The Mimette [3.5 Race] A (Mostly) Humanoid Mimic

[Lix Lorn]

MIMETTE

Mimettes are a rare race of crossbreeds, created long ago by magic, combining the traits of humanoids with those of the aberrant shapeshifters known as Mimics. They can shift their forms in many ways, taking on the appearance of a normal humanoid, or using the favoured shape of their parent race-the chest. Many Mimettes actually spend a lot of time with part of their body in the form of a chest, the top half of their body curled up inside it.

TYPICAL MIMETTES
As befits a fluid, shapechanging species, Mimettes vary greatly in their natures and appearance. Some blend into the world of humanoids, never revealing their more esoteric forms and abilities, claiming the race of Changeling if pushed. Others do the opposite, giving up on civilisation and lurking in the wilderness, preying on travellers and adventurers as Mimics often do. Most take a middle path, refusing to stick to either life, instead living proudly as what they are.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
As Shapeshifters, a physical description is essentially useless for the Mimettes. However, their natural form rarely varies. They appear as a human, from the top of the legs up, but below is bonded to the bottom of a chest, which surrounds them. They are easily capable of fitting inside it, and often sleep there. Separating a Mimette from their chest is equally as fatal as separating a human from their legs. When they need to move, a Mimette will change their chest into something lighter-they generally form a second skin, resembling a tight bodysuit.

Relations With Other Races
When they first came to light, Mimettes were shunned as abominations, seen as a perverse fusion of the normal and the monstrous. However, their general friendliness and helpfulness are beginning to pay off-they are beginning to be accepted as oddities, rather than monsters, to be forgiven for their strangeness and adored for their talents. Humans in particular often find use for their abilities, while the forest elves are known to detest them.

Alignment
Mimettes show no real tendency to any of the nine alignments. Those that try to hide their nature tend towards lawful and/or good, while those that accept the life of a monster are often evil or chaotic. Those that are both lawful and evil, or chaotic and good are the most likely to seek another path: To stamp their mark upon the world, or to seek adventure.

Mimette Lands
Mimettes have no lands of their own. Most of them live in rural communities, while small amounts live in cities, or in the dungeons, caves, and dark, wild places favoured by Mimics.

Religion
Religious views vary greatly among Mimettes, with no one deity or pantheon having a particularly strong following. Deities that preach forgiveness are often favoured, especially those that denounce the philosophy that some creatures are monstrous by nature.

Language
Mimettes, by and large, get by speaking common, or the language of whatever community they have tried to integrate themselves into.

Common Names
Mimettes rarely choose names other than those similar to the people around them. Even if they desire to champion their species, they wouldn’t wish to curse their child with a name that draws further attention to what they are.

Adventurers
Mimettes are a generally passive race, preferring to stay in one place. This makes them more likely to be defences against adventurers than to become them. Of course, exceptions do exist-their natural strengths make them effective warriors, and their agility, charisma and disguises make them excellent thieves and con-artists.

Mimette Racial Traits
Abilities: Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2, Int -2, Wis -2 Cha +2. Mimettes mastery of form makes them strong of body, and their mercurial forms tend to be incredibly likeable. However, their ancestry makes them a little slow on the uptake.
Size: Medium, but see Mimic Shape.
Type: A Mimette is an Aberration, with the Shapechanger subtype. They are not subject to spells or effects that affect only humanoids, such as dominate person or charm person.
Movement Rate: 10ft in their natural form, but bear in mind Mimic Shape allows them to acquire the movement speed of another creature.
Mimic Shape: A Mimette can change their form to many different shapes, although the most common is a treasure chest. They may change their form to resemble any object of about the same volume. This ability can also be used to mimic an Alter Self effect, with the following differences: It has an unlimited duration, can be used to acquire humanoid or monstrous humanoid forms, and has a Caster level equal to the Mimette's total hit dice (Including class levels, but not LA). It takes a full round action to use.
Chest of Secrets: A Mimette’s most common form is similar to the Mimics; that of a treasure chest. The ‘chest’ actually follows them around irregardless of their form, taking on a subtler shape-such as very tight clothing-if it gets in the way. It grants a +3 bonus to natural armour, no matter what form the user takes, and can be used to store large quantities within-A Mimette has storage space equal to a Bag of Holding Type I within their own body, the chest forming a gateway to its inside.
Finally, if their form features a chest, they may use it to make a bite attack. This is a natural weapon dealing 1d8 damage, plus 1.5x their strength modifier.
Skills: A Mimette has a +4 racial bonus to disguise.
Favoured Class: Rogue, Factotum.
LA:+2
HD: 2 RHD.
Total Starting Character Level: Four Minimum, five for character levels.

[radmelon]

I like this race. It's somehow both original and uses something iconic. I may have to use this in a game.

[Pyromancer999]

Cool race.

Still, if I'm reading this right, from the top of the legs down, they're a treasure chest. So how would they be capable of moving 30 ft per round? Do they walk on their hands?

[Lix Lorn]

Originally Posted by radmelon

I like this race. It's somehow both original and uses something iconic. I may have to use this in a game.

Aw, thanks! Tell me how it works out?

Originally Posted by Pyromancer999

Cool race.

Still, if I'm reading this right, from the top of the legs down, they're a treasure chest. So how would they be capable of moving 30 ft per round? Do they walk on their hands?

Uh. By turning into something with legs? Wait, does alter self give you the new shape's movement speed? Cause if so they should get 10ft standard, same as a mimic, but with a note that alter self changes it.

[Doorhandle]

Cool race.

Still, if I'm reading this right, from the top of the legs down, they're a treasure chest. So how would they be capable of moving 30 ft per round? Do they walk on their hands?

Oh, no, they can just hop around.
See Rusty & Co.

[Lix Lorn]

Originally Posted by Doorhandle

Oh, no, they can just hop around.
See Rusty & Co.

Bookmarked. xD

[Larkas]

Hmmm, nice concept!

Originally Posted by Lix Lorn

Uh. By turning into something with legs? Wait, does alter self give you the new shape's movement speed? Cause if so they should get 10ft standard, same as a mimic, but with a note that alter self changes it.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way =/

Spoiler

Alter Self

Transmutation
Level: Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 2 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 10 min./level (D)

You assume the form of a creature of the same type as your normal form. The new form must be within one size category of your normal size. The maximum HD of an assumed form is equal to your caster level, to a maximum of 5 HD at 5th level. You can change into a member of your own kind or even into yourself.

You retain your own ability scores. Your class and level, hit points, alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses all remain the same. You retain all supernatural and spell-like special attacks and qualities of your normal form, except for those requiring a body part that the new form does not have (such as a mouth for a breath weapon or eyes for a gaze attack).

You keep all extraordinary special attacks and qualities derived from class levels, but you lose any from your normal form that are not derived from class levels.

If the new form is capable of speech, you can communicate normally. You retain any spellcasting ability you had in your original form, but the new form must be able to speak intelligibly (that is, speak a language) to use verbal components and must have limbs capable of fine manipulation to use somatic or material components.

You acquire the physical qualities of the new form while retaining your own mind. Physical qualities include natural size, mundane movement capabilities (such as burrowing, climbing, walking, swimming, and flight with wings, to a maximum speed of 120 feet for flying or 60 feet for nonflying movement), natural armor bonus, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, and so on), racial skill bonuses, racial bonus feats, and any gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, and so forth). A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal.

You do not gain any extraordinary special attacks or special qualities not noted above under physical qualities, such as darkvision, low-light vision, blindsense, blindsight, fast healing, regeneration, scent, and so forth.

You do not gain any supernatural special attacks, special qualities, or spell-like abilities of the new form. Your creature type and subtype (if any) remain the same regardless of your new form. You cannot take the form of any creature with a template, even if that template doesn’t change the creature type or subtype.

You can freely designate the new form’s minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that kind. The new form’s significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under your control, but they must fall within the norms for the new form’s kind. You are effectively disguised as an average member of the new form’s race. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check.

When the change occurs, your equipment, if any, either remains worn or held by the new form (if it is capable of wearing or holding the item), or melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When you revert to your true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on your body they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items you wore in the assumed form and can’t wear in your normal form fall off and land at your feet; any that you could wear in either form or carry in a body part common to both forms at the time of reversion are still held in the same way. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its true form.

Technically, you could only change into an aberration. Maybe you should use Polymorph with some restrictions?

Spoiler

Polymorph

Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Target: Willing living creature touched Duration: 1 min./level (D) Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No

This spell functions like alter self, except that you change the willing subject into another form of living creature. The new form may be of the same type as the subject or any of the following types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin. The assumed form can’t have more Hit Dice than your caster level (or the subject’s HD, whichever is lower), to a maximum of 15 HD at 15th level. You can’t cause a subject to assume a form smaller than Fine, nor can you cause a subject to assume an incorporeal or gaseous form. The subject’s creature type and subtype (if any) change to match the new form.

Upon changing, the subject regains lost hit points as if it had rested for a night (though this healing does not restore temporary ability damage and provide other benefits of resting; and changing back does not heal the subject further). If slain, the subject reverts to its original form, though it remains dead.

The subject gains the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the new form but retains its own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. It also gains all extraordinary special attacks possessed by the form but does not gain the extraordinary special qualities possessed by the new form or any supernatural or spell-like abilities.

Incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to being polymorphed, and a creature with the shapechanger subtype can revert to its natural form as a standard action.

Material Component: An empty cocoon.

Say it can only assume the humanoid type and that you keep your physical attributes. Maybe remove the part about recovering hit die too?

OR you could just give the Doppelganger's Change Shape proper =D

Spoiler

Change Shape (Su): A doppelganger can assume the shape of any Small or Medium humanoid. In humanoid form, the doppelganger loses its natural attacks. A doppelganger can remain in its humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but a doppelganger reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell or ability reveals its natural form.

Not sure if the Doppelganger's ability gives gives the movement speed of the chosen form, but that can be added in :)

[Lix Lorn]

Whoah so it doesn't.
NBD though, I can just edit it to say it mimics Alter Self but can be a humanoid. (shrugs) Thanks for pointing that out!

[Larkas]

That works too! And no problem, here to help :)

[Qwertystop]

Got to this from your sig, routed through your ooze-person-with-long-species-name thread. This looks pretty cool!

[diceweasel]

Cool concept and execution. Could the Mimic Shape be used to give its "chest" wheels, treads or Discworld luggage-style feet? That might be a cool way of giving them more movement. Personally, I think playing up the mimic ability to copy and incorporate inanimate objects is more interesting than letting them turn into any humanoid indefinitely through alter self. Maybe have Alter Self be a spell-like ability separate from their Mimic Shape, so that they are limited in how long they can maintain a humanoid form as opposed to an object form?

I totally want to make and run a Mimette character now, it just offers so many fun ideas.

[Lix Lorn]

Originally Posted by Qwertystop

Got to this from your sig, routed through your ooze-person-with-long-species-name thread. This looks pretty cool!

Heh, thanks.

Originally Posted by diceweasel

Cool concept and execution. Could the Mimic Shape be used to give its "chest" wheels, treads or Discworld luggage-style feet? That might be a cool way of giving them more movement. Personally, I think playing up the mimic ability to copy and incorporate inanimate objects is more interesting than letting them turn into any humanoid indefinitely through alter self. Maybe have Alter Self be a spell-like ability separate from their Mimic Shape, so that they are limited in how long they can maintain a humanoid form as opposed to an object form?

I totally want to make and run a Mimette character now, it just offers so many fun ideas.

It sure could, and I for one would call that legit if I was DMing.
They already can.

They may change their form to resemble any object of about the same volume. This ability can also be used to mimic an Alter Self effect,

EMphasis mine.