D&D 5E 20th level Sorcerer vs the world

[Jfdlsjfd]

I think the only one that wasn't seriously thrashed for lack of any action on his part until now is this one:

Stats
Race: Mark of Shadow Elf (+1 CHA +2 DEX)
Classes: Clockwork Sorcerer 20
Stats (Point Buy): 8 STR / 14 DEX / 12 CON / 10 INT / 14 WIS / 14 CHA
ASIs: Skill Expert (Stealth +1Wis), Resilient (+1 Wis), Telepathic (+1 CHA), +2 DEX, Metamagic Adept
Final Stats: 8 STR / 18 DEX / 12 CON / 10 INT / 16 WIS / 16 CHA
Metamagic: Quicken, Distant, Subtle Extended, Empower, Twin

Saving Throw: +7 CON, + 9 WIS + 9 CHA.





He automatically wins every mental saving throw.

Stealth check: +10 Pass without trace+16 stealth check +1d4 (Mark of Shadow), With Advantage (Help action) and Magical Guidance for still more reliability.
With Trance of Order, It means 36~46+1d4 of Stealth check.
Simulacrum's Invisibility(Racials) for extra sweet effect
With subtle spell, It's the most powerful stealth casting of the entire game. When you cast a subtle spell, It doesn't reveal you.
Extended Seeming avoid detection.

With amazing stealth check. Subtle Skill Empowerment and Trance of Law, Telephatic feat. The Bastion of Law can manipulate any creature without reveal himself.


Final HP: 102+40 Tough feat +35 = 177 HP(Extended 8th Aid Spell ) +25 th Armor of Agathys +5d8 Bastion of Law. The Clockwork heal instantly 100 hp with his class feature.

Wished Contingency condition: If the enemy detect me. (Casts Greater Invisibility).

Spell Known:

Spells
1 - Armor of Agathys, Absorb Elements, Mage Armor
2 - Aid Spell, Pass without trace
3 - Counterspell, Dispel, non detection, Eruption Earth
4 - Dimention Door, Banishment, Polymorph
5 - Seeming Spell, Wall of Force, Skill Empowerment
6 - Freezing Sphere, Disintegrate, True Seeimg
7 - Etherealness, Reverse Gravity, Teleport, Plane Shift
8 - Demiplane
9 - Wish

Invisibility (Race)


Active spells: Twinned Simulacrum, Twinned Mind Blank, Extended Ethrealness (I'm invisible stalker), Subtle Pass without trace, extended aid, subtle armor of agathys.

Except of course that it was his best pre-attack ability.
Right now, on the day 1 of his assassination of Binky, his active spells are a (partially expanded because of high level spell uses) twinned Simulacrum, twinned wished mind blank. I guess he could cast Armor of Agathys and Pass without trace at once and try to flee the scene on foot. Technically, despite depleted spell slots, he could conceivably cast Demiplane, Teleport or Planeshift to move away. Demiplane would trap him inside and leave him vulnerable on his day of return to the prime material plane, and previous discussions showed it wasn't happy with being so depleted when getting back... So it should be ruled out. Planeshifting from the Prime... well... would he really want to land anywhere, potentially in the middle of an hostile area, on another plane? Getting back home through teleportation seem to be the best move to get away. Since it's a one-vs-one scenario, he can't really teleport to a Bhaal temple full of allies, so let's say he either go on foot to a secluded spot in the forest 10 km away or he teleported to his grotto, 1,000 km away. Since the first exposes him to being found by a methodical search set up by the villagers, logic dictates he'd choose to teleport. Note that his Contingency is expanded as as soon as he attacked, an enemy, also known as victim, detected him and it triggered the Contingency... he didn't become invisible because he hadn't been able to cast Greater Invisibility at the time of casting Contingency, though. He's currently mind blanked for two or three hours, depending on how long it took his carriage to reach Binky, but it will soon expire. Even if he starts a Long Rest right now, he'll be scryable easily for 5 hours.

As was postulated before, since the contest can only start when either the Lazy One is in his "regular state" with spells he maintains all the time, or when he has ACTED because there is no reason to expand resource going after a guy who poses NO threat whatsoever, finding him in his semi-exhausted state, both states had to be provided. I hope this temporary impersonation of the Bastion of Law (who just murdered a random guy on the street) was acceptable for the sake of continuing the discussion.



(A few days later, after the end of the episode which featured, hopefully, a successful elimination of the murderer, and the credits rolled)
Alfred: "432? I need 25,000 gp of non-magical material, in the specific form of a diamond worth this price."
Butler: "Yes Master, I wish for it... Drat, it looks like I will be unable to cast Wish thereafter, Master."
Alfred: "Here, Ed, can you cast True Resurrection on Binky?"
Ed: "Of course! Just give me an hour to read the Book of Life."
Alfred: "What are the uses for all those diamonds, by the way?"
Ed: "It's to build dragon lairs. They are common on the upper planes and you need a bare minimum of amenities to house dragons. They are all unionized these days."
Alfred:"I see... (begins mumbling by rote)"
Butler: "Why exactly are saying the words of power of the Simulacrum spell, Master?"
Alfred: "Don't worry, in twelve hours, 433 will be taking on your mantle proudly. I haven't cast Wish today.".

 

[Earth2Carnifex]

Okay, i am kind of tired of the unnamed edge lords who are not particularly good in a real campaign. No, he is not an optimized Sorcerer, in fact he would probably loose to Binky in a fair fight, and if truely threatened, he would teleport away at the first opportunity. The point of this build is to provide and interesting NPC, not do battle with random 20th level wizards. This character is true villain with an agenda and the power and resources to accomplish goals. He does not threaten the world, but if he so pleased, he could make a lot of trouble for the region. Most importantly of all he has a personality, something sadly lacking in the builds we have seen so far.

Name: Bogart
Class Shadow Sorcerer 20
Race: Variant Human
Alignment: Lawful Evil

Attributes:
Str 8, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 20

Feats:
Actor, Resilient Dexterity

Saving Throws:
Dex +11, Con +8, Cha +11

Skills:
Deception +11, Intimidation +11, Persuasion +11, Slieght of Hand +11, Stealth +11

Tools:
Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit

Languages:
Common, Elvish

Background: Charlatan

Metamagic:
Twinned, Subtle, Quickened, Empowered

Spells (15):
Cantrips: Acid Splash. Chill Touch, Friends, Message, Minor Illusion, Poison Spray
1st: Charm Person, Disguise
2nd: Darkness (Shadow Sorcerer), Levitate
3rd: Fireball, Fly, Haste
4th: Greater Invisibility
5th: Dominate Person, Teleportation Circle
6th: Mass Suggestion, Mental Prison
7th: Power Word Pain, Teleport
8th: Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting
9th: Power Word Kill

Backstory:
Bogart lives in a little town on the road to Candlekeep called Foggy Bottom. The town is known for the insane number of powerful wizards that live there, and the beloved writer of romance novels Binky Cheddar lives there as well. Bogart is in line for the Grand Master Mage, although there are very few people who want him to ascend to this role. If Bogart becomes the Grand Master Mage, it will greatly expand his power and area of influence. Bogart is an unethical braggart and a well known coward. Magic came naturally to the young Bogart, but with good looks, charm and treachery, Bogart managed to get accepted into the Institute of Arcanic Knowlegde, where he lie, cheated and stole his way into a graduating with honors, without actually doing any meaningful work or study. Fortunately for him, his natural talent with magic developed quickly and gave him an edge. Bogart will not use magic in instances where skill and treachery will suffice.

Currently, Bogart is heavily involved in the local politics of Foggy Bottom and to a lesser extent Candlekeep. He has slowly and meticuliously been working behind the scenes to make himself wealthy and gain political power. While his public persona is very popular and well liked among the people of Foggy Bottom and Candlekeep, those who know him well, do not like him at all and view him as an opponent, even if just in passing.

Behind the scenes, Bogart has taken control of the the Foggy Bottom Thieves Guild as the infamous Iron Mask. He runs a tight ship, making sure they do not get too out of hand and do not bring too much attention to themselves. He also ensures the guild does not participate in the more ugly types of crime that would bring scrutiny to Foggy Bottom, thinking nothing of murdering his own men or turning them into the City Guard if they cross the line. Bogart has several hide outs and safe houses around both Foggy Bottom and Candlekeep, complete with Teleportation Circles, if he needs to hide while the heat cools down, although he rarely has to do this as he has many underlings to do his dirty work for him.

Bogart has a fairly extensive network of informants throughout the area. As Iron Mask he has many street urchins and a handful of professional thieves under his control. In his public persona, he has bribed or blackmailed someone in just about every organization in the region. All of these people will provide Bogart with information and do range of tasks for him.

 

[FireLance]

Well, in case we no longer get answers over the week-end, as a though exercise and saying that a defeat of the Bastion of Law wouldn't count against the OP, here's a setup...

The Bastion is somehow a LE follower of Bhaal, god of murderers. In exchange for his elevation to 20th level of Sorcerer granted through divine intervention, he vowed to take lives of random people to praise the Dark God. True to his word, as befit any sorcerer aligned with Mechanus, he prepared to accomplish his vow by taking the lives of passer-by on the road to Candlekeep, a place of no uncertain significance to the Dark One.

In order to achieve his goal, who could make him confront beggars or kings, he needed to take extreme precaution. On the day before, fasting and napping ritually all the day, he cast Extended Wished Mind Blank on him and his simulacrum (2 SP) and Extended Etherealness on his simulacrum (so it would last 16h, until noon on the next day). Then he'd sleep and in the morning, go and sleep at the back of a horse-carried wagon for 4 hours, in order to create 16 SP worth of 1st and 2nd level spell slots.

Around 10am, he'd arrive in the village and see Binky on the horizon. His strategy to off the day's quarry would be to use deception to pass, with the DMM simulacrum, for a couple of newlywed going to Candlekeep on their honeymoon. They'd ask Binky for direction, making sure they have his undivided attention as he explains that they really need to hold the map so the north is up...

Then, on round one, the DMM would cast Harm, for a potential 14d6 damage (CON saves DC 19 for half), then the Bhaal cultist himself (having readied an action) would Twin Wish for a Sunburst spell (12d6 and blind, CON save DC 17 for half), then his simulacrum would drop out of etherealness and Twinned Desintegrate the star writer (10d6+40 or nothing, DEX save, twice), all the while praising Bhaal and chanting to consecrate their heinous attack against litterature. That's an average of 283 241 damage if all saves miss and no resistance is triggered and no contingeny, counterspelling or death prevention effect is triggered (but hey, chances are good the Deathstalker of Bhaal would meet a mere Level 1 Commoner on a road in the Candlekeep rural area. With some luck, it could kill a character.

I am betting that such an opening, the more potent I can see to the best of my ability, will end in the defeat of ALL the NPCs described so far, irrespective of which of them is met first on the road.

Edit: I was over-eager... Sunburst can't be twinned, because it doesn't target a creature but an area.

For that matter, Twin allows the same spell to affect a second creature, so there is no point Twinning a spell against a single target.

Edit to add: Which is why I've always thought that Twinning simulacrum is a grey area, since the spell doesn't actually affect the beast or humanoid you're duplicating.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Spells (15):
Cantrips: Acid Splash. Chill Touch, Friends, Message, Minor Illusion, Poison Spray
1st: Charm Person, Disguise
2nd: Darkness, Levitate
3rd: Fireball, Fly, Haste
4th: Greater Invisibility
5th: Dominate Person, Teleportation Circle
6th: Mass Suggestion, Mental Prison
7th: Power Word Pain
8th: Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting
9th: Power Word Kill

Shadow Sorcerers learn Darkness for free, so you can add another spell to the mix.

 

[Earth2Carnifex]

Shadow Sorcerers learn Darkness for free, so you can add another spell to the mix.

I knew i forgot something, I needed to add Teleport anyway. Thank you

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Had, instead of meeting Binky along the road, the Deathstalker of Bhaal met Alfred, who was carrying a chair at this time to give to Binky, because sitting is more comfortable than standing, especially since the wait looked to last for a long time... The outcome would have been one-sided and lethal. For the Lazy One.

Of course, Alfred would have gladly put the chair away to help the newlyweds. He'd have started to help them before recognizing Eilirilia. The wife was exactly like here, it was stunning ressemblance. So he didn't care she was very close to him and didn't see any danger before she looked at him and yelled "Harm" in the old menzoberranzan dialect, praying to her Dark Mistress for his demise. Lacking any decision of the DM to declare him surprised, his adventuring reflexes quickly took over... but it was too late. Fortunately, Butler 432, his similar-looking servant, wasn't surprised and mechanically acted on the complex set of instructions he had been ingrained. Taking a reaction he counterspelled the Harm spell, ensuring success with a use of Convergent Future. Spells of this power could kill Alfred in one strike... Immediately afterwards, the suitor acted, this time Wishing for a potent attack spell, and activating its Transe of Order as a bonus action, infusing his soul with the safe and regular flow of Mechanus's distinctive hate of randomness. Driven by adrenaline, Alfred emerged from his daydream about Eilirilia. Being able to treat any dice result on an ability check, including the spellcasting ability check as a 10, irrespective of the dice roll, nullified the Chronurgist's ability to set the dice result. He was ensuring the success of his dispelling attempt. Being extremely analytical, Alfred knew he'd lose the action economy competition as his own eventual Counterspell would be successfully counterspelled by the murderer. He had also no hope on competing with a Sorcerer on the basis of the number of spell cast... So he decided to grit his teeth and take the damage... The situation was tense, but Alfred smiled, as he was sure to have the upper hand. Hurt (12-72 damage, average 42, halved in case of success, reasonable in case of a use of Luck point), but not downed, the Contingency he kept all the time, except when adventuring insubterranean dungeons in his youth, activated. Designed to prevent the common assassination attempt that plagued the big cities like Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep, its triggger was "My HP drops to less than 80% of my maximum HP during a fight". The contingent spell was Dimension Door, opening upward of 500 ft. No building in Faerun were more than 10-storys high, so he was safe. He immediately took his reaction to cast Feather Fall, which limited his fall to 60 ft per round. He was far outside any counterspelling range, so he was safe. Usually, he wouldn't bother with casting the spell as he always wore a Feather Fall amulet, but recently a sinister Thieves Guild had started operated and many magical valuables had gone missing in Foggy Bottom, so he had to resort to manual spellcasting. Far below, on the ground, a pale copy of the murderer came out of etherealness, applying its plan, and found no-one to twin disintegrate. Since Simulacrum have a bare modicum of intelligence, and knowing the target, the simulacrum cast a distant freezing sphere at Alfred, the only spell that could strike at 600 ft and who could strike the wizard. He couldn't twin it, since metamagic don't stack, but a little damage was better than no damage. So Alfred was struck with a freezing sphere, dealing an average of 35 cold damage to poor Alfred if he failed his save (75% chance). He'd need a cup of hot cocoa.

[Technically, to be honest, Alfred could be killed right now. He only has 122 HP due to being underoptimized (he took a feat to become an expert gardener, remember!). At max, he'd face 12d6+10d6 so that's 132 damage in case of maximum damage, provided he doesn't meet any saving throw with 3 luck points... the probability of rolling 122 on 22d6 is lower than .000000003186635545%. That's not much. If for some reason Harm had stuck, he would have been teleported up immediately after and the only threat remaining this round would have been either two Extended Freezing Sphere or... nothing, depending on the answer to the question at the bottom of this post.] In the worst case scenario, his chances of dying on round 1 are 0,03%.


On the next turn, Alfred doesn't waste time helping the couple to get their bearing... It was time for action. Of course, he could always retreat and counterstrike at his fullest. A prepared wizard was unstoppable. But even a badly prepared one could end this sorcerer. He deduced that the spellcaster, lacking breadth in his choice of spells, probably lacked any mean of flying so he had a few round during which extended freezing sphere was probably the only threat he'd face. A few seconds was more than what he needed, as he had the advantage of range, provided he struck at this fullest. Opening a dreaded Ravenous Void (Dunamancy, he reflected, was a cool topic to study) above and slightly behind the trio of attacked, he ensured they would all three be within 100 ft of the 20-foot sphere of deadly attraction that opened, black as a rift in reality, immediately pulling everything toward its center. He also leisurely fell from FL 500 to FL 440.

Alfred's simulacrum, acting right after him, understood his master's plan. He had just to make sure the villain didn't escape. He could have cast a meteor shower at his feet, killing them all in an elemental fire blaze that would only leave a crater, because he was willing to give his simulated life for his master. However, it would certainly hurt the resident of the village, and this was a limitation explicitely set by Alfred to his liberty of action. But in this case, he just had to make sure they wouldn't leave by blocking their telportation magic. He thought about wishing for a forbiddance spell, but they could always leave... So he moved away and just wished for a symbol of insanity, so that it's area of effect included the offending trio of murderers. Magic, the most potent a living creature could cast but rather mundane for an artificial one immune from the limitation of the living, took effect and lines of arcane power glowed on the ground behind the attackers. The trigger was designed to be met immediately (activate whenever the prime material plane exists). Combining the range of the spell and the radius of symbol, he could stay out of counterspelling range.

DMM: CON save +3 against DC 19, simulacrum and failed demigod: +0 (but with the ability to treat numbers of 1-9 as 10) against DC19. Reducing to gibbering idiots status, the offender wouldn't be able to take action in the next 10 rounds, statistically. They would shout silly affirmation like "I automatically wins every mental saving throw.".

At their turn, they'd be pulled into the ravenous void and be restrained inside, taking 5d10 force damage per round if they, most probably, failed a Strenth check. While the DMM could hope to succeed, with their inherent malus to STR, the original and his copy would fail automatically... And incur 5d10 force damage on each of the subsequent rounds. 50d10 of damage is an average of 275 HP. The most probable outcome is that they are crushed by the sphere known, in other places, as a black hole, causing their anhilation. However, the sorcerer himself was very durable (not including the upcast Aid spell that couldn't have been at an 8th level slot) and with nearly 200 HP including his Bastion of Law, and being able to call upon a clockwork cavalcade (which require an action, but let's say... to restore 100 HP, he could conceivably survive with 25 HP at the end of the spell... the ravenous void would close, the rift in reality would recede and all would be left would be the tranquil air of the mid-day in the village... the surviving sorcerer, no longer pulled up aby the unnatural gravity, would immediately take 12d6 falling damage as he'd fall 120 ft.

The Lazy One would be happy thereafter in eternal slumber, killed by fall damage.

[OK, Butler 432 and Alfred probably would play safe, vent their stress and at least cast a few exhilarating fireballs for good measure during the 10 rounds of seeing the trio being crushed into a pulp].

Then, hurrying back home, Alfred casts Scrying on the dead sorcerer. You'd never know if there was any Clone activated... But he was satisfied to learn that this basic protection was forgotten... "Sorcerers..." he sighed.

Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

[Edited to explain the lack of magical item in the contest by reference the most dangerous sorcerer of Foggy Bottom, a real threat this one].
[Edited again to ask a question: how can the sorcerer cast Freezing Sphere? It's a Wizard only spell and it's Evocation, so it couldn't have procured by the Clockwork Origin specific substitution, and it's not on the Mark of Shadow spell list either].

 

[Hohige]

It's certainly useful (assuming the target has proficiency, but not expertise), though I don't know why you'd want to Subtle it, in most use cases. Extend might be better, depending on the skill. Then again, as a concentration spell of 5th level, it should be useful.

The Bastion is quite good, for a minute a day. Don't know that I'd use it in a long-term skill situation. Seems more useful in combat (given the duration), but an important-enough skill check? Sure. Once again, as a 14th-level subclass feature, I expect nice things.

Most powerful of your builds? Depends on the goal of game play. "Power" is funny, that way.

"It's certainly useful (assuming the target has proficiency, but not expertise), though I don't know why you'd want to Subtle it, in most use cases. Extend might be better, depending on the skill. Then again, as a concentration spell of 5th level, it should be useful."

Subtle casting allows you to cast it on social encounter, that avoid the enemy to know you are a caster or casting a spell. It will certainly allows you to avoid hostile actions..
Expertise still can fail. But with Bastion of Law, Magical Guidance it's nearly automatic win.

"The Bastion is quite good, for a minute a day. Don't know that I'd use it in a long-term skill situation. Seems more useful in combat (given the duration), but an important-enough skill check? Sure. Once again, as a 14th-level subclass feature, I expect nice things."

Once minute? not really, you roll a single Stealth check x Passive Perception until revealed. (It's really great). You can remain stealthy while killing your enemies with a subtle spells.
Also, spending 5 SP (That easy for 227 SP character) to use again, It's pretty cheap for him.

 

[Hohige]

Had, instead of meeting Binky along the road, the Deathstalker of Bhaal met Alfred, who was carrying a chair at this time to give to Binky, because sitting is more comfortable than standing, especially since the wait looked to last for a long time... The outcome would have been one-sided and lethal. For the Lazy One.

Of course, Alfred would have gladly put the chair away to help the newlyweds. He'd have started to help them before recognizing Eilirilia. The wife was exactly like here, it was stunning ressemblance. So he didn't care she was very close to him and didn't see any danger before she looked at him and yelled "Harm" in the old menzoberranzan dialect, praying to her Dark Mistress for his demise. Lacking any decision of the DM to declare him surprised, his adventuring reflexes quickly took over... but it was too late. Fortunately, Butler 432, his similar-looking servant, wasn't surprised and mechanically acted on the complex set of instructions he had been ingrained. Taking a reaction he counterspelled the Harm spell, ensuring success with a use of Convergent Future. Spells of this power could kill Alfred in one strike... Immediately afterwards, the suitor acted, this time Wishing for a potent attack spell, and activating its Transe of Order as a bonus action, infusing his soul with the safe and regular flow of Mechanus's distinctive hate of randomness. Driven by adrenaline, Alfred emerged from his daydream about Eilirilia. Being able to treat any dice result on an ability check, including the spellcasting ability check as a 10, irrespective of the dice roll, nullified the Chronurgist's ability to set the dice result. He was ensuring the success of his dispelling attempt. Being extremely analytical, Alfred knew he'd lose the action economy competition as his own eventual Counterspell would be successfully counterspelled by the murderer. He had also no hope on competing with a Sorcerer on the basis of the number of spell cast... So he decided to grit his teeth and take the damage... The situation was tense, but Alfred smiled, as he was sure to have the upper hand. Hurt (12-72 damage, average 42, halved in case of success, reasonable in case of a use of Luck point), but not downed, the Contingency he kept all the time, except when adventuring insubterranean dungeons in his youth, activated. Designed to prevent the common assassination attempt that plagued the big cities like Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep, its triggger was "My HP drops to less than 80% of my maximum HP during a fight". The contingent spell was Dimension Door, opening upward of 500 ft. No building in Faerun were more than 10-storys high, so he was safe. He immediately took his reaction to cast Feather Fall, which limited his fall to 60 ft per round. He was far outside any counterspelling range, so he was safe. Usually, he wouldn't bother with casting the spell as he always wore a Feather Fall amulet, but recently a sinister Thieves Guild had started operated and many magical valuables had gone missing in Foggy Bottom, so he had to resort to manual spellcasting. Far below, on the ground, a pale copy of the murderer came out of etherealness, applying its plan, and found no-one to twin disintegrate. Since Simulacrum have a bare modicum of intelligence, and knowing the target, the simulacrum cast a distant freezing sphere at Alfred, the only spell that could strike at 600 ft and who could strike the wizard. He couldn't twin it, since metamagic don't stack, but a little damage was better than no damage. So Alfred was struck with a freezing sphere, dealing an average of 35 cold damage to poor Alfred if he failed his save (75% chance). He'd need a cup of hot cocoa.

[Technically, to be honest, Alfred could be killed right now. He only has 122 HP due to being underoptimized (he took a feat to become an expert gardener, remember!). At max, he'd face 12d6+10d6 so that's 132 damage in case of maximum damage, provided he doesn't meet any saving throw with 3 luck points... the probability of rolling 122 on 22d6 is lower than .000000003186635545%. That's not much. If for some reason Harm had stuck, he would have been teleported up immediately after and the only threat remaining this round would have been either two Extended Freezing Sphere or... nothing, depending on the answer to the question at the bottom of this post.] In the worst case scenario, his chances of dying on round 1 are 0,03%.


On the next turn, Alfred doesn't waste time helping the couple to get their bearing... It was time for action. Of course, he could always retreat and counterstrike at his fullest. A prepared wizard was unstoppable. But even a badly prepared one could end this sorcerer. He deduced that the spellcaster, lacking breadth in his choice of spells, probably lacked any mean of flying so he had a few round during which extended freezing sphere was probably the only threat he'd face. A few seconds was more than what he needed, as he had the advantage of range, provided he struck at this fullest. Opening a dreaded Ravenous Void (Dunamancy, he reflected, was a cool topic to study) above and slightly behind the trio of attacked, he ensured they would all three be within 100 ft of the 20-foot sphere of deadly attraction that opened, black as a rift in reality, immediately pulling everything toward its center. He also leisurely fell from FL 500 to FL 440.

Alfred's simulacrum, acting right after him, understood his master's plan. He had just to make sure the villain didn't escape. He could have cast a meteor shower at his feet, killing them all in an elemental fire blaze that would only leave a crater, because he was willing to give his simulated life for his master. However, it would certainly hurt the resident of the village, and this was a limitation explicitely set by Alfred to his liberty of action. But in this case, he just had to make sure they wouldn't leave by blocking their telportation magic. He thought about wishing for a forbiddance spell, but they could always leave... So he moved away and just wished for a symbol of insanity, so that it's area of effect included the offending trio of murderers. Magic, the most potent a living creature could cast but rather mundane for an artificial one immune from the limitation of the living, took effect and lines of arcane power glowed on the ground behind the attackers. The trigger was designed to be met immediately (activate whenever the prime material plane exists). Combining the range of the spell and the radius of symbol, he could stay out of counterspelling range.

DMM: CON save +3 against DC 19, simulacrum and failed demigod: +0 (but with the ability to treat numbers of 1-9 as 10) against DC19. Reducing to gibbering idiots status, the offender wouldn't be able to take action in the next 10 rounds, statistically. They would shout silly affirmation like "I automatically wins every mental saving throw.".

At their turn, they'd be pulled into the ravenous void and be restrained inside, taking 5d10 force damage per round if they, most probably, failed a Strenth check. While the DMM could hope to succeed, with their inherent malus to STR, the original and his copy would fail automatically... And incur 5d10 force damage on each of the subsequent rounds. 50d10 of damage is an average of 275 HP. The most probable outcome is that they are crushed by the sphere known, in other places, as a black hole, causing their anhilation. However, the sorcerer himself was very durable (not including the upcast Aid spell that couldn't have been at an 8th level slot) and with nearly 200 HP including his Bastion of Law, and being able to call upon a clockwork cavalcade (which require an action, but let's say... to restore 100 HP, he could conceivably survive with 25 HP at the end of the spell... the ravenous void would close, the rift in reality would recede and all would be left would be the tranquil air of the mid-day in the village... the surviving sorcerer, no longer pulled up aby the unnatural gravity, would immediately take 12d6 falling damage as he'd fall 120 ft.

The Lazy One would be happy thereafter in eternal slumber, killed by fall damage.

[OK, Butler 432 and Alfred probably would play safe, vent their stress and at least cast a few exhilarating fireballs for good measure during the 10 rounds of seeing the trio being crushed into a pulp].

Then, hurrying back home, Alfred casts Scrying on the dead sorcerer. You'd never know if there was any Clone activated... But he was satisfied to learn that this basic protection was forgotten... "Sorcerers..." he sighed.

Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

[Edited to explain the lack of magical item in the contest by reference the most dangerous sorcerer of Foggy Bottom, a real threat this one].
[Edited again to ask a question: how can the sorcerer cast Freezing Sphere? It's a Wizard only spell and it's Evocation, so it couldn't have procured by the Clockwork Origin specific substitution, and it's not on the Mark of Shadow spell list either].

"My HP drops to less than 80% of my maximum HP during a fight". The contingent spell was Dimension Door, opening upward of 500 ft. No building in Faerun were more than 10-storys high, so he was safe. He immediately took his reaction to cast Feather Fall, which limited his fall to 60 ft per round. He was far outside any counterspelling range, so he was safe. Usually, he wouldn't bother with casting the spell as he always wore a Feather Fall amulet, but recently a sinister Thieves Guild had started operated and many magical valuables had gone missing in Foggy Bottom, so he had to resort to manual spellcasting. Far below, on the ground, a pale copy of the murderer came out of etherealness, applying its plan, and found no-one to twin disintegrate. Since Simulacrum have a bare modicum of intelligence, and knowing the target, the simulacrum cast a distant freezing sphere at Alfred, the only spell that could strike at 600 ft and who could strike the wizard. He couldn't twin it, since metamagic don't stack, but a little damage was better than no damage. So Alfred was struck with a freezing sphere, dealing an average of 35 cold damage to poor Alfred if he failed his save (75% chance). He'd need a cup of hot cocoa."

A Subtle Dispel end your tatic and the Alfred is gone forever.

"So Alfred was struck with a freezing sphere, dealing an average of 35 cold damage to poor Alfred if he failed his save (75% chance). He'd need a cup of hot cocoa."

Would you never have Dimention Door, because you were dispelled and seem to be guaranteeing yourself in an eventual total cover?
Empowered Freezing Sphere is 43 average damage. x2 It's 86 damage at 660ft.

"On the next turn, Alfred doesn't waste time helping the couple to get their bearing... It was time for action. Of course, he could always retreat and counterstrike at his fullest. A prepared wizard was unstoppable. But even a badly prepared one could end this sorcerer. He deduced that the spellcaster, lacking breadth in his choice of spells, probably lacked any mean of flying so he had a few round during which extended freezing sphere was probably the only threat he'd face. A few seconds was more than what he needed, as he had the advantage of range, provided he struck at this fullest. Opening a dreaded Ravenous Void (Dunamancy, he reflected, was a cool topic to study) above and slightly behind the trio of attacked, he ensured they would all three be within 100 ft of the 20-foot sphere of deadly attraction that opened, black as a rift in reality, immediately pulling everything toward its center. He also leisurely fell from FL 500 to FL 440."

No second round, Alfred is dead with subtle spells without chance to reaction.

Ravenous Void Ins't avaible to you Wizard, Alfred is can't detect the sorcerer and It's already dead, but still. Just Dimention Door out Ravenous Void. It's pretty eay.


"Alfred's simulacrum"

Subtle Dispelled. No Simulacrum, sorry.

---

All his plans fail miserably, he has no chance of reacting. Alfred is dead forever.


"[Edited again to ask a question: how can the sorcerer cast Freezing Sphere? It's a Wizard only spell and it's Evocation, so it couldn't have procured by the Clockwork Origin specific substitution, and it's not on the Mark of Shadow spell list either]."

Freezing Sphere was added to Sorcerer list (Tasha).

 

[Hohige]

The sim regaining any spell slots at all is problematic. The OP wants to read the Simulacrum spell precisely and say that it doesn't explicitly say that limited use abilities don't recharge, but it does explicitly say the sim cannot regain spell slots. There's no exception here for spell point use.

The Simulacrum can't regain spells. But, It can create spells. The Sorcerer's Flexible casting literally create a new spell slot.

 

[Hohige]

I really hope we will get a better action than the usual 260 damage at 660ft boom I win

Stealth casting is the unbeatiable trick and It can blast at 660 to still more power.