Rust Monster Lovin'

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The problem with the metal items recovering is one of flavor. Change it to the rust monster spitting out a goo that slowly corrodes metal over time -- 10 minutes, for instance -- but which can be wiped/washed off out of combat (or by sacrificing a standard action), and it's all good.

Heck, if you changed it to let players take a standard action to reset an item, you could drop the corrosion time quite a bit, since the metal folks would be greatly impacted or face a very real chance of losing their items, which is the point of the rust monster.

For what it's worth, I do hope the rust monster is revised in 4E. While I have an enormous amount of 1E nostalgia, some sacred cows need another look. (I don't mind that the catoblepas is both no longer a core monster nor has its over the top death powers now, for instance.)

 

[The_Gneech]

Not really. It is not about the "encounter" or the "blast radius." It is about the cool effect on the game. By creating things that never really effect the PCs, you're eliminating consequences from the game.

It's like designers are walking on eggshells around players. I do not want the rules to reflect "ssshhh.....let'e not make the players mad." Making everything a temporary effect just to rush people through encounters and adventures is a bad thing!

A rust monster that destroys your sword or forces you to find someone to repair it is a cool encounter, a memorable encounter, something that he can tell his patrons at the local tavern after he retires.

A rust monster that gives the sword a -2 for ten minutes is an encounter that is easily forgotten and one that has zero story value.

Yes, exactly! Emphasis mine.

-The Gneech

 

[Ashrum the Black]

I can't speak for the rest of the folks, but I'd say a valid reason for the item to "self repair" would definitly make it more reasonable to me. I think folks just see the critter as using some natural ability to disolve the metal and once a metal starts to rust, they don't get better without work. Spelling out the curse ability and why they have it, (created critter from an escaped mad wizards lab?) would would remove the objection for me.

But at the same time I don't see a problem with making folks work to repair the items though either. Possibly linking the ability to the smothing like the mending spell. A zero level spell all wizards have access to, but may not have memorized. One casting could repair the entire damage, and remove the rusting curse on one item. Means folks may need to step back and rest after the encouter to recover their full potential, but means they won't need to go all the way back to town. And that response can happen from any encounter.

-Ashrum

 

[Belen]

And for those who so like the Rust Monster, how about a creature that can permenantly suck spells out of the mind/spellbook of a Wizard/Sorceror as a ranged attack? Or can eat skill points? Sound like fun?

That would be cool. A parasite creature that fed off of spell energy causing a mage to have to seek some mental healing etc.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I like the idea of a mending spell working to repair rust monster 2.0 damage.

And I would have no problem with a "spelleater" or the like that does damage to spell slots.

 

[Cam Banks]

That would be cool. A parasite creature that fed off of spell energy causing a mage to have to seek some mental healing etc.

I came up with a monster like that for Sovereign Press' Towers of High Sorcery. It's called a thaumavore. Thaumavores naturally occur out in the deep ethereal, but occasionally one gets summoned or trapped on the Material Plane and spends all of its time trying to get back. It has a number of minor innate abilities, including plane shift, but in order to power them it has to drain spell slot energy from targets (and items). As soon as the thaumavore has drained enough spell energy to power the plane shift, it leaves, but in the mean time it's chasing after arcane casters and heavily-equipped characters, sucking them dry.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Nellisir]

For what it's worth, I do hope the rust monster is revised in 4E. While I have an enormous amount of 1E nostalgia, some sacred cows need another look. (I don't mind that the catoblepas is both no longer a core monster nor has its over the top death powers now, for instance.)

I feel like we may have just gotten a look at 4e. A new edition doesn't have to be a total redesign, after all. Just a streamlining. Tweak a few monsters, finetune a few difficult mechanics, add some new core classes, and redo the formatting. Best of all, the 3.5 material still works.
I know Mearls has been over at WotC for awhile now, but I can't remember seeing his name on anything. What HAS he been working on?

 

[The_Gneech]

Possibly linking the ability to the something like the mending spell. A zero level spell all wizards have access to, but may not have memorized. One casting could repair the entire damage, and remove the rusting curse on one item. Means folks may need to step back and rest after the encouter to recover their full potential, but means they won't need to go all the way back to town. And that response can happen from any encounter.

That's true; mending combined with the "progressive damage leading to disintegration" model would work well for groups that don't have Craft: Armorsmithing on hand.

-The Gneech

 

[Ilium]

With apologies to Mr. Mearls I've compiled some of the suggestions from this thread with my own ideas and written a modified stat block for your perusal. It's a Word document (forgive me open source purists ). Let me know what you think.

Also fixed what I think is a minor error. I think its grapple modifier should be +5 (+3 BAB, +2 STR) right?

 

[Belen]

I feel like we may have just gotten a look at 4e. A new edition doesn't have to be a total redesign, after all. Just a streamlining. Tweak a few monsters, finetune a few difficult mechanics, add some new core classes, and redo the formatting. Best of all, the 3.5 material still works.
I know Mearls has been over at WotC for awhile now, but I can't remember seeing his name on anything. What HAS he been working on?

Well, if this is the general attitude and design that 4e takes, I will not be switching. Life is too short to play a game where all the effects are +/- numbers that last for finite periods of time. D&D is one game that should be designed to be played without technical support and that should allow the imagination to expand.

They have a card game that does +/- well.