Rust Monster Woes

[Black_Zawisza]

My party came across a rust monster last night, and unfortunately the fighter threw his Throwing Returning Ice Axe at it. It promptly dissolved, and he's a little pissed. Is there any way for I, the party's mage (with 5 levels in Chameleon), to repair the weapon with just 3rd level spells (including spells on unusual lists at lower levels)?

[CaladanMoonblad]

Not to my knowledge. Wish is usually the only way to get it back.

We're talking Rust Monster, something that has been around since the 1970s... here's Gary Gygax on the subject... "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

If no one had Knowledge (Dungeoneering) to know about specific Aberrations... and your players had never run across one before... then thems the brakes!

However, your fighter may declare to the rest that the next great magic weapon they come across belongs to him. If the weapon was one he had crafted and spent his own resources, as GM I'd do my best to steer something his way in dungeon loot in 3 or 4 sessions... but if the throwing axe was already dungeon loot, I wouldn't sweat it. It's an expensive lesson to learn, but one that will stick; Ranks in Knowledge are worth it.

I used a pair of Rust Monsters as part of a Troglodyte Tribe's trained beasts (the trogs use bones and rocks and stuff anyway) to further threaten my players. Of course someone had ranks in Knowledge (Dungeoneering) because I use Knowledge checks... A lot! In fact, for every monster they run across, I allow a free Knowledge check to determine what their character's know about that specific encounter as they see it (my players had scouted the Trog Camp and were able to form their plans prior to the attack). Monsters that occur frequently (like ghouls, vampires, etc.) in game sessions have their own little notepad with in character learned vulnerabilities and strengths.

Anyway, my players went into battle against the trogs nude and bearing stone clubs. It was hilarious! Especially because the Wizard fireballed the rust monsters at the outset anyway, and just wanted to see the melee fighters continue to discuss how they were going to hide their gear and weapons in a safe spot using the Rogue's Hide check...

[jedipilot24]

Here's a more or less 'official' reworked version of the Rust Monster (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dd/20060714a).

[Zanthy1]

The only way you could get it back is to make a new one, or find something. I agree with the above post in that he should probably try to get a new weapon either through loot or make something himself. Rust Monsters are a pain, and a knowledge check would absolutely be necessary because they can really mess a party up. Best way to deal with it? Blast it with magic. The sample one in the Monster Manual only has 27 hp (min 10, max 45). It is CR 3. I assume that you wizard has some blast spell that deals 5d6 or something at his level? Just be careful, cause as you fond out, any metal that successfully hits the rust monster dissolves, an it can attack with its antennae, and if you fail the Reflex save (DC 17), your metal is gone.