More than meets the eye

What better joy than finding a treasure chest behind a locked door in a deep, dark dungeon. Your party moves in close, ready to gorge themselves on delicious loot only to be attacked by a ravenous mess of teeth and tentacles.

The mimic, a monster that assumes the shape of something desirable, like a treasure chest, in order to ambush its prey and score its next meal.

Mimics are great way to spice up a tabletop RPG that has spent the first few levels with battles against bandits and goblins, and needs to mix it up a little.

Like the Owlbear, mimics are an old staple of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as any games based around the same system.

In combat, the base form mimic isn't the toughest foe to fight. Generally meant for level 2 or 3 parties, the mimic doesn't hit the hardest or soak up a lot of damage before falling. It does, however, comes with a few nasty surprises.

The base form mimic has a +20 to disguise, meaning it gets the result of a 20-sided die +20 to pretend to be something it is not. Most players at low levels would not be able to match this check with their perception or spot, so the mimic would go undetected. This stealth allows the mimic to make the first strike.

Of course, as with any monster in tabletop RPGs, there are stronger versions, both pre-written or adjusted on the fly to suit the needs of the dungeon master.

While the mimic is most commonly associated with disguising as treasure chests, they can choose any fitting form. A treasure chest may look out of place in an open air garden, but that leaves all the more room for a dread gazebo.