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Mummy 5e: Stats, Mummy Rot and Dreadful Glare
A mummy is a CR 3 undead with AC 11, 58 hit points, a slow 20-foot speed and vulnerability to fire. It hurts in two ways. Its Rotting Fist hits for bludgeoning plus necrotic damage and curses the target with mummy rot, which stops all healing and eats away at the victim's hit point maximum every day. Its Dreadful Glare frightens a target from 60 feet away. The 2024 mummy punches twice a turn and its curse no longer allows a saving throw, but its glare can't paralyze anymore and it lost its resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks.
Multiattack.The mummy can use its Dreadful Glare and makes one attack with its rotting fist.
Rotting Fist.Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with mummy rot. The cursed target can't regain hit points, and its hit point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours that elapse. If the curse reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and its body turns to dust. The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or other magic.
Dreadful Glare.The mummy targets one creature it can see within 60 ft. of it. If the target can see the mummy, it must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end of the mummy's next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare of all mummies (but not mummy lords) for the next 24 hours.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
On its turn the 2014 mummy uses Dreadful Glare and makes one Rotting Fist attack. The fist is +5 to hit for 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning plus 10 (3d6) necrotic, about 20 damage (20.5 on average dice), and the target makes a DC 12 Constitution save or contracts mummy rot.
The glare is the nastier half. The target has to be able to see the mummy and makes a DC 11 Wisdom save. On a failure it's frightened until the end of the mummy's next turn. If it fails by 5 or more (a total of 6 or lower), it's also paralyzed for the same time. A creature that succeeds is immune to the glare of every mummy (but not mummy lords) for 24 hours.
Defensively it has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks, immunity to necrotic and poison damage, and a long list of condition immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed and poisoned.
The Mummy in the 2024 Rules
The 2024 mummy (SRD 5.2.1) keeps CR 3, 700 XP, AC 11 and 58 hit points.
Multiattack.The mummy makes two Rotting Fist attacks and uses Dreadful Glare.
Rotting Fist.Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) Bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6) Necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it is cursed. While cursed, the target can’t regain Hit Points, its Hit Point maximum doesn’t return to normal when finishing a Long Rest, and its Hit Point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) every 24 hours that elapse. A creature dies and turns to dust if reduced to 0 Hit Points by this attack.
Dreadful Glare.Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 11, one creature the mummy can see within 60 feet. Failure: The target has the Frightened condition until the end of the mummy’s next turn. Success: The target is immune to this mummy’s Dreadful Glare for 24 hours.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014 Mummy
2024 Mummy
Size
Medium
Medium or Small
Multiattack
Dreadful Glare + one Rotting Fist
Two Rotting Fists + Dreadful Glare
Rotting Fist
+5, 10 bludgeoning + 10 necrotic
+5, 8 (1d10 + 3) bludgeoning + 10 necrotic
Mummy rot
DC 12 Con save to resist
No save: every hit curses
Dreadful Glare
DC 11 Wis; frightened, paralyzed if failed by 5+
DC 11 Wis; frightened only
Glare immunity on success
All mummies, 24 hours
This mummy, 24 hours
Damage resistances
Nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
None
Wisdom save / passive Perception
+2 / 10
+3 / 11
Languages
Those it knew in life
Common plus two other languages
The 2024 mummy is a steadier damage dealer and a worse lockdown monster. Each fist averages 19 (8.5 bludgeoning plus 10.5 necrotic). Two fists against AC 16 (hits on 11+, 50%) deal about 19 a round, close to double the 2014 version's 10, and each hit curses automatically. In exchange, the paralysis combo is gone, and a level 3 fighter's mundane sword now does full damage.
Mummy Rot: How the Curse Works
Mummy rot is the reason players remember mummies. Both editions agree on the core:
•The cursed target can't regain hit points. No potions, no Cure Wounds, no Hit Dice on a rest.
•Its hit point maximum drops by 10 (3d6) every 24 hours.
•It dies when the curse wins: in 2014, when the curse reduces its hit point maximum to 0, the body turns to dust. In 2024, a creature reduced to 0 hit points by the Rotting Fist dies and turns to dust, and the general 2024 rule that a creature dies when its hit point maximum reaches 0 covers the slow version.
Not stated in the stat block; Remove Curse ends all curses
Remove Curse is a 3rd-level spell, so a level 3 party can't cast it yet. That turns the curse into a clock. A cursed character with 28 hit points loses about 10 maximum per day; in roughly three days the curse alone has taken all of it. Greater Restoration (5th level) also works: each casting removes one effect, either the curse or the reduction to the hit point maximum. Lesser Restoration does not; it ends a disease or a condition, and mummy rot is a curse.
The 2024 death clause is the sharper one. "Reduced to 0 hit points by this attack" means a cursed character at 0 hit points from the mummy's fist doesn't get death saving throws. It's dust.
How Mummies Fight
A mummy has Intelligence 6 and a 20-foot speed. It doesn't chase. It waits in a tomb for the party to come to it, then works the room with its glare.
The 2014 combo: glare, then punch. The glare comes first in the Multiattack. Against a character with Wisdom +0, it frightens 50% of the time and paralyzes 30% of the time. A paralyzed target gives the mummy Advantage on the fist, and any hit from within 5 feet is a critical hit. A critical Rotting Fist averages 38 damage (4d6 + 3 bludgeoning plus 6d6 necrotic), enough to drop most level 3 characters from full. The mummy should glare at the wizard or the rogue, whose Wisdom saves are usually worst, and punch whoever is closest.
Frighten to split the party. A frightened character can't willingly move closer to the mummy and has Disadvantage on attacks while it can see it. Glare at the fighter or paladin walking up to engage, so the mummy's fist lands on someone softer.
The 2024 version just hits. Two fists a turn at +5 means about a 75% chance to land at least one hit against AC 16, and every hit is a curse. Use the glare on the character most likely to rescue the target, and keep punching the same one.
Damage per round against AC 16:
Mummy turn
Average damage
2014: one Rotting Fist (50% to hit, 20.5 per hit)
about 10
2014: fist with Advantage against a paralyzed target (75% to hit, every hit a 38-damage crit)
about 28
2024: two Rotting Fists (50% each, 19 per hit)
19
Stay in the dark, away from fire. A mummy has darkvision 60 feet. It should fight among sarcophagi and narrow halls where the party can't line up a fire spell on it from range.
How Many Mummies for Your Party?
A mummy is worth 700 XP. Using the 2024 SRD 5.2.1 budget for four characters:
Zombies are CR 1/4 (50 XP) and make good guards to slow the party down. Under the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide guidelines that our encounter difficulty calculator uses, a single mummy is a Medium fight for four level 3 characters. Two mummies at level 5 come to 1,400 XP, times 1.5 for a pair, or 2,100: Medium again. Three at level 5 are 4,200 after the multiplier: Hard, just under the 4,400 Deadly threshold.
Count the curse, not just the fight. XP budgets measure one combat. Mummy rot hurts the next three days, too. If a level 3 party has no way to reach a temple, a Moderate mummy fight can end a character a few sessions later. Put a priest who can cast Remove Curse within reach, or make finding one the next adventure.
For a boss, the mummy lord is CR 15 and casts spells. Ordinary mummies make good guards for one.
How Players Beat Mummies
•Fire. Mummies are vulnerable to fire, so fire damage is doubled. Burning Hands averages 10.5, or 21 against a mummy on a failed save. Fireball averages 28, which becomes 56 on a failure, leaving a 58-hit-point mummy with 2. A torch used as a weapon deals 1 fire damage on a hit in both editions, which a mummy takes as 2. It's small, but it adds up over a long fight.
•Magic weapons and spells (2014). The 2014 mummy halves bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. Spells and magic weapons ignore that. The 2024 mummy has no resistance, so this concern goes away.
•Break line of sight (2014). The 2014 glare only works if the target can see the mummy. A character who is blinded, behind total cover or simply looking away isn't affected. The 2024 glare only needs the mummy to see the target.
•Use the glare immunity. A character who saves against the 2014 glare is immune to every mummy's glare for 24 hours. Put that character up front.
•Hit its Dexterity and Intelligence. Its Dexterity is -1 and its Intelligence -2. Dexterity-save spells such as Fireball combine a weak save with its vulnerability.
•Get cursed characters to a cleric. Remove Curse ends mummy rot in both editions. Plan the trip home before the tomb, not after.
Mummy Encounter Ideas
The collector's gallery. A rich collector has bought three sarcophagi from a desert dig and displays them in her townhouse. One isn't empty. The party is hired to find out why her servants keep falling ill and can't be healed. The cursed servants have a few days to live, which puts a timer on the investigation.
The thieves who came back. A crew of tomb robbers returns to town with treasure, and one of them can't stop losing weight. He was hit in the tomb and hid it. He'll pay the party everything he took to find someone who can lift the curse, but the temple wants the treasure returned to the tomb first.
The sealed corridor. A tomb's main hall holds two mummies at the far end of a 60-foot corridor with no cover. Under 2014 rules the mummies glare down the hall as soon as anyone looks in. The players can fight in the open, blindfold themselves and advance by sound, or find the side passage the builders used.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is a mummy in 5e?
A mummy is CR 3 (700 XP) in both the 2014 and 2024 rules. It has AC 11 and 58 hit points.
What does mummy rot do in 5e?
A target cursed with mummy rot can't regain hit points, and its hit point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) every 24 hours. In 2014 the target dies and turns to dust if the curse reduces its maximum to 0. In 2024 a creature dies and turns to dust if the Rotting Fist reduces it to 0 hit points.
How do you cure mummy rot?
Remove Curse ends it in both editions; the 2014 stat block names it directly, and the spell ends all curses on a creature. Greater Restoration can also end the curse, though each casting removes only one effect (the curse or the hit point maximum reduction).
Are mummies weak to fire in 5e?
Yes. Both the 2014 and 2024 mummy have vulnerability to fire, so fire damage against them is doubled.
Can a mummy's Dreadful Glare paralyze you?
In 2014, yes: if you fail the DC 11 Wisdom save by 5 or more, you're paralyzed as well as frightened until the end of the mummy's next turn. The 2024 glare only frightens.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.