SQUEE! The rust monster revealed!

[Vanuslux]

I think they did a fairly decent job, though I'll be tweaking it a little so that you only recover 90% of the residium so that there is some permanent effect. That way getting your items eaten isn't a huge loss, but it's something you'll still be pretty unhappy about.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Actually: residuum value equal to 20% would be enough

you lose one plus from you precious magic weapon... thats not that bad... but it hurts quite a lot...

 

[Justin D. Jacobson]

Rust monsters were hardly "uber-screwage." You act like they sent out GIANT CLOUDS OF RUST GAS in miles long radius. What they were was a way to shake up an encounter. Go up against a rust monster? You keep your distance and make sure it ALSO keeps it's distance.

Now, you don't do anything different. The rust monster is now just another easy encounter. No need to change up your tactics, except maybe to purposefully feed it magic items you don't want before killing it. It is, ultimately, entirely forgettable.

Some people think a rust monster piggy bank is a cool idea. I think it's kinda stupid.

Well, in 3e, either it was uneventful or that +5 holy avenger you were so fond of -- indeed, adventured for 3 levels to acquire -- is now a pile of rust dust.

In 4e, I'm not sure why you say it is an easy encounter. I don't have any reason to believe it would be any easier or harder than any other creature of its level, which is indeed one of the nice elements of 4e design. If a rust monster encounter is forgettable, that's on the DM -- just like any other encounter with any other creature.

 

[PeelSeel2]

I think for the design goals they have set for 4e and the monsters ability in older editions, they have made the best compromise and still kept it's spirit. That being said, in my campaign I am going to reduce the amount of residuum recovered to about 80%, Chalking the other 20% up.

 

[Asmor]

Simple enough to prevent the rust monsters from being used as piggy banks... Say every 10 minutes, they digest 10% of the consumed residuum. That, and make them fairly rare in the first place.

 

[grickherder]

Simple enough to prevent the rust monsters from being used as piggy banks... Say every 10 minutes, they digest 10% of the consumed residuum. That, and make them fairly rare in the first place.

My initial leanings would be to make it 1% a round-- and let the players know this with even a reasonable dungeoneering check. Kill that rust monster fast!

 

[F5]

Simple enough to prevent the rust monsters from being used as piggy banks... Say every 10 minutes, they digest 10% of the consumed residuum. That, and make them fairly rare in the first place.

Still doesn't prevent people from using a Rust Monster as a super Disenchant Item ritual...they feed the monster the unwanted item and kill it immediately, to harvest 100% of the residuum. Even 1% per round won't do much here; a full party shouldn't need even one round to coup de gras a helpless (say, bound) creature.

On the one hand, as long as this is accounted for in the world's economics, I don't have a problem with this. Probably make the RM's ecology complex enough that only the most powerful mages' guilds and kingdoms can manage to keep a stable of them. It's kind of a cool concept.

On the other hand, if I really wanted to make Rust Monster harvesting an issue, I'd give them Low intelligence. Now you're slaughtering a sentient creature in order to get your magic. Sure it's still possible, but there are repercussions...

 

[malraux]

My initial leanings would be to make it 1% a round-- and let the players know this with even a reasonable dungeoneering check. Kill that rust monster fast!

Especially given that once it eats its fill, it should take off to avoid the other creatures hitting it.

 

[Scribble]

Maybe my players are just weird? But I think they might find it easier just to go out and find magic items, or get enough money to buy/make them when they want them rather then track down more rust monsters, or try to start some sort of Rust Monster breeding farm...

That said a few thoughts:

Is the info about Residuum being recapturable common knowledge? I mean just because it CAN be recaptured doesn't mean it just appears in a pile in place of the dead rust monster... Maybe instead you just have a dead rust monster, and if you know enough about the things, a chance of getting your resiuum back?

Which makes me think as a DM rather then just penalize my players with a haha less magic for you! penalty I'd have them make a skill check to harvest the residuum. (Probably an arcana check, or a nature check with a higher DC?)

If you make the easy check you get a partial amount back... the medium check you get most of it, the hard check you get it all back?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

You guys and your pet rust monsters, talking about the new "rust monster economy."

You were supposed to turn off the simulationist portion of your brain when you started playing 4e.

It's a bit late to raise those kinds of concerns now.

I am sure they'll find some way that the rust monster won't work as neatly as you have it all planned out-- even if the answer is ultimately, "Because you just can't."