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So I've had this creature on the brain since I started brainstorming the current campaign/mission that my players are on. In short, it's using the Amalgam Creature template (Advanced Bestiary) and combining a Rust Monster and a Phase Spider (BECAUSE.). Now I THINK I sorted out the actual combining (the better of the two base creatures was a Magical Beast and when you combine a Magical Beast and an Aberration you get a Magical beast so much of the Phase Spider stayed the same) but I could really do with a second or third pair of eyes on this.
Of note, I'm worried about the CR (Phase Spider CR is 5, bumped it to 6 due to the additional rusting abilities) and if I as a DM should tone it down any. Currently the party is a group of 4 lvl 5's and I'm not even sure if I'll use this monstrosity but as a DM I want to be ready.
Rust Spider
CR 6
XP 1,600
N Large magical beast
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent metals 90 ft; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+3 Dex, +9 natural, –1 size)
hp 51 (6d10+18)
Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +5
Defensive Abilities ethereal jaunt
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +10 (2d6+6 plus poison and grab), antennae +10 touch (rust)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks ethereal ambush, rust
STATISTICS
Str 19, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 9
Base Atk +6; CMB +11 (+16 grapple); CMD 24 (37 vs. trip)
Feats Ability Focus (rust), Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Climb +17, Perception +6, Stealth +7
Languages Aklo
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Ethereal Ambush (Ex)
A phase spider that attacks foes on the Material Plane in a surprise round can take a full round of actions if it begins the combat by phasing into the Material Plane from the Ethereal Plane.
Ethereal Jaunt (Su)
A phase spider can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as a free action, and shift back again as a move action (or as part of a move action). The ability is otherwise identical to ethereal jaunt (CL 15th).
Poison (Ex)
Bite—injury; save Fort DC 18; frequency 1/round for 8 rounds; effect 1d2 Constitution damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Rust (Su)
A rust monster‘s antennae are a primary touch attack that causes any metal object they touch to swiftly rust and corrode. The object touched takes half its maximum hp in damage and gains the broken condition—a second hit destroys the item. A rust monster never provokes attacks of opportunity by attempting to strike a weapon with its antennae. Against creatures made of metal, a rust monster‘s antennae deal 3d6+5 points of damage. An attended object, any magic object, or a metal creature can attempt a DC 15 Reflex save to negate this effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Scent Metals (Ex)
This ability functions much the same as the scent ability, except that the range is 90 feet and the rust monster can only use it to sense metal objects (including creatures wearing or carrying metal objects).
Deadline on this is next Sunday though hopefully I can get some input before then.
Regarding the loot question: Should I try to go off the Wealth-By-Encounter table or just toss in a reasonable amount of appropriate gear and gold and go "Yeah that should be good"? Still having some difficulty sorting out how much is a proper amount of treasure to hand out to players is why I ask.
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Not going to check the whole amalgamation process, but looking at the consistency of the end result:
The grapple modifier should be +15 (CMB 11 + 4 for grab).
If you have Ability Focus (rust) instead of Ability Focus (poison) then the DC for the poison should be 16 (10 + 1/2 HD + Con) and the DC for the rust should be 18 (10 + 1/2 HD + Con +2). I might suggest sticking with Ability Focus (Poison) because it increases the immediate risk/tension but is easier to fix after the fact.
The wealth by encounter table is designed to make sure that the amount of XP and treasure the party gets is roughly in line with expected wealth-by-level. Generally you want your players to be close to WBL unless you very intentionally violate that expectation and adjust your encounters to account for players having a different amount of gear. That means the easiest way to hand out enough treasure is to stick with the recommended wealth by encounter. Personally I prefer to keep track of the amount of treasure I hand out between levels instead, which allows me to vary the amount of wealth for each encounter while still giving the right amount of treasure over the long run - but that takes a little more work.
Fun monster :) Yes its a fair fight.
For loots just continue using whatever system you have been, be that wbl or arbitrary or other. The only thing to keep in mind is that is shouldn't have metal loot. Gems are an easy replacement to coin. Ironwood items can replace any metal item drops and add a bit of flavor.
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I can offer advice I suppose. It's ultimately my opinion. First, think about how this creature came into existence. Did it evolve? Was it the result of a wizard's experiment? etc.
What does it eat? If it eats meat like a phase spider, then having a poisonous bite makes sense. It leaps out, poisons a creature and that waits for it to keel over in the safety of the Ethereal plane. That's pretty efficient, why would it ever rust metal (as a food source, I suppose if it evolved in an area with a lot of metallic predators that might be a reason otherwise)?
If we assume it feeds on metal like a rust monster, it probably wouldn't have a poisonous bite except as defense against predators or competition and if that's the case it it would have more defensive traits. Of course, if some mad-wizard 'owl-beared' it in a crazed experiment long ago, then anything's fair game, so you could keep the poison as well, but I would recommend making the creature more than just a: Rust monster + Phase spider = Rust spider. At least do it in a way that's unique to the creature.
For instance, make use of its webs. While it doesn't have a web attack, they do spin them. Maybe they cross to the Material Plane but normal creatures are unaffected, only metal, which means creatures wearing significant amount of metal are caught. Rings, a pair of bracers, a dagger, or a bag of coins might slip through, but a combination of those items or metal armor or weapons causes a creature to get tangled as though in a normal web. They can still pull free, but since the webs are on the Ethereal Plane they can't cut or burn them away without suitable magic effects. That's different and unique enough to make for a memorable scenario.
Make note of whether the creature attacks for food or just spite. If characters leave sizable metal behind, will it cease stalking them like a rust monster would, or is it just a malicious predator?
Also, I would recommend adding the ability for the creature's scent power to also function from the...
I'll see about implementing the changes ASAP (I hammered this out at like 4AM so it's very rough in terms of details). The web is a pretty neat idea and I may run with that as well.
The idea behind them is that they were sort of an experimentation done by some insane/cruel aberrations. They escaped and bred (like the Cazadors in Fallout New Vegas) and, while they are a threat, are mostly ambush predators, feeding on the native fauna of the island they inhabit. Metal would probably fall under supplements as opposed to a key portion of their diet, kiiiiiinda like a salt lick for deer (not the best example I know).
But yeah I'll try to hammer out the details in a little bit, sort out their ecology and whatnot. Given their abilities, what of their CR though? I don't wanna throw these things at the players if they can't stand a chance at their level.
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Fun monster :) Yes its a fair fight.
For loots just continue using whatever system you have been, be that wbl or arbitrary or other. The only thing to keep in mind is that is shouldn't have metal loot. Gems are an easy replacement to coin. Ironwood items can replace any metal item drops and add a bit of flavor.
Oh I'm mostly concerned with loot in general. I tend to bounce between either not giving the players enough loot or giving them way too much. Still trying to learn the balancing act that is loot distribution and CR balancing.