Goblinpunch and Chris McD both talked about traps recently. They’re decent reading, and got me thinking about traps too.
Overcoming a good trap might be the cornerstone of an entire session, right? They’re pretty important, and not just in a “here’s a thing that isn’t 1d6 goblins to throw at the party” kinda way.
Tangentially related – I picked up a sick Mimic model from Reaper Bones the other day. So now I’m thinking about good traps, interesting mimics, and ways these can be the cornerstone of a good session’s play.
Roll for Mimics!
- The mimic’s sick, it can’t control it’s own transformations. The dungeon echoes with a noise like coins jangling – this is the creature coughing. You can catch the “can’t stop looking like treasure” disease.
- There’s a nest of mimics here, the children are hiding (poorly) as small coins and half-a-weapon. Easy to spot and kill, but if you do you’ll piss off the mama.
- There’s two mimics in this old vault. One’s great at replicating piles of silver (but nothing else) the other one’s the same but for gold. Obviously the players don’t know these ones have a ‘specialty’.
- Neon cyberpunk mimic – looks like a pile of 1980s cutting edge TVs. Sounds like a 56k modem.
- Fundamentally depressed mimic, it turns into ridiculously huge piles of treasure to bait idiots into killing it. Gets angrier the longer the players take killing it. Many have tried – its skin is scarred from all the impacts. (Any coins it turns into are dulled and scratched, but armour as platemail.)
- Assassin Mimic. Has accepted a contract to kill one of the PCs (chosen at random.) Always looks like treasure designed to appeal to them.
- You caught it mid-transformation, it’s half a chest of gold and half some kind of lizardy thing, it’s furious you’ve seen it ‘undressed’ like this
- Deep-sea barnacle mimic. Hangs from a roof disguised as a single platinum bar on a string, or a useful series of handholds up a slippery slope. Regenerates massively in saltwater.
- This mimic knows the real treasure is friendship, and it’s mildly psychic. It will appear looking like your best friend.
- Oni Mimic. Treasure pile always includes at least one beautiful jewelled horn and robes of red and blue. Speaks fluent japanese. Stats as ogre if roused.
- The mimic has formed a symbiotic relationship with a Giant spider. Turns itself into things good at killing or warding off spiders. A favourite is a light source, like a torch or lantern (emits no heat, and looks wrong up close.)
- Lava mimic. Remember the Aladdin disney movie, when they go to grab the treasure and everything turns to lava? That.