Hi there, Heroes.
I wanted to drag up an old topic. I've read some of the older threads on the subject but none of them quite touched the topic in the way I'm interested.
I'm gearing up to bring back my old "Magic User," into 3.5. His prime "motis operandi" was a wide range of use for Simulacrums.
Most people seem to agree as to the general functionality of the spell, even, I think, with dragons (which are problematic) given the right context.
My question is based on the original version of the spell. Simulacrum was PARTIALLY an offensive effect. The caster can create minions of slightly to extremely impaired power level of the original. That's all well and good but, its major secondary function was INFORMATION and INFILTRATION!
In the old system, Simulacrum required the caster to randomly generate a number with bonuses based on his level. I don't remember the base or the modifiers but it generally gave the caster somewhere between 40% and 75%. This number was used to determine everything in regards to the creation (in much greater detail compared to the rather vague attempt to weaken/simplify the spell in 3.5). This percentage was applied to everything, level, skills, spell like abilities. If there was an effect that would not be affected by reducing it by a percentage...a "got it or you don't ability" like a gaze attack, or maybe if they retain a learned spell, the percentage is rolled to determine if they have it. Very thorough. However, the great thing about the spell (and pretty much the point), was it's memory. The simulacrum had X% of the original's memory. This was a great way of getting information. "Okay...what's the command world of this staff you had?" [roll the percentile]. It was also important when using the similacrum to "replace" someone...say the commander of the badguys, or the mayor of a town since this percentage might result in the sim not knowing the mayors daughters name or some such, so it took quite a bit of planning and preparation to make sure the sim knows enough to proceed. Part of the fun.
Anyway...
The new vanilla version of the spell is very simplified...the percentage locked at 50%, and vague as to it's application (so House Rules have to be hastily scribed across the globe). Of course, NO mention is made as to, what I considered, the primary application to the spell.
So...how do YOU think MEMORY works with a simulacrum? I heard one gentleman say that it had no memory. That doesn't really match up with the spell description (why make a disguise check if it can't imitate? You can't imitate if you know NOTHING).
Storme
I wanted to drag up an old topic. I've read some of the older threads on the subject but none of them quite touched the topic in the way I'm interested.
I'm gearing up to bring back my old "Magic User," into 3.5. His prime "motis operandi" was a wide range of use for Simulacrums.
Most people seem to agree as to the general functionality of the spell, even, I think, with dragons (which are problematic) given the right context.
My question is based on the original version of the spell. Simulacrum was PARTIALLY an offensive effect. The caster can create minions of slightly to extremely impaired power level of the original. That's all well and good but, its major secondary function was INFORMATION and INFILTRATION!
In the old system, Simulacrum required the caster to randomly generate a number with bonuses based on his level. I don't remember the base or the modifiers but it generally gave the caster somewhere between 40% and 75%. This number was used to determine everything in regards to the creation (in much greater detail compared to the rather vague attempt to weaken/simplify the spell in 3.5). This percentage was applied to everything, level, skills, spell like abilities. If there was an effect that would not be affected by reducing it by a percentage...a "got it or you don't ability" like a gaze attack, or maybe if they retain a learned spell, the percentage is rolled to determine if they have it. Very thorough. However, the great thing about the spell (and pretty much the point), was it's memory. The simulacrum had X% of the original's memory. This was a great way of getting information. "Okay...what's the command world of this staff you had?" [roll the percentile]. It was also important when using the similacrum to "replace" someone...say the commander of the badguys, or the mayor of a town since this percentage might result in the sim not knowing the mayors daughters name or some such, so it took quite a bit of planning and preparation to make sure the sim knows enough to proceed. Part of the fun.
Anyway...
The new vanilla version of the spell is very simplified...the percentage locked at 50%, and vague as to it's application (so House Rules have to be hastily scribed across the globe). Of course, NO mention is made as to, what I considered, the primary application to the spell.
So...how do YOU think MEMORY works with a simulacrum? I heard one gentleman say that it had no memory. That doesn't really match up with the spell description (why make a disguise check if it can't imitate? You can't imitate if you know NOTHING).
Storme
