3.5 Rust creature Template [PEACH]

[Jair Barik]

Rust template
Size as creature (Aberration)
HD As creature
Speed: As creature
Init: No change
AC: As creature but with Natural armour of +5 (or base creature's natural armour if it is higher)
BAB No change
Attack Standard As base creature with listed exceptions
Full-Attack As base creature with listed exceptions
Space/Reach as base creature
Special Attacks As base creature+Rust -spell casting abilities
Special Qualities As base creature+Scent
Saves As base creature
Abilities As base creature but Intelligence decreases to 2
Skills As base creature
Feats As base creature+Alertness
Environment Any underground or as base creature
Organization Solitary or pair
Treasure None
Alignment Always neutral
Advancement by HD
Level Adjustment +2

Attacks: The creature retains all of its normal attacks with these changes. If it has multiple attack types one of them changes to a rusting special attack (typically a limb). If not the creature gains an Antennae touch attack at its highest BAB. e.g. a Rusting Octopus would have 8 rusting attacks and 1 bite attack.

Rust: As the ability of the creature the rust monster.

Behaviour/ attack patterns: Will only attack if the opponent has metal, once it has gained a meal it will normally stop its attack unless it is aggravated.

This template can only be applied to Beasts, animals and magical beasts.


Comments and criticism welcome.
I'm making this template for a game I intend to run in a semi Clockworkpunk fantasy setting. The rust creatures pose a dangerous threat to society and so most areas occupied by them are relatively uninhabited.

[Anxe]

So does the Rust ability apply to all of the monster's attacks? And shouldn't there be a visual difference between a normal monster and a rust template monster? The normal rust monster is pretty distinctive, so the players can be afraid of it. I think there should be some clues that the new beast has a rust ability. Maybe it grows tentacles like the Rust Monster and those are the only things that rust away metal?

[Jair Barik]

Yeah. The natural armour represents them growing a rust monster like skin/carpace. If they have higher natural armour already their existing armour becomes rustlike.
As for the tentacles they are the antennase touch attack it gains if it doesn't have an alternate attack medium. Examples:Gray render's claws would deal no damage instead causing rust effect but its bite would remain the same, a porpoise would retain its butt attack and gain antennae.

[Xefas]

I have to admit that I was expected a template for constructs that represented disuse over long periods of time, so that they fell into disrepair and had lower challenge ratings. S'what the title sounded like, anyway.

This is interesting too, though. Especially in a 'clockworkpunk' setting. If most of civilization relies on such technology, I could see there being a niche for adventurers utilizing unorthodox methods to deal with the rust creatures. Obviously arcane casters would be ideal, with druids and unarmed swordsages also being able to do the job fairly well.

[Jair Barik]

Thx
I also was thinking of doing 2 other templates and some creatures.
Namels soulgear and cerebroleech.

[TooManySecrets]

Oh my, this should be renamed the template of "GM Ruining Equipment"! (Blarg, bad experiences with rust monsters)

But, anyways. It looks pretty good overall. Does the templated creature get feathery propellors? Also, are these beasts naturally occurring or made by magic?

In the DragonMech 3rd-party supplement, they have Rust Bugs, which are basically tiny flying rust monsters. They're a semi-natural occurence. They're also relatively easy to breed, which leads to criminal organizations breeding them and using them to blackmail people ("Do this, or we release the Bugs and you're precious Walking Clockwork Town is going to be slag")

If you need any help with that Clockwork setting, I'd love to help. I love all them punk settings.

[Jair Barik]

Thanks for the offer too many secrets but I'm alright atm.
I wanted to check balance of my critters but don't want to give too much away as I'm planning on running the game here. If you like punk setting maybe you'd like to apply, heck you seem to apply for lots of the other stuff i've applied for:smallwink:

The feathery propellers... This does seem to be rust monster trade mark so I'm debating wether all rust creatures should have them, the other option being that their rusting appendages become "hairy". Hairy octopus anyone?

The setting itself will be fairly typical fantasy but on the edge of an industrial revolution, thus clockwork is becoming more common and gunpowder is starting to be discovered. In addition to the previously mentioned critters i was thinking of making a clockwork golem, a smaller weaker golem that lower level wizards can create as it doesn't require so much magic/xp some of its motion being built in naturally

[Jair Barik]

Is this really not that interesting? I haven't got much response positive or negative...

[GreatWyrmGold]

Howsabout this? Almost the same.

Rust template
Size as creature (Aberration)
HD As creature
Speed: As creature
Init: No change
AC: As creature but with Natural armour of +5 (or base creature's natural armour if it is higher)
BAB No change
Attack Add an Antennae attack, transmitting a rust attack like a rust monster's.
Full-Attack Antennae are secondary natural attacks, unless the base creature has no special attacks.
Space/Reach as base creature
Special Attacks As base creature+Rust
Special Qualities As base creature+Scent
Saves As base creature
Abilities As base creature but Intelligence decreases to 2
Skills As base creature
Feats As base creature+Alertness
Environment Any underground or as base creature
Organization Solitary or pair
Treasure None
Alignment Always neutral
Advancement by HD
Level Adjustment +2

Rust: As the ability of the creature the rust monster.

Behaviour/ attack patterns: Will only attack if the opponent has metal, once it has gained a meal it will normally stop its attack unless it is aggravated.

This template can be applied to any living, corpereal creature except plants, outsiders, elementals, and oozes.

Still, cool. I might whip up a clowkworkey campaign setting if no one else does.

Maybe with gnomes as the dominant race...

[Coidzor]

So is this how you'd apply it to poor mutated once-human creatures?

Rust Human, 1st-level Commoner
Size/Type: Medium Aberration (Humanoid?)
HD: 1d4 + Toughness (5 hp)
Initiative: +0
AC: 15 (+5 Natural Armor), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+1
Attack: (?) or Rust Antenna +1
Full Attack: (?) + 2 Rust Antennae -2
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Rust
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fort, Ref, Will
Abilities Str 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 9
Skills: Climb: +1 Craft(all) -4, Handle Animal: -1, Jump: +1, Listen: +4, Spot +4
Feats: Alertness, Toughness
Environment: Any underground
Organization: Solitary, Mated Pair (50% chance of 1d6 1/2 HD offspring)
Challenge Rating: 1/2 (1? 2?)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral

Or should I have just used basic Humanoid HD? And where would I find that... Savage Species?

[Jair Barik]

Not sure about the human. The new template looks fine but my intention had been that rust creatures would only be unintelligent and animalistic. That was why I had applied it to only a few types. It could work on humanoids though I suppose but theyd look a bit weird.

[Coidzor]

Not sure about the human. The new template looks fine but my intention had been that rust creatures would only be unintelligent and animalistic. That was why I had applied it to only a few types. It could work on humanoids though I suppose but theyd look a bit weird.

Yeah, definitely makes more sense that way. The Rust Commoner was in response to Great Wyrm Gold's suggested alteration, mainly.

Rust Cat!

Size/Type: Tiny Aberration
Hit Dice: ½ d8 (2 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +5 Natural Armor), touch 14, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-12
Attack: Claw +4 melee Rust or bite -1 melee (1d3-4)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee Rust and bite -1 melee (1d3-4)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Rust
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +6, Hide +16*, Jump +10,
Listen +3, Move Silently +8, Spot +3
Feats: Stealthy, Weapon FinesseB, Alertness
Environment: Temperate plains or Any Underground.
Organization: Domesticated or solitary
Challenge Rating: 1/4 -> 1/3(?)
Advancement: HD
Level Adjustment: +2

[Jair Barik]

I'm currently preparing a game set in the Universe this creature type inhabits. Its an assasin game set in the capital and won't feature these (don't think it will anyway) but does have details on the setting.

Check it out if you want

[Random832]

Will only attack if the opponent has metal, once it has gained a meal it will normally stop its attack unless it is aggravated.

One would think that in a world where this is common, adventurers would carry a certain amount of scrap iron with them to feed them.

[Jair Barik]

The vast majority of the creatures are isolated from society. Most live on small islands or in secluded areas, but all of them occupy places where there is a sufficient supply of metal. In most cases yes the players will be prepared but should they come across them by mistake or in a larger group than typical...

Also they may if they aren't too hungry go for the most tasty looking metal, e.g. that clerics nice shiny full plate