Mimics¶
Paranoia-Inducing Shapeshifting Ambusher
Mimics disguise themselves as inanimate objects such as treasure chests, doors, or furniture to lure and ambush prey. These cunning, shape-shifting predators lie in wait, perfectly still, until a curious adventurer draws near. Then, with terrifying speed, they lash out with adhesive pseudopods and gaping, toothy maws. Intelligent and adaptable, mimics can alter their forms to blend seamlessly into almost any environment. They understand language, show flashes of eerie cunning, and use their disguises both as camouflage and as bait for the unwary.
Mimics are a classic ambush predator in Dungeons & Dragons, 5E, Pathfinder, and other fantasy RPGs, infamous for turning treasure, doors, and even entire rooms into deadly traps.
Mimic Lore¶
- Mimics can alter their color, texture, and dimensions to perfectly replicate nearby objects, from simple crates to elaborate statues.
- A mimic traps unsuspecting victims with sticky, glue-like secretions that are difficult to escape from
- Beneath their disguises, mimics are masses of sticky protoplasm bristling with alien eyes, writhing pseudopods, and rows of sharp teeth.
- Dousing a mimic with water breaks down its sticky excretions, often forcing it to reveal its true form
- Mimics can understand languages, plan ambushes, and even coordinate rudimentarily with a form of Telepathy.
- As mimics age, they acquire additional powers that make them more formidable
- Some research, considered heretical, claims that Mimics are a result of misguided experiments by a long-dead Transmuter Primagus to awaken sentience in primordial oozes like the Gelatinous Cube
Mimic Tactics¶
- Mimics are patient, waiting for precisely the right moment to strike
- Mimics prioritize isolated or lightly armored creatures
- After successfully swallowing prey, or if its ambush fails, a mimic will attempt to flee and blend in with its nearby surroundings
- Larger, more powerful mimics are often able to inhabit entire rooms or structures
Mimic Statblocks¶
Mimic¶
Mimic
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Monstrosity (Mimic)
AC 12 Initiative +1 (11)
HP 52 (8d8 + 16)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 17 | +3 | +3 |
| Dex | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 5 | -3 | -3 |
| Wis | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Cha | 8 | -1 | -1 |
Skills Stealth +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
CR 2 (450 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Adhesive. The mimic adheres to anything that touches it (including weapons). A Huge or smaller creature or object adhered to the mimic is also Grappled by it (escape DC 13). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.
Actions
Multiattack. The mimic makes two Sticky Pseudopod attacks.
Sticky Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 9 bludgeoning damage. On a hit, the target must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be Grappled (escape DC 13).
Swallow. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 16 (3d8 + 3) piercing damage. On a hit, the target must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it is Swallowed. A swallowed creature is Blinded, Restrained, and has total cover against attacks and effects from the outside. It takes 7 (3d4) ongoing acid damage at the start of each of its turns. If the swallowing creature takes 5 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures which fall Prone in a space within 10 feet of it. If the swallowing creature dies, the swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape by using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Bonus Actions
Mark the Meal (1/day). Immediately after the mimic hits a creature, it marks that creature as its meal. It has advantage on attack rolls against that creature as long as that creature has lost at least one hit point.
Greater Mimic¶
When two mimics meet, they occasionally merge together to form into a Greater Mimic. The process by which the two mates agree upon and merge is hotly debated by scholars.
Greater Mimic
Summoned with Foe FoundryLarge Monstrosity (Mimic)
AC 12 Initiative +5 (15)
HP 105 (14d10 + 28)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 19 | +4 | +4 |
| Dex | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Con | 14 | +2 | +4 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 5 | -3 | -3 |
| Wis | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Cha | 8 | -1 | -1 |
Skills Stealth +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
CR 4 (1,100 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Adhesive. The mimic adheres to anything that touches it (including weapons). A Huge or smaller creature or object adhered to the mimic is also Grappled by it (escape DC 14). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.
Deadly Ambusher. On the first turn of combat, the mimic has advantage on any attack rolls against targets with lower initiative than it, and it scores a critical hit on a score of 19 or 20.
Magnetic Attraction. Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the mimic that is carrying metal weapons or armor must make a DC 14 Strength saving throw. On a failure, the creature is pulled up to 10 feet closer to the mimic and its speed is 0 until the end of its turn.
Actions
Multiattack. The mimic makes two Sticky Pseudopod attacks.
Sticky Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 14 bludgeoning damage. On a hit, the target must make a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be Grappled (escape DC 14).
Swallow. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 25 (6d6 + 4) piercing damage. On a hit, the target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it is Swallowed. A swallowed creature is Blinded, Restrained, and has total cover against attacks and effects from the outside. It takes 10 (4d4) ongoing acid damage at the start of each of its turns. If the swallowing creature takes 10 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures which fall Prone in a space within 10 feet of it. If the swallowing creature dies, the swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape by using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Vault Mimic¶
A Vault Mimic is ancient amongst its kind and has grown large enough that it can impersonate entire chambers, treasure vaults, or even floors of a building or dungeon.
Vault Mimic
Summoned with Foe FoundryHuge Monstrosity (Mimic)
AC 12 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 171 (18d12 + 54)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 21 | +5 | +5 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 16 | +3 | +6 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 7 | -2 | -2 |
| Wis | 16 | +3 | +6 |
| Cha | 10 | +0 | +0 |
Skills Stealth +8
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
CR 8 (3,900 XP; PB +3)
Traits
Adhesive. The mimic adheres to anything that touches it (including weapons). A Huge or smaller creature or object adhered to the mimic is also Grappled by it (escape DC 16). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.
Actions
Multiattack. The mimic makes three Sticky Pseudopod attacks. It may replace two attacks with a use of its Swallow or Hollow Home.
Sticky Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 18 bludgeoning damage. On a hit, the target is Grappled (escape DC 16).
Swallow. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 32 (6d8 + 5) piercing damage. On a hit, the target must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it is Swallowed. A swallowed creature is Blinded, Restrained, and has total cover against attacks and effects from the outside. It takes 15 (6d4) ongoing acid damage at the start of each of its turns. If the swallowing creature takes 25 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, it must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures which fall Prone in a space within 10 feet of it. If the swallowing creature dies, the swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape by using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.
Hollow Home (1/day). The mimic reshapes itself so that objects, walls, and ceilings within a 30 foot radius are now all extensions of its body. The space is difficult terrain and creatures that end their turn inside the space are Grappled (escape DC 16).
Bonus Actions
Mark the Meal (1/day). Immediately after the mimic hits a creature, it marks that creature as its meal. It has advantage on attack rolls against that creature as long as that creature has lost at least one hit point.
Mimic Encounters¶
- The Beckoning Book: A fluttering magical tome lies enticingly open on a silver pedastal in an ancient ruin. The Mimic tries to drag readers into its "pages."
- Treachorous Treasure: A dead adventurer's corpse is wearing valuable-looking magic armor that is a Mimic just waiting to pounce
- The False Prisoner: A shackled prisoner (perhaps an important NPC) is tied to a statue, which is actually a Greater Mimic using the prisoner as bait for would-be heroes.
- Treacherous Bridge: A stone bridge over a chasm turns out to be a stretched-out Greater Mimic lying in wait.
- Into the Maw: A Vault Mimic has taken over the entire chamber the adventurers are currenlty exploring
Mimic Adventures¶
- Vanishing Village: A local lord tasks the PCs with uncovering what happened to a remote hamlet where all of the villagers have disappeared. Unfortunately, they were all eaten by a swarm of Mimics that have now taken over all the buildings in the village.
- False Auction: An unscrupulous merchant is selling cursed relics — actually Mimics in disguise — to eliminate rivals. The PCs are hired by a suspicious rival to investigate.
- The Inheritance: The PCs inherit an old manor from an obscure relative. Unfortunately, the manor is the lair of a starving Greater Mimic that is now eager to devour its new owners.
- The Waking Vault: A recent earthquake has uncovered a legendary dungeon rumored to be overflowing with treasure. A collosal Vault Mimic has taken over all the best chambers of the dungeon and uses the treasure as a lure.