Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Monsterize Me! Mimic (4E, PF)

I've been getting a few requests over at Pelgrane Press' forums regarding the conversion of monsters from other systems to 13th Age.  While I've already given my guidelines in the thread, I think it's appropriate that I  dedicate a portion of my blog to converting monsters as well, using information found in Pelgrane Press' archives and, from time to time, my own creative twist to them.

The monster featured today is the Mimic, the horror that classically takes the form of a treasure chest, which is often the last thing that many an unwary adventurer would see.  While I love how the Pathfinder lore states how you could have entire dungeons or houses as Mimics, there are no stats for these larger Mimics so I must make them myself.  Meanwhile, the 4E version of the Mimic provides interesting concepts, as it takes the shape shifting Mimic from object-only to creepy town and there's even note of "Mimic Spawn", which further provides some interesting thoughts on what could be done with the Mimic.

My take on the concept is that the Mimic is an ooze-like aberration that eats just about everything, whose size determines age, number of objects and creatures consumed, and how big a threat they are to everything.  From the tiny Mimic Spawn that feeds off dungeon mold and ordinary utensils (and the occasional creature's fingers), to the Mimic Complex that quite literally is a type of living dungeon as featured in 13th Age, how big can these monsters get?

NOTE: Not all Living Dungeons are Mimic Complexes, although it is easy to mistake one for the other.  Two things differentiate the Mimic Complex from other Living Dungeons; first, Mimic Complexes do not have dungeon hearts.  Second, Mimic Complexes tend to take the form of overground cities rather than elaborate dungeons.

If a bunch of houses start turning to slime and then moving in unison, those are probably not a group of Mimic Houses.  That's likely a singular Mimic Complex.  And the scariest type of Mimic Complex: the Mimic that perfectly copies an entire city, complete with all its people, where many an unwary settler or urbanized animal would not realize that the bartender they meet, the room they stay in, and the bed that eats them, are all just one creature.

Mimic Spawn

Level 0 Tiny or Small Spoiler, Initiative +5
Aberration

Traits

Resist 3 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 3 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.
Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it gets a +5 to disengage checks and can move through tiny spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks

Acid Tendrils: +5 vs. PD, ongoing 4 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Spawn heals 2 HP and the target takes 4 ongoing acid damage and suffers a -5 to disengage checks.
'Sticky' Special (if a target fails their disengage check): 4 acid damage and the target is constrained (save ends, hard save ends and target pops free).

Higher Level Special: Delicious Gear
Every time a creature has been hit five consecutive times by any Mimic Spawn, randomly choose an item that the creature has on his person that is small or smaller (perhaps a dagger, perhaps some rope).  That item is consumed by the Mimic Spawn, and can take its shape the next time it changes shape into an object.

Stats

AC 16
PD 14
MD 10

HP 20

LORE: At the earliest stages of development, the Mimic Spawn is a juvenile that breaks off from its parent, and is often one of thousands of tiny spawns that are released into the wild.  Due to the solitary nature of mimics however, it is unsurprising that as soon as they are released, they begin consuming one another, sometimes with the parent eating its own progeny.  Those that survive would begin consuming tiny things and eventually grow bigger and stronger.  It is rare for adventurers to see Mimic Spawns shortly after birth, and rarer still are adventurers who live through the experience, as they are often consumed by both Mimic Spawns and the Mimic they spawned from.

Mimic Object

Level 3 Medium Spoiler, Initiative +4
Aberration

Traits

Resist 3 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 3 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.
Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it gets a +5 to disengage checks and can move through tiny spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks


Acid Tendrils: +8 vs. PD, ongoing 7 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Object heals 3 HP the target takes 10 ongoing acid damage  and the target is constrained (save to escape constrained).
'Engulf and Digest' Special (if the target fails to escape being constrained): 14 damage and the target finds itself trapped inside the Mimic.  Until it successfully forces its way out (DC 20) target takes 10 acid damage each round, and the target takes half damage from any attacks made against the mimic from outside.

Higher Level Special: Mimic Reproduction
The first time a creature is wounded by "'Engulf and Digest' Special", 1d10 tiny Mimic Spawns appear nearby, all of which will tend to either eat the nearest creature (even if it is another Mimic Spawn), or run away.

Higher Level Special: Humanoid Mimic
If enough creatures have been consumed by the Mimic, it eventually gains a sort of sentience that allows it to mimic creatures in addition to objects.  The Mimic Object can now change shape into any humanoid or beast that it has consumed (killed while trapped inside the Mimic), in addition to the object it can normally change into.  It is just as difficult to detect the Mimic Object as a Humanoid, as it retains everything its last victim had -- even its memories and scent.

Stats

AC 19
PD 17
MD 13

HP 45

Mimic House

Level 6 Large Spoiler, Initiative +3
Aberration

Traits

Resist 6 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 6 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.
Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it gets a +5 to disengage checks and can move through small spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks

Acid Tendrils: +11 vs. PD, one creature and each creature inside it, ongoing 36 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Object heals 18 HP the target takes 10 ongoing acid damage  and the target is constrained (save to escape constrained).
'Engulf and Digest' Special (if the target fails to escape being constrained)56 damage and the target finds itself trapped inside the Mimic.  Until it successfully forces its way out (DC 20) target takes 42 acid damage each round, and the target takes half damage from any attacks made against the mimic from outside.

Higher Level Special: Mimic Furniture
Everything found in the Mimic House is a small part of it.  Subtract a number of hit points from the Mimic House equal to the hit points of all the Mimic Spawns and Mimic Objects inside of it.  Treat all Mimic Spawns and Mimic Objects as if they were mooks.

Stats

AC 22
PD 20
MD 16

HP 180

LORE: Originally these Mimics merely took the forms of giant boulders or the occasional stone golem, but as humanoids entered the lands where Mimics thrived in, some of the more sentient of these Mimics began not only eating away the individual pieces of furniture, but entire houses as well, occupants and all.  Some of these Mimics even took the time and effort to duplicate the residents they consumed, in order to lull unwitting victims into a false sense of security.

Mimic Complex

Level 12 Huge Spoiler, Initiative +2
Aberration

Traits

Resist 9 Acid: Magical acid attacks must roll 9 or higher on the attack roll, or deal half damage.  Mundane acid has no effect on this creature.
Mimic Shapeshift: The Mimic can change its shape as a quick action once per round.  It typically switches between three forms: ooze, object, and animated object.  As an ooze it can automatically pop free and can move through medium spaces normally.  As an object it gains resistance to natural weapons equal to its level, and is virtually indistinguishable to the original (it tends to take the shape of the last object of the same size as itself), but cannot make any attacks.  As an animated object, it has resistance to natural weapons equal to half its level and can attack.

Attacks

Acid Tendrils: +17 vs. PD, each creature engaged with it and inside it, ongoing 210 acid damage, Nat 16+ Mimic Object heals 105 HP the target takes 270 ongoing acid damage  and the target is constrained (save to escape constrained).
'Engulf and Digest' Special (if the target fails to escape being constrained)330 damage and the target finds itself trapped inside the Mimic.  Until it successfully forces its way out (DC 20) target takes 270 acid damage each round, and the target takes half damage from any attacks made against the mimic from outside.

Higher Level Special: Mimic City
Everything found in the Mimic Complex is a small part of it.  Subtract a number of hit points from the Mimic House equal to the hit points of all the Mimic Houses inside of it.  Treat all Mimic Houses in the Mimic City as if they were mooks.

Stats

AC 28
PD 26
MD 22

HP 1080

LORE: Not much is known about Mimic Complexes other than the rumors of entire cities vanishing in the night, only to reappear miles from where they were at, without a trace of magic being used.  That, and rumors of entire forests being cleared as huge blobs of ooze traverse the land.

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