10 Interesting But Underused Creatures In Dungeons And Dragons

10. Rust Monster

While this creature may not bother a character that is playing a monk or a wizard, it will inflict primal fear in fighters and paladins. Rust monsters are very different from your everyday enemies, as these bug-like beings subsist on a diet of metal. They are usually found living underground, seeking out ore deposits to feed on. At only a half challenge rating these creatures may seem a pushover, but those metal feasting abilities can destroy a party’s survivability.

To eat this metal, the rust monster must first corrode it to make it edible. Be that an iron ore deposit, support beams, or the plate mail of a paladin. If an attacking enemy is within five feet of the creature, they must attempt a dc 11 dexterity saving throw. If failed, the monster can cause -1 damage to a player’s weapons or armour. If a players weapon goes down to -5 or the armour drops below 10 armour class, then it is destroyed. This only works on non-magical items, but you can see how dangerous this could be.

This effect also happens on weapons that hit the creature. There is no saving throw on this. If a players attack lands on the creature, then that is another -1 to damage rolls. Bring out a group of these and just watch them fighters panic.