Simulacrum Clarification

[RoboEmperor]

has only one-half of the real creature’s levels or Hit Dice (and the appropriate hit points, feats, skill ranks, and special abilities for a creature of that level or HD).

Does the penalty only apply to hit die, hit points, feats, skill ranks, and special abilities?

Does that mean the simulacrum retains the base creature's attack bonus, natural weapons, supernatural abilities, extraordinary abilities, and spell like abilities as long as none of them are dependent on hit die?

So if I make a simulacrum of a Greater Stone Golem, would it be identical to the original in every way except hit die?

Also, if you buy a scroll of simulacrum, do you get to choose what to make a simulacrum out of or is it predetermined in the scroll? What type of simulacrum appears is based on material components, but the material components are inside the scroll, and simulacrum doesn't have a target.

srd says

Assumes no XP cost in excess of 1,000 gp.

as a note for the scroll of simulacrum. What does this mean?

Reasons for these questions is i want to be a guy who sells soldiers, so once a day, with a rod of excellent magic, I want to make simulacrums and sell it. Two a day if I can afford a second rod of excellent magic, and so on :)

But with ignore material spell component... I can become a factory! Or a bad-ass illusionist who throws simulacrums against adventurers trying to stop me!

[Curmudgeon]

Does the penalty only apply to hit die, hit points, feats, skill ranks, and special abilities?
The penalty applies to those examples, and everything else dependent on level or HD. If the original creature had 5 levels of Fighter followed by 5 levels of Wizard, the Simulacrum wouldn't have any Wizard class features.

[RoboEmperor]

The penalty applies to those examples, and everything else dependent on level or HD. If the original creature had 5 levels of Fighter followed by 5 levels of Wizard, the Simulacrum wouldn't have any Wizard class features.

So lets say I make a simulacrum of a Greater Stone Golem. Would the simulacrum be completely identical to the greater stone golem except for hit die?

[Curmudgeon]

If your result was a Greater Stone Golem, then yes. However, I don't think that's possible. A Greater Stone Golem has exactly 42 HD, and no Advancement ability. If you had something with 21 HD it wouldn't qualify as a Greater Stone Golem. You'd need to start with something that had 84 HD to end up with the minimum requirement for that creature.

[RoboEmperor]

If your result was a Greater Stone Golem, then yes. However, I don't think that's possible. A Greater Stone Golem has exactly 42 HD, and no Advancement ability. If you had something with 21 HD it wouldn't qualify as a Greater Stone Golem. You'd need to start with something that had 84 HD to end up with the minimum requirement for that creature.

? o_o I'm confused.
Simulacrum is a copy except weaker, so this would be a copy of a greater stone golem except weaker. Why wouldn't a 21HD greater stone golem not qualify as a stone golem. what does that even mean o_o

[Crake]

If your result was a Greater Stone Golem, then yes. However, I don't think that's possible. A Greater Stone Golem has exactly 42 HD, and no Advancement ability. If you had something with 21 HD it wouldn't qualify as a Greater Stone Golem. You'd need to start with something that had 84 HD to end up with the minimum requirement for that creature.

By that logic you wouldn't be able to make a simulacrum of any non-advanced creature, since it will have half the racial HD of the creature, and thus not have enough HD for the "minimum requirement for that creature".

Creatures can lose racial HD via methods like resurrection anyway, so that's a moot point.

[RoboEmperor]

By that logic you wouldn't be able to make a simulacrum of any non-advanced creature, since it will have half the racial HD of the creature, and thus not have enough HD for the "minimum requirement for that creature".

Creatures can lose racial HD via methods like resurrection anyway, so that's a moot point.

Yeah, my understanding is the same as this guy's.

[Allanimal]

Does the penalty only apply to hit die, hit points, feats, skill ranks, and special abilities?

Does that mean the simulacrum retains the base creature's attack bonus, natural weapons, supernatural abilities, extraordinary abilities, and spell like abilities as long as none of them are dependent on hit die?



Also, if you buy a scroll of simulacrum, do you get to choose what to make a simulacrum out of or is it predetermined in the scroll? What type of simulacrum appears is based on material components, but the material components are inside the scroll, and simulacrum doesn't have a target.

srd says


as a note for the scroll of simulacrum. What does this mean?

Reasons for these questions is i want to be a guy who sells soldiers, so once a day, with a rod of excellent magic, I want to make simulacrums and sell it. Two a day if I can afford a second rod of excellent magic, and so on :)

But with ignore material spell component... I can become a factory! Or a bad-ass illusionist who throws simulacrums against adventurers trying to stop me!

BAB is based on HD, so that is affected.

The note in the SRD about 1000 xp means that the scroll cost listed is for a 10 HD creature, as a simulacrum has an XP component of 100 xp per HD. A scroll of simulacrum with a higher HD creature would cost more.

[RoboEmperor]

BAB is based on HD, so that is affected.

The note in the SRD about 1000 xp means that the scroll cost listed is for a 10 HD creature, as a simulacrum has an XP component of 100 xp per HD. A scroll of simulacrum with a higher HD creature would cost more.

I see. So BAB is affected. Reading Urpriest's monster guide to find out what else...

So I am right that a simulacrum scroll contains a preset creature right?

[Psyren]

That line is there purely so your DM has license to rein in whatever you try and make. There is no RAW answer because the qualifier "appropriate" is highly subjective.

[Doc_Maynot]

I see. So BAB is affected. Reading Urpriest's monster guide to find out what else...

So I am right that a simulacrum scroll contains a preset creature right?

99% sure that the answer is yes. Since the scroll accounts for all material/XP components and those are the ones that determine the creature you create.

[Chronos]

You could argue that you can make a simulacrum of a greater stone golem, but the copy would have only the abilities appropriate to a 21 HD greater stone golem. What abilities are those? The rules don't say.