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<blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7491704" data-attributes="member: 16814">The loop is: DM decides if the outcome is yes, no, or maybe.&nbsp; If maybe, roll.&nbsp; It's really up to you, as DM, to decide if &quot;nearly unrecognizable&quot; is uncertain enough or not.&nbsp; If you're asking how I'd run it, it's on approach and goal.&nbsp; If the players walk into a room with a disguised mimic (or statue gargoyle, for that matter) and do not declare any actions that have an approach or goal that interacts with the hiding mimic, I'm not going to check.&nbsp; If they have an approach or goal that interacts, then it depends on the specifics.&nbsp; If a character declares that they are suspicious of the chest in the middle of the room and so look for any dangers from a distance, then I'll likely make an opposed check perception vs stealth to see if they notice any telltales.&nbsp; If they declare they run to the chest and open it, then, well, it's surprise time!In general, if a creature is hiding as part of the scene framing, they're gong to remain hidden until a declared action interacts.&nbsp; If there are telltales as part of the scene, they're presented right off the bat.&nbsp; Max's scrapes and blood would probably be part of my scene framing, because I like to foreshadow, but you don't have to.&nbsp; As actions are declared, the scene evolves, with checks and successes/failures determining the direction of play.&nbsp; I strongly dislike gotcha moments, so if there's something that could 'gotcha', I try to foreshadow it heavily.&nbsp; For mimics, they're dee-ewe-emm, dumb.&nbsp; So, they may have a great disguise, but something about it is wrong -- ie, the chest is freestanding in the room instead of against a wall where it would be normally.&nbsp; This is the kind of thing I strive to put in my scene descriptions.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ovinomancer, post: 7491704, member: 16814"] The loop is: DM decides if the outcome is yes, no, or maybe. If maybe, roll. It's really up to you, as DM, to decide if "nearly unrecognizable" is uncertain enough or not. If you're asking how I'd run it, it's on approach and goal. If the players walk into a room with a disguised mimic (or statue gargoyle, for that matter) and do not declare any actions that have an approach or goal that interacts with the hiding mimic, I'm not going to check. If they have an approach or goal that interacts, then it depends on the specifics. If a character declares that they are suspicious of the chest in the middle of the room and so look for any dangers from a distance, then I'll likely make an opposed check perception vs stealth to see if they notice any telltales. If they declare they run to the chest and open it, then, well, it's surprise time! In general, if a creature is hiding as part of the scene framing, they're gong to remain hidden until a declared action interacts. If there are telltales as part of the scene, they're presented right off the bat. Max's scrapes and blood would probably be part of my scene framing, because I like to foreshadow, but you don't have to. As actions are declared, the scene evolves, with checks and successes/failures determining the direction of play. I strongly dislike gotcha moments, so if there's something that could 'gotcha', I try to foreshadow it heavily. For mimics, they're dee-ewe-emm, dumb. So, they may have a great disguise, but something about it is wrong -- ie, the chest is freestanding in the room instead of against a wall where it would be normally. This is the kind of thing I strive to put in my scene descriptions. [/QUOTE]

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