So, in my latest campaign I've devised a series of new monsters with interesting gimmicks, and of them I believe my favorite might be the "Mirror Monster" that I haven't found a great name for yet. Till then, it's just Mirror Monster.
Essentially, this enemy is a CR 18, lurking in every single mirror of the dungeon with complete capability of fleeing from fights rather easily if given the chance. All the same it can surprise the party during what are normally the much easier fights within it.
The "Castle of Reflection" the dungeon it's located in, has, what else, many reflective surfaces. These usually take the form of mirrors, and the boss is annoying the party throughout the entire dungeon until they come to a room with giant mirrors on both sides of the walls. There is another room where the whole ceiling is a mirror, and another where the floor is a mirror where the monster attempts to use it's "Replace Existence" ability to pull a player into the mirror world.
The Mirror Monster can only be hit by the reflections within the mirrors, which means that, due to the wonkiness of that, has constant concealment as if you are using a mirror to hit it, like fighting a Medusa or Basilisk
If a player is not in the reflection of the mirror, the monster cannot hit them, and they can't hit the monster. All the same this means that, on a medium sized mirror, only 2 people may actually hit the monster at once, which poses an issue.
The Mirror monster IS capable of hitting enemies within the mirrors while not perfectly in view as it treats the mirrors as somewhat of a dimension of it's own and can freely walk about them, and has a pervading, yet increasing chance of being in the mirrors similarly to a wandering monster. There are no less than 30 mirrors within the Castle of Reflection, and that excludes the large ones.
While mostly a creature bent on the destruction of the players, the Mirror Monster doesn't enjoy it's trapped situation, and as a result of that, also attempts to escape at any opportunity. While not entirely capable of leaving on it's own, the Mirror Monster Can reach out of one of the mirrors with it's 20 foot reach, grapple, and pull a player into the mirror and be allowed to leave as a result. It replaces the player in the same action.
Things to note:
- The Mirror Monster has no Reflection, and as a result, the player who is replaced is incapable of defeating it.
- Replaced players cast no reflection within the mirror, and don't appear outside of it.
- The Mirror Monster is a CR 18, but has 4 negative levels that it regains when it replaces itself with a creature, making it a CR 21.
- The Mirror Monster cannot appear in shattered mirrors, and shattering a mirror it's in grants it a temporary negative level. This is easier said than done, however, as the mirrors in the Castle of Reflection are quite sturdy due to magical enhancement and their creation process.
- Shattering a mirror with a PC in it bestows 2 negative levels upon them, and makes it where the PC can't escape through that mirror. Just the same, the Mirror Monster can't replace the PC in the shattered Mirror either.
- The Mirror Monster may crack any mirror it exits as a free action.
- The Mirror Monster is completely immune to Illusion based effects.
- The Mirror Monster is treated as a Daemon for purposes of Immunities and resistances.
- While within a Mirror, the Mirror Monster has Fast Healing 5 and can, and will lick it's wounds by escaping to an area where it can't be seen or attacked. It does this when placed below half health.
- A Mirror Monster is entirely capable of attacking a player too close to a mirror, and if it places itself between the player and his reflection, has a concealment of 50% as turning around to hit it counts it as invisible.
- True sight is useless against a Mirror Monster, as well as See Invisibility, as neither spell reveals the monsters location within the current plane.
What do you guys think? Is he a nifty monster? I'd like to get your opinions.
Add a mirror coating clause where if the mirror is covered with anything the mirror monster must sunder the object before it may attack, and if the mirror that the monster tries to grab through is coated with a translucent substance such as grease the mirror monsters grab attack makes it coated automatically and to notice the coating without witnessing the first application is a DC 25 perception check.
It may be cool to add some errata for symbol of mirroring.
@Iterman - Generally speaking the Castle is practically full of closed corridors, actually. Most of them aren't more than 40 feet wide and the ones that are have the giant mirrors. to worry about, and even those only have 20 foot high ceilings. Teleport does work to escape, and as does pass-wall, but only if used on the mirror. Doing this drags the Mirror Monster back into the mirror world, however, at which point it knows to choose better.
Dispel magic works as well, but they have to beat a 31 check. On another note, breaking the mirror with the monster in it doesn't hurt the players if they're in the material plane.
@Emmanuel Nouvellon-Pugh - That's a nifty thought and I like it, but the grease would fall off as the arm trailed back through the mirror.
Also in regards to the rest of the dungeon, some of the mirrors are actually mirrors that create doppelgangers of the present players with 3 negative levels each. This was made particularly hilarious in the playtest when one of the players charged down a hallway with 4 of them.