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View Full Version : Simulacrums and Investiture: Thoughts and Opinions



Jaleela
05-30-2013, 04:14 PM
Looking for opinions regarding simulacrums and Birthright.

In the Cities of the Sun accessory, there’s an adventure at the end of the booklet titled Coils of the Serpent. The gist is that an NPC uses a simulacrum to replace the regent PC. This adventure is 2e. I’m looking for 3.x/4 opinions on the matter.

2e simulacrums are easier to detect than their 3.x counterparts, being exposed simply by a “detect magic” spell. Using 3.x or 4.0 versions of the Simulacrum spell (7th level) spell, they are much harder to detect, requiring PC familiarity with the replaced creature, true seeing object or spell, or other awareness checks (e.g., spot, sense motive) to try to see the simulacrum for what it is.

Since the creature is part real/part illusion. By real, my understanding is that it is in fact a half-powered representation of the target creature (skills, feats, spell-like abilities, and bloodline, etc.).

Assumptions:
I would assume that the attributes would remain unchanged: Intelligence, dexterity, etc. and would not be halved, otherwise what’s the point.

I would expect that the bloodline strength would be halved given the criteria of the spell. If you have a BLS of 44, it would be reduced to a 22 and as a result some powers would fade.

Questions:
Have any of you ever used a simulacrum in such a plot as one detailed in Coils of the Serpent?

If so, did you treat simulacrum’s as a mindless zombie-like creature or did you treat the simulacrum as if they were the actual PC until the creator exerts their will over the creation? The spell description is a very vague.

What if the replaced character is an heir who is about to be invested in a domain? Would the investment ceremony succeed or would it fail? Why or Why not?

I’ve looked at the spell on various boards and some aspects are obvious, but other aspects like investiture are not. So, I was curious what you all thought.

Simulacrum Reference:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/simulacrum.htm

There's also a BR.net wiki reference which basically reads the same.

Sorontar
05-31-2013, 02:11 AM
Fixed the apostrophe for you :)

I would be concerned if the simulacrum has any blood power but it may appear to have blood abilities. So it could never be invested nor exercise regency powers across its domain. Such a domain-wide illusion should only be possible if a Realm Spell was cast.

So I think the investiture would fail. Local illusions may be used to show thaty it succeeded, but anyone who can detect regents or blood power etc would see that there is an irregularity.

Sorontar

AndrewTall
06-01-2013, 03:23 PM
Given that a bloodline is inherently divine and at least in part independent of the actual bearer (bloodlines continue after death in the heir so the bloodline has some sort of independent existence), I'd expect that investing a Simulacrum with a bloodline would obliterate the simulacrum, or in the case of a bloodline of Azrai possibly do something deeply unfortunate and awnsheghlien-like to it (the simulacrum has less "reality" to prevent the bloodline twisting it's form and Azrai and illusions fit like a glove).

As I can't see a simulacrum with a bloodline (where would the bloodline come from? Why would one stay in an illusionary shell instead of passing to the heir / land's choice? etc) any investiture of holdings, etc should fail in my view.

I'd expect that the Simulacrum itself would normally know what it was, etc but an oblivious simulacrum with all it's originator's thoughts and loyalties has interesting possibilities.