Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Abarron Mar 16, 2015 4:18:18	So I am complete noob and the DM.  All my player's are new as well by the way.  The party is about level 3 and 2 people are really powerful due to some equipment they found (different DM at the time).  They don't have magic items however and I was thinking about throwing a rust monster at them.  The problem is I have heard some quite frightening things about the rust monster and now I'm not sure it is appropriate to their level.  It was going to be right before a big fight as a way of knocking the fighter's AC from 18 while 2-handing a d12 weapon.  I plan on them getting replacement gear for free afterwards for rp reasons but I'm not sure if I will TPK them.  I tested them all last session and they all seem really strong.  If I almost kill them all however is fine. All fights after that room are optional.
#2 Luciender Mar 16, 2015 5:30:02	What equipment do they have that isn't magic and is making them really powerful? I mean....are they all decked out in full plate and that's why you're sending in the rust monster?
#3 iserith Mar 16, 2015 5:54:32	It's a CR 1/2. For it to destroy plate mail, it must use its Antennae successfully 8 times on the armored target, meaning the PC must fail a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw 8 times. It must do this before it loses its own 27 hit points (AC 14). It is unlikely it will get many attacks in before the party kills it. So unless we're talking about a few of these things, the party doesn't have much to fear. Even then, they only need fear the loss of equipment - rust monsters don't bite for much damage at all.   Like any other threat, you'll want to telegraph the danger before conflict ensues - the smell of rust in the air, objects and features that clearly had metal at one time in their make-up but now don't, and finally, a rust monster (or two) using their antennae on some bands and hinges on a door. When they sense the PCs and their armor and weapons, they make shrill sounds of excitement and start scurrying towards - "What do you do?"   Another way to challenge the PCs with rust monsters is to set up a scenario in which the rust monsters aren't interested in PCs, but rather something bigger and important to the characters. See, for example, my scenario The Corrosion of Gedren's Point. In this one, the villain Tetanus the Transmogrifier is controlling a swarm of rust monsters that is eating all the structures of buildings so that the city will be leveled. Here, the only time the PCs will have rusted equipment is if they attack the rust monsters (since the rust monsters won't attack them back). So they have to "opt in" to the destruction of their own equipment.   Be sure to examine your purpose when including these monsters. It seems like you're just trying to undo what a previous DM has done. This might not be taken very well by your players. So I would suggest if you have a problem with their equipment, you should just talk about it directly and see what they say, seeking compromise if possible.
#4 CCS Mar 16, 2015 9:29:15	Why don't you read the Rust Monsters description in the MM? If you do, you'll see that a single Rust Monster is quite unlikely to significantly harm a party of 4 3rd lv characters. It certainly wont cripple any of them. The best it'll do is a few HPS worth of damage & maybe strip off a point or two of that AC you're worried about. And then it'll be dead by the end of round 3 (assuming you use its average HPs listed).....
#5 Capn_Charlie Mar 16, 2015 10:02:16	I mean, unless you want some ogre barbarians in hide armor wielding great clubs riding size huge rust monsters into battle as mounts, of course.
#6 Abarron Mar 16, 2015 12:48:37	Thanks everybody I just wanted to make sure. This is one of the first combats I threw together.  And yes they are all decked out in plate.
#7 arnwolf666 Mar 17, 2015 0:15:04	Just use the Rust monster in the 1E monster manual.
(Reply to #3) WanderingBard	iserith wrote:
(Reply to #8) arnwolf666	WanderingBard wrote:
#10 Captain_Kobold Mar 17, 2015 4:27:25	Capn_Charlie wrote:
#11 Noctaem Mar 17, 2015 4:51:03	Captain_Kobold wrote:
#12 iserith Mar 17, 2015 6:47:18	Noctaem wrote: