DnD Mimic 5e monster guide

Is that… is that a chest full of glittering gold and magic items? Or is it just a horrible DnD mimic? One of the meanest monsters in all of DnD history, the mimic is why some Dungeons and Dragons players find it hard to trust. They’re also one of the most iconic symbols of the tabletop RPG – one of Gygax’s better ideas, that has since spread all across video games and other fantasy media.

An intelligent, shape changing monster that can take the form of inanimate objects, the DnD mimic lies in wait to punish the greedy Rogue who tries to sneakily nab some treasure without the rest of his party, or the Fighter who rushes through a door without waiting for her companions to catch up.

More of a nuisance than a major TPK threat – unless they catch you unawares – 5e DnD mimics nonetheless make for super memorable encounters. They’re a great DnD monster, and well worth sticking in your campaign. Whether you’re worried about running one as a DM, or running into one as a player, here’s everything you need to know about the DnD Mimic 5e.

What is the DnD mimic?

The DnD mimic is a solitary ambush predator that likes to hang out in urban places, dungeons, or other underground environments. They were probably made to be some Wizard’s guard dog, but clearly they got out of whatever lab or tower spawned them, and now they’re found all over the place, throughout all sorts of DnD settings.

Mimics love eating humanoids, and most commonly take the forms that will attract other creatures – which is why chests and doors are popular shapes for dungeon-dwelling mimics. However, DnD mimics aren’t limited to wooden objects. They can polymorph into stone, cloth – pretty much any simple material. That means you’re never safe.

In their natural state, mimics appear as amorphous shapes with speckled grey skin, similar in appearance to granite. But since they are such shape changing extraordinaires, you’ll rarely encounter one in its ‘regular’ form.

Most mimics are animalistic predators, but some are smart enough to learn the Common tongue. If you give one some dinner, it might be persuaded to help you out.

DnD mimic 5e stats

If you fall prey to a DnD mimic, it’s not just the teeth (1d8+3 piercing damage, +5 to hit) you’ve got to beware of. Mimics also have sticky pseudopods, which they’ll try to pummel you with (same damage, but bludgeoning type).

Mimics are covered all over in a sticky adhesive substance. That means touching a DnD mimic or being hit by its bludgeoning attacks is all it takes to be grappled by it. You’ll need a (DC 13) to escape the grapple, and will have disadvantage on the roll.

How to use a DnD Mimic 5e as a DM

It’s pretty obvious how you can use a DnD mimic as a DM to play a nasty prank on your party and make them jumpy for the rest of the session. They’re pretty much dungeon traps in monster form. In general, DnD mimics are best used sparingly, unless you want your players to become extremely paranoid and afraid of touching basically anything without first running it through with a weapon.

A classic (and horrible) DM trick is the room full of mimics. The dining hall appears normal at first, as your party enters, but everything starts to go wrong when a chair dissolves into a blobby substance, revealing itself to be a mimic. Then another melts into a monster, and another. Now the table’s moving towards you. You turn to flee, but the door has sprouted teeth and limbs, and that’s when the chandeliers turn to gloop and try to drop on you.

Deployed en masse, you can easily turn the goofy DnD mimic into a horror scenario.