Mimic (5e Race)

Mimic

Mimics are shapeshifting predators that take the forms of inanimate objects to lure intelligent creatures to their doom. However, very rarely, a mimic will be born with higher intelligence on par with its erstwhile prey. It may even, eventually, find that the taste of sentient beings isn't to its liking, or that staying in one place and waiting for a hapless adventurer to happen by has lost its charm.

Such an unnatural specimen may then choose to leave its domain and seek out other creatures not merely for food, but for conversation and companionship.

Physical Description

Mimic by Wizards of the Coast

The true form of a mimic is an amorphous, brown mass with four beady red eyes and one large sharp-toothed mouth. A mimic can extend pseudopods, up to four at once, to move, manipulate, or even wield objects while in this form.

When a mimic takes the form of an object, it shapes its mass as appropriate and changes its texture; since it actually has little mass of its own, though, even including its stomachs, it can contain a surprising amount of material in either form. Intelligent mimics commonly carry their possessions within their form, rather than dragging a sack or trying to carry a backpack on nonexistent shoulders and usually take a vague form covered in layers of clothing and armor to hide their true monstrous form.

History

Intelligent mimics are rare enough that few or none have ever merited recording. The reputation that mimics have for disguising themselves tends to cause distrust and suspicion among other people, but people overestimate the average intelligent mimic's capability for actual subterfuge.

Society

How well or poorly a given mimic adapts to society largely depends upon the society; intelligent mimics tend to be curious, easygoing, and somewhat naive, at least for awhile. How the mimic is treated by other creatures affects a lot about how it decides it feels about them once it really gets the hang of being around people.

Mimic Names

Intelligent mimics are unique enough that most will never meet another of their kind. As such, they have nothing from which to draw a name but the cultures of other creatures they've encountered. They might even adopt a nickname from another creature, which could be anything from an ideal, to an object, to an insult.

Mimics also have no particular predilection towards gender, as they reproduce asexually.

Example Names: Anton, Bog, Change, Chester, Hordor, Faker, Harbek, Lumpy, Mimi, Rando, Sariel, Tabler, Boxxy, N'gah!

Mimic Traits

A more intelligent specimen of a well-known species of shapeshifting predators.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom scores each increase by 1.
Age. Mimics reach what passes for adulthood at around 10, but can live as long as a century.
Alignment. Mimics tend toward neutrality, but may find purpose and inspiration in whatever culture or person they encounter and be of any alignment.
Size. A mimic's true form is amorphous, but can draw itself up to a height of about 5 feet. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Adhesive. Due to the sticky nature of your body, ability checks made to escape your grapple have disadvantage.
Amorphous. Due to the amorphous nature of your true form, you cannot benefit from armor, though you can use a shield. Your Armor Class is equal to 11 + your Dexterity modifier and you are immune to the prone condition.
Bite. Your maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Grappler. You have advantage on grapple checks. In addition, whenever a Large or smaller creature interacts with you or enters a space within 5 feet of you, while you have shape changed into an object, you can use your reaction to attempt to grapple that creature.
Monstrosity. Your creature type is both humanoid and monstrosity.
Shapechanger. As an action, you can polymorph into an object of your Medium or Small size that you have seen, or back into your true form. While you remain motionless, as an object you are indistinguishable from an ordinary object. Your equipment does not change with you, however, it may be contained within you as long as your shape has the dimensions to accommodate it. If you die, you revert to your true form. You retain all of your normal statistics while in this form.
Languages. You can speak, read, and understand Common.

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Races