Artificer creating army

[Lunalynx]

One of the groups I run is an Eberon group where we have an interesting human artificer. All he does is build homunculi, a lot of homunculi. He has at least 7 or 8 that go with him everywhere and it seems that every time we are done with a modules he builds more. He said since there was no limit set in the book, then there is no limit to how many he can create. My question is, how many are too many? Are their any limits? Could there be some sort of ramifications to having that many? I would love to know what you guys think.

 

[blargney the second]

Once they hit critical mass, they turn into a homonculus mob.

 

[Jhaelen]

Well, I think it depends on what the player inteds to do with this 'army of humunculi'. Are they intended as combat support? Then there's little to worry about, they'll become useless in no time and any kind of area effect should do away with them in no time.

Or are they utility-type homunculi?
These might be problematic if the player tries to use them to make a fortune by providing certain services. But the joy wouldn't last long since the dragonmark houses or some similar organisation would take steps to eliminate the competition.

 

[Jack Simth]

One of the groups I run is an Eberon group where we have an interesting human artificer. All he does is build homunculi, a lot of homunculi. He has at least 7 or 8 that go with him everywhere and it seems that every time we are done with a modules he builds more. He said since there was no limit set in the book, then there is no limit to how many he can create. My question is, how many are too many? Are their any limits? Could there be some sort of ramifications to having that many? I would love to know what you guys think.

No real limit (other than XP and character wealth), but there's a serious problem with (at least, with the MMI standard; check the ones he's using - do they inherit from the base critter or have similar wording?) Homunculus if you've got more than a handful:

It knows what its master knows and can convey to him or her everything it sees and hears, out to a distance of 1,500 feet. A homunculus never travels beyond this range willingly, though it can be removed forcibly. If this occurs, the creature does everything in its power to regain contact with its master. An attack that destroys a homunculus deals 2d10 points of damage to its master.

They have to remain relatively close at all times, if they're killed you take 2d10 damage, and Homunculii have poor saves, few hit points, and a low AC. One well-placed Fireball and the Homunculii Master is dead, without ever touching the artificer. If he uses them in combat, it's a self-solving problem. The only thing they're actually useful for is lone scouts - and even for that, you only want one or two at a time, tops, and they stop being useful at that around 10th level, when every monkey and it's uncle will have a Spot fit to beat their Hide.

Edit:
This isn't how to break an Artificer. Now, high caster level Oils of Animate Dead (Cleric version of the spell)? That can get nasty (each character in the party can control a number of HD of undead equal to the 4*Artificer's effective caster level for making potions). The gatling ray build gets nasty. This? Not so much.