Ah the rust monster! The bane of just about every fighter's existence, created from a plastic toy for the express purpose of ruining a party's equipment -- which, given the uniqueness of some magic items, is worse than a character dying. But it all started with a plastic toy. So which rust monster is the best? Let's find out!
Dungeons & Dragons
In the beginning, there was a toy. Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, explained in Dragon Magazine #346:
When I picked up a bag of plastic monsters made in Hong Kong at the local dime store to add to the sand table array--we were playing Chainmail Fantasy Supplement miniatures at a 1:1 scale, there was the figurine that looked rather like a lobster with a propeller on its tail. As we assigned names and stats to these critters, bulette and owl bear, for instance, nothing fearsome came to mind regarding the one with the projecting feelers. Then inspiration struck me. It was a "rust monster," a thing whose touch turned ferrous metals to ferrous oxide, even magical steel armor or enchanted iron or steel weapons. The players soon learned to hit one with spells and arrows so as to slay it at a distance. When one appeared in the D&D game, usually in a dungeon setting, there was great haste to remove from its vicinity if there was no sure and quick means of destroying it at hand.
The first reference to the rust monster appears in the Original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set, Supplement I: Greyhawk,
as summarized by David M. Ewalt:
These seemingly inoffensive creatures are the bane of metal with a ferrous content, for as their name implies they have the effect of rust upon such substances, and this happens nearly instantaneously. Any hits by or upon a Rust Monster cause even magical weapons to rust and fall to flakes. Armor is affected in a like manner. The creature is very fast, being attracted to the smell of the iron-based metals, and when alone it will devour the rust it has caused.
The rust monster has been a staple of D&D ever since. The 1977 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual added a few more details:
If the rust monster touches the metal with its two antennae (roll “to hit” die) it rusts or corrodes the metal. Note that magically endowed items gain a saving throw, a 10% chance of not being affected for each plus, i.e. a +2 weapon or armor gains a 20% chance of being saved.
And the Third Edition elaborated further:
A rust monster can scent a metal object up to 90 feet away, dashing toward the source and attempting to strike it with its antennae. The creature is relentless, chasing adventurers over long distances if they still possess metal objects but usually ceasing its attacks to devour a freshly rusted meal.
Ultra Origins
Like the other patchisaurs we referenced, the rust monster toy was quite likely a
creature from Ultraman, as 1/72 Multiverse explains:
The rust monster is another iconic creature from D&D that originated from toy monsters that were made in Hong Kong. Based on general appearance, it's likely that the toy was modeled after Kemular (ケムラー), also known as the Poison Gas Monster (毒ガス怪獣; Dokugasu Kaiju). Kemular does not have antennae, but the tail and back (with the wing case folded) seem fairly analogous to the rust monster.
Like the bulette,
modeled after a patchisaur inspired by Gabora, concessions were made to the plastic molding process so that details of Kemular were lost in the transition. The appendages on his back, which look a bit like a shell, open up to reveal Kemular's brain, a key vulnerability in defeating the kaiju. With those appendages folded,
the rust monster resemblance is clear. Kemular's trademark tail (the tail associated with rusting metal) fires energy bolts. Kemular also burrows and spews poison gas from his mouth. As for those antennae jutting from its face?
Originally, Kemular's mouth was to open horizontally like that of an insect's mandibles.
Once again, the original inspiration for the rust monster likely had more in common with green and blue dragons than insects, and was considerably larger than the creature knights everywhere fear today.
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