Rust Monster

In shadowed depths of dungeons and forgotten ruins, the Rust Monster scuttles as a peculiar and feared creature. With its metallic exoskeleton, antennae, and corrosive touch, the Rust Monster embodies destruction, disruption, and the unsettling merging of nature and technology.

The Rust Monster is a bizarre insectoid creature, resembling a blend of insect and crustacean. Its body is covered in a thick, rust-colored carapace, capable of withstanding powerful blows. Its elongated antennae twitch with an otherworldly sensitivity, allowing it to detect the presence of metal from a considerable distance.

What sets the Rust Monster apart from other creatures is its unusual feeding behavior. The creature possesses a unique ability to sense and corrode metal. Upon detecting metal objects or weapons, the Rust Monster becomes drawn to them, driven by an insatiable hunger. Upon contact with its antennae or touch, the creature’s mere presence begins to corrode the metal, turning it into a brittle and useless husk.

This uncanny ability to rust and destroy metal makes the Rust Monster both feared and loathed by adventurers. Weapons, armor, and other items made of metal become vulnerable in its presence. Legends tell of entire armies routed by the arrival of a horde of Rust Monsters, rendering their once-formidable armaments useless in a matter of moments.

However, the Rust Monster is not inherently aggressive or malicious. It does not seek out conflict or confrontation unless provoked or hungry. Despite its fearsome reputation, the creature is primarily focused on satisfying its peculiar diet, and it will often avoid confrontation when presented with non-metallic alternatives.

Encountering a Rust Monster is to face a creature that disrupts the established order of weapon and armor superiority. Its presence exudes an aura of unsettling destruction, as adventurers must weigh the risks of engaging in combat or attempting to protect their valuable metallic possessions. Engaging with a Rust Monster requires both caution and strategic thinking, as finding alternative means of defense or finding a way to neutralize its corrosive abilities are key to overcoming its unique threat.

Rust Monsters bring a touch of disruption and the unexpected vulnerability of metal to the tapestry of the world. They serve as reminders of the limitations of conventional weaponry and the need for adaptability in the face of unexpected challenges. Whether encountered as guardians of ancient ruins, as a force to disrupt well-equipped adversaries, or as a means to test the resourcefulness of adventurers, Rust Monsters add a sense of uncertainty and the merging of natural and technological forces to the realms of adventure and exploration.

Special Abilities

Iron Scent

The rust monster can pinpoint, by scent, the location of ferrous metal within 30 feet of it.

Rust Metal

Any nonmagical weapon made of metal that hits the rust monster corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal that hits the rust monster is destroyed after dealing damage.

Actions

• Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.
• Antennae: The rust monster corrodes a nonmagical ferrous metal object it can see within 5 feet of it. If the object isn’t being worn or carried, the touch destroys a 1-foot cube of it. If the object is being worn or carried by a creature, the creature can make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the rust monster’s touch.
  If the object touched is either metal armor or a metal shield being worn or carried, its takes a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to the AC it offers. Armor reduced to an AC of 10 or a shield that drops to a bonus is destroyed. If the object touched is a held metal weapon, it rusts as described in the Rust Metal trait.