Homebrew Awakened Mimic Species Details

Mimics are shapeshifting predators able to take on the form of inanimate objects 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.  But over time, a few have grown beyond their animalistic, predatory nature to gain self-awareness.

The Path to Self-Awareness

Their nature of hiding near treasure, especially magical treasure, exposes many mimics to magical energies.  Wizards, High Priests, and Nobles have paid a high price for captured mimics; letting them serve as guards or traps has exposed them to the cunning and duplicitous nature of the various humanoid races.  To ensure control, Wizards have enchanted the mimic, forcing these creatures to perform as the Wizard desired, but this has helped mimics to strengthen their minds.  Their time as guards or patient predators has allowed them to observe humanoid species.  And a few have consumed potentially hazardous mixes of alchemical items and magical potions as they devour a careless adventurer, exposing them to even more wild magic.

By whatever means, a few mimics begin to develop self-awareness.  They begin to question why they sit and wait for food.  While some only develop far enough to become more active hunters, a rare few go further, starting to wonder about the strange humanoids that fall prey so quickly to a wooden box.  Over time, and with extreme concentration, they begin forming their bodies to look like these humanoids.  A mimic may attempt to assume the shape of a statue at first to observe humanoids better and learn how to create their shape.  Over decades they learn and work on forming their bodies into a humanoid form.  They learn where to sit so that they can learn.  Becoming a statue in a church to listen to a sermon or a bookshelf to learn from a sage.  

Once a form has been built, they take on the painstaking task of learning how to move like a humanoid.  By observation, they watch the most minute movements of humanoids.  Their hands, their faces, their pacing, and their gait.  They observe mannerisms and listen to the tones of their voice.  They learn that the strange sounds hold meaning and begin to learn the language of those near them.  Eventually, they are ready to put their new form to the test, changing into the humanoid form they have devised over the years of observation.  They practice the movements and gestures and learn to use their voice.  Soon, they will be ready to join the society they have observed.

Patiently Crafted Form

Each awakened mimic will spend years, if not decades building a humanoid form that they will use to interact with society.  Mimics are the undisputed masters of disguise when it comes to inanimate forms like chests, beds, chairs, and doors, but the form of living creatures is elusive to them.  Mimics are also patience predators, and the awakened mimic retains this near single-minded patience, which has allowed them to perfect a humanoid form that is comfortable and under their complete control.  As the humanoid form is unnatural, they cannot change their humanoid shape as a Changeling or Doppelganger might.  But the doppelganger has spent decades designing their ideal humanoid form.

But what a mimic might see as beautiful may be very odd to natural humanoids.  The mimic may have taken various racial characteristics while designing their form, and the difference between sexes is foreign to a mimic's mind, and they may never have seen unclothed humanoids.  As such, their form may be off-putting to new people.

The strangest of all characteristics, though, are the four orange eyes possessed by the awakened mimic.  They may have four eyes on their face, two on the front, and two on the back of their head, hidden under the hair, or even eyes on different body areas.  And one thing they can never change is the orange color of their eyes, which seem to glow in firelight.

Natural Predators with an Adhesive Personality

In imitation of the humanoids they have observed, mimics can learn to eat like humanoids, but there is still the instinct to engulf and digest a writhing and wriggling creature.  Thus, it is not uncommon for them to turn a pesky nuisance into a meal.  It would not be a surprise to see an awakened mimic grab a pest, change into a crate, and savor the digestion.

Awakened mimics do not lose their basic abilities.  They can readily assume the shape of inanimate objects, and returning to this state is a comfort in times of stress or confusion.  It is their safe space. And like regular mimics, they retain the ability to generate a strong adhesive, but unlike their non-awakened brethren, they can control the release of this adhesive along their skin.  An awakened mimic that has grappled and adhered to an enemy is extremely dangerous as it can open a mouth on its body and begin to bite its opponent.

Doze

 As patient predators, mimics do not sleep.  Instead, their body processes slow to an extreme level, making it harder for humanoids to detect their presence.  But their senses are always active, making it impossible to get the jump on assumedly asleep mimic.

Awakened Mimic Traits

Your character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of a mimic's awakened nature.

Ability Score Increase

Increase one ability score by 2, and a second ability score by 1.

Creature Type

Awakened Mimics are Monstrosities.

Size

Awakened Mimics stand between 4 and 7 feet tall and average about 200 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.  When an awakened mimic is in either their amorphous or inanimate object form, their speed is reduced to 15 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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.

Immune to Acid

You are immune to Acid.

Adhesive

As a bonus action, the awakened mimic can secrete a strong adhesive that coats their skin. The mimic adheres to anything that touches it. A Huge or smaller creature adhered to the mimic is also grappled by it (escape DC 10 + Proficiency Bonus + Constitution Modifier). Ability checks made to escape this grapple have disadvantage.

An awakened mimic can do this for an unlimited time while in an inanimate form and lasts indefinitely.  While in humanoid form, it can secrete this adhesive once for every proficiency bonus it possesses, and the adhesive will last for ten minutes.  You regain the use of the adhesive in your humanoid form after a long rest.  This adhesive does not provide any bonus for climbing as it adheres the awakened mimic to a surface.

Shapechanger

The mimic can use its action to polymorph into an object, back into its amorphous form, or humanoid form.  Its statistics are the same in each form.  When the awakened mimic transforms into its amorphous state, any equipment it is wearing or carrying does not transform.  The awakened mimic draws all held and carried equipment into itself when it changes into an inanimate object.  It reverts to its humanoid form if it dies.

The mimic can transform between its amorphous form and inanimate object an unlimited number of times.  It can only change into our out of its humanoid form several times a day, equal to its Constitution Bonus + Proficiency bonus, before needing a long rest.  The awakened mimic can use one of these to open a gapping mouth on its torso to bite grappled foes.

False Appearance

While in an inanimate form, the awakened mimic remains motionless; it is indistinguishable from an ordinary object.

Grappler

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

Dozing

Awakened mimics do not sleep in the same way other creatures rest.  While resting or waiting for prey, mimics slow their metabolism to an incredibly slow state, but they remain hyper-aware of their environment.  As such, awakened mimics are never considered surprised or incapacitated while resting.  Further, they are immune to any spell or ability that causes sleep.

Author's Note: this trait is based on events in my game.  Feel free to ignore this racial ability if it does not fit your campaign or game style.

Uncanny Appearance and Demeanor

Awakened mimics do not look like other humanoid creatures.  Perhaps their face falls into the uncanny valley, or they may have combined racial physical characteristics that do not go together.  Not understanding the difference between sexes, they may have combined various typical sexual characteristics.  As such, it is hard for awakened mimics to get people to take them seriously.  

Awakened mimics have disadvantage on persuasion checks, and other characters are at disadvantage when attempting insight checks against the awakened Mimic.

Bite

An awakened mimic has a gaping mouth that it can expose to bite a target.  

In their hominid form, the awakened mimic must first expend one of their uses of Shapechanger to form the mouth.  They can then bite any Grappled target.  The damage is 1d8 + Strength bonus and 1d4 Acid.

In their amorphous or inanimate form, the bite has a 5-foot reach and does the same damage as it would in the hominid form.

In either case, the adhesive ability may apply if it was previously activated.

Pseudopod (non-humanoid form only)

The mimic uses a pseudopod to strike at its prey, doing 1d8 + Strength Bonus damage to the target.  The target is subject to the adhesive if it was activated previous to the attack.

Languages

The Awakened Mimic knows common and one other language based on the culture they observed.