Rust Monster vs Iron Golem

[Drew]

My PCs are currently dealing with a bugger of an Iron Golem found in a recent Dungeon Magazine adventure. (No spoilers) The psion wanted to use his Metamorphisis ability to change into a Rust Monster. Under the Iron Golem, it says this:

Rust Vulnerability (Ex): An iron golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as that of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.

The rust monster's ability is described thusly:

Rust (Ex): A rust monster that makes a successful touch attack with its antennae causes the target metal to corrode, falling to pieces and becoming useless immediately. The touch can destroy up to a 10-foot cube of metal instantly. Magic armor and weapons, and other magic items made of metal, must succeed on a DC 17 Reflex save or be dissolved. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.
A metal weapon that deals damage to a rust monster corrodes immediately. Wooden, stone, and other nonmetallic weapons are unaffected.


So what, exactly, happens when a rust monster touches an Iron Golem. I find it hard to believe that this little CR 4 beastie just munches right through the big, scary Iron Golem. Any official ruling? Any ideas of your own?

 

[dcollins]

That's exactly what happens. In D&D, the rust monster vs, iron golem matchup is equivalent to the fable of elephants being afraid of mice (it's been true in every version of D&D since the beginning).

I'd give the golem the Reflex save, but even that isn't totally explicit by the rules.

 

[Drew]

That's exactly what happens. In D&D, the rust monster vs, iron golem matchup is equivalent to the fable of elephants being afraid of mice (it's been true in every version of D&D since the beginning).

I'd give the golem the Reflex save, but even that isn't totally explicit by the rules.

Well that just sucks. The whole point of the Golem in question is that its nearly unkillable. The fact that the PC can just turn into a rust monster and obliterate it is stupid. Heck, they could arguabley go purchase a rust monster from a menagerie and go dust the Iron Golem that way. Its all so anti-heroic.

Plus, it doesn't jibe well with D&D's abstract combat system. Here you have a monster that has CRAZY DR, is immune to almost all spells, and has a load of hp to boot. If a rust monster touches it, though, it just gets destroyed. No questions asked. Even ruling that its magic and thus gets a reflex save is weak. It just doesn't seem to mesh well with the rest of the game.

 

[Gort]

Well, those're the rules. Up until 3.5 edition, Rakshasas were slain instantly by any hit from a blessed crossbow bolt. The iron golem has the same weakness, but instead to rust monsters.

Of course, your GM can always rule that rust monsters don't exist or haven't been found in his world. You don't have to use everything in the core books, especially not from the monstrous manual. (Bodaks, ugh)

 

[Artoomis]

Well, many monsters have an Achilles' heal. If you know its weakness and can be prepared for it, many, many creatures are not hard to deal with.

That's the way the game is made. Sometimes it works out like this example and the big, bad meanie crumbles like so much rust off an iron bucket.

 

[Sejs]

Have your characters ever encountered a rust monster?
Have they ever even seen one?
Does the character in question have the appropriate skill (and made the check) to know about rust monsters in any detail?

This could just easily be a case of "it's in the book, so I can turn into it". If you're not familiar with the creature, you can't turn into it - if you've never studied trolls, and never encountered a troll in your life, you can't polymorph into one. You don't know how they work, so your spell doesn't function.

Sort of like the old example from 2nd ed of one of the (then) iconic wizards casting an illusion; she can do one of a wolf, which she's familiar with, or say a beholder... which she has no idea what the look like, how they function or what they do other than rumors and fairy tales. If she does the illusion of the beholder, anyone who know what beholders are really like will see thru the illusion in an instant, because they know it's wrong.

 

[welby]

If your PCs come up with a good way to beat your encounter, you should reward them for it. Don't make up new rules just to make one situation more dificult. It'll just frustrate yor players.

On the other hand, if the PCs have never encountered a rust monster, or an iron golem, how the heck are they supposed to know that they are prone to rust damage.

Punish them for metagaming, not for being creative.

 

[dcollins]

Drew: Don't think I agree, there's a limit to combat abstraction before it turns into meaningless number computations.

The real problem here is that a PC shouldn't get this "rust" power on demand like that. I've stopped bothering to follow all the polymorph, et. al., erratas and counter-erratas... but is the "rust" ability really something you get via Metamorphosis?

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Good point by Sejs.

As for dealing with the Rust touch, perhaps treat it as disintegration? They both affect 10' cubes. 10d6 (2d6 per HD) points of damage, Reflex save for half?

By the way, unless Metamorphosis has been errata'ed:

The character does not gain the supernatural abilities or the extraordinary abilities of the new creature

AR

 

[Piratecat]

Personally, I think that the rust ability is clearly supernatural. I wouldn't feel guilty if you house rule it that way.