this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2026
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This is why I don't throw mimics at my players.
I do homebrew stuff, so all the surprise-bad-time monsters are surprises for everyone
Presuming you don't play Palladium fantasy, since no one does, you could steal this critter
Corpse creature
Lies in ruins looking like a week old corpse, wearing something obvious and valuable, such as a gold pendant
When someone tries to remove the valuable the corpse creature grabs them strongly by the neck and strangles them
The corpse creature doesn't collect loot, doesn't eat their kills, it's just out to bait and murder
In the Palladium system it has a strength of 23, you'd probably want to make it moderately powerful but only on its first attack
If a group approaches it'll keep playing dead, it only attacks lone individuals
Ooh, interesting. I'll definitely keep that idea in my back pocket!
If your players are wary of mimics even if you've never given them one you should give them one. They might not want mimics, but they do want that AHA I KNEW IT moment
True! The main thing is that surprises are only fun if they don't screw you over too bad. But once you're warned? Then you can play hardball 😈
do you have a personal favorite so far?
All sorts! What system and setting are you running?
I'm not running anything, I was just curious what you have cooked up
Well in the session i'm prepping this week, there's a giant carnivorous bramble plant that's pretty hard to spot until you're already knee-deep in it. It's completely inert until you scratch yourself on its thorns. Once it's tasted your blood, though, it will grab you and drag you off to its heart, where it slowly drains you dry.
It makes traveling though the forest a very deadly proposition for anyone who doesn't know how to spot them.