Mimic

Version 0.16: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Mimics are mischievous entities which harmlessly toy with passing adventurers. They disguise themselves as randomly generated (often high quality) loot or as dungeon features. However, once you come within a one-tile radius of them, they will "vanish and cackle," disappearing from the game forever. Item mimics can be disappointing, but not dangerous. Dungeon feature mimics, however, can be hazardous in rare cases: if you find yourself fleeing from an opponent and in need of a staircase to a safe floor, be aware that an untested staircase may turn out to be illusory.

History

Prior to 0.16, mimics were a category of monster which would resemble items or dungeon features, only to attack once the player got close enough. They came in standard, inept, and ravenous varieties.