D&D 5E Toll the Chest

[Paul Farquhar]

Maybe...

I mean, Yes, most (virtually all?) of the time the PCs are going to auto-fail on perceiving a mimic in Object form.

No, they automatically succeed in perceiving the mimic in object form, because it's not hidden and not invisible. They just don't know it's a mimic.

The only situation a mimic might use stealth if it tried to sneak from one side of the room to the other without the PCs noticing.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

No, they automatically succeed in perceiving the mimic in object form, because it's not hidden and not invisible. They just don't know it's a mimic.

Of course they can perceive the "chest". And, I agree that, most of the time, they don't have a any chance to know for certain that the chest is a mimic.

The only situation a mimic might use stealth if it tried to sneak from one side of the room to the other without the PCs noticing.

Sounds like a fine way to rule it at your table all the time - and a fine way to rule it at our table almost all of the time. Like I said, the players might just have something up their collective sleeves that I might rule has a chance of working in the moment during game play. I can't know what that something is until they present it so I can't definitively rule it out before it happens.

 

[Hriston]

The False Apperence trait has nothing to do with stealth. It makes the creature indistinguishable from any normal object of its kind. If you don't expect a normal chest to make a stealth check then a mimic doesn't need to make a stealth check. That's why mimics are not proficent in stealth.

Right, that's exactly why twig blights, piercers, ropers, and gray oozes aren't proficient in Stealth either, lol.

 

[James Gasik]

It's basically the same thing as a Doppleganger's Shapechanging. A Doppleganger doesn't have to make a roll to look like a particular humanoid (though it might have to make a Deception check to pretend to be one).

The Mimic isn't hiding nor is it using Stealth to appear to be an ordinary object just sitting in plain sight. Now whether or not there should be a mechanic to tell it's not a chest or whatever...well probably, I'd allow for an Investigation (Int) check. But that's a ruling.

By the rules, everyone goes "lo, it is a chest, no doubt full of treasure!". And only poking it with something is going to prove otherwise. Time to break out the 11' poles...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Like I said, the players might just have something up their collective sleeves that I might rule has a chance of working in the moment during game play.

There are plenty of things that can work within the rules. Detect Thoughts for example. But a chest is a chest.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

As far a the OP, since the player is free to decide how their PC thinks, acts, and talks, they are welcome to try casting a spell on any object they want and I'll adjudicate accordingly.

In this case, the PCs are 30' away from the chest so I'd simply roll the Wisdom save against the cleric's casting of Toll the Dead (in the open as I do with all rolls). If it fails, the bells sound and the "chest" takes damage. If it succeeds, nothing happens. In either case, the mimic's goal here (if this were my game) would be to hold the line in an effort to lure the PCs closer.

If the players, as a follow-up to that initial casting of Toll the Dead, try some other ranged (or really any other) hostile act against the "chest", I'd then call for initiative. The mimic may decide to Dash the 30' as its first action to get up close and personal with the PCs. Described as a Cunning Hunter in the fluff, it usually knows when the prey has sniffed it out and will act accordingly.

It should be noted that Casting a spell with a verbal component at any time in an adventuring location may have its own repercussions, too. It may not always be the best strategy.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

There are plenty of things that can work within the rules. Detect Thoughts for example. But a chest is a chest.

Agreed. And a mimic pretending to be a chest is a mimic.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

In either case

I would normally rule that the players can see if something has taken damage. Which would give it away, since a real chest would be undamaged by the spell. The mimic, with it's intelligence of 5, would assume it's been made, and attack.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Agreed. And a mimic pretending to be a chest is a mimic.

That looks exactly like a chest. And sounds exactly like a chest so long as it doesn't move. And doesn't have any detectable smell.

 

[Hriston]

As far a the OP, since the player is free to decide how their PC thinks, acts, and talks, they are welcome to try casting a spell on any object they want and I'll adjudicate accordingly.

Agreed.

In this case, the PCs are 30' away from the chest so I'd simply roll the Wisdom save against the cleric's casting of Toll the Dead (in the open as I do with all rolls). If it fails, the bells sound and the "chest" takes damage. If it succeeds, nothing happens. In either case, the mimic's goal here (if this were my game) would be to hold the line in an effort to lure the PCs closer.

If the players, as a follow-up to that initial casting of Toll the Dead, try some other ranged (or really any other) hostile act against the "chest", I'd then call for initiative. The mimic may decide to Dash the 30' as its first action to get up close and personal with the PCs. Described as a Cunning Hunter in the fluff, it usually knows when the prey has sniffed it out and will act accordingly.

The OP describes the room as 30' by 30' with the mimic in its center. I take that to mean the party is only 15' away which is just one move for the mimic, so it can move in and attack a party member on its first turn in combat. The cleric starts combat by declaring they target the "chest", and the entire party is surprised because no one has noticed a threat. I'd say the cunning hunter would know it's time to spring the trap.

It should be noted that Casting a spell with a verbal component at any time in an adventuring location may have its own repercussions, too. It may not always be the best strategy.

Agreed.