Rock lobster, no, sorry, monster

[Hex]

I have a monster in my wip -- it's about 9 feet tall, very fast and made of rock. My protagonist is going to have to kill it. It occurs to me that I have no idea how.

I know there are acids (?) that can damage rock, or that maybe it could be shattered (?) and I was hoping you marvellous people might have some brilliant suggestions.

 

[Kerrybuchanan]

What about some weakness of the type, such as crumbling to dust on exposure to sunlight/moonlight/whatever?

 

[Ursa major]

Paper! (It always works in Rock Paper Scissors....)

I think a reasonable approach might be to determine what weaknesses a monster made of rock might have. For instance, the rock it's made of -- well, at least some of it -- would have to have certain characteristics to permit fast movement. (Think graphite.)

 

[Hex]

Well, so far, it's beating him up pretty seriously... Are there strategies for splitting rock? Moonlight's probably a bit slow. He could jump on its head (like Legolas in the film, and the cave troll) but I'm not sure how that would help :|

 

[goldhawk]

Ice. When water in cracks of rock freezes, it expands and breaks the rock apart.

 

[Hex]

Oh I like that idea. Is there a way to speed it up, I wonder. Would dry ice work?

 

[Juliana]

Like the ice idea; any supermarkets around with big freezers? Then MC could douse monster in water and lure him in to the freezer...

Dynamite?

Or maybe your monster is made of rock shot through with gleaming veins of silver; your MC finds some way to melt them and the monster falls apart?

 

[goldhawk]

No, I don't think dry ice would work. It has a different crystalline structure.

 

[Hex]

The monster is stuck in one place, so no luring him into a freezer, sadly. Silver would be pretty... hmm.

@goldhawk -- water and then dry ice...?

 

[Cat's Cradle]

If the creature's body is made up of individual rocks (ex. a smaller rock for the head, a BIG rock/boulder for the torso, a series of smallish rocks linked together in a line for the arms and legs, etc) there would be some sort of weaker, more flexible material that links these body rocks together, and that allows the creature to move (like ligaments/tendons/muscles, for example, in flesh-and-blood creatures)...perhaps ground rock sediment held together by a mucous-like material. Could your hero, Hex, have some sort of solvent that would quickly dissolve, or weaken, the body-rocks linking material? Something he carries routinely (say moonshine alcohol, or lighter fluid) that he never would expect he'd need to use as a weapon...till he has that "Eureka! This might work!" moment whilst in the midst of being beaten-up by the rock monster? Just a thought..good luck! CC

 

[Hex]

Good thought. I like it. Thanks, CC.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

It's fantasy! You can have your rock monster comprised of anything - rock that isn't really rock and dissolves when under the first moon of an October sky. Whatever.,.

But shattering would work well for me. A magical pick axe?

 

[Hex]

I'd like it to be something from the human world... using magic feels like cheating (because rock monsters obviously aren't really cheating). A pick axe is a nice idea, but I wish I could freeze it quickly and shatter it. That would be dramatic.

 

[Venusian Broon]

A pneumatic drill from a nearby work site? Could cut it down 'black knight' style one limb at a time.

Problem is 1) Protagonist would have to switch one on and I have no idea how that's normally done - usually they have one of those towed generators don't they? 2) They look unwieldy and difficult to use. Hence might just be too fiddly and complex for your scene.

Keeping the 'tech' angle on it, why not a luring it into a car crusher/compactor and shattering it that way?

EDIT - oh more crushing devices - sliced in half and crushed by the back end of a bin lorry?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Waterfall nearby? I'd have to think about the freezing bit but it is Scotland...

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Fire then water.
It shatters.

 

[Dave]

Paper! (It always works in Rock Paper Scissors....)

According to my mouse mat, Paper or Spock will beat Rock...

 

[Hex]

Hmm. Perhaps I need a lizard.

 

[Abernovo]

Where's your scenario set? What is available to use?

It also depends upon the type of rock your monster is made from. Sandstone wears reasonably easily, and can be broken in layers; limestone is harder but easily damaged by acidic substances; granite, oh dear...although the lovely quartzite stone of my old home might vibrate at the right frequency.

So, a sander, lemon juice, or belting the monster with a large bell might cause pain and slow it down. Then, I think water freezing, or cold and heat (as above) would be your best ideas. Careful with the cold and heat, though. Rock shards can hurt, even be fatal.

 

[J Riff]

I dunno, but there are so. me giant rock monsters in the film Missile To The Moon.... they are shaped like Gumby .. but I can't remember how they are despatched. Probably not in a terrifically scientific way. A very large chisel... *