Four-view branded render of grey chest and Mimic miniatures: two closed iron-banded chests and two open, toothed chest creatures with long tongues and knobbly tentacles.
Belvedere House Games’ homebrew chest Mimic, described by the creator as compatible with DnD5e and other tabletop games. The branded four-view render shows both its closed chest form and toothed creature form.
Overview
A mimic is an amorphous predator that waits in the shape of an object. The treasure chest is its familiar disguise, but the 2014 creature's transformation is broader than one container design. While motionless in object form, its False Appearance trait makes it indistinguishable from the ordinary thing it resembles. Its adhesive surface, active only in object form, traps a creature that touches it, and escaping that grip is difficult. This encounter begins with an everyday action such as opening or handling something, then changes abruptly into a close struggle. A pseudopod can strike from the apparent object, while the bite adds acid to physical injury. The same stat block gives it darkvision, acid immunity and no listed language; this describes the ordinary 2014 combat creature, rather than settling the intelligence of every mimic in every published setting. In the 2014 record, death returns the mimic to its true amorphous form.
The revised official mimic retains adhesive trapping but makes several concrete changes. Its movement rises from 15 to 20 feet per turn, and Shape-Shift becomes a bonus action explicitly limited to a Medium or Small object. Its bite is more damaging against a creature it has grappled; the pseudopod can itself grapple a Large or smaller target and now adds acid damage. The revised page does not list the older separate False Appearance or Grappler traits. Consequently, an encounter run from the 2014 page and one run from the revised entry cannot assume exactly the same detection and action procedures. Neither version transforms carried equipment along with the creature. The disguise is therefore a change in its own body, not a general ability to enchant treasure into monsters or reproduce anything it touches.
First appearances & development
The AD&D Monster Manual (1977) supplies the profile's early historical bibliography; that original treatment has not been freshly read here. The directly inspected comparison is between the 2014 Basic Rules creature and the revised Monster Manual entry published with the 2025 book. Dragon Quest and Dark Souls chest monsters have separate profiles and do not share this creature's rules.
Canon & continuity
The two official D&D Beyond records expose transformation, adhesive capture, attacks and movement for their respective rules versions. The revised page identifies Monster Manual page 212. This supports a bounded before-and-after comparison without relying on homebrew forum suggestions or presenting player-designed speaking mimics as standard published species behavior.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual
AD&D monster descriptions.
- 02
Monster Manual (2014)
Fifth-edition legacy lore and creature descriptions; no 2024 rules claim.
- 03
Basic Rules (2014)
Official legacy mimic record identifies page 332 and exposes object-form adhesion and False Appearance.
- 04
Monster Manual (2025)
Official revised mimic record, page 212; exact action and size limits inspected directly.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Encyclopedia background
An additional attributed reference, separate from the editorial profile above.
Read the open encyclopedia overview
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the mimic is a type of fictional monster. It is portrayed as being able to change its shape to disguise its body as an inanimate object, commonly a chest. The mimic uses a powerful adhesive that holds fast to creatures that touch it, allowing the mimic to beat its victims with its powerful pseudopods. The mimic was introduced in the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game's original Monster Manual. The mimic has appeared in subsequent editions. Several variants of the creature have been introduced, with a variety of abilities and sizes.
Text from Wikipedia contributors, “Mimic (Dungeons & Dragons)”. CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted introduction; formatting changed. Retrieved 5 October 2026. The source article may have changed since retrieval.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- OfficialMimic (Dungeons & Dragons) — official franchise guideResearch access: 2026-10-05
- OfficialMimic - official legacy 2014 entryResearch access: 2026-10-05
- OfficialMimic - official revised entryResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Whole creator-published four-view render of a DnD5e-compatible homebrew Mimic miniatureFour-view branded render of grey chest and Mimic miniatures: two closed iron-banded chests and two open, toothed chest creatures with long tongues and knobbly tentacles.
Belvedere House Games’ homebrew chest Mimic, described by the creator as compatible with DnD5e and other tabletop games. The branded four-view render shows both its closed chest form and toothed creature form.
