Simularci - ways to get,best to have

[Quertus]

Simulacrum seems to be one of the best spells in 3.x, and I have used it to great effect before. I've made a Phoenix Simulacrum for looks, and all the heals. I've made the tower staffed by a wizard's self-simulacri. I've made simulacri beholders and beholder variants. I've built a "magical trap" that was actually a dragon simulacrum imbedded in the walls. And, of course, I've made simulacri of wish-granting monsters, to have all the wishes.

But it was always, "my character is X... oh, and I happened to have Simulacrum".

I was wondering, if you had a character who really focused on Simulacrum, just what would that look like, how early could you get it, and just what could you do with it?

[Flickerdart]

For future reference, the plural of simulacrum is simulacra.

If you want a character built around making robot clones of things, Effigy Master (CArc) might be a good starting point.