Small chance that a collector chest can actually be a mimic (perhaps same spawn rate as chest of sorrow/rage).
The mimic is inactive until a player first tries to open it at which point it attacks the player and bites them for damage. The mimic will chase the player a certain distance before becoming inactive again, but it will aggro if a player gets close (no opening necessary). The mimic can be killed, but should have a strong amount of hit points to make it somewhat of a challenge.
The mimic can be fed raw or cooked meat items to make it become inactive for a certain amount of time so that it can be carried.
Sell mechanics: The mimic can be sold to the goldhoarder or the order of souls and is worth the amount of food (or mermaid gems - see below) that was fed to it. If the mimic is killed, then it would drop a gold pile equal to some lesser percentage (75%?) of what it has been fed.
A mimic that has been significantly damaged may be worth a smaller percentage overall when sold (down to the floor percentage suggested above).
Combat mechanics: The mimic can be fed 1 mermaid gem type to affect its aggressive behavior. In addition to biting players, it would "burp" the following affects:
The mimic can still be fed meat items to calm it down even after being fed a gem
Blue mermaid gem - The mimic spits water (similar to bucket mechanic) in addition to biting attacks.
Green mermaid gem - The mimic spits puke water (similar to bucket mechanic) in addition to biting attacks.
Red mermaid gem - The mimic periodically spew flames (similar to Ashen Skull mechanic) in addition to biting attacks.
Hopefully, this could make the mimic both valuable as a way to stockpile food value if you're too lazy to cook and as a combat device.
Other miscellaneous mechanics to consider:
- The mimic can be harpooned. It can be held on a harpoon for QOL purposes if you don't want it biting you in the hold or don't have food to feed it.
- It's bite can set off a gunpowder barrel.
- The color of its eyes or mouth opening may reflect the mermaid gem color.
- It can attack you in the water, but it cannot swim toward you.
- It can damage NPCs, but NPCs can kill it to avoid abusing this feature.
- It can kill and eat animals that get too close, if hungry.
- When hungry/aggroed, it will chase the closest player/NPC/animal that gets close to it. It may jump off of a ship or rowboat if chasing an animal (shark near a rowboat?).
- Will chase pets?
