oerth is less than that found here....
<stick out tongue>
Gary
