Modern Mimics

by iguanamouth (more rad art in the link!)

"Watch out! It's right behind you!"

"Where, in the dumpster?"

"No, it is the dumpster!"

Mimics are anxiety in monstrous form. It's not paranoia if everything you touch really could be out to get you. Keep a stack of post-its on hand for labeling things you know aren't mimics. Trust nothing. Trust no one.

Mimics only have near-perfect mimicry. Sometimes, they slip up; sometimes, they leave traces. Roll the tell before they discover the mimic. Bigger and older mimics may have no tells at all, but ensure that players have some sort of countermeasure against them - it's not just an instant kill when they open it, that's no fun.

Mimic Tells
1. breathing slowly
2. bulging at seams
3. droppings in surroundings
4. fetid stench
5. holes underneath for limbs
6. making the wrong sounds
7. mirrored/illegible writing
8. moving parts don't move
9. part of another form
10. ridges for eyes
11. warm air
12. wound leaking ichor

21st Century Mimics

Pizza box. In supernatural suburbia, pizza eats you! Sneaks into trunks of delivery cars, devours a pizza, then replaces it. The delivery driver doesn't know what doom they're bringing to your door (but it smells delicious).

1 HD. Armor as leather. d8 damage bite attack.

Email. The most dangerous chain letter. Open it up, and it'll try to eat your data, then your brain.

1 HD. Armor as leather (or more, if it's on a chunkier device). Animates the device it's on, giving it legs and teeth. If you can delete it (easier said than done when it's trying to chomp on your hands), you instantly kill it. Can bite for d6 piercing damage, or static discharge for d4 lightning damage to everything within 10'. Any electronic device that can receive/display email must save or receive a copy of the email mimic.

Trash can. Subsists on a diet of possums, raccoons, squirrels, and dumpster-divers. Leaves an acidic trail behind it that exudes a noxious stench of decaying flesh. The closest thing to a normal treasure-chest mimic you'll find in the city. Each has a designated hunting ground; fights heard in alleyways are occasionally a pair of trash can mimics fighting for dominance.

2 HD. Armor as leather. 2 attacks per round (any combination of tentacles (d6 bludgeoning, save or grabbed, 15' range), bites (d8 piercing), and lobbing a wad of sludge (60' range, d6 acid, 10' radius detonation, sticky - targets are slowed (save ends)). Gets a free bite attack against everyone it's got grabbed.

Corpse. Poor fucker, but looks rich enough to have something juicy on it. When you try to loot it, it splits open lengthwise into a toothy maw. Speaks in a genteel human voice. Will morph back into humanoid form and run once reduced to half HP - and the PCs are gonna look like they're attacking a hapless bystander. Likes hiding in dumpsters, car trunks, rivers.

2 HD. Armor as leather. 2 attacks per round (any combination of tentacles (d6 bludgeoning, save or grabbed, 15' range) and bites (d8 piercing). Gets a free bite attack against everyone it's got grabbed.

Sidewalk. Step on a crack, it'll break your back and then digest you. Attacks at night, when there's no one else around. Spans d4*10 sidewalk tiles. Looks like a centipede made of concrete and sinew when it fully reveals itself. Hunts in packs; often an entire street has been colonized by sidewalk mimics.

2 HD. Armor as chain. 2 attacks per round (any combination of smashes (d6 bludgeoning, save vs. knockdown) and bites (d8 piercing)). Runs at double speed, can climb walls and ceilings.

Grand piano. Attacks when played. The strings within whip into a frenzy; anyone within 15' takes 1 slashing damage on their turn (no save) and must save or take another 1 when they try to move within that radius. It snaps its lid to bite, and charges far faster than its bulk would suggest. Kept half-domesticated by the rich, powerful, and guilty.

3 HD. Armor as chain. 3 attacks per round (any combination of strings (d6 slashing, 15' range), bites (d8 piercing), and charges (d6 bludgeoning, target chooses to either be pushed 10' or be knocked down)).

Streetlamp. Like an anglerfish. Exudes a clinging supernatural darkness within 100'. Can't move from its rooted foundation without great effort. Grabs travelers walking along the highway, or victims of car accidents.

3 HD. Armor as chain. 2 attacks (bite (d6 piercing and save vs. grab), lash (d6 bludgeoning and save vs. knockdown to all in 180 degree arc; range 30') or blinding beam (target is blinded (save ends)) per round. Will retract into sky and drop grabbed targets from 30' up.

Taxi. Waits to pick you up on the corner. Tinted windows. Can perfectly mimic human voices. Interior looks like a worn taxicab with distressingly human leather interiors. The front seat is occupied by a lump of misshapen eyes, teeth, flesh, and tendrils. When someone enters, the mimic reveals itself (as the entire taxicab) and tries to eat them.

4 HD. Armor as plate. Will try to run over characters as it moves (d12 damage, DEX save to jump out of the way). Has 3 tentacle attacks per round (d6 bludgeoning damage and save vs. grab) OR 1 tentacle attack and a move. Anyone it grabs, it will pull inside the following round. Anyone inside takes d6 piercing damage and d4 acid damage per round as they are chewed and digested.

Structural Mimics

The two following mimics have grown fat and vast over decades; slowly becoming entire buildings. Do you know what every building in your city is? Have you ever really looked at the skyline? Could you truly tell if that one was where it was yesterday?

Kill a structural mimic through defacing its component rooms (hammers, spray paint, and fire are your friends here), or by destroying its vital organs.



Gas Station. Convenient. Local. Hungry. Does actually provide gas, occasionally. Full-service; go inside to pay. That's when it gets you.

2 vital rooms. When destroyed, it convulses, spewing gouts of flame through cracks in the parking lot. Everyone within takes d10 fire damage (save for half).
Heart is in basement (see ambnz's post), stairs down are behind the counter.
Brain is on the roof, encased in what looks like an AC unit.
3 attacks per round. Within parking lot, can spread gasoline in 10' square puddles, then set it on fire. Inside or adjacent to building, tentacle lash to grab (d6 bludgeoning and save vs. sticky grab) and bite anyone who's been grabbed for d8 piercing (save for half).

Skyscraper. Ostensibly an insurance company, but no one knows anyone who works there or has a plan from them. Who would, these days? It's just another cog of the unfeeling, uncaring corporate machine. Some people still venture inside - urban explorers, lost tourists, people walking around late at night who need to get in from the cold. They're never seen again.

4 vital rooms. Elevators still work, against all odds, though they'll still try to eat you.
Brain in penthouse.
Heart in sub-basement.
Lungs on ground floor. Blows characters out of room, or slams them against walls.
Stomach in building core, in middle of elevator shafts. Constantly sloshes with incredibly corrosive acid; need armor or a hazard suit to even think about entering (and it'll ablate quickly).
When it's down to 2 vital rooms, will stand up and sprint down city streets in mad dash to eat as much as it can before it dies.
Inside, riddled with parasites. Carrion crawlers, smaller mimics, ropers, rust monsters, etc.
Has 4 attacks per round. Tentacles and bites against grappled enemies (you know the drill at this point in the post), or room convulsion to knock everyone in the room over (save negates).

This Post Might Eat You

It's quiet. You cleared the last five rooms; lost Ygmar the barbarian to a spiked poisoned pit trap, and Naelare the wizard's head detonated after a particularly potent fireball spell. Finally, you can rest, in the room that used to be the kobolds' ooze-growing chambers. It's covered in kobold blood and ochre slime, but at least nothing's trying to slit your belly. You rest against a wall and light your pipe.

Look closer.

Was that corpse there before? Did you miss it? It's certainly got a bunch of loot on it that you must have skipped.

Poke at it with curiosity. It flops limply. Dead, thank god.

Open its coin purse with your knife. You realize your mistake a moment too late, when the inside smells of meat and is full of writhing, snarling teeth.

It splits lengthwise, to reveal a gaping maw in a sickly facsimile of a grin. Its breath is warm and foul, its long, segmented tongue slaps at you and leaves sticky residue behind.

Then - it speaks? It speaks, in a deep cheery burbling.

"Hi! I'm Mimic! You seem nice, can I join up?"

Mimic

Strange times call for strange bedfellows. Or chestfellows, or doorfellows, or ladderfellows...

Level 1: Literally a Mimic, Swallow Whole
Level 2: Dextrous Tentacles, Improved Mimicry, +HD
Level 3: Adventurer Mimic, +HD
Level 4: Mimic Clutch

Hit Die: d6
Starting Equipment: Roll 1d6 to determine what you begin the game mimicking.
1. Treasure chest
2. Table
3. Anvil
4. Barrel
5. Fireplace
6. Pile of garbage
Skills (d3): 1. Disguise, 2. Gourmet, 3. Furniture Assembly

Literally a Mimic: Don't pick or roll a character race. Instead, you are a mimic, a roughly crustacean-esque creature that can take the form of mundane artificial items. You're limited to mimicking items the rough shape and size of a treasure chest, that you can see. When you see fit to move, you scuttle on little crab legs. You are a perfect imitation of the mimicked object, but when someone tries to use you then your true nature as a voracious beast is revealed as your toothy maw splits open wide. With your maw, you can make a d8 slashing damage bite attack (obviously this reveals you as a mimic). You also have a sticky tongue that extends up to 15'; it deals no damage but can grapple enemies and drag them into your maw with startling speed. You must eat living creatures or raw meat as rations.

Swallow Whole: You know the rule that anything that fits in your mouth doesn't take up an inventory slot? You have a *very* large mouth. Consider anything smaller than a one-handed weapon to fit in your mouth for this rule (though your mouth is much larger). You can fit one entire person inside you, and if you wish, you can deal d4 acid damage to them each round. Anything that you choose not to deal damage to remains miraculously undamaged.

Dextrous Tentacles: In addition to your tongue, you have three 10' long tentacles that are each as strong as a human hand.

Improved Mimicry: You can now mimic anything from the size of a longsword or other two-handed weapon up to the size of a carriage.

Adventurer Mimic: You can now mimic anyone you've eaten. When you do, you perfectly impersonate their mannerisms and speech patterns, but not memories or skills. You may use one of their mental attributes instead of yours. You may mimic one of their 1st-level class abilities, if they have them.

Mimic Clutch: You hatch a clutch of several hundred adorable baby mimics, around the size of a gold coin each. They act as a 3-HD swarm (or several smaller swarms), and can follow simple instructions with great enthusiasm. Their mimicry is imperfect, but they can mimic much smaller items. When they take damage, they can't heal it - instead, some number of the swarm die squirming and squealing. When they consume a creature, there's a (consumed creatures)-in-20 chance of one growing into another full-grown mimic, which may travel with you as a companion of its own volition until it finds somewhere nice to settle down, perhaps in a 10-foot-square dungeon room guarded by an orc.

all the above are by vempiric on DeviantArt

by Citysaurus_ART

by Abaddon of Kill 6 Billion Demons

Crustaceanfolk

Mammals are suckling babes, newcomers to this world. Elves? Dwarves? Humans? Sheepfolk? Bah. The seas are 70% of the Earth's surface, and it is there that the crustaceans have ruled supreme since the dawn of time. To them, the land is but a curiosity - or a territory to be annexed.

1. Crabfolk

Reroll CON. You have disadvantage on any checks that need fine manipulation. Pick or roll a subspecies:
1. Coconuts: You're the size of a horse and can be ridden like one.
2. Fiddlers: Can wield a 2-handed weapon or other bulky item in their Big Claw.
3. Horseshoes: 2-in-6 for blood to automatically purge toxins and diseases at beginning of day.
4. Spiders: Your long spindly limbs double your reach.

Crabs have existed almost unchanged since the beginning of time, and they take great pride in this. The many subspecies of crabfolk are quite contentious over which is the Ideal Crab, and so the Ideal Creature. Entire crabby religions have sprung up around these debates. They look like a regular crab, just scaled up to human-size (or larger).

(and how are you today, mr. giant enemy crab)

2. Krillfolk

Reroll WIS. You can fit through spaces down to 1 cm wide, but you take double damage from area attacks.

In the deepest abysses, your people learned to fight back against the whales that consume you by the tonne. By clumping together into greater forms, krill form intelligences vast and cyclopean. You are one such emergent sapience, of a krillion krill in a roughly humanoid mass. You're small for a krillfolk, for the oceanic trenches hold krillfolk titans with minds comparable to gods.

(krillfolk look like this, but vaguely humanoid)

3. Lobsterfolk

Reroll STR. Whenever you gain a level, molt and gain +1HP, but you are absolutely delicious and everyone knows this. You will be the first target in fights.

Royalty among many crustacean communities, delicacies ashore. They garb themselves in gems and precious metals, inlaid into their shells as marks of prestige. Lobsterfolk live long and grow strong, their many molts toughening their hides and thickening their muscle. It's a shame that that only makes them tastier. One in every thousand lobsterfolk is blue, instead of their usual orangy-brown, and these are often cast away to the surface as pariahs.

(a lobsterfolk just after molting and unadorned of their traditional gem-studded garb)

4. Peacock Mantis Shrimpfolk
Reroll DEX. You can make an incredibly loud unarmed attack for d12 damage [level] times per day, but your bright patterning stands out and makes it quite difficult to hide or blend in, even in the dark.

Paragons among the shrimpfolk, the peacock mantids are artisans and warrior-monks of the ocean floor. Their manyfaceted eyes let them see brilliant colors, and they use that ability well to weave beautiful kelp tapestries and forge stunning stained-glass sculptures. They also have mean right hooks, their supersonic punches creating cavitation bubbles that pop with a bang that can be heard for miles around.

(a shrimp is you)

5. Exiguan (Lousefolk)

Reroll CHA. You are a parasite that replaces another mortal's tongue and puppets them. Roll another race for your initial host, use their STR/DEX/CON and get their racial benefit/drawback. You can take a new host from any incapacitated living creature that's got a tongue around your size (yes cows, no giants). This erases the host's mind. If anyone realizes you're a horrific bodysnatching parasite, they're going to grab their buddies and try to kill you, out of perfectly reasonable fear. Anyone who sees your host's mouth open can tell you're in there. If you're separated from your host, you have STR/DEX/CON 1.

The proud and mighty Exiguan Empire rules the waves, according to them. If there is indeed such an empire, it is situated far from the other aquatic powers, and so self-sufficient it sends no traders, only a few isolated agents to explore and learn from other races. Underwater, exiguans are seen as diplomatic and friendly, if eccentric. Exiguan shopkeeps sell exotic gems and semi-magical trinkets, while few courts lack exiguan facilitators to smooth over disputes behind the scenes. On the surface, they are a horrifying legend, running every conspiracy and hidden behind every mask. Some particularly paranoid rulers ban garb that obscures the mouth, but that's clearly ridiculous. The few scattered reports of exiguan infiltrators are superstition, no more than exaggerated folktales. Right?

[IMAGE REDACTED BY ROYAL DECREE]

6. Barnaclefolk
Reroll INT. You have natural plate armor; whoever is carrying you has the same encumbrance as plate but no benefit. You're immobile, though you do have tendrils that can hold and manipulate items.

Barnaclefolk are introspective by nature, and perhaps out of necessity, as being sessile doesn't lend itself well to adventurous exploration. Yet some curious barnacles pay servants to wear them like backpacks, and carry them to other realms. They have reputations as knowledgeable scholars, creating elaborate metaphysical theories about the nature of the universe - all myopically restricted by their sessile lives.

(you, except someone's carrying you around on their back.)

n.b. I assume that all of these races are amphibious and can breathe equally well on land and underwater. If that's too powerful for your game, either don't allow them, or make them use a magical airbreathing spell/item.

(your game, now)