Monster Dossier

Rust Monster

Rust Monster FEARED AND LOATHED Very few monsters are as hated by seasoned adventurers as rust monsters, for these creatures are not content to merely k...

Level 3

Traits

nmediumaberration

Rules & statistics

Monster Profile

Perception

8

Senses

  • Name
    darkvision
  • Name
    metal scent
    Range
    30

Skills

Athletics
Std
7
To Disarm a metal item
13

Ability Mods

Str
0
Dex
3
Con
1
Int
-4
Wis
1
Cha
0

Defenses

Ac
19
Saving Throws
Fort
8
Ref
10
Will
6
Hp
  • Hp
    40

Speed

Walk
35
Climb
10

Attacks

  • Range
    Melee
    Name
    antenna
    Attack
    10
    Traits
    • finesse
    Effects
    • rust
  • Range
    Melee
    Name
    mandibles
    Attack
    8
    Traits
    • finesse
    Damage
    1d10+4 piercing
    Types
    • piercing
  • Range
    Melee
    Name
    tail
    Attack
    8
    Traits
    • finesse
    Effects
    • Improved Knockdown
    Damage
    1d4+2 bludgeoning plus Improved Knockdown
    Types
    • bludgeoning

Abilities

Top
  • Entries
    • A rust monster can smell metal as a precise sense.
    Name
    Metal Scent
Mid
  • Activity
    Number
    1
    Unit
    reaction
    Trigger
    A creature carrying a metal item attempts to move out of a square within reach of the rust monster's tail.
    Entries
    • The rust monster makes a tail Strike against the triggering creature.
    Name
    Tail Trip
Bot
  • Activity
    Number
    1
    Unit
    action
    Entries
    • The rust monster attempts to Disarm a metal item a creature is holding using its antenna (with the same modifier as an antenna Strike). On a success, the item is subject to the rust monster's rust ability (see below) in addition to the effects of the Disarm, and if the check to Disarm is a critical success, the rust monster drops the item on the ground in its own space.
    Name
    Antenna Disarm
  • Entries
    • A rust monster's antenna causes metal to rapidly rust and corrode. If it succeeds at an antenna Strike or Disarm attempt with its antenna, the rust monster deals 2d6 damage (doubled on a critical hit) to a metal item the target is wearing or holding, ignoring its.
    Name
    Rust
  • Entries
    • If the rust monster hits an unattended metal item, the item takes this damage automatically. If a creature uses the Shield Block reaction with a metal shield against an antenna attack, the shield is automatically broken, but no other item is rusted on that attack.
    Name
    Hardness.

Background

Lore

Rust Monster

FEARED AND LOATHED

Very few monsters are as hated by seasoned adventurers as rust monsters, for these creatures are not content to merely kill those who intrude upon their lairs—they eat their hard-won weapons and armor! Many innovative dungeon-dwelling creatures have seized upon this fact, and those that can't arrange for a rust monster guardian to scare adventurers away leave rusted bits of armor with curious markings strewn about, hoping that the mere sight of potential rust monster activity is enough to turn back would-be troublemakers.

Found in lost dungeons, deep caves, and abandoned mines, rust monsters are a bane to any adventurers who rely on armor, weapons, or other metal items. These strange-looking creatures grow to about 5 feet long, with four insectile legs and a long tail ending in a four-pronged appendage resembling a tiny windmill. However, it is the rust monster's feathery antennae that strike fear in the hearts of battle-hardened warriors, for a single touch from even just one antenna can reduce an adventurer's most valuable tools to a useless pile of rust.

Rust monsters aren't inherently aggressive creatures, but they're voracious oxidivores, meaning they consume the rust created by their antennae. The creatures savagely attack anything that gets between them and a possible meal, and they relentlessly pursue any source of metal. A rust monster can be distracted by a single metal-rich item, but they are often encountered in groups of three or more, sharply raising the cost of escape.

Rust monsters are a terrible scourge in mining communities. If a group of rust monsters discovers rich veins of ore, they can multiply quickly. By weakening tunnels, attacking workers, and consuming the source of the miners' livelihood, these aberrations have created many mountainside ghost towns.