[4e] Rust Monster + Lurker(Annoyance)

[Yakk]

Rust Monster + Level 4 Lurker (Annoyance)
Medium Aberration
Senses: Perception +0 (+10 if you are carrying large amounts of metal), Darksight, Lesser Tremorsense 10 squares (no creature within 10 squares has more than superior cover)
Skills: Stealth +10
Speed: 7

Str: 8 (+1)
Con: 22 (+8)
Dex: 16 (+5)
Int: 2 (-2)
Wis: 6 (+0)
Cha: 18 (+6)

HP: 46 Bloodied: 23
AC: 19 Fortitude: 17 Reflex: 15 Will: 16

Powers and Attacks:
[M] Tentacle Taste: Standard action, at-will. Range 2, +7 vs Reflex, 1d4+6 damage. If the target is wearing metal armor, they take a -1 penalty to AC until the armor is repaired. If the target has as shield, roll a d6: on a 6, the shield also takes a -1 penalty to AC.

"I hate rust monsters! Argh!"

M Tentacle Parry: Immediate Interrupt, Trigger: Rust monster is attacked with a melee weapon containing metal. +7 vs Reflex. If the parry hits, then the Attack gets a -2 penalty to hit. In addition, the weapon used in the attack gains a -2 penalty to hit and to damage until repaired

"I really really do."

M Tasty Snack: Standard action, at-will. Range 2, +7 vs Fortitude, 1d4+6 damage. Target is grabbed by the Rust Monster tentacles. All metal armor takes a -1 penalty to AC, all metal weapons take a -1 penalty to hit to damage per round until repaired. If the target has a shield, roll a d6: on a 6, the shield takes a -1 penalty to it's AC. Rust monster gains 8 temporary HP at the end of each round they munch on the metal. The Rust Monster may hold no more than 2 medium-sized, or 3 small-sized, creatures at once in this way.

The Rust Monster may make a Tentacle Parry against any grabbed creature's attacks as a free interrupt. Rusting of weapons/armor/shields continues each round that the Rust Monster has a creature grabbed (continue to roll each round for the shield rust).

"That thing held how many of you down, again?"

Skuttle: Move action, Recharge 56. Shift 7 squares. If at the end the Rust Monster has total cover or superior concealment from it's enemies, make a stealth check at no penalty against the highest Passive Perception of the Rust Monster's nearby enemies. If so, the creature(s) hidden from lost track of the monster when it skuttled away.

"I told you, I don't know where it went."

Special: Armor or Shields whose armor bonus is reduced to 0, or weapons whose max damage is reduced to 0, are utterly destroyed. This includes enhancement bonuses. Other items can be repaired by a sufficiently skilled craftsman for 10% of their base cost for every -1 penalty they have taken, requiring an hour's work per -1 removed. Rusted magic items can also be repaired via that amount of residuum and the enchant magic item ritual.

"That sounds reasonable. Wait, was that price in copper or in gold pieces?"

Flavor: Rust Monsters eat metal. Chomp slurp chomp. A group of people carrying no metal is uninteresting to the Rust Monster.

Notes: The (annoyance) category of monster consists of monsters that screw with the players. They drain levels, destroy equipment, lower stats, or otherwise can cause long-term damage even after they are defeated.

They should generally be used with extreme care, as players are understandably quite upset when a squad of 5 rust monsters jumps out of the bushes and turns their equipment into rust during the surprise round.

DMs may choose to compensate players for the potential lost resources from Annoyances, or not, depending on how evil they feel. One option is to estimate losses, then plan for additional compensation that doesn't change based on how screwed players actually get...

Acknowledgements: To all of those who whined about "there are no Rust Monsters in 4e", this monster is dedicated to you.

[Jalor]

Very nice (unless of course you're carrying metal). I'll mention these to my DM.

[Yakk]

If you use it, let me know how it worked. :-)

Another idea I've seen bandied about is to have the Rust Monster turn magic weapons into Residuum Rust at a high percentage yield.