[DM Q] Need a bit of help with a Mimic's attacks.

[RedSwan78]

Hey all, the Mimic is found on page 135 of the DMG. I need some help clearing up it's attacks...

For it's attacks it says: Slam +8 melee
Special Attacks: Adhesive

Adhesive says:

Adhesive (Ex): A mimic exudes a thick slime that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast any creatures or items touching it. An adhesive-covered mimic automatically grapples any creature it hits with its slam attack. Opponents so grappled cannot get free while the mimic is alive without removing the adhesive first. A mimic makes one automatic slam attack each round against any creature stuck to it.
A weapon that strikes an adhesive-coated mimic is also stuck fast unless the wielder succeeds at a Reflex save (DC 16). A successful Strength check (DC 16) is needed to pry it off.
Strong alcohol dissolves the adhesive. A pint of wine or a similar liquid weakens it, but the mimic still has a +4 to grapple checks. A mimic can dissolve its adhesive at will, and the substance breaks down 5 rounds after the creature dies.


OK, so let's flesh out the questions:

1-It says an adhesive coated mimic automatically grapples any creature it hits with its slam attack. So, does this mean that it just auto-has the creature grappled and there's nothing they can do about it? They got hit, so they're grappled/stuck to it? Or, does it make an auto grapple check to anyone it hits?

2- It says "a mimic makes one automatic slam attack each round against any creature stuck to it".. this is confusing. Normally, it looks like the mimic gets one attack. That's it. So does this passage mean that it automatically makes it's attack to anyone that is stuck to it for it's one attack per round, or, does it mean that in addition to it's normally allowed attack, it *also* automatically attacks the person stuck to it (thus possibly giving it more then one attack per round)? Does this auto-attack automatically succeed(as in, don't roll to hit, just roll dmg)? If it still only makes one attack per round, and 3 people are stuck to it, who does it hit?

3- this is of lesser concern, but it keeps saying "an adhesive coated mimic", well, do they *all* start out as "adhesive coated"..? It doesn't say otherwise..

Thanks, just wanted to clear up those main two questions before I beat the pulp out of my group with this

 

[WizarDru]

1-It says an adhesive coated mimic automatically grapples any creature it hits with its slam attack. So, does this mean that it just auto-has the creature grappled and there's nothing they can do about it? They got hit, so they're grappled/stuck to it? Or, does it make an auto grapple check to anyone it hits?

It automatically grapples them, no check. If it hits, the slime sticks to them, and they are automatically grappled.

2- It says "a mimic makes one automatic slam attack each round against any creature stuck to it".. this is confusing. Normally, it looks like the mimic gets one attack. That's it. So does this passage mean that it automatically makes it's attack to anyone that is stuck to it for it's one attack per round, or, does it mean that in addition to it's normally allowed attack, it *also* automatically attacks the person stuck to it (thus possibly giving it more then one attack per round)? Does this auto-attack automatically succeed(as in, don't roll to hit, just roll dmg)? If it still only makes one attack per round, and 3 people are stuck to it, who does it hit?

It only gets one attack. Once it has someone grappled, it flails them around, likely slamming them into the floor with their pseudopod. Essentially, once they've got someone, they beat them to a pulp. It doesn't need to roll. Now, a DM might rule that it could flail the pseudopod around and stick more people, but for a CR4 beastie, that seems a bit much. The autoattack automatically succeeds, doing Slam attack damage. Mimics are fairly unpleasant.

3- this is of lesser concern, but it keeps saying "an adhesive coated mimic", well, do they *all* start out as "adhesive coated"..? It doesn't say otherwise..

I believe they mean that as opposed to a mimic you've just tossed a jug of wine on, for example, or something that would remove it's slime, such as it dissolving it on it's own so that it could escape.

 

[RedSwan78]

Re: Re: [DM Q] Need a bit of help with a Mimic's attacks.

It only gets one attack. Once it has someone grappled, it flails them around, likely slamming them into the floor with their pseudopod. Essentially, once they've got someone, they beat them to a pulp. It doesn't need to roll. Now, a DM might rule that it could flail the pseudopod around and stick more people, but for a CR4 beastie, that seems a bit much. The autoattack automatically succeeds, doing Slam attack damage. Mimics are fairly unpleasant.

Well, that doesn't seem any good at all. So basically, whoever the mimic first hits, is probably going to be dead..? Kind of not all that fun as a DM either, I don't get to hit a bunch of different people, all the dmg has to be to *one* person, and all of that dmg (Mimic does 1d8+6) is likely to kill whoever it hits first. =/

 

[WizarDru]

Re: Re: Re: [DM Q] Need a bit of help with a Mimic's attacks.

Well, that doesn't seem any good at all. So basically, whoever the mimic first hits, is probably going to be dead..? Kind of not all that fun as a DM either, I don't get to hit a bunch of different people, all the dmg has to be to *one* person, and all of that dmg (Mimic does 1d8+6) is likely to kill whoever it hits first. =/

Not necessarily. They have an Int of 10, and if they see that they're outmatched by a party, they'll negotiate, as their writeup indicates. Against one person, they're potentially deadly...against four, they're not so tough. They have a hideously low AC, are especially vulnerable to magic and missle weapons, and only have a single attack at +8.

It can degenerate into a hostage situation pretty fast, but it can also be a quick rout for the Mimic, if it doesn't think fast. Remember that it can also drop a personal voluntarily, so it would probably just slam him into unconsciouness and turn to face his friends. Ultimately, that means that the person isn't dead, just down.

And remember, if you suss him out before he attacks the party, he's in a bad situation.

 

[RedSwan78]

Re: Re: Re: Re: [DM Q] Need a bit of help with a Mimic's attacks.

Not necessarily. They have an Int of 10, and if they see that they're outmatched by a party, they'll negotiate, as their writeup indicates. Against one person, they're potentially deadly...against four, they're not so tough. They have a hideously low AC, are especially vulnerable to magic and missle weapons, and only have a single attack at +8.

It can degenerate into a hostage situation pretty fast, but it can also be a quick rout for the Mimic, if it doesn't think fast. Remember that it can also drop a personal voluntarily, so it would probably just slam him into unconsciouness and turn to face his friends. Ultimately, that means that the person isn't dead, just down.

And remember, if you suss him out before he attacks the party, he's in a bad situation.

Well, the thing is, they'll be in a place where it's pretty much evil, and the mimic was created to kill, so I hadn't planned on it talking much at all. Why is it that they are "especially vulnerable to magic and missle weapons"..? I can see how so to missle weapons, it has a low AC. Did you mean something else? What about magic?

What does "if you suss him out before he attacks the party" mean?

(I really do appreciate the help! )

 

[Rel]

I'm not sure if the rest of my post will be very helpful, but this first part is VERY important: Get yourself a little blob of Play-Doh (tm) to represent the Mimic on the battlemat (assuming you use one). Nothing makes a session more fun than wrapping a blob of Play-Doh around someone's figure.

The way I ran a Mimic at a recent game-day was this: On a hit with the slam attack, the Mimic got a free grapple attempt. If you failed the opposed check, you were grappled. The next round, you got automatically slammed and the Mimic tried to Pin you. If the Mimic succeeded in the Pin, he just sort of sat on you and tried to slam somebody else.

This meant that the first person to encounter the thing wasn't automatically beaten until dead and I got to attack some of the other party members with it.

I know that this is probably not quite an accurate rules interpretation. But everybody had fun and the dwarf fighter lost the back side of her trousers and was bare-bottomed for the rest of the adventure. So it all worked out for the best.

 

[Eldragon]

Depending on the power of the party, I have 2 forms of mimic. 1 for each interpretation of the rules:

1 -- The mimic gets an attack (w/ auto hit) on anyone it is grappled with. It gets 1 attack per round INCLUDING the free attack. The DMG standard mimic can be a real wuss, and I generally reserve it for hitting the party when they least expect it: looting a slain enemies lair. So I have this other mimic:

2 -- The mimic gets a free attack on anyone it is grappled with. It ALSO has an single tentacle attack. The mimic may be grapped with as many people as there is space on the grid (I play on a grid system w/ minis). In this form, I have had up to 4 players stuck to the mimic at a time. Each of the 4 people taking 1d8+6 each round. Suffice it to say, this form of the mimic is really deadly.

In both versions, anyone attempting to "open" the mimic is automatically grappled, and can be hit beginning on the next round.

I found the second form of the mimic is really useful when the party is in a "We dont negotiate with anything" Kind of mood.
Slightly off topic: Many times this party has come across a creature that says "spare my life, and I will grant you three..." The creature is then iterrupted by the paladin saying "Sword goes in, guts come out".

 

[WizarDru]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [DM Q] Need a bit of help with a Mimic's attacks.

Well, the thing is, they'll be in a place where it's pretty much evil, and the mimic was created to kill, so I hadn't planned on it talking much at all. Why is it that they are "especially vulnerable to magic and missle weapons"..? I can see how so to missle weapons, it has a low AC. Did you mean something else? What about magic?

What does "if you suss him out before he attacks the party" mean?

(I really do appreciate the help! )

Glad to offer it, from one DM to another.

The mimic is all about the suprise. It's mostly a 'GOTCHA!' creature in the classic Gary Gygax mode. If the players manage to somehow figure out it's a mimic before examining it, they've got a fish in a barrell. The mimic only has a move of 10', so it doesn't have many options for escape, once found out. (suss = figure out, btw).

Quite a few spells, even to a low-level party, will wreck a mimic's day. A magic missle will severly crimp it's style. In many ways, the mimic is roper, jr. Good hit points, 10' reach, two strong saves, and it can deal out a solid hit. Mind you, a first level barbarian with an appropriate weapon could do about the same damage, but couldn't take it nearly as well.

Compare the mimic with a Minotaur or a Sea Hag, both also CR4. Both have fewer hp than the Mimic, but also do, on average, more damage. The hag has a weaker attack, but have some nasty magic powers. The minotaur has brutal damage, and better saves. All three of these would be nasty encounters, depending on the party makeup and their levels. A party of 5th level characters would have significantly less trouble than a party of 3rd level characters, due to the differences at low levels.

If you're worried that this thing would score a TPK or insta-kill against your players, essentially killing the sucker who draws the short straw (and most likely the rogue, if you have one), then there are different things you can do.

1) Wound it so that it has fewer hp. This gives the players a better chance of emerging without a death...but reduce the EL appropriately.

2) Make the setup possible to discern. A subtle clue or two that may warn the party clears you of responsiblity. It doesn't have to be something as blatant as bloody bones around the chest, but you get the idea. Mimics, for example, have a rough texture to them that doesn't always match what they're copying. A character who goes the extra mile in examining carefully might notice that in time.

3) Change the Mimic from book standard. Don't like the adhesive attack? Take it away, and give him a second iterative attack, say at +3. Don't like his damage potential? Lower it a bit, and raise his hit points accordingly. Have fun with it. This is a good option, as it keeps the players on their toes...especially the ones foolish enough to memorize the MM for monsters they can't summon.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [DM Q] Need a bit of help with a Mimic's attacks.

The mimic is all about the suprise. It's mostly a 'GOTCHA!' creature in the classic Gary Gygax mode. If the players manage to somehow figure out it's a mimic before examining it, they've got a fish in a barrell. The mimic only has a move of 10', so it doesn't have many options for escape, once found out. (suss = figure out, btw).

Heh, I had a trap for a midlevel party (10th) in an abandoned mage's tower. Well, abandoned in a "blast of magic sheared off everything above ground level" abandoned. Anyhoo, they get into the sublevels and find the "treasure room." Lots of nice looking stuff on shelves, pedastals, etc with faint magic auras everywhere.

None of them make a spot/search check worth squat and notice nothing odd. the rogue decides it's time to pick a lock to see some of the shinier stuff. The druid, prone to being psychic, says "I'll laugh if that's a mimic."

Which pretty much sets the stage as the mimic drops the glass door and cheap knockoff "treasure" to attack the rogue. As does every other cabinet and pedastal. Oh, and the floors, walls and ceiling. The party realizes they're actually in a room made of steel grates that the mimics can ooze through and the grates only allow a minimal field of vision to cut down spell casting.

I was very entertained as the mimics played a wonderful game of cat and mouse with the party before retreating. They finally established a deal with the mimics, who were running low on food, to acquire a rod of splendor. The mimics were happily fed indefinitely and the party got access to a significant amount of loot (that the mimics didn't hide).