Best Uses of Simulacrum

[Lysander]

What are the best ways you have used or can think of using the Simulacrum spell?

An obvious one is a wizard creating decoys of themselves, either to throw off attackers or attend tedious social functions they'd rather not attend themselves.

They could create copies of an enemy to learn their abilities. It'd only have half the levels, but it would give you an idea of what sort of class they have.

Another obvious one: create copies of an enemy to infiltrate an organization. It wouldn't hold up as a long term impostor, since it wouldn't have the person's memories, but for a temporary infiltration it could work.

Create copies of a celebrity so they can be in many places. A wizard could have their own personal copy of the world's finest singer as an entertainer without having to enslave the bard. For a perv wizard, copy the world's most beautiful woman.

Make knockoff copies of a rare creature. Can't get five green dragons? Get one real dragon and make four lesser copies.

Spring someone out of jail without anyone knowing they're gone. Much harder to see through than an illusion.

[Nero24200]

1. Improved Invisability
2. File the tips of a tarrasque nails off.
3. Simulacrum
4. Beat down tarrasque (with itself) and begin trying to rule the world
5. Profit

[Johel]

... LoL
The tarrasque trick would actually be very costly (and inefficient) but why not ?

More seriously, there was a book about the Forgotten Realms ("The Raven Nest" or something...) where the BBG used Simulacrum to create copies of heroes. They were a lot weaker, of course, but they could impersonate the originals. Basically, the BBG planned to use the simulacrums to frame the heroes for various crimes. You can do something like that if you have a specific target in mind.

If you want to go for the "soldier" type simulacrum, find a 20th level victim, get some "raw material" and copy. Anything below 20th level is a waste of XP because even a lesser simulacrum costs the same as a 10 HD simulacrum.
And Wizards are the way to go. Because even a 10th level wizard is, under your command, worth it.
EDIT : thinking about it, SORCERERS are the way to go, because they don't have to get that bloody spellbook.

[Hyfigh]

Using Dweomokeeper (or whatever it's called) cheese I've managed to learn that Vecna, because of his lack of racial/divine hit dice, can be the target Simulacrum. The Dweomo's ability to cast without the need of a spells component (doesn't it turn the spell into spell-like?) means you can have a copy of the god himself!

[Lysander]

Free teleports everywhere!

It would also be great for creating an army of loyal spies to impersonate members of any race. Not to replace anybody, just to have agents hidden among a populace.

Useful for creating a loyal version of a creature normally immune to Dominate Person and similar spells.

[Yukitsu]

A corrolary on the above, get rid of the hand and eye of Vecna by subsuming them in the casting, then have the Vecna sumulacrums use their alter reality ability to make more simulacrums of Vecna free of cost.

Have them all show up at the real Vecna's place, and have them, one by one say "Hi, I'm Vecna."

[Eldariel]

Legend Lore a location of an ancient battle where some epic monster like Infernal or Phane or similar fell. Greater Teleport to the said location, acquire something that's left, generate yourself a bitch and go to town. For style points, Epic Dragons are pretty good. All it takes is some caster level pumping and it's good.

This is a fairly good list of things you might want to generate; boosting caster level high enough is hardly a chore.


Oh, and fairest woman?! Why stick to a woman when so many so much more beautiful creatures exist? Get the prettiest Nymph ever to exist, or maybe a Succubus. Get a female Great Wyrm Gold Dragon and have it turn into a Humanoid-shape...32 Charisma FTW!


But yeah, ever seen anything and thought "I want one"? Yeah, Simulacrum that.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The best use is circle magic or epic spells. Best way to ensure you have wizards willing to give up spell slots is to persuade yourself to do it.

[Zeful]

1.) Make a Simulacrum of yourself.
2.) Get a single-use item of True Mind Switch that doesn't need a check to use.
3.) Mind Switch the villain and the simulacrum.
4.) Kill the snowman.
5.) Revel in you victory.
6.) Hand out special "Amulets of Victory" made of Black Sapphire to your party.
7.) Reveal the Trap the Soul spell present on each gem, using the no-save option.
8.) Begin conquest of the world as the Real BBEG.
9.) Run away from the other players. Quickly.

[Yukitsu]

Oh, and fairest woman?! Why stick to a woman when...

Read to there, and refuse to read the rest.

[Set]

Acquire a lock of hair from a 20-30 HD Efreeti, and make a 1/2 HD (10-15 HD) Simulacrum. Enjoy your three Wishes a day for the rest of your life.

[Seffbasilisk]

1.) Make a Simulacrum of yourself.
2.) Get a single-use item of True Mind Switch that doesn't need a check to use.
3.) Mind Switch the villain and the simulacrum.
4.) Kill the snowman.
5.) Revel in you victory.
6.) Hand out special "Amulets of Victory" made of Black Sapphire to your party.
7.) Reveal the Trap the Soul spell present on each gem, using the no-save option.
8.) Begin conquest of the world as the Real BBEG.
9.) Run away from the other players. Quickly.

I may have to steal this for a game I'm running now.

[Nohwl]

Using Dweomokeeper (or whatever it's called) cheese I've managed to learn that Vecna, because of his lack of racial/divine hit dice, can be the target Simulacrum. The Dweomo's ability to cast without the need of a spells component (doesn't it turn the spell into spell-like?) means you can have a copy of the god himself!

it turns the spell into a supernatural ability and only works if the spell has a casting time of 1 standard action or less. simulacrum has a casting time of 12 hours. how are you shortening it so much? or am i misunderstanding what you are doing?

[Lysander]

Ok, here's a question. Can Simulacrum replicate a creature if the copy would have less HD than the species would ever normally have? And if so, does that creature still have all the special abilities of that creature despite having half the HD? For example, would a 3 HD basilisk still have petrifying gaze, and would the attack have the same saving throws?

[Eldariel]

it turns the spell into a supernatural ability and only works if the spell has a casting time of 1 standard action or less. simulacrum has a casting time of 12 hours. how are you shortening it so much? or am i misunderstanding what you are doing?

There actually is a way. Due to hilariously bad wording, Alacritous Cogitation allows you to cast any spell as a standard action in spite of its real purpose being something totally different. Not that any DM would ever allow that reading of course; it's strictly a part of the theoretical optimization-land and should stay there. But ah, so amusing!

[Jack_Simth]

There actually is a way. Due to hilariously bad wording, Alacritous Cogitation allows you to cast any spell as a standard action in spite of its real purpose being something totally different. Not that any DM would ever allow that reading of course; it's strictly a part of the theoretical optimization-land and should stay there. But ah, so amusing!

That was errata'd out. You can still cast 1-round casting times (such as Sleep or Summon Monster) as a Full-Round action, but nothing longer than that.

[Eldariel]

That was errata'd out. You can still cast 1-round casting times (such as Sleep or Summon Monster) as a Full-Round action, but nothing longer than that.

Oh yeah, that was that mess of an errata they tossed out when 3.5e "rotated" in their eyes. My bad.

[ghost_warlock]

In a game I used to DM, a BBEG wizard set up an assassin's guild with an army of simulacrums based on his lvl 20 assassin buddy. Of course, he had an artifact that let him use souls to pay the XP costs for his spells...

[Androgeus]

Winning look-alike contests!

[Cyclocone]

Oh yeah, that was that mess of an errata they tossed out when 3.5e "rotated" in their eyes. My bad.

What about Uncanny Forethought? I can't remember seeing any errata for that.

[Doc Roc]

Circle magic, particularly the Red Wizard version is basically lulzy as all get out, but may cause your GM to puke everywhere. Thank you for reminding me to ban Simacrulum.

[KillianHawkeye]

What are the best ways you have used or can think of using the Simulacrum spell?

An obvious one is a wizard creating decoys of themselves, either to throw off attackers or attend tedious social functions they'd rather not attend themselves.

They could create copies of an enemy to learn their abilities. It'd only have half the levels, but it would give you an idea of what sort of class they have.

Another obvious one: create copies of an enemy to infiltrate an organization. It wouldn't hold up as a long term impostor, since it wouldn't have the person's memories, but for a temporary infiltration it could work.

Create copies of a celebrity so they can be in many places. A wizard could have their own personal copy of the world's finest singer as an entertainer without having to enslave the bard. For a perv wizard, copy the world's most beautiful woman.

Make knockoff copies of a rare creature. Can't get five green dragons? Get one real dragon and make four lesser copies.

Spring someone out of jail without anyone knowing they're gone. Much harder to see through than an illusion.

You just gave me some ideas for my simulacrum-using rakshasa BBEG!

His main use it to make copies of himself, and I'd thought of maybe using it against the PCs at some point. But other NPCs hadn't quite occurred to me, nor had MONSTERS! Turn one dragon into 10? Or 20? Now THAT is devious! Especially if you have the real dragon mixed in once the players get used to them all being fakes.

Question: Since simulacrum is actually an illusion spell, how does it interact with true seeing? Can someone see through the illusion with a successful saving throw? If so, what do they see exactly?

[Irreverent Fool]

Question: Since simulacrum is actually an illusion spell, how does it interact with true seeing? Can someone see through the illusion with a successful saving throw? If so, what do they see exactly?

On the one hand, since True Seeing does not see through disguises and a viewer familiar with the subject must make a spot check opposed by a simulacrum's creator's disguise check (or simply make a DC 20 sense motive check) to see realize something is amiss, it wouldn't be unreasonable to disallow true seeing in this case.

By the RAW though, true seeing would see through it since it is an illusion. I imagine the viewer would see a crude (or well-made) ice and snow sculpture animated by magic and shrouded in illusion. Completely or mostly covering exposed body parts would reasonably negate it, since worn items are not part of the illusion.

obnoxious
sig

[Hyfigh]

it turns the spell into a supernatural ability and only works if the spell has a casting time of 1 standard action or less. simulacrum has a casting time of 12 hours. how are you shortening it so much? or am i misunderstanding what you are doing?

I apologize for not having the whole trick available... It's buried somewhere in my PDF's. I'll attempt to find it, but its been nearly 2 years since I was looking at it. Other's mentioned errata and this may have fixed my dirty trick.

I seem to recall Alacritous Cogitation and Rapid Spell being involved...