CONTENTS

THE MIMIC BOOK OF MIMICS

Written By: Dephin Ittly, Knott d'Buq, Ingjör Hand, and Nomim Eexhiir

 4-WORD, by Nomim Eexhiir:

Mimics is be verree danjrous.  Can be hide n e wear, n be n e thing u is want.  U is like shiny?  Mimics is be shiny 4 u.  U is like leave donjon?  Mimics is be door 4 u.  U is like qt things?  Mimic is be fluffle qt bear doll 4 u.  Object of much wants a mimic can be.  But DO NOT WANT!  U touchy wanty-thing, u no un-touchy.  Wanty-thing maybe mimic!  Like sticky gloo stick to u when u touchy.  Then: eat u face.  Verree bad. 

So u be smart meat reader and listen to buq writy wurds.  U trusting buq.  Buq is u friend.  Buq tell u oll abowt mimics.  Wear they is hide.  What they is looking like.  What they is eat.  Where they is live.  How u is be killing them.  So whotevr u is do, keep buq sayf; keep buq close; not lock up buq at nite when u sleeps; and no ask y tiny bone pile by buq evree mornings. U can uze buq ahs spulbuq.

---

 Table of Contents

• How to Mimic a Mimic
  • History of the Mimic
  • Playing a Mimic
    • Mimic Behavior
    • Mimic Tactics
• MANY MIMICS and How to HANDLE IT
  • Not So Many After All
• Mimic Stat Templates
  • Tiny Mimics
  • Small Mimics
  • Medium Mimics
  • Large Mimics
  • Huge Mimics
  • Gargantuan Mimics
• Tiny Mimics
  • Book Mimic
  • Brain Mimic
  • Cake Mimic
  • Casket Mimic
  • Fruit Mimic
  • Grater Mimic
  • Jar Mimic
  • Mimic of the Lamp
  • Money Mimic
  • Pot-Pan Mimic
  • Quill Mimic
  • Rat Trap Mimic
  • Tankard Mimic
  • Toy Mimic
  • Trinket Mimic
• Small Mimics
  • Arms Mimic
  • Bag Mimic
  • Chair Mimic
  • Crate Mimic
  • Crib Mimic
  • Crock Mimic
  • Cupboard Mimic
  • Dresser Mimic
  • Fire Mimic
  • Frost Mimic
  • Keg Mimic
  • Pumpkin Mimic
  • Shield Mimic
  • Stone Mimic
  • Table Mimic
  • Thorn Mimic
  • Toilet Mimic
• Medium Mimics
  • Apple Bob Mimic
  • Armed Mimic
  • Armor Mimic
  • Bar Mimic
  • Barrel Mimic
  • Bush Mimic
  • Clock Mimic
  • Coffin Mimic
  • Corpse Mimic
  • Dead Mimic
  • Door Mimic
  • Garbage Bin Mimic
  • Grave Mimic
  • Gibbet Mimic
  • Ladder Mimic
  • Mimic Mimic
  • Moose Mimic
  • Pseudo-Mimic
  • Sarcophagus Mimic
  • Scarecrow Mimic
  • Trick Treat Mimic
  • Vase Mimic
  • Wardrobe Mimic
  • Wizard Mimic
• Large Mimics
  • Altar Mimic
  • Bed Mimic
  • Cannon Mimic
  • Carpet Mimic
  • Desk Mimic
  • Fountain Mimic
  • Golem Mimic
  • Hall Mimic
  • Log/Stump Mimic
  • Piano Mimic
  • Pillar Mimic
  • Shed Mimic
  • Tent Mimic
  • Tomb Mimic
  • Wall Mimic
• Huge Mimics
  • Boat Mimic
  • Cart Mimic
  • Pool Mimic
  • Prison Mimic
  • Shack Mimic
  • Tree Mimic
• Gargantuan Mimics
  • Barrow Burrower Mimic
  • Graveyard Grinder Mimic
  • House Hunter Mimic
  • Sea Striker Mimic
  • Shop Scalper Mimic
  • Tower Terror Mimic
• Legendary Mimics
  • Boxxy T. Morningwood (with expressed permission from his creator)
  • Dungeon Master, the Living Labyrinth
  • The Kingmaker
  • Meta Mimic
  • Mimicromicon, the Mimic Book of Mimics (also: Supreme Sage of Mimic Wisdom, Greatest Read Ever, Totally Adorable Bedtime Story, and Best Friend to Humankind)
  • Mimicopolis
  • the MSS Blacktooth
  • the Patient Mimic Inn
•  Playable Mimic Race Details

 

 

How to Mimic a Mimic

Most DMs and Players are familiar with what a mimic is and what a mimic does.  Less of those, however, know who a mimic is or why it does what it does.  You can use a mimic as a random encounter monster with the sole intent of it dying after giving your players a bit of a scare; and there is no problem with that.  However, mimics can be far more interesting.  My goal is to expand on the monster and provide ideas for their use in your campaign, either as a more substantial NPC, or simply an interesting new way to run an encounter with one or scare the living pants off your unwitting players.

History of the Mimic

The mimic made its first D&D appearance in 1st Edition, where it appear in the Monster Manual, published in 1977.  It was described as an amorphous shapeshifting creatures that could perfectly imitate stone or wood.  Using this ability, they often posed as chests, doors, or stonework.  It excreted an adhesive substance, so when touched by another creature, that target would be unable to "let go" of the "object" it just made contact with.  The mimic would then reveal itself, bludgeoning and biting prey to death with pseudopod and gaping maw.  It was also described as totally intolerant of sunlight, and could be found solely in subterranean areas (like dungeons). Despite being described and depicted an ambush predator that would rely on remaining completely still in order to increase its chances of being found by greedy prey (adventurers), it was said to move about constantly using its pseudopod.

The variants of metal mimics and house hunters (massive mimics that mimic houses), were released late on via magazine publication (Dragon #101, September 1985, and Dungeon #19, October 1989, respectively). With the metal mimic, we are introduced the concept of a mimic that doesn't immediately want to eat your face, can speak, and can be negotiated and reasoned with. The mimic made a return in AD&D, 2nd Edition in Volume II of the Monstrous Compendium.  In 2nd edition, the standard mimic added metals to the list of materials it could perfectly imitate.  It also reintroduced the concept of the talking mimic and also provided an in-game explanation for their origins: a wizard did it.  Surprise.  This time from the start around, there was the common mimic, which was neutral and could speak, and the killer mimic, which ate faces and bludgeoned adventurers to death.

A special mimic was released for Spelljammer as well: the space mimic; which as its name may suggest, is a mimic.... in SPAAAAAAAAACE! While up to this point, mimics, while able to take on other shapes, were usually artistically depicted as treasure chests, the space mimic was not.  It was most often depicted as a desk.  Now, you might be thinking: "a desk? Just floating out there in space?”  Yes.  Because debris is a fairly common thing when you have EPIC FANTASY SPACE BATTLES PEWPEWPEW MAGIC!  It posed as such debris.  But why a desk?  So it could cover itself in real or mimicked scrolls and spellbooks.  Why cover itself in those?  To lure in wizards.  Magic was the primary source of propulsion and combat in Spelljammer's space.  The space mimic would lure in a wizard, use magic to hypnotize them, steal all their even remotely magical items, and then eat them.

Then there was the greater mimic.  A mimic that mimicked an entire room, and could reach 30 cubic feet in dimension.  They were smarter and hungrier than other mimics, and often took the form of a complete and fully furnished room, holding off on its adhesive until an entire party was safely inside its waiting trap.

3rd edition did away to most of the mimic variants.  They were all just mimics.  They were all smart enough to speak, though most would sooner rather eat you.

4th edition did away with the mimic's specific material imitations, and instead provided us with two mimics.  Both breeds, upon discovery, could undo their mimicry form to basically become an ooze.  One species could mimic any item.  The other blurred the line between mimics and doppelgangers, being able to imitate any sentient creature.

That brings us to today: 5th edition.  The mimic maintains its ability to mimic any item, a higher-than-animal-but-still-not-very-smart Intelligence score, a neutral alignment, and no more blurring the line with doppelgangers.

Like sharks, mimics have not changed much since their introduction to the world: the perfect ambush predator.

Playing a Mimic

Now that we know all about where the mimic comes from, let's review what and who a mimic is.

Mimic Behavior

Mimics are not mindless monsters.  They never have been.  Their intelligence has always been high enough to facilitate coherent speech, and they have always had an alignment and have never been unaligned like an animal.  Does that make them intelligent?  In the sense of "intelligent life", yes.  In the terms of "intelligent quotient"? Absolutely not: they're dumb as rocks, no denying that.  But the fact remains: they do have a mind, and while not smart, they are cunning.  They mimic objects that prey is inclined to touch.  This implies that they have a theory of mind, the precursor to empathy, and can understand the desires or needs of other living things.

So they're a sapient, presumably sentient species, that eats people.  Does that make them evil?  In a broad scheme of things: technically.  But not actually.  You need to remember: these things are native to dungeons and the Underdark, brutally harsh environments.  Food is scarce and hard to come by in those eat-or-be-eaten places, so you eat what (or who) you can, when you can.  At no point in any mimic entry in the history of D&D does it say that a mimic eats solely incautious adventurers.  After all, it can take the shape of any inanimate object, and its adhesive works against any creature that makes contact with it.  Who's to say it doesn't notice rats scurrying about, and so take the form of a discarded wheel of cheese?  Or maybe the area has a high concentration of mindflayers and their creations? So the mimic mimics a stored brain.

The point is, a mimic (usually) isn't gunning to kill all humans; it's just doing what it needs to do to survive.  In fact, it can be bargained with.  One of the recurring features of a mimic is its ability to speak and the fact that it will bargain with adventures for food, further illustrating the neutral alignment; it won't eat you if it feels it doesn't have to.  Not out there to save the world, not out there to kick puppies and pee in cereal.  A mimic is basically just a guy trying to get by in an extremely rough neighborhood.

Granted, like any other creature with above-animal intelligence, this is a generalization.  An individual's alignment is subject to its disposition and personal history; and admittedly in the past, when the mimic has been something other than neutral, it's almost always been evil.

 Moving on: mimics mimic.  This doesn't have to be restricted to their appearance.  Having a mimic mimic behaviors, speech, or mannerisms can add a new level of depth to a mimic character.  Considering having a mimic childishly copy everything one player says or does.

And because a mimic's got to mimic, and mimicry is a form of just copying something else, a mimic is an ideal character to introduce memes into your campaign should be be inclined for a bit of humor.  This can range from images, phrases, or even objects of note from other forms of media.  Assuming your players are familiar with what your meme mimicking mimic is mimicking, it's a sure fire way to delight them, and possibly serve as a hook for why they shouldn't immediately murder this mimic.

Mimic Tactics

Memorable.  A player's first encounter with a mimic should be memorable.  For this reason alone, I feel it's almost a requirement that the first mimic you introduce into your campaign be a stereotypical chest; reminding your players that mimics are a thing and subtly informing them that they exist in your campaign.  But, to reinforce the point made from the start: mimics should not be detectable and should be unexpected.  Once you have used a chest-shaped mimic: DO NOT USE ONE EVER AGAIN.  EVER.  In fact, you should never make a mimic of the same item type twice.  Ever.  You have nearly limitless options in regards to objects you mimics can mimic.  This supplement even offers recommended stat block to make mimics of larger and smaller sizes, giving you an even greater range of thing that can turn out to be mimics.

Let's examine the mimic.

Shapechanger. The mimic can use its action to polymorph into an object or back into its true, amorphous form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Adhesive (Object Form Only). The mimic adheres to anything that touches it. A Huge or smaller creature adhered to the mimic is also grappled by it (escape DC 13). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.

False Appearance (Object Form Only). While the mimic remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary object.

Grappler. The mimic has advantage on attack rolls against any creature grappled by it.

Mimics mimic things, and they do so perfectly.  PERFECTLY!!!  There is no possible way beyond magical means to discern a mimic from an ordinary object UNLESS it decides to reveal itself or you, as a DM, deploy some kind of clue into the environment (such as a pile of bones immediately in front of your mimic's object form or a sign painted with great big red letters "MIMIC").  That's what it means to imitate perfectly.  So no matter how many times or how well your player rolls a Wisdom (Perception), what they are going to see is a totally normal room.  If they want more details; list all objects or structures present, including whatever the mimic is mimicking.  DO NOT draw metagame attention to the object that is actually a mimic; because unless your players are exceptional roleplayers, anything the player knows, their character magically knows. I find the best way to do this is to list the object alphabetically, which eliminates the possibility of subconscious prioritization.

Where physical senses and logic may fail, psychological and totally irrational ones (unexplainable gut feeling and primal instinctual dread flavored with a dash of panic) may. 

A Wisdom (Insight) check might reveal to a player that something is off; something doesn't feel right; that they have a bad feeling about this room.  It should be specific enough to give them pause, but should in no way reveal which of the objects in the room is the mimic; that one of these things is not like the others: but not which one.  Because if they can't tell what object is actually a mimic, there's no way they'll be able to tell which one of those objects they're suddenly getting bad feelings from, just that their instincts are screaming at them that they're in mortal danger and should run away.  And that's fine because that's how emotions and feelings work.  They don't need a subject and they don't need rationalized; they just are.

If you really want to spice up a mimic encounter without actually making it more difficult: play up the primal instinct aspect, emphasizing that the mimic is a predator of adventurers.  When your players first enter the room containing the mimic, have them roll a Wisdom saving throw.  I recommend a DC between 10 and 13.  The very act of requiring a save will automatically clue your players in to the fact that something is off about this room.  A player that succeeds on their save may continue as normal.  A player that fails the throw becomes frightened and refuses to enter the room.  Inform that player that there's just something not right in that room or that they feel like they're being watched.

You can choose how to end the condition, whether through just having it last 1 round, through successive saving throw, ending the effect on a success, or having other players succeed against the frightened character on ability checks to convince them to enter the room.

Inevitably, a player is going to touch the mimic; whether or not that be with their weapon is contingent on how cautious they've been up to that point.  Regardless of how or with what they touch the mimic, they are grappled.  "Technically" speaking, combat begins in that very moment.

Mechanically, the mimic rolls its initiative to engage in combat the moment the players entered the room (do this subtly as possible; ideally at the same time your require your players to make a Wisdom saving throw as outlined in the suggestion above).  After all, it's the players that don't know the mimic is there, not the other way around, and unless it's offered something tastier, it will fully intend to eat the meals on legs that just wandered into its lair.  It watches them and, since at that moment, it is number one out of one creatures with initiative, its actual initiative result doesn't matter.  It's the only creature with initiate,  so it's the only creature taking turns.  It takes it turn(s) to take the hold action, waiting for something to touch it.  Once a player touches the mimic, your ambush predator should be ambushing and predating, immediately attacking.  It's after this trap is sprung that your players roll their initiatives, and you establish normal combat order.

If a player was paranoid, poking or stabbing objects around the room, allow that player to take their first turn normally.  If a player was, you know... NOT being paranoid, they're surprised.

Now that the battle proper as begun, the absolute first thing a mimic should do on its turn is attack the nearest creature with its pseudopod if it hasn't already done so with its ambush.  The mimic's #1 priority should be in making sure at least 1 of the player characters isn't going to escape.  It's life is on the line, not only because of the impending combat, but because this is food.  Failure to win the fight means death by violence.  Failure to prevent at least 1 creature from escaping means death by starvation, which is a longer, slower, more agonizing death.  For smaller mimics with a weaker adhesive, this means grappling the crap out of lunch, while for a mimic with more powerful adhesive it might just sitting around, waiting for food to stop struggling.

Ideally, the target is a creature already grappled by the mimic because of its adhesive.  Why would the mimic want to grapple a creature it's already grappling?  Why grapple the grappled?  Because the escape DC is 13, which is fairly low, even with disadvantage to escape.  However, the grapple from the adhesive from when the player touched the mimic is grapple 1, contact with the mimic's surface.  Now the mimic is attacking with its pseudopod for grapple 2, contact with the pseudopod.  Now to escape, a player must succeed on 2 checks instead of one.  Still not sure the mimic can hold the player?  Then on its next turn, if the creature has not escaped from either of its two previously applied grapples, it should then make a plain old, flat out, no adhesive applied, physical grapple check with either its maw or coil it's already-stuck-to-the-player pseudopod around their body.  Maintaining its grapples ought take precedence over anything else your mimic will do, because if the creature it is grappling escapes: there goes lunch, which is the entire purpose behind the encounter in the first place.

Once a creature is firmly grappled, feel free to grant your mimic a multiattack option: allow your mimic to make a bite attack against 1 creature it is grappling (the one that it's trying to keep multiple grapples on), while attacking another creature with its pseudopod.  Your mimic is going to want to nom-nom that grappled creature to death as fast as it can while fending off its friends; the sooner the grappled creature is dead, the sooner its chances of escape drop to 0, and maybe its friends will stop trying to save it (and take away the mimic's lunch).  Also: the sooner it can move on to repeating its grapple-nom-nom combo on another target.

To make the fight even more challenging, consider restoring 1d4 hit points to your mimic for each successful bite attack it makes against the focus of its nom-nomming, and/or 1d8 hit points if it manages to kill that creature with its bite.

Regarding adhesive: melee attacks made against the mimic should, technically, render a creature grappled, as a melee attack, by definition, touches the mimic.  Inform your player that their weapon is stuck to the mimic.  They can either try to pull it off the mimic by using an action to make a DC 13 ability check with disadvantage as usual, or, they can just let go of the weapon entirely as a free action.  This mechanic alone -reminding players that there is an option- may grant your mimic a little more survivability, as, let's face it, as a monster they aren't all that tough, even with the tactics recommended here.  Granted, the option is a bad option, since letting go of their weapon effectively renders the player useless; but the fact that you draw attention to the fact the option exists will make some players feel it is somehow a valid strategy, simply because, as the DM, you pointed it out.

IF your players want to try and reason or negotiate with the mimic: all well and good.  Food is the only currency it will accept.  Period.  If the negotiations begin out of combat (such as your player gets a bad feeling about the room, and having experience with mimics, knows there's one in the room with them), the mimic will not attack.  It also will not reveal itself until the players have convinced it that they have or will shortly supply what it wants (Charisma (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) ).  After all, if the players are lying and won't give it food, then revealing itself leaves it open to attack, and ruins its chances of catching them by surprise to eat them.

If a player decides to attempt to negotiate mid-combat: it stops attacking, but does not let go of creature it has already grappled.  Again: the only currency it will accept is food, and at this point, the food offered will need to of a weight equivalent to any creature it is already grappling. If attacked, all negotiations are off, and the mimic furiously attempts to nom-nom the entire lying party of liars who lied to it.

Alternatively, a mimic wants to live, just like anything else.  If the players begin getting the upper-hand, it may bluff, using any character it's currently grappling as a hostage.

When it comes the mimic currency, quantity trumps quality.  It is eating to live in a brutal and harsh environment.  It doesn't care about flavor, texture, richness, or the like nearly as much as it does raw calorie count: sheer mass.

YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

An entirely alternate  encounter would be to have your mimic mimic a door, gate, or other obstacle to a passage the players need to get through.  When the players try to open the door, rather then adhere to the player, the mimic immediately reveals itself, and informs the players that in order to pass, they must pay the mimic a toll.  The toll being a specified amount of food from each person.  Ideally, your players are only reasonably prepared and not dooms-day preppers.  To make this particular encounter more than just a trifling thing, if you are enforcing eating and drinking to survive, the mimic should ask for nearly all the than the players currently have between them.  If you're playing a game where food and drink isn't a big deal, the mimic can demand something specific to eat which is either rare and valuable or not currently in the party's possession, which will require them to undergo a miniature quest to get that last, tiny morsel.  I personally usually have mimics in this scenario demand a pineapple, because no one ever carries around a pineapple.

 

 

 

MANY MIMICS and How to HANDLE IT

U iz prolly think now: "So many mimics!  How I can even?!" NOT PANICKING!  Iz ok! Oll mimics rilly same mimic... but not so same as next mimic.

At first glance, this book may appear to present you with an overwhelming number of mimics.  Mimics are fundamentally shapeshifters.  By default, they morph.  They change.  They evolve.  Just like any other creature, as it uses its abilities, it becomes able to do them better.  This could be brought on by learning or physical conditioning.  However, there is nothing new under the sun: especially not a new species of mimic.

Not So Many After All

To clarify, this is not a list of mimic subspecies anymore than an archmage or berserker is a subspecies of commoner.  They are merely individual mimics who have developed specific adaptations.  These adaptations have been developed in a wide range of ways for any number of reasons; from exposure to particular elements of an environment to magical interference to good old fashioned applied study or trial and error.

In other words, there is only the mimic, and what it has learned or adapted to do based on any number of factors.

 

Mimic Stat Block Templates

Mimics can be's n e saiz.  Jest cuz u ushooly c mimics the saiz of meat peeple duznt mean there no is more saiz of mimic.  Hir iz wut u can xpects when u iz find mimic that not is peeple-saiz.  Hir u iz find picher of fewd hooman.  Iz be stand next to many mimics, many sizes.

 Sum mimic hooman can be stepping on.  Squish.  But sum mimics can be eating him face.  More bigr mimic can be eating him armz n legz.  Biggrst mimic can be eating him gulp in one byt.

 

TINY MIMIC

SMALL MIMIC

MEDIUM MIMIC

LARGE MIMIC

HUGE MIMIC

GARGANTUAN MIMIC

 

Tiny Mimics

Chapter reserved for unique mimics of tiny size

Except as noted otherwise in their entries, the following mimics utilize the Tiny Mimic stat block found in the Mimic Stat Block Templates section.

• Book Mimic
• Brain Mimic
• Cake Mimic
• Casket Mimic
• Fruit Mimic
• Grater Mimic
• Jar Mimic
• Mimic of the Lamp
• Money Mimic
• Pot-Pan Mimic
• Quill Mimic
• Rat Trap Mimic
• Tankard Mimic
• Toy Mimic
• Trinket Mimic

 

Small Mimics

Chapter reserved for unique mimics of small size

Except as noted otherwise in their entries, the following mimics utilize the Small Mimic stat block found in the Mimic Stat Block Templates section.

• Arms Mimic
• Bag Mimic
• Chair Mimic
• Crate Mimic
• Crib Mimic
• Crock Mimic
• Cupboard Mimic
• Dresser Mimic
• Fire Mimic
• Frost Mimic
• Keg Mimic
• Pumkin Mimic
• Shield Mimic
• Stone Mimic
• Table Mimic
• Thorn Mimic
• Toilet Mimic

 

Medium Mimics

Chapter reserved for unique mimics of medium size

Except as noted otherwise in their entries, the following mimics utilize the Medium/Standard Mimic stat block.  It has been provided for convenience in the Mimic Stat Block Templates section.

• Apple Bob Mimic
• Armed Mimic
• Armor Mimic
• Bar Mimic
• Barrel Mimic
• Bush Mimic
• Clock Mimic
• Coffin Mimic
• Corpse Mimic
• Dead Mimic
• Door Mimic
• Garbage Bin Mimic
• Grave Mimic
• Gibbet Mimic
• Ladder Mimic
• Meta Mimic
• Mimic Mimic
• Moose Mimic
• Pseudo-Mimic
• Sarcophagus Mimic
• Scarecrow Mimic
• Trick Treat Mimic
• Vase Mimic
• Wardrobe Mimic
• Wizard Mimic

 

Large Mimics

Chapter reserved for unique mimics of large size

Except as noted otherwise in their entries, the following mimics utilize the Large Mimic stat block found in the Mimic Stat Block Templates section.

• Altar Mimic
• Bed Mimic
• Cannon Mimic
• Carpet Mimic
• Desk Mimic
• Fountain Mimic
• Golem Mimic
• Hall Mimic
• Log/Stump Mimic
• Piano Mimic
• Pillar Mimic
• Shed Mimic
• Tent Mimic
• Tomb Mimic
• Wall Mimic

 

Huge Mimics

Chapter reserved for unique mimics of huge size

Except as noted otherwise in their entries, the following mimics utilize the Huge Mimic stat block found in the Mimic Stat Block Templates section.

• Boat Mimic
• Cart Mimic
• Pool Mimic
• Prison Mimic
• Shack Mimic
• Tree Mimic

 

Gargantuan Mimics

Chapter reserved for unique mimics of gargantuan size

Except as noted otherwise in their entries, the following mimics utilize the Gargantuan Mimic stat block found in the Mimic Stat Block Templates section.

• Barrow Burrower Mimic
• Graveyard Grinder Mimic
• House Hunter Mimic
• Sea Striker Mimic
• Shop Scalper Mimic
• Storm Stalker Mimic
• Tower Terror Mimic

 

Legendary Mimics

Chapter reserved for truly and literally unique mimics, of whom, like the Highlander, there can be one.

The following mimics totally break away from the status quo for mimics of their size.  As such, each has their own unique stat block.

• Boxxy T. Morningwood
• Dungeon Master, the Living Labyrinth
• The Kingmaker
• The Mimicromnicon (The Mimic Book Of Mimics)
• Mimicopolis
• the MSS Blacktooth
• the Patient Mimic Inn

 

Playable Mimic Race Details

The barkeeper asked why we carried weapons on us in the bar.

I said, "mimics."

The barkeeper laughed.

The party laughed.

The table laughed. 

And that's how we met our rogue.

Mimics are shapeshifting predators able to take on the form of inanimate object to lure creatures to their doom.  In dungeons, these cunning creatures most often take the form of doors and chests, having learned that such forms attract a steady stream of prey.  Some mimcs have learned that an even more readily available source of food can be garnered by adventuring, which grants the mimic the opportunity to see exotic monsters, meet interesting people, and then eat them.

Imitative Predators

Mimics can alter their outward texture to resemble wood, stone, and other basic materials, and they have evolved to assume the appearance of objects that other creatures are likely to come into contact with.  A mimic in its altered form is nearly unrecognizable until potential prey blunders into its reach, whereupon the monster sprout pseudopods and attacks.

When it changes shape, a mimic excretes an adhesive that helps it seize prey and weapons that touch it.  The adhesive is absorbed when the mimic assumes its amorphous form and on parts the mimic uses to move itself

Cunning Hunters

Mimics live and hunt alone, though they occasionally share their feeding grounds with other creatures.  Although most mimics have only predatory intelligence, a rare few evolve greater cunning and the ability to carry on simple conversations in Common or Undercommon.  Such mimics might allow safe passage through their domains, provide useful information, or even join an adventuring party in exchange for food.

Mimic Personality

You can use the Mimic Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for a mimic character or to inspire a unique mannerism.

Mimic Quirks

d10	Quirk
1	You see enemies as prey.  Those who stand against you are dead meat anyway, so why not eat them as such?
2	You are something of a gourmand among mimics and have developed an appetite for a specific type of prey creature, and will go to great lengths for the opportunity to hunt it, which usually means "waiting around somewhere shapeshifted into something it they will want to interact with".
3	Your solution to most problems is to wait them out.  Whenever waiting does not appear to be a viable solution to the problem, your fall back is to bite the problem.
4	Food exists to be eaten, items are supposed to be used.  The concept of rationing or saving a consumable item for later is utterly alien to you.
5	Of all the objects you are capable of shapeshifting into, you consistently take the form of one specific and unusual one.
6	You are literal-minded.  You do not understand metaphors, similes, hyperboles, sarcasm, or irony, and take anything said at face value based on the exact meaning of the words.
7	Your method of exploring and investigating and evaluating the world around you is based almost exclusively on how things taste.
8	You hate the taste of cooked food, and prefer your meals in the raw.
9	Though you can speak, your are not well-versed in conversation.  However, you are well-versed in mimicry.  When speaking with other creatures, you often resort to repeating their words back to them, even going so far as to copy their tone and mannerisms as best you can.
10	Your vocabulary is limited, so you make do with the words you know.  Words such as "stuff", "thingy", "place", "wossname" (what's-the-name), and "wossaface" (what's-his/her-face) replace a painfully large number of nouns and verbs when you talk.  For example, when relaying instructions to party members, you may say something like this: "We need to go to the place (market) to buy some thingies (sachets of incense) for wossaface (the party's cleric) so he can do stuff (a magic ritual) for the wossname (deity he serves)."

Mimic Names

As solitary creatures native to dungeons and the Underdark, mimics don't have use for names.  They rarely if ever need to address or be addressed by another living thing.  They are indifferent about the topic, and will usually allow their companions to name them; though it may be a while before it fully associates that the word used is in reference to itself.

Adventurers who interact with mimics tend to name them after the mimic's preferred form, a pun derived thereof or a word describing its nature.  Some examples include: Boxy, Chesty, Rocky, Woody, Urny, Crate-ohs, Mimi, Chompy, Chewy, Pandora, and Jack.

Mimic Traits

Your mimic character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, your Constitution score increases by 1, and your Intelligence score is reduced by 2.

Age

Mimics reach adulthood at age 10, though it is currently unknown how long of a lifespan they have.  Several specimens have lived for well over a century.

Alignment

Mimics are natives to the hostile and harsh environments of the Underdark and the depths of dungeons where resources are scarce and dangers abound.  They have a literal eat-or-be-eaten mentality; but are not entirely mindless eating machines. They only eat sentient creatures if they feel there is no alternative, and are open to negotiate, bartering for food.  They are usually neutral, doing only what they need to in order to survive.

Size

As amorphous shapeshifters it is difficult to provide an exact size for mimics, as that size is subject to change at a moment's notice.  Generally, however, a mimic occupies 125 cubic feet: a 5-foot by 5-foot by 5-foot space.  Your size is Medium.

Speed

You are an ambush predator adapted to a sedentary life, waiting for your prey to come to you.  You are not well adapted for movement, using your pseudopod to drag yourself along the floor. Your base walking speed is 15 feet.  At 5th level you adapt to a more mobile lifestyle, increasing your base movement speed to 25 feet.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Shapeshift

You can use an action to polymorph into an object or back into your true, amorphous form. Your statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment you are wearing or carrying isn't transformed. You revert to your true form if you die.  While you remain motionless while polymorphed, you are indistinguishable from an ordinary object.

Stalker

You are trained in the Stealth skill.  When making a Dexterity (Stealth) ability check, you add your proficiency bonus twice instead of once.

Adhesive

While you are polymorphed into an object you adhere to anything that touches you. A Huge or smaller creature adhered to you is also grappled by you.  The escape DC for this grapple equals 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus.  Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.

Grappler

You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature grappled by you.

Natural Defenses

Due to the shape of your body, you are ill-suited to wearing armor. You gain no benefit from wearing armor.  Instead, you are able to shapeshift your body's surface into a hardened carapace for a time.  Starting at 1st Level, you can innately cast barkskin on yourself with no components once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.  You can still use a shield, and can apply the shield’s bonus as normal.  Starting at 3rd Level, you can innately cast stoneskin on yourself as a bonus action with no components once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Additionally, you are immune to acid damage, and being knocked prone.

Natural Weapons

Due to your amorphous body, using pseudopods instead of properly formed hands, you are ill-suited to wielding weapons. You cannot apply your proficiency bonus to any weapon you wield.  Instead, you possess a series of natural weapons with which you are proficient. 

Pseudopod.  Your pseudopod is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes.  Your pseudopod has a reach of 10 feet. If you hit with it, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier.  Additionally, if you are polymorphed into an object, the target is subjected to your Adhesive trait.  Your pseudopod is considered to have the Finesse property for the purpose of meeting the requirement of a feature or attack requiring a weapon with that property. 

Bite.  Your fanged maw is also a natural weapon, granting you a bite attack that you can use as an unarmed strike.  If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier plus an addition 1d8 acid damage.  Your bite is considered to have the Finesse property for the purpose of meeting the requirement of a feature or attack requiring a weapon with that property.

Monstrous Nature

Your creature type is monstrosity. You can be affected by a game effect if it works on your creature type.  You are immune to game effects that specifically target creatures of another type.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon.

 

 

The end.

For now...