Mummy
Medium Undead · · CR 3
- Undead
- Medium
- Tier 1
Ranges across desert, ruins, and underground; Mummy lists at CR 3 as a medium undead (lawful evil). Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 3
- Type
- Undead
- Size
- Medium
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Desert, Ruins, Underground
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024), Flee, Mortals!
Ecology
Mummies are preserved corpses of ancient priests, kings, and warriors, animated by curse or ritual to guard tombs. They lair in pyramids, desert ruins, and sealed sarcophagus chambers. They feed on no flesh, sustained by curse-magic. They cannot reproduce but can be created by necromancers or mummy lords through ritual. They persist for millennia if undisturbed, slowly accumulating dust and despair. They share territory with other tomb-undead, including skeletons and shadows, often commanded by mummy lords or lich-priests.
Behaviour
Mummies are slow, patient, and methodical. They emerge from sarcophagi only when seals are broken or rituals are performed. They pursue tomb-violators relentlessly, applying mummy rot to ensure long-term suffering. They communicate in dead languages, often whispering prayers to vanished gods. They take no pleasure in killing, viewing it as duty. They retreat to their sarcophagi to regenerate, requiring fire to permanently destroy. They cannot be reasoned with, as their curse drives them beyond persuasion.
Origin
Mummies are created via ancient burial rituals that bind soul and body together, intended to grant immortality to favored priests and rulers. The rituals invariably go wrong, trapping souls in undead servitude. Some mummies were created by mummy lords for guardian duty. Others arose spontaneously when burial taboos were broken. Mummy rot is a curse infused into wrappings during the binding, ensuring violators suffer beyond death. The first mummies trace back to ancient desert empires now lost to time.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Mummy
- What is the challenge rating of Mummy?
- Mummy is rated CR 3. The rating fits parties at the start of their adventuring careers.
- What type of creature is Mummy?
- Mummy is classified as a undead in D&D 5e, medium size.
- Where does Mummy live?
- You'll find Mummy in Desert, Ruins, Underground according to the bestiary entry.