Mimics from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything [and other mimics, too]! (D&D Compendium of Monsters)

[@professorsponge1554]

Something I love from Pathfinder was the Failed-Apotheosis Mimic. Its a mimic that dreamed of being human and thus tried to shape shift into one. Its only after they try they realize their true alien nature and are trapped in an amorphous state, their bodies constantly trying and failing to take on humanoid form. The idea that a mimic having ambitions, and even going mad is an interesting concept. Perhaps this is where Gibbering Mouthers come from. One particular evil Mimic I made was from my Jester's Keep adventure. A collection of every mean trap and joke I could think of. I had it take the form of a small golden statue with extremely small lettering the PCs couldn't quite make out in the dungeon. It wasn't very big, but it allowed the adventurer to pick it up and place it in his bag. He never knew he was carrying a mimic the entire time. It changed shape several times while in his bag, but always returned to that small gold statue. When the adventure was over the PCs divided up the loot and went to their rooms. The mage who had bought a magnifying glass to read them, read aloud "FOOLED YOU" and had his nose bitten off.

[@CL30]

Ahahaha oh no! And by the time the mage exacted any kind of retribution it was too late, as his nose was long gone :/ I love the long game when it comes to surprises in D&D. What did the mage end up doing with the mimic? Murder or release?

[@professorsponge1554]

@@CL30 Oh unsurprisingly he hunted it down and killed it. He took it personal and I didn't blame him. That adventure was full of mean traps and tricks. Thankfully none of them were dumb enough to eat the bowl of chocolate pudding in the kitchen (which also had classic animated cutlery) which was one of the few instant death traps. I took that from a Hackmaster monster book, a mix of black pudding and ithilid elder brain that quietly eats the eater's brain. The other was a seemingly unguarded treasure room full of gold that was actually thieve's bane, an alchemically created gold-like metal from the Ultimate Equipment supplement from 3.5. Hold it for long enough for it to warm and it becomes a contact poison. There was the trophy room full of zombie animal heads, the ball room full of balls that acted like gas spores... and that's not getting into the lower floors that became more like a sick fun house. Punny riddles, lame jokes, the Jester lord would taunt them... even a floor taken straight from the Hero Quest board game. I threw everything I knew into this one and it was a blast. I know its indulgent to share this much unbidden information, but allow me a rare moment of pride.

[@CL30]

Wow these are some wicked tricks. The black pudding/elder brain mix sounds terrifying, though the idea of unguarded treasure being a long-term danger would really put the fear of looting into any greedy players! How many players got absolutely murked by these traps? Also please feel free to share as much information as you like! I appreciate seeing what other people are up to in their sessions :)

[@professorsponge1554]

​@@CL30 A lot of my trap ideas came from the pages of Knights of the Dinner table. lots of great trap and item ideas in those issues. our fighter who was our murder hobo/problem player ate it pretty hard. He likes to hit things and not really pay attention (y'know, the kind that plays with his phone outside of his turn in combat?) . The guy got lured into a spike trap. Failed his will save vs charm on an illusionary woman in a cell and walked right into a similarly glamoured spike trap. Didn't get the 'Losers ahead' clue and went around a corner and barely avoided getting his head taken off by a spring-loaded axe. In the final floor full of teleporting rooms (roll two d6, that's the room you get sent to) he got bounced to the 10x15 room with an iron golem three times. failed an acrobatics check in the giant tumbling rock crusher trap, and ultimately died because he took five whole sacks of that Killing Gold. But the players had fun. The gnome stole so much and used a lot of it in his tavern, he was especially proud of the zombie moose head he named 'Carl.' Best part is, at the end the jester who'd built this dungeon was long dead. The players grew to hate him and all his taunts and jokes were just magical recordings meant for someone else. he died paranoid and lonely on a throne of gold welded to the stone floor. His last joke was in the form of a plaque that told the players 'lol congrats on making it down here, but all I can offer is my dirty laundry. Step on that pedestal and you'll be teleported outside.' They can try to hack apart his throne but the real prize is the laundry which every article gives a +two to something, and the teleporter does what it promises... right into a patch of poison ivy. The killing gold is nasty stuff. After an hour of being exposed to body heat, it creates a toxic gas and the save DC goes up for every pound of it the holder carries. The exact effect and DC depends on whatever poison was used in its construction so when mixed with arsenic or super toxic stuff and its TPK material, or mix it with carrion crawler brain fluid and paralyze them. Appraise check of 15 to notice its not real gold. Maybe give dwarves a bonus since its dwarven in origin. Said problem fighter carried 50 pounds of it, and couldn't figure out why he kept taking Con damage and failing Fort saves (DC 64!!)

[@CL30]

Oh no! We have a no phones rule at my table for that exact reason, though murderhoboing has been less of a problem for me (as of late). 5 sacks of the killing gold?! If I had to keep making con saves and the only thing that changed was treasure, I'd start getting super suspicious! I think it's hilarious that the jester both left magical dirty laundry and intended this whole dungeon to be for someone else. Really hits home the "it's not personal, but fuck you all" topped off with the teleporter into poison ivy, of course! Makes me astonished at how tame the Tomb of the Nine Gods is by comparison. They took the "fuck you" out of it (mostly), at least compared to Gygax's Tomb of Horrors.

[@Loyde06]

There is a ship among the legendary mimic ( 6:59 ), which is pretty rad. I don't know if I prefer mimic as shapeshifting monstruosity or as Deliscious Dungeon's crustaceans. On paper they look cute, but the big ones in real life terrifies me.

[@vagadawn]

I actually made a mimic race for my players to play as. They are humanoid clothing with some notable differences, but they could shape shift if they held still.

[@Babbleplay]

One encounter idea I favor involves an elderly mimic, in its twilight years, old, world weary, and just sick of fighting for every meal, so, in the dead of night, it sneaks into a city and infiltrates the mortuary. It can have it's pick of, admittedly dead, but mostly fresh meat every night, and no fighting back. That, and when bodies start vanishing, most adventurer types will start the hunt for undead, never realizing the real culprit is an extra coffin in the storeroom.

[@AspireAdvocacySanJose]

Fun video; thanks for posting

[@hatty8305]

Wow I never knew there was different types of mimics I just thought there was normal chest mimics

[@CL30]

My new favorite motto from MGtM is: your players never need encounter the same mimic twice. There are just too many opportunities for a mimic to spring forth from any object! :D

[@Babbleplay]

Thing is about dealing with mimics is, it won't always hold. They are not good, benevolent critters. They can be very opportunistic. Imagine giving it food for safe passage and going deeper into the dungeon, but the party gets overwhelmed, and the survivors are on their last HP as they make their way to the exit. The mimic is still there, and hey, if he decides they are weakened and tasty, who's going to call the creature out on his duplicity after they're in it's stomach?

[@Dahaka-rd6tw]

Do you guys think that these things should be aberrations instead of monstrosities? Thier ability to change shape looks pretty alien to me.

[@CL30]

It's all about that sweet reproduction! I believe aberrations are limited to either asexual reproduction or they have to be created, while monstrosities have the capability to breed within their species.

[@Dahaka-rd6tw]

@@CL30 I don't want to sound like a dick but why don't ya in that case make an video about Banderhobb somwhere in future ;) (in case you didn't understandt, they are not born naturally but are made to serve their master, like an homunculus, yet are classified as an monstrosities)

[@joshg-g8f]

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