Can mummies hold weapons?

I would say yes if it has hands or has the power to use items psionically, through homebrew that is.

Thank you 

Mummies are also a really cool way for a DM to bring back a dead party member for questioning or some sort of purpose as outlined in the parameters of the ritual used to bring it back. i.e. it can only truly die or earn its freedom when somebody gives it permission to and they wont until he complete certain tasks. It also really messes with your players when they find their old team mate now working for their rival or walking into the clubhouse after 6-7 months have gone by. Do they save them? kill them? Trust them? Even believe it really is their old team mate? Do they have or have access to something to restore them? Is the mummy the reason their previous attempts to resurrect failed? Does the DM turn the character back over to the player or is it an NPC permanently? 

Sometimes I really love throwing something at my players that isnt a dungeon puzzle or trap, but something that still have to deal with carefully. Its also nice to have this source the PCs trust (maybe) who now has all this info you've been trying to find a way to lay out for them as part of his "while i was gone" backstory. 

For my PC mummies i just averaged their physical stats making sure they at minimum dropped 1 modifier or 2 points and i left mental stats alone.

As a more beginner DM, I find the Mummy really helpful in encounter construction. Rotting Fist is potent against lower level parties, and a nasty bite that threatens but doesn't kill higher level parties. It fits any standard dungeon style with some flavoring regarding it's construction. Regular mummies in deserts, sure but bog preserved bodies in boreal swamps, or adorned in old but beautiful silk robes and a big ceremonial hat in eastern settings. You can downplay it's spook factor by making it walk funny, but you can make it darker and scarier by going in in on it's brutal claws or deep crimson eyes. I once did a neat scene with the mummy being a standard boss, showed the group the illustration in the book for reference. I made sure to avoid using the Dreadful glare, emphasizing that it's eyes were covered. Halfway through the fight, just as they thought they had this thing in the bag, the melee fighter (forget class, but it could have been any of them) tore the bandages in front of the eyes away, and it's red spectral gaze was unleashed. I buffed the DC on the glare to make sure at least 1 player would be hit by it, preferably not if they were in danger of death.

It poses a good bbeg in early level starter games, as it doesn't matter if the players are on the brink of death when the king or knight or whoever rides in to mop up after the incredible dungeon clearing they did or whatever. In later games where this is a normal encounter, it ensures that the party has enough recovery spells learned, found, and memorized. If you can play their spell slots as well as their HP, you can elongate how many fun little encounters you can pepper in through the session so they feel "done" in terms of getting to use their stuff. Rolling dice is fun, so you if spice in just enough story stuff to make them have an next move, a truly random seeming encounter with a Mummy can help set tone as well as provide as much challenge as you want it to.

10/10 would run Mummies again.

Quote from Otternot >>

As a more beginner DM, I find the Mummy really helpful in encounter construction. Rotting Fist is potent against lower level parties, and a nasty bite that threatens but doesn't kill higher level parties. It fits any standard dungeon style with some flavoring regarding it's construction. Regular mummies in deserts, sure but bog preserved bodies in boreal swamps, or adorned in old but beautiful silk robes and a big ceremonial hat in eastern settings. You can downplay it's spook factor by making it walk funny, but you can make it darker and scarier by going in in on it's brutal claws or deep crimson eyes. I once did a neat scene with the mummy being a standard boss, showed the group the illustration in the book for reference. I made sure to avoid using the Dreadful glare, emphasizing that it's eyes were covered. Halfway through the fight, just as they thought they had this thing in the bag, the melee fighter (forget class, but it could have been any of them) tore the bandages in front of the eyes away, and it's red spectral gaze was unleashed. I buffed the DC on the glare to make sure at least 1 player would be hit by it, preferably not if they were in danger of death.

It poses a good bbeg in early level starter games, as it doesn't matter if the players are on the brink of death when the king or knight or whoever rides in to mop up after the incredible dungeon clearing they did or whatever. In later games where this is a normal encounter, it ensures that the party has enough recovery spells learned, found, and memorized. If you can play their spell slots as well as their HP, you can elongate how many fun little encounters you can pepper in through the session so they feel "done" in terms of getting to use their stuff. Rolling dice is fun, so you if spice in just enough story stuff to make them have an next move, a truly random seeming encounter with a Mummy can help set tone as well as provide as much challenge as you want it to.

10/10 would run Mummies again.

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How do you bring a dead party member back to life? 

Using spells like revivify, raise dead or ressurection.

OK, Thanks. Does the DM do the spells or does one of the party members have to do it.

It's just a spell, if you can cast it, then you can cast it. If you can't maybe you have to find a character in the world who can cast it; in which case the DM determines what that means.

Quote from The_Lord_Of_Bacon >>

How do you bring a dead party member back to life? 

Quote from DEinarsson >>

Using spells like revivify, raise dead or ressurection.

Interesting tidbit from older editions, unlike most other undead who have to be put down first (if they can be revived at all), a mummy can be resurrected without need for extra preparation, just like a normal body.

The 5e lore blurb mentions this, although it doesn’t name the “rare magic” which can be used to reverse the mummy’s condition.

Playing through Rime of the Frostmaiden and the party has picked up and Elven mummy as an ally.  through some bad luck he's down to 10hp and they keep looking for ways to bring him back up to his original hp.  I can't seem to find anything that allows undead to regain hit points outside of some baked in powers that some have.  Am I missing something somewhere or are they stuck with a 10hp mummy until he crumbles?

 Quote from SkyWarp13 >>

Playing through Rime of the Frostmaiden and the party has picked up and Elven mummy as an ally.  through some bad luck he's down to 10hp and they keep looking for ways to bring him back up to his original hp.  I can't seem to find anything that allows undead to regain hit points outside of some baked in powers that some have.  Am I missing something somewhere or are they stuck with a 10hp mummy until he crumbles?

 RAW, scroll of Regenerate, or a few elusive magic items are your best bet.  Unfortunately, limited healing options have always been a major weakness of undead.

If your DM is willing to take a page from older editions, rare Death Domain priests may be able to heal undead like the living.  If you can persuade the mummy to go dormant for a while, that might also help.

For rotting fist curse to take effect do you have to hit or is it against any character that's targeted even if missed? 

He can take a short or long rest.

Quote from ChuckaDuck96 >>

Can mummies hold weapons?

 I don't think so.

: \

Quote from pouncey_beholders >>

Quote from ChuckaDuck96 >>

Can mummies hold weapons?

 I don't think so.

: \

 Yes they can.  See "Wongo's Tomb" in Tomb of Annihilation.

As per the description - the mummy has to hit, then the rotting fist might take effect.

Quote from The_Lord_Of_Bacon >>

OK, Thanks. Does the DM do the spells or does one of the party members have to do it.

 My DM said (when we did not have access to revivify) he would let us pay 500 GP for a priest to revive him/her.

I know this comment is old but I believe monsters can take short and long rests to regain hit points, undead included.