D&D 5E Toll the Chest

[J.Quondam]

Rascally adventurers in your home means that you are a monster, you know....

Not me, but whatever lurks in the fridge.

 

[Maxperson]

Not me, but whatever lurks in the fridge.

When I was a kid, I woke up to a sharp pain in my neck. I looked over and my mother's meatloaf was crawling back to the kitchen.

 

[billd91]

When I was a kid, I woke up to a sharp pain in my neck. I looked over and my mother's meatloaf was crawling back to the kitchen.

You sure it wasn’t a cat? Easy mistake to make.

 

[Umbran]

You sure it wasn’t a cat? Easy mistake to make.

I mean, if you leave your meatloaf around until it is covered in fur...

 

[iserith]

For background, this was a situation that came up in a game I played in last night. As per normal, the DM simply rolled the saving throw in the open, which revealed it was a mimic, and initiative was rolled. It got one attack off before it died.

We all had a laugh at how this could have been handled in different ways (most of us are DMs).

• Do you call for initiative when the declaration to cast toll the dead was made, thereby signaling the chest is a monster?
• Do you hide the saving throw in case it succeeds so that, from the players' perspective, they are still in the dark as to whether it's a chest or a mimic? Does the fact you're rolling anything at all tip off the players?
• If you typically don't hide rolls, do you hide it this time which may signal to the players something weird is going on?
• As a player, if the spell doesn't do anything to the "chest," how do you proceed? Treat it as a normal chest with horrific results? Spam toll the dead a few more times just to be sure?

 

[Maxperson]

For background, this was a situation that came up in a game I played in last night. As per normal, the DM simply rolled the saving throw in the open, which revealed it was a mimic, and initiative was rolled. It got one attack off before it died.

We all had a laugh at how this could have been handled in different ways (most of us are DMs).

• Do you call for initiative when the declaration to cast toll the dead was made, thereby signaling the chest is a monster?

If appropriate, I would do so. As @Umbran pointed out, it's not smart so probably wouldn't recognize spellcasting from normal conversation and wouldn't react to the spell with combat.

• Do you hide the saving throw in case it succeeds so that, from the players' perspective, they are still in the dark as to whether it's a chest or a mimic? Does the fact you're rolling anything at all tip off the players?

I keep a few pre-rolled numbers for these situations. When I come to a situation like this, I cross off the next number in line and use it for the save so that no die rolling is heard.

• If you typically don't hide rolls, do you hide it this time which may signal to the players something weird is going on?

N/A for me on this one.

• As a player, if the spell doesn't do anything to the "chest," how do you proceed? Treat it as a normal chest with horrific results? Spam toll the dead a few more times just to be sure?

I wouldn't spam it, because unless mimics are common and I spam it on every object I interact with, I have no reason in character to believe that it was a successful save vs. being a normal chest.

 

[Hriston]

The only thing is, unless the caster is invisible or hidden, the Mimic can see PC/party and is aware of the danger that the PC/party poses to it. As soon as casting begins, it's initiative and not a surprise round. The Mimic could win initiative and if within 15 feet of a PC, attack first.

Not only has the party not surprised the mimic, but my reading of the OP indicates that the mimic has surprised the party, so the mimic goes first whether it wins initiative or not!

 

[Steampunkette]

Not me, but whatever lurks in the fridge.

 

[Hriston]

For background, this was a situation that came up in a game I played in last night. As per normal, the DM simply rolled the saving throw in the open, which revealed it was a mimic, and initiative was rolled. It got one attack off before it died.

We all had a laugh at how this could have been handled in different ways (most of us are DMs).

• Do you call for initiative when the declaration to cast toll the dead was made, thereby signaling the chest is a monster?
• Do you hide the saving throw in case it succeeds so that, from the players' perspective, they are still in the dark as to whether it's a chest or a mimic? Does the fact you're rolling anything at all tip off the players?
• If you typically don't hide rolls, do you hide it this time which may signal to the players something weird is going on?
• As a player, if the spell doesn't do anything to the "chest," how do you proceed? Treat it as a normal chest with horrific results? Spam toll the dead a few more times just to be sure?

It seems the mimic didn't turn out to be much of a challenge in part because your DM didn't make use of its ability to hide in plain sight. Clearly the party had not noticed the threat the mimic presented to them, and yet your DM not only didn't give the mimic the benefit of having surprised the entire party but also allowed the cleric to attack the mimic out of combat. No wonder it only got in one attack!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The only thing is, unless the caster is invisible or hidden, the Mimic can see PC/party and is aware of the danger that the PC/party poses to it. As soon as casting begins, it's initiative and not a surprise round. The Mimic could win initiative and if within 15 feet of a PC, attack first.

Yeah, I'm quite fast and loose with initiative. Call it a retroactive surprise round.