Mime, Variant (5e Class)
Creating a Mime
- Quick Build
When making a Mime, first make charisma your highest stat. Then make intelligence and dexterity your next highest secondary stats. Next choose a background such as criminal or charlatan that will supplement the skills you took from your class already. Make sure to ask your DM if you can substitute any redundant tool proficiencies before you lock in your background choice.
Class Features
As a Mime you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Mime level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Mime level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light
Weapons: All Simple Weapons, Mime Weapons
Tools: Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit, Thieves' Tools
Saving Throws: Charisma, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two from the following: Acrobatics, Arcana, Deception, Investigation, Insight, Performance, Perception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- A cardboard box, wooden crate, or other large empty container.
- (a) a Diplomat's Pack or (b) a Burglar's Pack
- Leather Armor, 2 Bokkens, and a Mask
- (a) Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit or (b) Disguise Kit, Thieves' Tools
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Mimic Charges | Mime Weapon Dice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Imitation, Box Club, Silence Promenade, Mime Weapons | - | 1d4 |
| 2nd | +2 | Mimic, Implanted Image, Expertise | 2 | 1d4 |
| 3rd | +2 | Emulate, Art Style, Memory Reserve | 3 | 1d4 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 1d4 |
| 5th | +3 | — | 5 | 1d6 |
| 6th | +3 | Imposter, Art Style Feature | 6 | 1d6 |
| 7th | +3 | Repetitious Arcane Recollection | 7 | 1d6 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 8 | 1d6 |
| 9th | +4 | Adaptation | 9 | 1d6 |
| 10th | +4 | Art Style Feature | 10 | 1d6 |
| 11th | +4 | Gooey Glop Slop, Mass Implanted Image | 11 | 1d8 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 12 | 1d8 |
| 13th | +5 | Chameleon | 13 | 1d8 |
| 14th | +5 | Art Style Feature | 14 | 1d8 |
| 15th | +5 | Morph | 15 | 1d8 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 16 | 1d8 |
| 17th | +6 | Improved Arcane Recollection | 17 | 1d10 |
| 18th | +6 | Ditto | 18 | 1d10 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 19 | 1d10 |
| 20th | +6 | Pantomime | 20 | 1d10 |
Imitation
You gain the ability to magically imitate the sounds, and movements of another creature. A successful Wisdom (Insight) check contested by your Charisma (Deception) check allows a creature to determine that the effect is faked.
Mime Weapons
In addition, you are able to use certain things as a specialty weapon. When you do, the weapon uses CHA for attacks and damage rolls, and deals 1d4 (scaling up with LVL as shown in the chart above) in magical bludgeoning damage at minimum. If it has a higher base damage dice, it can retain that, but will still use CHA to attack with if it qualifies as a Mime Weapon.
Examples of Mime Weapons: Light Saber, Bokken, Blowgun (To be continued…This is also up to DM interpretation of what seems reasonable to be a Mime weapon. Though the intent is for it to be unconventional or seemingly not a real weapon.)
Silence Promenade
Due to being a mime, you are unable to talk in any language or through any telepathy. Rather you use sign language in language you know. A creature must be looking at your character to understand if you say anything to them.
Box Club
At any time you have a box or other large container in your equipment, you may stealth yourself under or inside it as a bonus action. All organisms that notice the box must make a Perception check to notice you vs your contested Stealth check. If they succeed they will gain the “Suspicious” status, and may attempt to check underneath the box. Any failing save will result in them ignoring the box or it’s actions. While hidden under your box, you may avoid all opportunity attacks by creatures who failed or not attempted a Perception check on you. You may spring out from under your box to attack and then re-stealth as a bonus action. Any creature who notices the box as being Suspicious, but loses sight loses the “Suspicious” status and must retry the check if they notice the box.
Additionally, you may store 1 box or other large container (as listed in your starting equipment) inside of a pocket dimension, similar to find familiar. You may summon or dismiss the box or other container as a bonus action on your turn. If you accidentally leave the container behind, there is no range limit to dismissing the box, but any objects or possessions you leave inside it will not be dismissed with it. You may only summon the box to an unoccupied space adjacent to you, or directly on top of you.
Mimic
Starting at 2nd level, your practice in the theatrical arts allows you mimic other creatures. Your access to this talent is represented by a number of mimic charges. Your mime level determines the number of charges you have, as shown in the Mimic Charges column of the Mime table. You can spend these charges to fuel a majority of your mimic features. When you spend a mimic charge, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended mimic charges back into yourself. You can use a mask as a mimic focus for your mimic features. Some of your mime features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects, and some features use attack modifiers. The saving throw DC, and attack modifier are calculated as follows:
Mimic save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. Mimic attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier.
You gain the ability to magically emulate the actions of other creatures. After a creature with a challenge rating or level lower than yours uses an action, bonus action, or reaction that you do not currently possess, you can spend 1 mimic charge to gain the ability to emulate the action for the next minute. If you do not perform the action with that minute, you regain the mimic charge(s) you spend, and must witness the action again mimic it. Alternatively you can continue to concentrate as if you were concentrating on a spell and hold onto the recent memory to hold the action until then. If you do this, the mimic charge is refunded if the concentration is broken before performing the action. Any action that requires an attack roll or a save DC uses your Mimic spell save DC and spell attack bonus.
If you try to emulate a race specific ability or trait, including obvious passive abilities such as Dark Vision or even an innate flying speed, instead it costs 2 mimic charges to use. When you do this, your body physically changes to accommodate you as you gain the characteristics for 10 minutes. This could entail growing appendages, muscular growth, or a handful of other things, though your original race stays the same.
You cannot mimic legendary actions, lair actions, or passive features (if you are not aware of them in character) with this feature.
Implanted Image
Starting at 2nd level once per long rest, you may target a creature, that target will roll an INT saving throw vs your Mime spell save DC . If they fail the saving throw, they will be convinced that you are something that you implant in their mind for 1 hour. This is only an illusion, and does not hold up to physical inspection. If a creature is adjacent to you, they may also use their action to make an (INT)Investigation check against your Mime spell save DC. On a success, the illusion ends for them.
Alternatively, you can continue to use this feature, but each time after the first use will cost 1 mimic charge until you finish a long rest.
Expertise
At 2nd level, you are quite adept at a variety of things. Some of which, you learn by seeing, a few you've just practiced to perfection. Pick 2 skills and a tool that you are proficient in, and double your proficiency bonus for them. At 10th level you may choose 2 more skills and an additional tool that you're proficient in and double the proficiency bonus for those as well.
Art Style
At 3rd level, you pursue an art style of your choice that shapes how you use your innate power of mimicry: the Mirror Arts, or the Shadow Puppet Theatre, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Arcane Emulation
Starting at 3rd level, you have finally figured out how to replicate the effects of spells by channeling your mimic charge energy as if it were spell slots. You may now mimic spells. When you do, it must be of a spell level you can cast, assuming you are a full caster with this class. (Ex: 2nd LVL spells at LVL 3, 3rd LVL spells at LVL 5, 4th LVL spells at LVL 7, etc.) Also, it will cost 1 mimic charge to mimic a cantrip, or a number of mimic charges equal to the LVL of the spell. If want to mimic a spell that is being cast at a higher level, it is your choice if you cast it higher or not. (Unless you’re physically unable to cast it higher than base level.)
However, there are some spells that are so powerful that they take a toll on your body, even when mimicked. When a spell of LVL 6 or higher is cast (but not a spell of a lower level being cast higher) it will cost more than other spells. A spell of 6th or 7th level will cost 1 additional mimic charge. And a spell of 8th or 9th level will cost 2 additional mimic charges. Additionally, each time you cast a spell of 6th level or higher, each of their respective costs goes up by 1 more mimic charge. This charge cost increase will not affect spells of 5th level or lower (even when cast higher) and lasts until the next time you finish a long rest.
Memory Reserve
At 3rd level, now that you have gained the ability to mimic spells that you have seen before, you may store a number of spells you see cast in your Memory Reserve. There are a number of slots for spells in your reserve that you can call upon equal to your INT modifier + half your Mime LVL rounded down. When you gain this feature, you start with an empty Memory Reserve, and can add a spell to it as a reaction if you mimic at after observing it being cast. If you want to add a cantrip to your memory reserve, it will still cost you the mimic charge to mimic it, but once it is in your memory reserve, casting it no longer expends mimic charges, it will only use up your reserve slot. (If you start at LVL 3 or later, you should ask your DM what spells if any you might have seen already that could be in your Memory Reserve.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Imposter
At 6th level, you gain the ability to magically take the form of another creature. On your turn, you can spend 1 mimic charge to make yourself and anything on your person appear as that creature as your bonus action. You must have observed or interacted with such a creature for at least 10 minutes before to understand the intricacies of their mannerisms. You can’t appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you’re bipedal, you can’t use this feature to become quadrupedal, for instance. You remain in this form for the next hour, or until you use your action to dismiss it.
Repetitious Arcane Recollection
Beginning at 7th level, whenever you mimic a cantrip, it will cost no mimic charges to cast. You can also store a number of cantrips you see in your Memory Reserve equal to your INT modifier (minimum 1) without taking up any slots. Additionally, any spell you have cast from your Memory Reserve more than 3 times before will cost 1 less mimic charge (minimum 1) as you have practiced it a bit more as a technique, and can more easily call on it going forward. (If you remove it from your memory reserve, and add it back later, you will have to start this process over again.
Adaptation
At 9th level, you gain the ability to magically obtain and adapt to the characteristics of other creatures. On your turn, you can spend 1 mimic charge to acquire a physical characteristic you have seen within the past minute with a challenge rating or level equal to your level or lower as your bonus action. However if you try to copy a class specific characteristics it would instead cost 2 mimic charges to adapt to it. You gain this characteristic until the beginning of your next turn. You cannot gain a creature's spellcasting ability.
Gooey Glop Slop
At 11th level, your body becomes stretchy and squishy allowing you to change form, move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide, and stretch your body up to 3 feet in any direction. You may use this to escape grappling as a bonus action.
Mass Implanted Image
At level 11, when you use the Implanted Image feature you may implant any number of creatures in a radius of 30ft to believe that you are what you say for 1 hour if they fail an INT saving throw. (This is considered a magical illusion with the same restrictions as the normal implanted image.) They take an appropriate action due to this result. Any targets who aren’t tricked may become hostile, or suspicious of you. Additionally, if you have already used your Implanted Image feature for the day, you may spend 2 mimic charges to use it again or 4 mimic charges to use Mass Implanted Image.
Chameleon
At 13th level, you gain the ability to magically change colors allowing you to blend in with your environment. By using your action you can change colors causing you and anything on your person to become camouflaged. While camouflaged Wisdom (Perception) checks made to see you have disadvantage, and you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide.
Morph
At 15th level, you gain the ability to magically merge your body an object around you and morph into it. By using your action you can merge yourself with an object you are touching. While merged with an item you gain the ability to use your bonus action to fully and partially transform your body into the object, or back to your original form. Your statistics stay the same in all of your forms unless stated otherwise. While fully transformed you along with everything on your person assume the exact appearance including size and weight of the object, and if you remain motionless you are indistinguishable from the original object. While partially transformed you basically equip the object you merged with, and it replaces a body part. You remain merged with the object until you drop to 0 hit points, or until you use your action to dismiss it.
Improved Arcane Recollection
By 17th level, you have memorized so many things, that you’ve actually started to break down the process of memorization and even understand the inner workings of arcane magic well enough to circumvent some steps entirely. All spells you mimic permanently cost 1 mimic charge less to cast (minimum 1 charge) without having to cast them multiple times or for them to be in your memory reserve. In addition, you can now also store a number of extra spells equal to your INT modifier that are LVL 1 that once cast 3 times, become at will. If you cast this spell at a higher level, it will still cost the normal amount of mimic charges. (Any spells that are replaced and relearned must be cast 3 additional times to gain this benefit again.)
Ditto
At 18th level, once per day you gain the ability to become a different creature. On your turn, you can spend a number of mimic charges equal to the level or challenge rating to transform into a creature you have seen with a challenge rating equal to half your Mime LVL (rounded down) or if they are a leveled humanoid creature, equal to or under your Mime LVL. Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the new form. You retain your alignment, personality, hit points, and Hit Dice. When dropping to 0 hit points you revert back to your original form and are knocked unconscious. You are limited in the actions you can perform by the nature of your new form, and you can’t speak, cast spells, or take any other action that requires hands or speech unless your new form is capable of such actions. If your new form has any lair or legendary actions associated with it you also do not have access to those. During transformation your gear melds into the new form, and you can’t activate, use, wield, or otherwise benefit from any of your equipment. This ability is treated as concentration up to 1 hour. If you lose or drop concentration, you will revert to your original form with your current amount of hit points. If your size category increases, other creatures and objects are pushed into the closest unoccupied space. If your size category decreases, you shrink down into a space of your choice that you were already occupying.
Pantomime
At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no mimic charges remaining, you regain 4 mimic charges.
House of Mirrors
A mime that chooses to pursue the House of Mirrors as their art style must train themselves in skills that reflect and create illusions.
- Displacement
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to swap places with a target at choice within 60 ft of you.. You can spend 1 mimic charge to use your action to pick a target to swap places with. Against an unwilling creature, an unsuccessful Constitution check against your mimic save DC allows you to swap places with the creature, if they succeed you do not swap positions.
Additionally, if there are any reflective surfaces within 60 ft of you, you can spend 2 mimic charges to teleport you and a willing creature of similar size or to any unoccupied space within 10 ft of the reflective surface. (If you take a medium sized creature or larger, there must be 2 unoccupied spaces adjacent to each other, or else the other creature gets left behind.)
- Mirror Armor
At 6th level, you gain the ability to use your reaction to change your skin into a reflective surface. When you are hit by an attack, or are targeted by a spell, you can spend mimic charges to do one of the following things:
-If you are the target of a damaging attack, spell, or other ability, you can use your reaction to gain a number of temporary hit points equal to 10xSpent Mimic charges. These temporary hit points last for 1 minute if they are not broken through. At the end of 1 minute, or if the temporary hit points are reduced to 0, your next turn afterwards you may spend an equal amount of additional mimic charges to use your action to reflect the mitigated damage back at a target of your choice within 30 ft of you. At which point they must make a DEX saving throw or take damage equal in amount and type of the damage these temporary hit points mitigated. On a successful saving throw they take half as much damage.
-If you are the target of a single target spell or ability with an effect that imposes a saving throw to resist any form of CC, be it fear, stun, paralysis, etc. you may spend a number of mimic charges equal to the LVL of the spell (or effective LVL at DM discretion for certain special abilities) in order to change the target of the effect to the caster. At which point they will make the saving throw instead against their own DC. Alternatively, you can pay half as many mimic charges, rounded up, to have the effect reflect away from you in a random direction, not targeting any other creature.
Additionally, due to your mastery of reflection, your body has a constant sheen to it, seeming to have blows, magical or physical to bounce or glance off of it occasionally. Your AC, armored or otherwise can be no lower than 10+DEX+CHA. (This is an alternate calculation and will not stack with any armor.)
- Doppelganger
At 10th level, once per long rest, as an action you can manifest an illusory clone of yourself in an unoccupied space within 30 feet that has fake copies of anything on your person that lives for up to 1 hour and shatters upon death, shooting mirror shards in all directions dealing 5d10 force damage to all enemies within 5 ft of the space the clone was occupying. Each of them must make a DEX save, taking half damage on a successful one. The clone has hit points equal to your Mime LVL, armor class equal to you without armor, attack and damage rolls equal to yours and a copy of your weapon. It cannot cast spells, or use active features, however it does use your passive abilities and features, and you can cast spells through it if you are within 30 ft of it. You can control it using your bonus action. If a successful Wisdom (Perception) check is rolled against your Charisma (Deception) check the creatures know which one is the fake and which one is real.
Alternatively, you can create more doppelgangers by expending 3 mimic charges each time. You can only have 1 doppelganger at a time. If you try to make another one, while one is already active, the original one immediately explodes, and is replaced by the new one.
- Mirror Maze
At 14th level, once per long rest you manifest mirrored walls spanning the current room or area that you're in. If you're in a single enclosed room, it can cover the entire space if it's no larger than a 100x100x30 ft dimension of cubic space. If you're not in a single room or if the room is larger than those dimensions, it will create its own room of that size, with exits on all 4 sides at ground level, and a ceiling that is 30 feet high. The walls of the maze will go all the way up to the ceiling. The maze can have any number of barricades, but they all must fall on the lines between spaces, and cannot be completely closed off from the rest of the maze. Within this maze, everything is well lit, being equivalent to bright sunlight.
Every wall, and all of the ceiling will act as a normal mirror, as well as having the properties of a Wall of Force. If a surface is disintegrated it will remove up to a 15x15 foot section of the wall. However, in addition to these qualities, the mirrored walls and ceiling will also reflect single target ranged attacks and spells that target. Any spell or effect that is AOE will not be reflected. Magical light whether it is AOE or single target can bounce off of these mirrored surfaces, extending their effective range by 15 feet and if it is a spell with higher level casting, treat it as if it was cast 1 level higher (up to a maximum level of 9th).
At the time of using this ability the user may pick any number of allied creatures. These chosen creatures as well as the caster their self, can see through these mirrored surfaces as if they were clear glass. It appears to be mostly transparent, but if they focus their eyes they can still see any reflections and are aware of the position of all mirrored surfaces and may use them to their benefit.
Shadow Puppet Theatre
A mime that chooses to pursue the Shadow Puppet Theatre as their art style will train in skills that manipulate shadows and bend them to their will in order to achieve a variety of tasks.
- Shadow Manipulation
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to take control of someone else’s shadow and use it as a conduit for your own attacks. As a bonus action on your turn, you can spend 2 mimic charges to assert control over another creature’s shadow or the shadow of a stationary object within 30 ft. You must stay within 60 ft at all times, or the effect will end. (If there is no light at all in the area to cast shadows, you cannot use this ability.) Control over a shadow lasts for up to 1 minute, concentration. While you are concentrating on maintaining control over a shadow, you can twist and morph it into solid shapes. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can choose instead to have a shadow attack for you. When you do, make a melee spell attack roll against the target. On a hit, you will use your Mime Weapon dice for damage, but will deal the rolled amount in force damage. (Since this is an attack coming from a shadow, you will have advantage on a target that does not rely on sight, but not against a target that has true sight.)
In addition, you can bend the shadows around yourself, using them as a shroud. As an action, you can spend 1 mimic charge to gain the benefit of adding your CHA modifier to any stealth checks relying on shadows or darkness for the next 10 minutes.
- Stolen Silhouette
At 6th level, you have learned to rip the shadows from enemies you kill. If you use your Shadow Manipulation feature to deal the killing blow to a creature that cast a shadow, you can maintain control over it permanently. Regardless of the size or shape of the creature, the shadow takes on the form of your Silhouette. You can only maintain control over 1 Silhouette at a time. It does not need to be tethered to you at all times, but it can hide by pretending be your regular shadow. If you are separated by more than 100 ft from your Silhouette for more than 24 hours you lose control over it, and it disappears into the Shadowfell. You can also spend 1 mimic charge to have it latch onto another creature and pretend to be its shadow. When you do so, if the target is looking at their shadow, they must roll a Perception check vs your Mime spell save DC to notice the subtle differences. While attached to another creature, you know its general direction unless any amount of led is between you and your Silhouette. Your Silhouette can also telepathically tell you of all occurrences while it was attached when it returns to you. In combat, you can have your Silhouette attack from your or another creature’s shadow, but must use your bonus action to command it to do so. You use the same Mime Weapon dice for this attack as well. (Your Silhouette is considered your damage and only acts on your turn under your command.)
Additionally, you can spend 1 mimic charge each turn as a bonus action to have your Silhouette attempt to take control over the host it’s occupying. (This feature has the same effects as the Puppet spell.)
In order to get rid of a Silhouette, you must fully encompass it in actual sunlight, such as with the Daylight spell or other more natural phenomena or dispel it like a magical effect, as if it was a 3rd LVL spell.
- Dead Ringer
At 10th level, when targeted by a fatal attack you can use your reaction to transform your Silhouette into a more convincing clone that takes your place and takes the hit for you as you retreat into the shadows becoming invisible. If a successful Wisdom (Perception) check is rolled against a Charisma (Deception) check the creatures know you are alive. When you do this, the Silhouette is unable to revert to its original form. It becomes a lifeless corpse puppet and disappears into the Shadowfell after 24 hours. If you did not have a Silhouette at that time, alternatively you can use your own shadow. If you do this, the severed connection from your shadow will take a toll on your body, giving you 2 levels of exhaustion until you are able to reclaim it. (You must return to that location and use an action to reclaim. Otherwise, it will reform once you rest and lose both levels of exhaustion. Until then, you will have no shadow.) Once you use your own shadow for this ability, even if you grow it back or reclaim it, you cannot use it again for this feature for 1 week, as the connection must strengthen and recover.
- Afraid of your own Shadow
At 14th level, once per long rest you can use your action to draw on the deepest fears of a group of creatures, and in their minds your shadow consumes you and you become their worst nightmare. Any number of creatures you choose in a 30 foot radius around you makes a Wisdom saving throw against your mimic save DC. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened for up to 1 minute and take 4d10 psychic damage. At the start of each of the frightened creature turns, if either you or their shadow are visible to them, they must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw vs your Mime Save DC or take 4d10 psychic damage. On successful save they take half damage and the effect ends for the creature. Additionally you can spend 2 mimic charges to impose this effect on a single creature that has your Silhouette attached to it currently, and it will do 2d10 psychic damage each instance. If the Silhouette detaches from the creature, is dispelled or engulfed in sunlight, or if the creature succeeds on their saving throw, the effect ends. A creature who succeeds on the saving throw for this effect, or that withstands it for the full duration becomes immune to it for the next 24 hours.
Multiclassing
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Mime class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma 13.
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Mime class, you gain the following proficiencies: Simple Weapons, Light Armor, Disguise Kit, 1 Skill from this class's list
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