Mimic

Fool's Gold

Written by Endrise

It's one thing to have the Mimic be just the chest, but it gets worse when the walls are the Mimic as well!

— Adventurer

Mimics are a species of shapeshifting aberrations, commonly found hiding themselves in plain sight. Unlike most other monsters across the world, these creatures actively lure adventurers in a false sense of security, disguising themselves as loot and treasure alike. From the coin bags found on the street to the treasure chests hidden in the dark lairs, they come in all shapes and sizes.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Anatomically, Mimics tend to have no direct solid form, coming in every shape or size imaginable. More commonly, they appear as a sort of big shapeless blob when not disguised, consistent of a single mouth and an orifice to dispose of waste. Their bodies can mimick the traits of wood and even steel to near perfect replicas, all be it with a more organic nature.

Biological Traits

Mimic Sizes

• Coinbag: Equivalent to an octopus, a coinbag Mimic imitates a small leather bag complete with strings to fool adventurers. If one is curious enough to inspect them, they latch themselves around the person's head, suffocating them to feast on their corpse later.
• Chest: Classic sizes, the most common variant of the adult Mimic.
• Room: Room Mimics tend to dig themselves into the sides of dungeons, mimicking another room in the corridors to lure adventurers in. Commonly, these Mimics house smaller ones inside of them, sharing their meals between one another or protecting newborn from the threats of adventurers.
• House: House Mimics are some of the largest known Mimics, copying entire buildings or even mansions down to their interior. While the rooms do have a rather organic nature to them, these shapeshifters hide themselves by plopping down near roads and luring adventurers into them to be digested.

Genetics and Reproduction

Mimics don't have a gender, as such they reproduce asexually by shedding spores upon the dungeon walls. After accumulating enough mass, they begin shedding a big slimy mess of goop around them, coating everything in a adhesive glue filled with millions of spores. While the parent leaves the place, the children begin feasting on all organic material in the surrounding. From the millions born, only two to three reach the age to gain their mimicry, the rest either starving or being eaten by their siblings.

Growth Rate & Stages

When a Mimic is born, it is nothing more than a blob of flesh with a mouth, propelling itself forward through a mixture of tendrils and limbs. As a child, they mostly feast on dungeon rats and insects smaller than it, gaining mass over time. As they grow, their camouflage gets better at mimicking first simple things such as bricks or rocks and slowly turning more complex, like chests or furniture.

In reality, Mimics never seem to stop getting bigger or die naturally, being biologically immortal. As such, without predators, a Mimic can reach monstrous sizes with ease. Ancient ones are said to become as big as entire rooms or houses, even the dungeon itself if they can get enough mass.

Ecology and Habitats

Mimics like living within or nearby urban regions, often in abandoned ruins or hidden somewhere only the most curious would find them. Once they have nested themselves in the dungeon, a Mimic essentially becomes another trap, with the bigger they get the more they infest the dungeon. Walls, roofs and even furniture become Mimics, to the point that severe cases the entire lair is turned into one gigantic monster.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Mimics are carnivorous, feasting on everything that falls for their disguises by viciously chomping down on it. More commonly this is merely rats or insects, but the occasional adventurer also can be found on their menu.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Mimics have been found almost everywhere one can imagine, from the depths of ancient ruins to even subspecies on other planes of existence. It seems that with their mimicry, they have somehow found ways to be carried across dimensions, hiding in cargo and nestling there. As a result, their species has infested the entire multiverse, making no place safe from their threat.

Average Intelligence

Despite presumptions, many Mimics equal on intelligence similar to that of Humans, even being capable of understanding basic Common. As such, some of their kind actually offers their services to hide loot in exchange for food or shelter, with the occasionally eaten adventurer as bonus.

Civilization and Culture

Common Myths and Legends

The Gaping Maw

The Gaping Maw is a Mimic that, according to legend, is so ancient that it has become a dungeon with multiple floors. Said to roam around the land of Silva, this gigantic monstrosity nestles itself in the ground to act as just another ruin, luring adventurers for food. Legends tell of a treasure hoard deep within its intestines, guarded by its immune system. But no explorer has ever come out of its maw alive.

Scientific Name

Mimus monstrum

Lifespan

Unknown, presumed immortal

Conservation Status

Presumably endangered

Average Height

6'
1.82 m

Average Weight

900 lbs
408 kg

Average Length

5'
1.52 m

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Wooden & metallic colours

CR 4

Mimic

N Medium Aberration, Shapechanger

Initiative: +5

What appeared to be a chest filled with treasure comes to life as it grows long, glistening tentacles and a number of sharp teeth.

Defense

AC: 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +5 natural)

HP: 52 7d8+21

Fortitude: +5 Reflex: +5 Will: +6

Immune: acid

Offense

Speed: 10 ft.

Melee: slam +10 (1d8+6 plus adhesive)

Special Attacks: constrict (slam, 1d8+6 )

Statistics

Str 19, Dex 12, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 10

Base Attack: +5 CMB: +9 CMD: 20 (can't be tripped)

Feats: Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (slam)

Skills: Climb +14 , Disguise +10 ( +30 when mimicking objects), Knowledge (dungeoneering) +10 , Perception +14

Racial Modifiers: +20 Disguise when mimicking objects

Languages: Common

SQ: mimic object

Ecology

Environment: any

Organization: solitary

Treasure: incidental

Special Abilities

Adhesive (Ex) A mimic exudes a thick slime that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast any creatures or items that touch it. An adhesive-covered mimic automatically grapples any creature it hits with its slam attack. Opponents so grappled cannot get free while the mimic is alive without removing the adhesive first. A weapon that strikes an adhesive-coated mimic is stuck fast unless the wielder succeeds on a DC 17 Reflex save. A successful DC 17 Strength check is needed to pry off a stuck weapon. Strong alcohol or universal solvent dissolves the adhesive, but the mimic can still grapple normally. A mimic can dissolve its adhesive at will, and the substance breaks down 5 rounds after the creature dies. The save DC is Strength-based.
Mimic Object (Ex) A mimic can assume the general shape of any Medium object, such as a massive chest, a stout bed, or a door. The creature cannot substantially alter its size, though. A mimic’s body is hard and has a rough texture, no matter what appearance it might present. A mimic gains a +20 racial bonus on Disguise checks when imitating an object in this manner. Disguise is always a class skill for a mimic.

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Mimics are thought to be the result of an alchemist’s attempt to grant life to an inanimate object through the application of an eldritch reagent, the recipe for which is long lost. Over time, these strange but clever creatures have learned the ability to transform themselves into simulacra of man-made objects, particularly in locations that have infrequent traffic by small numbers of creatures, thus increasing their odds of successfully attacking their victims.
Though mimics are not inherently evil, some sages believe that mimics attack humans and other intelligent creatures for sport rather than merely for sustenance. The desire to completely fool others is thought to be a part of their being, and their surprise attacks against others are a culmination of those desires.
A typical mimic has a volume of 150 cubic feet (5 feet by 5 feet by 6 feet) and weighs about 900 pounds. Legends and tales speak of mimics of much greater sizes, with the ability to assume the form of houses, ships, or entire dungeon complexes that they festoon with treasure (both real and false) to lure unsuspecting food within.