Dungeons & Delvers: Mimics
I wrote a post about an adventure involving mimics pretending to be a treasure-laden ship awhile back. I've been running my bi-weekly Tuesday group through it, and right now they're trying to stop a bunch of mimics from invading a castle and slaughtering everyone inside (so far they've probably stopped that from happening, and have also managed to capture one).
Since they've already killed a bunch I'm going to reveal some stats, starting with the fledgling mimic:
FLEDGLING MIMIC
Level 3 Small Monstrosity
XP 60
Speed 10 feet (spiderclimb)
ABILITY SCORES
STR +1 DEX +1 WIS +1
CON +1 INT -4 CHA -1
SKILLS
Bluff +2, Perception +2, Stealth +2
DEFENSE
AC 12 DR 1
Fort +2 Ref +2 Will +1
Immune acid
WP 12 VP 3 Total 15
OFFENSE
Psuedopod 10-foot range; +2 to hit; 1d6+1 piercing damage
Bite +2 to hit; 1d6+1 piercing damage plus 1d6 acid damage. On an 18+ the target's AC or DR is reduced by 1 until it has a chance to repair it or heal (depending on whether its armor is worn or natural). Go with whichever value is higher, and if both are even reduce DR first.
SPECIAL
Acid: Mimics can secrete an acidic substance. Normally it is used to dissolve objects so that the mimic can absorb them, but they can also use it defensively or offensively. When a mimic is struck with a melee attack, as a Reaction it can force its attacker to succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or suffer 1d6 acid damage. If the attack is made by a weapon, then on a failed save the weapon first suffers a -1 penalty to damage rolls, and then a -1 penalty to attack rolls. If the weapon would be affected a third time it is instead destroyed.
Adhesive: Mimics can secrete an adhesive substance, allowing them to stick to walls and ceilings. They can also use it to trap creatures: when something touches a mimic, it can force them to succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or be stuck to it: depending on the creature's size and strength, it will be slowed, immobilized or even restrained. As a general rule of thumb, Small creatures would be restrained, Medium creatures would be immobilized, while larger creatures would simply be slowed. A creature can use a Standard Action to attempt a DC 12 Strength check to break free.
Shapechanger Mimics can assume the shape of any inanimate object up to a 5-foot by 5-foot cube in size (they can create cavities in their bodies and inflate themselves with air), or compress themselves as small as a 2-foot by 2-foot cube. They can only retain this shape while immobile: any part that starts to move becomes pink and fleshy in appearance. Regardless of its appearance, the mimic will feel warm and rubbery to the touch.
All mimics must regularly consume substances that they wish to immitate. For example, they must dissolve and absorb wood to assume the appearance of wooden objects, stone for stone, and so on. Fledgling mimics lack precise control over their bodies, and so cannot create fine details and can only assume the appearance of a single substance at a time.
For example, a fledgling mimic could attempt to assume the appearance of a wagon, but would not be able to create wheel spokes (though it could create a solid wheel without metal bands), axles, reach, or tongue. It might fool creatures from a distance and/or in areas with poor visibility, but once creatures get close they'd notice numerous flaws in its design and construction.
A fledgling mimic could also attempt to appear as a pile of coins, but it would look like they'd been partially melted and fused together, and the mimic would only be able to appear as a single type of metal. Again, might work at a distance, but as soon as anyone touches it they're going to realize that something is amiss.
And here's the adult mimic stat block:
MIMIC
Level 7 Medium Monstrosity
XP 168
Speed 15 feet (spiderclimb)
ABILITY SCORES
STR +3 DEX +1 WIS +1
CON +2 INT -3 CHA -1
SKILLS
Bluff +3, Perception +3, Stealth +4
DEFENSE
AC 12 DR 2
Fort +4 Ref +3 Will +1
Immune acid, disease
WP 35 VP 14 Total 49
OFFENSE
Psuedopod 15-foot range; +5 to hit; 1d8+3 piercing damage
Bite +2 to hit; 1d8+3 piercing damage plus 1d8 acid damage. On an 18+ the target's AC or DR is reduced by 1 until it has a chance to repair it or heal (depending on whether its armor is worn or natural). Go with whichever value is higher, and if both are even reduce DR first.
SPECIAL
Acid: Mimics can secrete an acidic substance. Normally it is used to dissolve objects so that the mimic can absorb them, but they can also use it defensively or offensively. When a mimic is struck with a melee attack, as a Reaction it can force its attacker to succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or suffer 1d8 acid damage. If the attack is made by a weapon, then on a failed save the weapon first suffers a -1 penalty to damage rolls, and then a -1 penalty to attack rolls. If the weapon would be affected a third time it is instead destroyed.
Adhesive: Mimics can secrete an adhesive substance, allowing them to stick to walls and ceilings. They can also use it to trap creatures: when something touches a mimic, it can force them to succeed on a DC 13 Reflex save or be stuck to it: depending on the creature's size and strength, it will be slowed, immobilized or even restrained. As a general rule of thumb, Small creatures would be restrained, Medium creatures would be immobilized, while larger creatures would simply be slowed. A creature can use a Standard Action to attempt a DC 13 Strength check to break free.
Shapechanger Mimics can assume the shape of any inanimate object up to a 8-foot by 8-foot cube in size (they can create cavities in their bodies and inflate themselves with air), or compress themselves as small as a 3-foot by 3-foot cube. They can only retain this shape while immobile: any part that starts to move becomes pink and fleshy in appearance. Regardless of its appearance, the mimic will feel warm and rubbery to the touch.
Adult mimics have better control and can create fine details. They can also appear as up to two different substances at a time (such as a door with a stone frame, or a metal-bound chest).
Mimics can use their adhesive to glue themselves together, forming more complex structures.
I won't post stats for a mimic queen, because my group hasn't defeated her yet and I don't want them to know how tough she is. I'm liking the fear and uncertainty. Same for other mimic variants that they haven't encountered. Yet.
Something else I will illustrate, because they've already seen it in action, are mimic imposters:
First, the mimic destroys someones head. It typically does this by attaching itself to a ceiling or wall, and when someone walks underneath it, it tries to snap or slice off their head. When necessary, some will just try to envelope a potential victim's head and crush it. If they can't get you by surprise, they'll try to do as little damage to your torso in hopes of prepping and using it later.
Once they've got a suitable body, they extend a tendril coated in acid through the neck and into the torso, hollowing it out and absorbing any viscera. They then carefully go to work on the limbs. Once everything is good to go, they wrap tendrils about the arm and leg bones, allowing them to more-or-less control the body.
Since mimics can only accurately copy inanimate objects, they can't create a passable face, so they either try to obscure themselves with a hood, creating what looks like a mask over the face, or just going with a closed-face helmet (pictured above).
You can now get a physical copy of Dungeons & Delvers: Black Book in whatever format you want! We've also released the first big supplement for it, Appendix D, so pick that up if you want more of everything.
After months of doing other things, we turned our attention to and released The Warden. It's based on the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons class of the same name, but judging by the responses we did an excellent job converting it over.
Dwarven Vault is our sixth 10+ Treasures volume. If you're interested in thirty dwarven magic items (including an eye that lets you shoot lasers) and nearly a dozen new bits of dungeon gear, check it out!
Just released our second adventure for A Sundered World, The Golden Spiral. If a snail-themed dungeon crawl is your oddly-specific thing, check it out!
By fan demand, we've mashed all of our 10+ Treasure volumes into one big magic item book, making it cheaper and more convenient to buy in print (which you can now do).
Since they've already killed a bunch I'm going to reveal some stats, starting with the fledgling mimic:
FLEDGLING MIMIC
Level 3 Small Monstrosity
XP 60
Speed 10 feet (spiderclimb)
ABILITY SCORES
STR +1 DEX +1 WIS +1
CON +1 INT -4 CHA -1
SKILLS
Bluff +2, Perception +2, Stealth +2
DEFENSE
AC 12 DR 1
Fort +2 Ref +2 Will +1
Immune acid
WP 12 VP 3 Total 15
OFFENSE
Psuedopod 10-foot range; +2 to hit; 1d6+1 piercing damage
Bite +2 to hit; 1d6+1 piercing damage plus 1d6 acid damage. On an 18+ the target's AC or DR is reduced by 1 until it has a chance to repair it or heal (depending on whether its armor is worn or natural). Go with whichever value is higher, and if both are even reduce DR first.
SPECIAL
Acid: Mimics can secrete an acidic substance. Normally it is used to dissolve objects so that the mimic can absorb them, but they can also use it defensively or offensively. When a mimic is struck with a melee attack, as a Reaction it can force its attacker to succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or suffer 1d6 acid damage. If the attack is made by a weapon, then on a failed save the weapon first suffers a -1 penalty to damage rolls, and then a -1 penalty to attack rolls. If the weapon would be affected a third time it is instead destroyed.
Adhesive: Mimics can secrete an adhesive substance, allowing them to stick to walls and ceilings. They can also use it to trap creatures: when something touches a mimic, it can force them to succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or be stuck to it: depending on the creature's size and strength, it will be slowed, immobilized or even restrained. As a general rule of thumb, Small creatures would be restrained, Medium creatures would be immobilized, while larger creatures would simply be slowed. A creature can use a Standard Action to attempt a DC 12 Strength check to break free.
Shapechanger Mimics can assume the shape of any inanimate object up to a 5-foot by 5-foot cube in size (they can create cavities in their bodies and inflate themselves with air), or compress themselves as small as a 2-foot by 2-foot cube. They can only retain this shape while immobile: any part that starts to move becomes pink and fleshy in appearance. Regardless of its appearance, the mimic will feel warm and rubbery to the touch.
All mimics must regularly consume substances that they wish to immitate. For example, they must dissolve and absorb wood to assume the appearance of wooden objects, stone for stone, and so on. Fledgling mimics lack precise control over their bodies, and so cannot create fine details and can only assume the appearance of a single substance at a time.
For example, a fledgling mimic could attempt to assume the appearance of a wagon, but would not be able to create wheel spokes (though it could create a solid wheel without metal bands), axles, reach, or tongue. It might fool creatures from a distance and/or in areas with poor visibility, but once creatures get close they'd notice numerous flaws in its design and construction.
A fledgling mimic could also attempt to appear as a pile of coins, but it would look like they'd been partially melted and fused together, and the mimic would only be able to appear as a single type of metal. Again, might work at a distance, but as soon as anyone touches it they're going to realize that something is amiss.
And here's the adult mimic stat block:
MIMIC
Level 7 Medium Monstrosity
XP 168
Speed 15 feet (spiderclimb)
ABILITY SCORES
STR +3 DEX +1 WIS +1
CON +2 INT -3 CHA -1
SKILLS
Bluff +3, Perception +3, Stealth +4
DEFENSE
AC 12 DR 2
Fort +4 Ref +3 Will +1
Immune acid, disease
WP 35 VP 14 Total 49
OFFENSE
Psuedopod 15-foot range; +5 to hit; 1d8+3 piercing damage
Bite +2 to hit; 1d8+3 piercing damage plus 1d8 acid damage. On an 18+ the target's AC or DR is reduced by 1 until it has a chance to repair it or heal (depending on whether its armor is worn or natural). Go with whichever value is higher, and if both are even reduce DR first.
SPECIAL
Acid: Mimics can secrete an acidic substance. Normally it is used to dissolve objects so that the mimic can absorb them, but they can also use it defensively or offensively. When a mimic is struck with a melee attack, as a Reaction it can force its attacker to succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or suffer 1d8 acid damage. If the attack is made by a weapon, then on a failed save the weapon first suffers a -1 penalty to damage rolls, and then a -1 penalty to attack rolls. If the weapon would be affected a third time it is instead destroyed.
Adhesive: Mimics can secrete an adhesive substance, allowing them to stick to walls and ceilings. They can also use it to trap creatures: when something touches a mimic, it can force them to succeed on a DC 13 Reflex save or be stuck to it: depending on the creature's size and strength, it will be slowed, immobilized or even restrained. As a general rule of thumb, Small creatures would be restrained, Medium creatures would be immobilized, while larger creatures would simply be slowed. A creature can use a Standard Action to attempt a DC 13 Strength check to break free.
Shapechanger Mimics can assume the shape of any inanimate object up to a 8-foot by 8-foot cube in size (they can create cavities in their bodies and inflate themselves with air), or compress themselves as small as a 3-foot by 3-foot cube. They can only retain this shape while immobile: any part that starts to move becomes pink and fleshy in appearance. Regardless of its appearance, the mimic will feel warm and rubbery to the touch.
Adult mimics have better control and can create fine details. They can also appear as up to two different substances at a time (such as a door with a stone frame, or a metal-bound chest).
Mimics can use their adhesive to glue themselves together, forming more complex structures.
I won't post stats for a mimic queen, because my group hasn't defeated her yet and I don't want them to know how tough she is. I'm liking the fear and uncertainty. Same for other mimic variants that they haven't encountered. Yet.
Something else I will illustrate, because they've already seen it in action, are mimic imposters:
Once they've got a suitable body, they extend a tendril coated in acid through the neck and into the torso, hollowing it out and absorbing any viscera. They then carefully go to work on the limbs. Once everything is good to go, they wrap tendrils about the arm and leg bones, allowing them to more-or-less control the body.
Since mimics can only accurately copy inanimate objects, they can't create a passable face, so they either try to obscure themselves with a hood, creating what looks like a mask over the face, or just going with a closed-face helmet (pictured above).
Announcements
You can now get a physical copy of Dungeons & Delvers: Black Book in whatever format you want! We've also released the first big supplement for it, Appendix D, so pick that up if you want more of everything.After months of doing other things, we turned our attention to and released The Warden. It's based on the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons class of the same name, but judging by the responses we did an excellent job converting it over.
Dwarven Vault is our sixth 10+ Treasures volume. If you're interested in thirty dwarven magic items (including an eye that lets you shoot lasers) and nearly a dozen new bits of dungeon gear, check it out!
Just released our second adventure for A Sundered World, The Golden Spiral. If a snail-themed dungeon crawl is your oddly-specific thing, check it out!
By fan demand, we've mashed all of our 10+ Treasure volumes into one big magic item book, making it cheaper and more convenient to buy in print (which you can now do).
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