Simulacrum: Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

Usable By: Wizard

Spell Level: 7

School: Illusion

Casting Time: 12 hours

Range: Touch

Duration: Until dispelled

Components: V, S, M (snow or ice in quantities sufficient to make a life-size copy of the duplicated creature; some hair, fingernail clippings or other piece of that creature's body placed inside the snow or ice; and powdered ruby worth 1,500 gp, sprinkled over the duplicate and consumed by the spell)

You shape an illusory duplicate of one beast or humanoid that is within range for the entire casting time of the spell. The duplicate is a creature, partially real and formed from ice or snow, and it can take actions and otherwise be affected as a normal creature. It appears to be the same as the original, but it has half the creature’s hit point maximum and is formed without any equipment. Otherwise, the illusion uses all the statistics of the creature it duplicates.

The simulacrum is friendly to you and creatures you designate. It obeys your spoken commands, moving and acting in accordance with your wishes and acting on your turn in combat. The simulacrum lacks the ability to learn or become more powerful, so it never increases its level or other abilities, nor can it regain expended spell slots.

If the simulacrum is damaged, you can repair it in an alchemical laboratory, using rare herbs and minerals worth 100 gp per hit point it regains. The simulacrum lasts until it drops to 0 hit points, at which point it reverts to snow and melts instantly.

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

Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

Okay, let’s rip this bandaid off now: Yes, Simulacrums can make Simulacrums, and yes, that is wildly game-breaking. This 7th level spell, when left to run rules as written, will allow the caster to form an army of spell clones capable of firing off barrages of spells. If you’ve got coin, you can do some outrageously busted things with this. Each has its own concentration and comes with 7th level and lower spell slots. If you’re looking to play with Simulacrum, this is the first topic to touch on with your DM, and I can’t advise enough not to let Simulacrums cast Simulacrum.

Beyond the busted cloning program this offers, Simulacrum is still cracked in half power-wise. Getting a copy of the rogue, who has no resources to regain, is ludicrous. It's a 7th-level spell slot for a copy of any character. If that character isn’t regularly damaged, you can go two or more encounters with an extra party member, and that’s going to be an absolute nightmare for a DM to account for.

Duplicating a full-caster once per long rest is also unbelievably broken. You can functionally double your spell slots for one 7th level spell and 1,500 gold pieces. If the gold price isn’t a problem, there is next to no reason to not take this for the sheer quantity of bonus resources it offers. You’re not even losing out on your 7th level slot, as the Simulacrum gets one, and then you double your 6th level and lower slots. That’s OUTRAGEOUS. It doesn’t even feel like a spell, it feels like a magic item clone that doubles your character’s power.

Simulacrum is a deeply flawed and unfair spell that can be an absolute blast to use. I’d go in with the expectation of it being altered or changed at the table, though, because rules as written, this gets out of hand incredibly fast, and is so ripe for abuse I can’t imagine many DMs wanting to manage the nightmare power bubble it creates that’ll make the wizard feel like a god.

5e Spells

Simulacrum: Do You Want to Build a Snowman?