Simulacrum + Planar Binding

[ATHATH]

Suppose that Bob the Wizard and Jimmy the Moon Druid want to get up to some s h e n a n i g a n s. By RAW, would the following plan work?
1. Bob casts Simulacrum on Jimmy.
2. Jimmy's simulacrum burns two of their uses of Wild Shape to turn themselves into an earth elemental.
3. Bob casts an upcasted Planar Binding on Jimmy's simulacrum, which is now an Elemental and thus a valid target for Planar Binding.
4. Bob and Jimmy party with simulacrum!Jimmy for the next month or so, after which they repeat the process again.

Also, the spell says that the simulacrum can't regain HP, but can it regain Wild Shape uses? What if it has the Druid capstone of infinite Wild Shape uses?

Also, because of this line, do simulacra revert to snow if they reach 0 HP while in Wild Shape (or Shapechange) form?

The simulacrum lasts until it drops to 0 hit points, at which point it reverts to snow and melts instantly.

Also also, how does Wish's duplication of an 8th level or lower spell interact with upcasting? Does casting Wish to replicate the effect of a lower level spell count as expending a 9th level spell slot for that spell for the purpose of upcasting? Can Wish mimic an 8th level Planar Binding, or just a 5th level one?

[MaxWilson]

Suppose that Bob the Wizard and Jimmy the Moon Druid want to get up to some s h e n a n i g a n s. By RAW, would the following plan work?
1. Bob casts Simulacrum on Jimmy.
2. Jimmy's simulacrum burns two of their uses of Wild Shape to turn themselves into an Earth Elemental.
3. Bob casts an upcasted Planar Binding on Jimmy's simulacrum, which is now an Elemental and thus a valid target for Planar Binding.
4. Bob and Jimmy party with simulacrum!Jimmy for the next month or so, after which they repeat the process again.

Also, the spell says that the simulacrum can't regain HP, but can it regain Wild Shape uses? What if it has the Druid capstone of infinite Wild Shape uses?

Also, because of this line, do simulacra revert to snow if they reach 0 HP while in Wild Shape (or Shapechange) form?

My rulings would be:

(1) The wildshape clause overrides the "revert to snow" clause, so it wouldn't revert to snow until the actual non-wildshaped Simulacrum hits 0 HP.

(2) You can Planar Binding someone else's Simulacrum when it's in the right form, yes.

(3) However, Planar Binding is pointless if it's already friendly. It's still destroyed if Bob makes another Simulacrum, and otherwise it will last until killed, so Planar Binding adds nothing except more expense.

[ATHATH]

(3) However, Planar Binding is pointless if it's already friendly. It's still destroyed if Bob makes another Simulacrum, and otherwise it will last until killed, so Planar Binding adds nothing except more expense.
From the text of Planar Binding:

If the creature was summoned or created by another spell, that spell’s duration is extended to match the duration of this spell.

[MaxWilson]

From the text of Planar Binding:

Yes, but it's not a duration issue. The issue is that, from the text of Simulacrum,

"If you cast this spell again, any currently active duplicates you created with this spell are instantly destroyed."

I suppose there's technically nothing that prevents you from Resurrecting them though. Or Wishing (Resurrection).

[ATHATH]

Yes, but it's not a duration issue. The issue is that, from the text of Simulacrum,

"If you cast this spell again, any currently active duplicates you created with this spell are instantly destroyed."

I suppose there's technically nothing that prevents you from Resurrecting them though. Or Wishing (Resurrection).
You're not keeping more than one around at a time, though. You're just keeping one Simulacra around for 30 days so that you don't have to recast the spell every day (spending either 1,500 gp or a 9th level spell slot every time you do so).

Also, do Sorcerer metamagics that have been applied to the Wish spell also apply to a spell that you replicate with the Wish spell? Can you just apply them to the spell you're replicating directly, instead of to Wish first?

[MaxWilson]

You're not keeping more than one around at a time, though. You're just keeping one Simulacra around for 30 days so that you don't have to recast the spell every day (spending either 1,500 gp or a 9th level spell slot every time you do so).

But that's just the point--you don't have to recast Simulacrum every day. You just cast it once. That's one of the things that makes it such an OP spell.


Also, do Sorcerer metamagics that have been applied to the Wish spell also apply to a spell that you replicate with the Wish spell? Can you just apply them to the spell you're replicating directly, instead of to Wish first?

I don't believe they do apply, no, because Sorcerer metamagics apply only to spells you cast at the time you cast them, and spell effects which are Wished into existence are not cast by you, they're created by Wish. But ask your DM.


Also also, how does Wish's duplication of an 8th level or lower spell interact with upcasting? Does casting Wish to replicate the effect of a lower level spell count as expending a 9th level spell slot for that spell for the purpose of upcasting? Can Wish mimic an 8th level Planar Binding, or just a 5th level one?

Planar Binding VIII is a spell under 9th level, so AFAICT Wish can indeed recreate it, not just Planar Binding V.

[Captain Panda]

You don't have to planar bind a simulacrum for it to stick around.

[ATHATH]

But that's just the point--you don't have to recast Simulacrum every day. You just cast it once. That's one of the things that makes it such an OP spell.
Oh ****, I just noticed that I mistook the casting time for the duration. Holy hell, that's busted.