Easy. He needs to roll 100 on a single d20 or the spell fails and creates a big neon sign above the player characters head that follows them everywhere and reads "annoying little shit"
this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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How tf do I pronounce that*
I don't know if you're joking, but just for fun: Press-T-digi-tay-shun
It’s artifact level - a cantrip simply doesn’t work on it. When the players ask why, you just tell them they don’t know - neither does anyone in the town/city whatever they’re in.
My GM solution: the rust is actually blood, and the crown needs a fresh coating to activate its narrative. If need be, make it belong to a certain bloodline, such as royalty.
DM: Scribbles a note "Without the rust it seems like a serviceable crown, but not too fancy."
Note to lost heir: "You see the crown and you think as it... looks at you. This should be your crown. You wants it. They shouldn't keep it from you. Steals it, hides it, it came here for you".
DM: "Probably worth some gold."
The player: GUYS! I'M A KING NOW!!! BOW TO MEEEEEEEE!!!
What metal is the crown made of?
The spell only works on iron and iron-heavy alloys. An advanced version of the spell exists but the players don't have it yet.
Technically, rust can only occur on iron-heavy metals and alloys. Otherwise it's just called oxidation.
The difference with "rust" is that rust will eat into the metal and change its shape, while oxydation only changes the surface color and texture.
Edit: yeah... Rust is a specific type of oxydation, it wasn't really clear from my comment. What I wanted to say is that rust implies the material is iron-based!
This is not true. Oxidation is a broad type of chemical reaction involving the loss of electrons. Rust is a type of oxidation, much as a square is a type of rectangle. Oxidation can occur on the surface level (tarnishing of some metals, passivation of aluminum) or throughout (combustion). Rust actually only occurs on the surface as well, but the iron oxide is less dense than the metal and it increases the available area of the surface exposed to oxygen.
Yeah... Reading back my comment, it was badly written... I know rust is a type of oxydation, but that's not what I wrote!
Lol thermite is my favorite oxidation & rust remover reaction
Ah yes, removes the rust, the object, and the table it was sitting on...
Well, not quite. Rust eats into iron because oxidised iron is larger and much more brittle than unoxidised iron, physically ripping itself out of place.
Many oxides arent that much larger than their base metals and form a nice patina protecting the metal underneath, like in aluminium.
Other oxides destroy the structural integrity of the metal and eat into it, forming corrosion. Rust is just corrosion specific to iron.
I didn't know of other type of oxides that eat into the metal like rust does...
But it's true that a "rusted crown" implies that it is iron-based, so the cantrip should work!
the rust scales begin to fall and as the entire party squints to see the results, ROLL FOR INITIATIVE AT DISADVANTAGE (fuck a few dragons will get me out of this shit)
The rust is removed, but there's significant chunks missing due to the rust settling in. It is still unrecognisable and needs restoration.
Or something magical based on what the artifact does
The crown completely disintegrates, as it was rust all the way through
Sorry, Mario, the real crown is in another dungeon.
the real crown was the XP we collected along the way
The real mario is the rust we collected along the XP
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