Rust monster: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Guinness323 (talk | contribs) added details |
Leontrooper (talk | contribs) m More precise redirect Tag: Redirect target changed |
||
| (19 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
#REDIRECT [[Monsters in Dungeons & Dragons#Notable monsters]] |
|||
{{Infobox fictional race |
|||
| name = Rust monster |
|||
{{Rcat shell| |
|||
| image = [[File:Rust monster.JPG|200px]] |
|||
{{R to related topic}} |
|||
| first = ''[[Greyhawk (supplement)|Dungeons and Dragons Supplement I: Greyhawk]]'' (1975) |
|||
| type = Aberration (3rd edition) |
|||
| alignment = [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)#Neutral|Neutral]] |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
A '''rust monster''' is a fictional creature from the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[fantasy]] [[role-playing game]] that seeks out and consumes metal, often the armor and weaponry of [[player character|players' characters]]. Originally inspired by a cheap plastic toy, the rust monster was one of the first monsters specifically created for ''D&D'', and has been included in every edition of ''D&D'', although various aspects of the creature have changed from edition to edition. In most editions, the rust monster has been a non-lethal creature with little or no way of physically harming player characters, however the rust monster's ability to destroy a character's cherished and expensive weapons and armor in mere seconds is what makes it a particularly fearsome opponent. |
|||
==Creation== |
|||
In the early 1970s, [[Gary Gygax]] was playing ''[[Chainmail (game)|Chainmail]]'', a wargame that bore some precursors of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. In order to give his players as many different challenges as possible, Gygax was always on the look-out for new monsters. Although he was able to draw on [[pulp magazine|pulp fiction]] and [[sword and sorcery]] stories for many of them, he also looked through [[dime stores]] for figurines that could be used in battle. On one of those occasions, he came across a bag of small plastic toys euphemistically labeled "prehistoric animals".<ref name=aa>{{Citation | last =Witwer | first =Michael | last2 =Newman | first2 =Kyle | last3=Witwer | first3= Sam | title =Art & Arcana: A Visual History | publisher =Ten Speed Press |
|||
| year =2018}}</ref>{{rp|66}} These were [[Hong Kong]]-made and the set included monsters from [[Japan]]ese "[[Kaiju]]" films such as [[Ultraman]] and [[Godzilla]] franchise. Several of these were odd enough to catch his eye, and he used them to represent several new monsters, including the [[bulette]] and the [[owl bear]].<ref>Gygax: "There was a set of plastic toys laughlingly labelled as dinosaurs [if I remember right]. I frequented the local dime stores back in the late 60s and early 70s searching for toys that would suit tabletop fantasy gaming. The said bag contained three we incorporated—the bulette, the owl bear, and the rust monster."{{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part I, Page 8) | publisher = EN World | date = 2002-09-06 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/167680-gary-gygax-q-part-xi-13.html | accessdate = 2009-03-15}}</ref> One of the figurines looked like an absurd lobster with a propeller at the end of its tail, and Gygax could think of no fearsome powers for such a monster. After some thought, he came up with the amusing idea that this non-lethal creature would not attack characters in order to eat them, but rather to eat their hard-earned possessions. |
|||
<blockquote>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 ... there was the figurine that looked rather like a lobster with a propeller on its tail...nothing very fearsome came to mind... Then inspiration struck me. It was a "rust monster." |
|||
: —Gary Gygax<ref>[[Greenwood, Ed]]. "Ecology of the Rust Monster". [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #88 (TSR, 1984). Later re-printed in the "Ecology of the Rust Monster" article in issue #346.</ref></blockquote> |
|||
==''Dungeons & Dragons''== |
|||
When Gygax co-developed the game of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', the rust monster rapidly migrated to the new game system, and made its first published appearance in the first supplement to the original rules, ''Dungeons and Dragons Supplement I: Greyhawk''. The rust monster was described as "inoffensive" but "the bane of metal with ferrous content". The creature was attracted to the smell of iron-based metals, and any such object touched by the creature instantly turned to rust, which the rust monster would then consume. The rust monster could also use this power in its defense, since any metal weapon used against it would also turn to rust. Characters hoping to save their armor and weapons by avoiding it found they could not outrun it, since it moved about four times as fast as the average character.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Gygax | first = Gary | author-link = Gary Gygax | last2 = Kuntz | first2 = Rob | author2-link = Robert J. Kuntz | title = Dungeons and Dragons Supplement I: Greyhawk | place = Lake Geneva, WI | publisher = TSR | page = 39 | year = 1975}}</ref> |
|||
The first illustration of the rust monster, by [[David C. Sutherland III|Dave Sutherland]], appeared in the first issue of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]''.<ref name=aa />{{rp|66}} |
|||
==Basic Set== |
|||
The rust monster also appeared in the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set]]'' (1977, 1981, 1983) and the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia]]'' (1991).<ref>[[Aaron Allston|Allston, Aaron]], [[Steven Schend|Steven E. Schend]], [[Jon Pickens]], and Dori Watry. ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia]]'' (TSR, 1991)</ref> |
|||
The rust monster was also featured in both the black box ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)|Dungeons & Dragons Game]]'' rule book (1991), and the ''Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game'' Rules and Adventure Book (1994). |
|||
==''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''== |
|||
In 1977, the rust monster was updated for the ''Advanced D&D'' game, appearing in the ''[[Monster Manual]]''. The illustration accompanying the rust monster's actual entry shows a round tick-like creature—albeit 3 feet high and 5 feet long—with a bony shell of armor, four mammal-like legs, two long antennae and a scaly prehensile tail ending in what appears to be a propeller. In this edition, the rust monster consumed all metal, although it still preferred ferrous metals over copper, gold or platinum. It had no bite, tail or claw attack, but the rust monster could smell metal from 90 feet away, and with an increase to its already rapid speed—it now moved six times faster than the average character—it would rapidly close and attempt to touch its antennae to metal, thereby causing the object to instantly corrode. (Magical weapons had a small chance to escape this fate.) In order to escape, fleeing adventurers could discard pieces of metal in the hope that the pursuing rust monster would stop for a few seconds to devour them.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Gygax | first = Gary | authorlink = Gary Gygax | title = Monster Manual | publisher = TSR, Inc | year = 1977 | location = Lake Geneva, WI | page = 12 | isbn = 0-935696-00-8}}</ref> [[David M. Ewalt]], in his book ''Of Dice and Men'', discussed several monsters appearing in the original ''Monster Manual'', warning "woe unto the armor-wearing adventurer who encounters a rust monster deep in some dark subterranean passage".<ref name=ODaM>{{cite book | first=David M. | last=Ewalt | authorlink= David M. Ewalt | year=2013 | title= Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It | publisher=Scribner | page=138 | isbn=978-1-4516-4052-6 }}</ref> |
|||
A droll illustration in the ''[[Dungeon Masters Guide]]'' shows a fully armored fighter leaping into the arms of a wizard for safety as they are confronted by a playful-looking rust monster.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Gygax | first = Gary | authorlink = Gary Gygax | title = Dungeon Masters Guide | publisher = TSR, Inc | year = 1977 | location = Lake Geneva, WI | page = 12 | isbn = 0-935696-00-8}}</ref> |
|||
In the May 1978 issue of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|The Dragon]]'', Michael McCrery wrote "Excerpt from Interview with a Rust Monster", purportedly a talk with an adventurer who had been magically transformed into a rust monster. However, rather than acting as an insight into rust monsters, this was an article about how to properly explore a D&D dungeon.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = McCrery| first = Michael | title = Excerpt from Interview with a rust monster | journal = Dragon | issue = 14 | page = 14 | publisher = TSR, Inc | location = Lake Geneva, WI |date=May 1978}}</ref> |
|||
The rust monster appeared in set 4 of the ''Monster Cards'' series in 1982. |
|||
In the August 1984 issue of ''Dragon'' (Issue #88), the rust monster was described more fully in "The Ecology of the rust monster", supposedly by a sage. In this article, it is a strange bacteria living in the rust monster's stomach and blood stream that caused metal to rust. Rust monsters have poor sight, although their sense of smell for metal is extraordinary. Handheld spears are useless against its armor, although wooden clubs and crossbow bolts were effective. Rust monsters give birth to live young.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Greenwood | first = Ed | title = Ecology of the rust monster | journal = Dragon | issue = 88 | page = 22| publisher = TSR, Inc | location = Lake Geneva, WI |date=August 1984}}</ref> |
|||
The '''rust rat''' variant appeared in the UK's ''[[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]]'' magazine #22 (January 1985). |
|||
==''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', 2nd edition== |
|||
In 1989, when the rust monster appeared in the ''[[Monstrous Compendium|Monstrous Compendium, Volume Two]]'', several small details were changed. Its appearance was now less playful: its carapace was now tight-fitting scales, the propeller on its tail changed to a weapon-like paddle. Its coloration was now described as yellowish tan underneath and a reddish brown on top. It is said to smell like rusty metal.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Cook | first = David | authorlink = David "Zeb" Cook | title = [[Monstrous Compendium|Monstrous Compendium, Volume Two]] | publisher = TSR, Inc | year = 1989 | location = Lake Geneva, WI | isbn = 0-88038-753-X}}</ref> |
|||
In 1993, when the rust monster appeared in the ''[[Monstrous Manual]]'', the text remained the same, but its appearance was altered significantly. It now had an insectoid appearance: its four legs were now jointed and barbed like a grasshopper's, its antennae were slightly feathery, and its body was shaped like a wingless [[mayfly]], with a well-defined head, thorax and abdomen.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Stewart | first = Doug | title = [[Monstrous Manual]] | publisher = TSR In | year = 1993 | location = Lake Geneva, WI | page = 113}}</ref> |
|||
==''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd edition== |
|||
For the third edition of ''D&D'', the rust monster was given a makeover, both in style and substance. Its illustration showed a return to roughly the original tick-like shape and bony armor of the first edition of ''AD&D''; however, the insectoid legs, feathery antennae and general appearance from second edition remained. The biggest change was its speed, which was reduced to that of an average adventurer. It was also given a bite attack, albeit a very weak one, in addition to its corrosion attack. In this edition, the rust monster always strikes at the largest piece of metal available before moving on to smaller items. |
|||
The third edition of ''D&D'' used a 1-inch grid system to quantify movement and size. The rust monster was a Medium-sized creature, taking up a 1-inch × 1-inch square (5 feet × 5 feet in game terms). |
|||
The third edition of ''D&D'' included the Challenge Rating, a game mechanic that attempted to quantify the combat skill of each creature versus an average party of four adventurers. The rust monster was given a Challenge Rating of 3, meaning it was an appropriate challenge for a party of four 3rd-level adventurers. (In comparison, a blink dog was rated a 2, and a [[troll (Dungeons & Dragons)|troll]] was rated a 5.)<ref>{{Cite book | last = Cook | first = Monte | authorlink = Monte Cook | last2 = Tweet | first2 = Jonathan |authorlink2 = Jonathan Tweet | last3 = Williams| first3 = Skip | authorlink3 =Skip Williams | title = Monster Manual | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | year = 2000 | location = Renton WA | page = 28 | isbn = 0-7869-1552-8}}</ref> |
|||
===''Dungeons & Dragons'' v3.5=== |
|||
In the "upgrade" of the ''[[Monster Manual#3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons|Monster Manual]]'' to version 3.5 of ''D&D'', the rust monster was left unchanged.<ref>[[Skip Williams|Williams, Skip]], ed. ''[[Monster Manual#3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons|Monster Manual: Core Rulebook III v.3.5]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2003)</ref> |
|||
The rust monster appeared on the Wizards of the Coast website, in the "Design & Development: Monster Makeover" column.<ref>{{cite web|first=Mike|last=Mearls|title=Monster Makeover: The Rust Monster|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106060019/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd%2Fdd%2F20060714a|archive-date=January 6, 2014|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060714a|date=July 14, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
|||
The rust monster was further detailed in ''Dragon'' #346 (August 2006) in the article "Ecology of the Rust Monster"; this article also featured the '''O-akasabi-same''', an advanced rust monster.<ref>[[Nicolas Logue|Logue, Nicolas]] and Nicholas Hudson. "Ecology of the Rust Monster". ''Dragon'' #346 ([[Paizo Publishing]], 2006)</ref> This information was also featured in the Paizo book ''Dragon: Monster Ecologies'' (2007). |
|||
==4th edition ''Dungeons & Dragons''== |
|||
In the 4th edition of ''D&D'', the rust monster appeared in the ''[[Monster Manual 2]]''. Its appearance remained largely the same as third edition's. However, its speed was doubled, making it twice as fast as the average character. In addition, its bite was given a significant upgrade; for the first time, the rust monster was a dangerous physical threat to characters. Rather than corroding metal with its antennae, the rust monster now corroded metal only with successful bite. In a new development, if a rust monster ate a magical weapon, the "residuum"—the substance that gave the magic weapon its powers—stayed in the rust monster's stomach; once the monster had been killed, the residuum could be recovered and reused to make a new weapon.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Heinsoo | first = Rob | authorlink = Rob Heinsoo | last2 = Sims | first2 = Chris | authorlink2 = Chris Sims (game designer) | title = Monster Manual 2 | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | year = 2009 | location = Renton WA | isbn = 0-7869-5101-X}}</ref> |
|||
==Reception== |
|||
Rob Bricken from [[io9]] named the rust monster as the 4th most memorable ''D&D'' monster,<ref>{{cite journal|url= http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-10-most-memorable-dungeons-dragons-monsters-1326074030/|title=The 10 Most Memorable Dungeons & Dragons Monsters|work=io9|last=Bricken|first=Rob|date=September 16, 2013|accessdate=January 20, 2016}}</ref> as well as one of "The 12 Most Obnoxious ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Monsters".<ref>http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-12-most-obnoxious-dungeons-dragons-monsters-1628502769</ref> |
|||
Chris Sims of the on-line magazine ''Comics Alliance'' referred to the rust monster as "the most feared D&D monster".<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/10/19/ask-chris-125-the-greatest-monsters-in-dungeons-and-dragons/ |title=Ask Chris #125: The Greatest Monsters in 'Dungeons & Dragons' |work=Comics Alliance |last=Sims |first=Chris |date=October 19, 2012 |accessdate=November 10, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021225320/http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/10/19/ask-chris-125-the-greatest-monsters-in-dungeons-and-dragons |archivedate=October 21, 2012 }}</ref> |
|||
==''D&D Miniatures''== |
|||
A painted plastic miniature of the rust monster appeared in ''D&D Miniatures: Dangerous Delves'' in 2009. |
|||
==In other media== |
|||
*The rust monster was card #581 of 750 in the 1991 TSR trading cards factory set. |
|||
* In [[Paul Kidd]]'s novel ''[[Greyhawk|Descent into the Depths of the Earth]]'', a rust monster is used by one of the main characters (Escalla) to convince a sentient sword to cooperate with her plans. Another main character (Justicar) loses his black sword to a rust monster, possibly the same one. |
|||
==Other appearances== |
|||
* A rust monster appears as a pet in the ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "[[I Second That Emotion (Futurama)|I Second That Emotion]]". Although it is not mentioned by name, the presence of rust on its robot owner's body indicates that it is based on the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' monster.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gotfuturama.com/Information/FreezeFrame/season2/2acv01.dhtml |title=Freeze Frame: I Second That Emotion |accessdate=2007-02-19 |publisher=Got Futurama}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_film_tv.html |title=Film References |accessdate=2007-02-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212121612/http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_film_tv.html |archivedate=2007-02-12 }}</ref> This is confirmed in the audio commentary for that episode on the DVD release. They are also mentioned briefly in a later episode "[[The Bots and the Bees]]". |
|||
* In strip #415 of ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', Xykon's crystal ball shows a rust monster chasing a [[Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)|paladin]]. |
|||
* The rust monster appears in ''[[NetHack]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Rust_monster |title=Rust monster |publisher=NetHack Wiki |accessdate=24 May 2011}}</ref> |
|||
* RustMonster is the name of a nautical-themed band.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gangreneproductions.com/music/rustmonster_last_voyage.php |title=RustMonster: Last Voyage of the Black Betty |publisher=Gangrene Productions |accessdate=24 May 2011}}</ref> |
|||
* A rust monster appears as the title character of "Rusty & Co.", a webcomic about a group of monsters who form their own adventuring party to escape the usual monster fate of getting slain by wandering heroes. |
|||
==Other publishers== |
|||
The rust monster is fully detailed in [[Paizo Publishing]]'s book ''Dungeon Denizens Revisited'' (2009), on pages 52–57.<ref>Clinton Boomer, [[Jason Bulmahn]], Joshua J. Frost, Nicolas Logue, Robert McCreary, Jason Nelson, Richard Pett, Sean K Reynolds, James L. Sutter, and [[Greg A. Vaughan]]. ''Dungeon Denizens Revisited'' (Paizo, 2009)</ref> |
|||
==References== |
|||
{{Reflist|2}} |
|||
==External links== |
|||
*[http://www.d20srd.org The d20 System Reference Document] |
|||
*[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/dnd/rustmonsters The creation of Undead Rust Monsters] |
|||
{{D&D topics}} |
|||
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons aberrations]] |
|||
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons standard creatures]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 19:51, 4 June 2022
Redirect to:
This page is a redirect. The following categories are used to track and monitor this redirect:
When appropriate, protection levels are automatically sensed, described and categorized. |