can a Simulacrum craft for you?

[Greenfield]

Oh man, this totally reminds me of multi-empowered simulacra in 3.0.

Done right, they come out more powerful than the caster.

As far as I know, Empower adds 50% to spell effects with a random factor, things like damage dice and such.

There are no dice rolled in creating a Simulacrum, other than the Disguise check, and that isn't a spell subject to Empower. So I'm not even sure what the feat would do, other than make the spell harder to cast.

 

[Jack Simth]

As far as I know, Empower adds 50% to spell effects with a random factor, things like damage dice and such.

There are no dice rolled in creating a Simulacrum, other than the Disguise check, and that isn't a spell subject to Empower. So I'm not even sure what the feat would do, other than make the spell harder to cast.

As noted, it worked in 3.0, where a Simulacrum was 50+1d10% real, and there wasn't a limit to how many times you could apply a given metamagic feat to a spell. So a Greater Rod of Metamagic Empower, + the Empower Spell Feat, let a Wizard-17 make a Wizard under his absolute control that was... what, 100+2d10% real? ... an average level above 18 (102-120% real). All Core 3.0.

 

[draconlord]

Wait, in 3.0, you become "realer" by being higher leveled?

 

[Jack Simth]

Wait, in 3.0, you become "realer" by being higher leveled?

The 3.0 wording (page 252 in the Player's Handbook) is "The simulacrum has only 51% to 60% (50%+1d10%) of the hit points, knowledge (including levels, skills, and speech), and personality of the original creature."

 

[jefgorbach]

To answer Rumbletiger’s original question, the spell’s description says the simulacrum has half of the original subject’s level with the appropriate feats/skills/etc and thus would be able to craft anything the original subject could have done at the adjusted level; with the same corresponding limitations. Therefore the simulacrum CAN cast spells/craft items requiring the expenditure of XP provided it does not lose a level to do so.

The same applies to Greenleaf: yes, a Druid Simulacrum of at least 9th level could be ordered to Awaken an animal/plant (expending 250xp apiece).

Presumably such expended xp could be replaced via a variant of the indicated complex healing ritual as means of maintaining its existing level since this would not violate the spell’s statement it “it can not INCREASE its level or abilities”. However the implied 100:1 implies most “depleted” crafters would simply be replaced with another fully experienced version whenever possible.
[Question: Since such a ritual is deduced rather than stated, would applying the follower/cohort rules under the Leadership feat supersede?]


Regardless, such use of a simulacrum definitely reduces (and in many instances removes) the PC’s direct involvement in the crafting process, since the simulacrum merely needs instructed what to craft. Likewise, it could aid the PC crafter directly by applying second-hand feats, skills, and/or requisite spells which would otherwise need outsourced; as well as providing the Aid Another modifier.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

To answer Rumbletiger’s original question, the spell’s description says the simulacrum has half of the original subject’s level with the appropriate feats/skills/etc and thus would be able to craft anything the original subject could have done at the adjusted level; with the same corresponding limitations. Therefore the simulacrum CAN cast spells/craft items requiring the expenditure of XP provided it does not lose a level to do so.

The same applies to Greenleaf: yes, a Druid Simulacrum of at least 9th level could be ordered to Awaken an animal/plant (expending 250xp apiece).

Presumably such expended xp could be replaced via a variant of the indicated complex healing ritual as means of maintaining its existing level since this would not violate the spell’s statement it “it can not INCREASE its level or abilities”. However the implied 100:1 implies most “depleted” crafters would simply be replaced with another fully experienced version whenever possible.
[Question: Since such a ritual is deduced rather than stated, would applying the follower/cohort rules under the Leadership feat supersede?]


Regardless, such use of a simulacrum definitely reduces (and in many instances removes) the PC’s direct involvement in the crafting process, since the simulacrum merely needs instructed what to craft. Likewise, it could aid the PC crafter directly by applying second-hand feats, skills, and/or requisite spells which would otherwise need outsourced; as well as providing the Aid Another modifier.

Well Heck! I don't know why I was assuming it couldn't lose xp, thank you for pointing out the fact that I've been assuming something I didn't have to.

My primary objective is to find ways to reduce crafting time in making Wondrous Items. Basically I'm looking for a way to take a disgustingly powerful feat and cheat even further.

 

[domino]

I've been assuming it couldn't lose XP since it doesn't have XP to lose. It's got levels or HD, but nothing to my mind says it's actually got, gained, or can have experience on its own.

 

[lordxaviar]

I always thought it was funny that a Wizard could scribe a scroll for a spell that he didn't know./QUOTE]

He cant, what are you saying?

"You can create a scroll of any spell that you know".PHB-p99

 

[Greenfield]

CREATING MAGIC ITEMS
To create magic items, spellcasters use special feats. They invest time, money, and their own personal energy (in the form of experience points) in an item’s creation.
Note that all items have prerequisites in their descriptions. These prerequisites must be met for the item to be created. Most of the time, they take the form of spells that must be known by the item’s creator (although access through another magic item or spellcaster is allowed).

Sort of a magical version of "Take a letter", I suppose.

But I do see the text under the section on creating the scroll that says the spell must be known/prepared by the creator in order to be scribed.

We've always played that, like other items, the spell could be provided by someone else, but looking at it now I can see how/why someone would rule the other way.

Thanks for pointing out my blind spot.

 

[jefgorbach]

I've been assuming it couldn't lose XP since it doesn't have XP to lose. It's got levels or HD, but nothing to my mind says it's actually got, gained, or can have experience on its own.

Correct. The simulacrum HAS xp because RAW states you must have xp within a given range to be an #th level whatever ... making the question whether your gm defaults to the bottom, median, or top of the range (and thus setting the available xp pool).

Of course, even if the simulacrum is NOT allowed to regain expended experience, the process could continue once the bottom of its existing xp range is reached simply by finding some means of receiving a negative level ... thereby dropping you into the next range's default point.