[PF] Simulacrum spell, rules/opinions + an evaluation of a mission

[DonDuckie]

I'm trying to figure out what options I have here.

I'm making an NPC, a 40th level character; fighter 20th/diviner 20th.
He got all fighter levels before wizard levels. (Unoptimized)

Now he wants to create some simulacrums of himself.

Can/must he make
a) a 20th level fighter?
b) a 20th level diviner?
c) a 10th level fighter/10th level diviner?
d) any combination he wishes that results in 20 HD?

Now for the second issue: This crazy level NPC is a bodyguard for an 11th level aristocrat(the king) along with six 11th level fighter or other martial types. Possibly simulacrums, but probably not.

What would you say the chances are for a 14th level party of 5 or 6 assassins(not the PrC, but the occupation) to kill the king and escape?
some thing are in place:
- the king is in a great hall with nobles and knights, and his guard and some servants.
- the king can't leave the hall.
- the assassins have the element of surprise(unless they use scry).
- the hall has no magical defense worth mentioning.
- the nobles must not to be killed.
- the attendants with magic capability have only cantrips available.
- the assassins must not leave their own dead bodies behind.
- if possible they should try to prevent resurrection of the king.
- the crazy level bodyguard is using plate armor and tower shield, so high ASF.
- EDIT: the king does have some magical protection.

Is this a possible mission? It not "supposed-to-succeed" or "supposed-to-fail", the outcome will set up the following plot.


The players play the assassins, while their characters are attendants in the hall. So it's a one-shot to set up the plot. So lastly: what do you think of this approach?

I have never GM'ed before, it's just a campaign I'm playing around with.

[DonDuckie]

Sorry, I'll bump this only once, promise... if still no answers, I'll let it go.

1) Simulacrum question: I would appreciate opinions as much as rulings.
+ I lean towards: fgt 10/div 10, which is closest to "half" as powerful

Q: your take
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2) Assassination objectives priority:
- attack the king/realm
- evade capture and leave no bodies behind(yours)
- kill the king
- prevent resurrection

Q: possible? likely?
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3) Mission Approach:
- Single mission with different characters to set up plot
- The assassins will be resurrected if killed(and brought back), which would explain self-sacrifice for the mission.
- Players will receive a "boon" for completion(house-rule award: can be traded for items, wealth, check-bonus, clues, a feat, or anything cool and reasonable)

Q: your take on this(and other) types of mini-games in a campaign?
----------------
extra Q: am I formulated the questions wrong? since I'm not getting much reply(I know, i wasn't very patient)

[subject42]

If I'm reading this right, I'd almost say that you have to build it in the same order that the creature took its levels, so if it the NPC in question went Fighter 1 - 20/Wizard 1 - 20, you'd get a Fighter 20.

That said, you're the DM.


Now on to a question for you. Why in the world is a 40th level NPC working as a lowly bodyguard and not lording over the entire planet?

[DonDuckie]

Now on to a question for you. Why in the world is a 40th level NPC working as a lowly bodyguard and not lording over the entire planet?

he's loosely based on a character I once played, the campaign ended with the party watching two gods fight it out, while the rest of the party was escaping the energy vortex, he sacrificed himself to manipulate the outcome, and two natural 20's later, one god was gone, his divinity went to my character - the end(of that story).

the winning god then punishes him for meddling, and suppresses his energy for the rest of time for that multiverse.

this is getting kinda long-winded...

he makes a pact with a "power beyond gods" to be reborn as a mortal. He's born with full memory of his past life, and his commitment: to serve the "holder of the stone", which he can't hold.

it's preliminary for now, but he can serve forever or he can cease to exist, by the judgement of the pact. In this, true pacts become a force of themselves to monitor the parties of it self.

I'm still working out a lot, and this may only make sense to me.

[subject42]

he makes a pact with a "power beyond gods" to be reborn as a mortal. He's born with full memory of his past life, and his commitment: to serve the "holder of the stone", which he can't hold.

I hope you don't have any players that read this forum and have max ranks in Sleight of Hand.

[DonDuckie]

I think I'm the only one from my group in here, the rest have played a lot longer than me, and they don't always appreciate the mechanics-focused builds, that I so enjoy.

But it's not a big problem, I would just change the 'stone'. And besides, we play nice with eachother - fun first, always. Which also contributes to my shock and amusement of some of the threads in here.

[subject42]

But it's not a big problem, I would just change the 'stone'.

It was mostly just a joke.

In terms of your questions for an assassination, it would largely depend on party composition and player creativity, as well as their willingness to cause massive property damage.

Dimensional Lock + Barring all of the egress points + Empowered Cloudkill would probably be a phenomenal opening move if the assassins have spellcasters handy and can find a useful vantage point that allows line of effect.

If the assassins consist entirely of straight-ahead fighters and barbarians, I don't think they would be able to overpower the guards and kill the king without also dying in the process.

[DonDuckie]

It was mostly just a joke.

In terms of your questions for an assassination, it would largely depend on party composition and player creativity, as well as their willingness to cause massive property damage.

Dimensional Lock + Barring all of the egress points + Empowered Cloudkill would probably be a phenomenal opening move if the assassins have spellcasters handy and can find a useful vantage point that allows line of effect.

If the assassins consist entirely of straight-ahead fighters and barbarians, I don't think they would be able to overpower the guards and kill the king without also dying in the process.

Yeah. That's why the lord who hired them said don't kill lords(one dead lord is fail), and they are supposed to be a professional killing crew. So I would hope this takes up at least half a session, I enjoy planning battles, and from experience, so does the rest of the group, and from these boards so do many other groups. Only to see them fail misserably, which is also fun.

It'll probably only be five rounds at most. It's a small thing, I just really like the idea for setting up plot, instead of - something happened while your characters weren't there, or it happens as a narative with them there and the GM talking to himself.

The characters will be around level 6 or 7 at this point and unarmed, and attending the ceremony. The campaign focuses more on player activity than character screentime, if that makes sense.

And I don't like nerfing the world to scale to their power. Because these events and NPCs will matter later. But hopefully I'll get a better grasp of encounters with wide power spreads.