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How autonomous is a Simulacrum?
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<blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 7951517" data-attributes="member: 57383"><p>I object to this base slander. HAL was not a crazy rogue AI, but was just logically obeying its instructions regarding the relative priorities of completing its mission and protecting the lives of its crew. It's not the poor computer's fault those orders were a bit, ah, careless.</p><p></p><p>As for the original question, I would say a simulacrum should be able to act autonomously as if it were the original spellcaster if specifically ordered to do so, but they have no free will or desires of their own.</p><p></p><p>Also, it was foolish for 5E to make a simulacrum the same level as the wizard. It'd have been far better to make them lower level than the original like in earlier editions rather than just having lower hit points (i.e. the 3E <em>simulacrum</em> spell, which creates a duplicate with half the level/Hit Dice). After all, with many D&D creatures their power depends more on their special abilities rather than how much damage they can tank.</p><p></p><p>Worse, <em>simulacrum</em> can duplicate any creature. A smart wizard (and they're all smart) could create simulacrum of a lot of other useful monsters, not just a copy of themselves.</p><p></p><p>How is the 5E spell's wording about "currently active duplicates" supposed to work anyway? The very fact it says "duplicates" in plural implies the spell can produce multiple copies of creatures or a single copy each of multiple creatures. Does that mean the wizard can have as many simulacrums as they like simply by putting them all in an inactive state whenever a new one is created? That would mean a wizard could break all their simulacrums out of storage simultaneously so long as they're not actually in the process of casting a <em>simulacrum</em> spell. It could have been phrased better.</p><p></p><p>Yes I know. Rulings not rules. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cleon, post: 7951517, member: 57383"] I object to this base slander. HAL was not a crazy rogue AI, but was just logically obeying its instructions regarding the relative priorities of completing its mission and protecting the lives of its crew. It's not the poor computer's fault those orders were a bit, ah, careless. As for the original question, I would say a simulacrum should be able to act autonomously as if it were the original spellcaster if specifically ordered to do so, but they have no free will or desires of their own. Also, it was foolish for 5E to make a simulacrum the same level as the wizard. It'd have been far better to make them lower level than the original like in earlier editions rather than just having lower hit points (i.e. the 3E [I]simulacrum[/I] spell, which creates a duplicate with half the level/Hit Dice). After all, with many D&D creatures their power depends more on their special abilities rather than how much damage they can tank. Worse, [I]simulacrum[/I] can duplicate any creature. A smart wizard (and they're all smart) could create simulacrum of a lot of other useful monsters, not just a copy of themselves. How is the 5E spell's wording about "currently active duplicates" supposed to work anyway? The very fact it says "duplicates" in plural implies the spell can produce multiple copies of creatures or a single copy each of multiple creatures. Does that mean the wizard can have as many simulacrums as they like simply by putting them all in an inactive state whenever a new one is created? That would mean a wizard could break all their simulacrums out of storage simultaneously so long as they're not actually in the process of casting a [I]simulacrum[/I] spell. It could have been phrased better. Yes I know. Rulings not rules. ;) [/QUOTE]
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