Greater Mimic

Greater mimics may be ordinary mimics that lived a century or more and kept growing, or mimics warped by dungeon magic and its wizardly residents. They share the rocky shell and soft innards of their smaller cousins but are smarter and have limited magic resistance. They fill 1,000 cubic feet or more, enough to cover a room or a small building such as a crypt; the largest known specimen spanned a 30-foot cube.

Unlike lesser mimics, a greater mimic can reproduce many colors, textures and shapes at once, so it can fake a whole chamber of furniture, hangings and treasure. A heap of loot alone would let prey escape, so it prefers to block a corridor and become a room with doors at each end, or in a large cavern to pose as a burial niche or a cave mouth. Whatever the outside looks like, the inside always holds bait such as fake treasure and furnishings.

Victims roll surprise at -6. Patient and cunning, it waits until the whole group is inside, then floods every surface with adhesive and slams its walls together for 6d4 to everyone trapped, as if the room had collapsed. Alcohol weakens the glue in 3 rounds. If anyone remains outside, it seals every opening and toughens its outer hide to AC 2 against external attacks; inside, its AC is 5.

One in five greater mimics develops a minor illusion power that shows creatures inside its false rooms, even intelligent ones that seem to speak. Only those who roll under half their Intelligence notice that the voices come from the walls.

Greater mimics live in underground caverns and, being so huge, barely move once settled. They are smart enough to strike deals with neighboring groups, often trading indigestible treasure for food. Since they soak up a great deal of local knowledge, adventurers often gain more by bribing one with food, in exchange for treasure and information, than by killing it.

They are efficient, intelligent predators with enormous appetites, able to go long stretches on little or no food but happy to gorge when meals are plentiful. Wizards created common mimics as guards, but greater mimics rarely serve that way because few wizards can make them obey.