…Sorry, you’re acting smug, but I’m not sure what you’re even trying to say. Did you not read my comment? Mimics breathe. Breathing causes motion. Ergo, they aren’t motionless. If you can spot the motion, you can distinguish them from a regular item. If not, you can’t.
Breathing doesn’t guarantee that you can see something lol. Show me a breathing insect with its “chest” moving up and down. If you account for evolution then mimics who could best hide their breathing are also absolutely something that would happen. Plenty of mammals can hold their breath underwater a crazy amount of time. A mimic that could also position and shape its body would have no trouble hiding its breathing.
They’re motionless and indistinguishable and you’re just going to have to deal with that.
Bonus: the way to find them out would be to see if a character notices them looking out of place. Maybe it’s a contested stealth vs incestigation/perception role, or maybe the description of the room even has clues. There are absolutely other ways to “safely” discover them aside from breathing.
Of course it doesn’t guarantee it. That’s why you roll dice.
Does evolution apply to aberations? And would evolution not grant the same benefit to every living being as well? Not to mention, co-evolution would lead to better mimic detection, surely.
I don’t see why I have to deal with your fiction over mine.
My dude, I take your point, but you’re writing in properties for the mimic that aren’t in the rules, based on your real world perception of how things work. That isn’t applicable to the game mechanics. If you really have to have something to wrap your head around to explain the mimic both breathing and being imperceptible while impersonating an object, then model mimic breathing as some form of motionless skin breathing. Just realise that when you go digging for another reason to say why you can see it happening, its your model that is wrong, not the rules.
…you’re writing in properties for the mimic that aren’t in the rules…
The rules don’t say goblins breathe, either. If you can’t extrapolate that living creatures breathe, you’re not doing a good job.
…to explain the mimic both breathing and being imperceptible
I’m quite clearly doing the opposite, though. As does the lore attached to it, which clearly says “a mimic in its altered form is nearly unrecognizable”. Nearly unrecognizable means it is recognizable.
…some form of motionless skin breathing.
Okay, now you’re the one writing in properties that aren’t in the rules. Especially since its skin can be just wood.
…its your model that is wrong, not the rules.
No, neither are wrong. You just misunderstood the rules. And my model. The rules say they are indistinguishable when motionless. I say they aren’t motionless. No contradiction.
Couldn’t the mimics just hold their breath for a long time? I also see no problem with them having a physiology so different that their body literally doesn’t move when they breathe, but I don’t play D&D, so maybe I’m missing something with that.
In Dark Souls, mimics breathe slowly. Like, 17 seconds per breath. It’s tough to spot, but you can spot it if you’re cautious. Since it’s proven to catch people off guard, but CAN be spotted, I figure, why not use what works?
…Sorry, you’re acting smug, but I’m not sure what you’re even trying to say. Did you not read my comment? Mimics breathe. Breathing causes motion. Ergo, they aren’t motionless. If you can spot the motion, you can distinguish them from a regular item. If not, you can’t.
Breathing doesn’t guarantee that you can see something lol. Show me a breathing insect with its “chest” moving up and down. If you account for evolution then mimics who could best hide their breathing are also absolutely something that would happen. Plenty of mammals can hold their breath underwater a crazy amount of time. A mimic that could also position and shape its body would have no trouble hiding its breathing.
They’re motionless and indistinguishable and you’re just going to have to deal with that.
Bonus: the way to find them out would be to see if a character notices them looking out of place. Maybe it’s a contested stealth vs incestigation/perception role, or maybe the description of the room even has clues. There are absolutely other ways to “safely” discover them aside from breathing.
Of course it doesn’t guarantee it. That’s why you roll dice.
Does evolution apply to aberations? And would evolution not grant the same benefit to every living being as well? Not to mention, co-evolution would lead to better mimic detection, surely.
I don’t see why I have to deal with your fiction over mine.
My dude, I take your point, but you’re writing in properties for the mimic that aren’t in the rules, based on your real world perception of how things work. That isn’t applicable to the game mechanics. If you really have to have something to wrap your head around to explain the mimic both breathing and being imperceptible while impersonating an object, then model mimic breathing as some form of motionless skin breathing. Just realise that when you go digging for another reason to say why you can see it happening, its your model that is wrong, not the rules.
The rules don’t say goblins breathe, either. If you can’t extrapolate that living creatures breathe, you’re not doing a good job.
I’m quite clearly doing the opposite, though. As does the lore attached to it, which clearly says “a mimic in its altered form is nearly unrecognizable”. Nearly unrecognizable means it is recognizable.
Okay, now you’re the one writing in properties that aren’t in the rules. Especially since its skin can be just wood.
No, neither are wrong. You just misunderstood the rules. And my model. The rules say they are indistinguishable when motionless. I say they aren’t motionless. No contradiction.
Couldn’t the mimics just hold their breath for a long time? I also see no problem with them having a physiology so different that their body literally doesn’t move when they breathe, but I don’t play D&D, so maybe I’m missing something with that.
In Dark Souls, mimics breathe slowly. Like, 17 seconds per breath. It’s tough to spot, but you can spot it if you’re cautious. Since it’s proven to catch people off guard, but CAN be spotted, I figure, why not use what works?