Clistenes
2013-07-05, 01:48 PM
I have been thinking about how to create a divine version of Simulacrum, and this is what I came with:
Divine Simulacrum
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Cleric 9, Druid 9, OA Shaman 9, Shugenja (Water) 9, Shugenja (Earth) 9.
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 12 hours
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: One duplicate creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell works like the arcane version, with some differences:
For Clerics and for Shugenjas who cast it as a Earth Spell, the Material Component is a masterwork (Craft [Sculpture] check vs. DC 20) clay statue in resemblance of the creature to be duplicated. The clay must have been made with blessed water (made by a priest of the same faith) and earth coming from a Consecrated and Hallowed area (again, cast by a priest of the same faith). The spellcaster can craft the statue herself, hire an artisan, or use spells to get the work done.
Some piece of the creature to be duplicated (hair, nail, or the like) must be powdered together with ruby stones worth 100 gp per HD of the simulacrum to be created. This powder is spilled over the statue while the spell is cast.
The caster must also pay 100 XP per HD of the simulacrum to be created (minimum 1,000 XP).
For Druids and Shamans, the statue must be made of precious wood like ebony wood or sandalwood, of a tree from a sacred druidic grove.
For Shugenjas who learn the spell as a Water one, the statue must be carved from frozen holy water.
This spell can create either a Standard Simulacrum or a Sacred Simulacrum.
Standard Simulacrum: The Standard Simulacrum has exactly the same features as an arcane one. This variant is favoured by Shamans, Shugenjas and by the churches of the deities of magic and by those of the gods of illusion, lies, stealth, deceit and trickery.
The Standard Simulacrum is under the absolute control of its creator, who can even order it to forget memories (or even modify them) or change its feelings, personality or alignment (it can’t however, change or lose its alignment subtypes even if ordered).
A Standard Simulacrum lacks a sense of self (it sees itself as an spell effect and an extension of the will of its master), a will of its own (save the will of its master), moral or ethical values (and will follow any order without remorse, even if it blatantly and grossly goes against the original creature’s ethos) and instincts of self-preservation.
It can’t act autonomously, show creativity or initiative unless ordered to do so (an order or fulfil a task “to the best of your abilities”, to “behave as if you were real”, to “behave as if you were X person” or “behave as if you were X kind of creature” is usually enough to make a Standard Simulacrum behave autonomously, creatively and to take initiatives of its own.
Beware: If a Standard Simulacrum is ordered to fulfil a task to the best of its abilities, and it judges that the original creature’s personality and alignment are an obstacle to it, it will change them.
A Standard Simulacrum that is told to fulfil an easy, repetitive task that doesn’t require creativity or initiative and is left unattended for a long will become more and more robot-like over time.
A Standard Simulacrum that is told to fulfil a complex task that requires creativity and initiative (or that is best done when showing those traits) “to the best of it abilities” and is left unattended for a long time will show more and more autonomy, initiative and creativity unless it becomes undistinguishable from a real creature (but its master can reassert control at any time).
Sacred Simulacrum: The Sacred Simulacrum has the same alignment as the god, philosophy or force that empowers the spellcaster (True Neutral for Druids who worship Nature itself), and is devoted to said deity, philosophy or force. It keeps, however, the basic personality, culture and tendencies of the base creature, and doesn’t follow (unless ordered by its creator) or even know any religious doctrine, rule or restriction that doesn’t come directly from the deity or force that empowered the spell (which can come as a surprise to some priests who ignore that many of their church’s rules are of human origin).
The Sacred Simulacrum is under the absolute control of its creator, like the Standard Simulacrum, with a few exceptions:
1. It can’t change its alignment even if ordered. If the base creature has an alignment subtype, it changes to match the Sacred Simulacrum’s alignment (for example, a Balor Sacred Simulacrum created by a priest of Heironeous would be Lawful Good and have the Lawful and Good subtypes). Any spell-like ability or supernatural attack or quality that has an alignment component would change too to match the Sacred Simulacrum’s alignment.
The Sacred Simulacrum’s inability to change its alignment makes it much less valuable as spy, and that’s the reason the churches of the deities of illusion, lies, stealth, deceit and trickery favour Standard Simulacrums instead.
2. If its creator loses it spellcasting ability and class features due to some gross violation of its deity’s commandments and doctrine, to an alignment change, or to lose her connection with Nature, the Sacred Simulacrum refuses to take orders anymore from her until she atones. If the creator refuses to seek atonement or switches to a new faith, the Sacred Simulacrum seeks another Cleric, Druid, Shaman or Shugenja of the original faith or philosophy as new master or mistress. If the creator has the spell Atonement cast on her, the Sacred Simulacrum will aid her in any quest that could be required to fulfil, and will return to her absolute control once the spellcasting ability is recovered.
Like the Standard Simulacrum, the Sacred Simulacrum lacks a sense of self, and instincts of self-preservation, but it has a set of values it can’t be made to change or ignore.
A Sacred Simulacrum can act autonomously, show creativity or initiative only when ordered to fulfil a task that is compatible with its patron deity’s doctrine, philosophy or ethos (also it only will show creativity or initiative when asked to do so, same as an Standard Simulacrum).
If a Sacred Simulacrum is ordered to do something that it perceives as incompatible to its values or ethos, it will do it anyway, but it will only obey direct orders, and won’t show creativity or initiative, even if ordered to do so.
A Sacred Simulacrum that is left unattended to fulfil a task on its own for a very long time will eventually find a way to promote its deity’s doctrine or its philosophy’s ethos while doing so, regardless of the task being an easy, repetitive and uncreative one, or a difficult, complex, creative one.
Simulacrum Gestalt
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 8, Cleric 9, Druid 9, OA Shaman 9, Shugenja (Water) 9, Shugenja (Earth) 9.
Components: V, S, M, XP (100 gp worth of diamond powder per HD of the creature created, plus 100 XP per HD of the simulacrum to be created (minimum 1,000 XP).
Casting Time: 12 hours
Range: 0 ft.
Target: Two Simulacrums previously created by the caster.
Effect: Merges two Simulacrums that were previously created by the caster.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
The Arcane version is able to fuse two Simulacrums, plus one more per two caster levels above 15 (hence, a 17th level caster can fuse three Simulacrums; a 19th level caster can fuse four Simulacrums; a 21st level caster can fuse five Simulacrums…etc.).
The Divine version is able to fuse two Simulacrums, plus one more per two caster levels above 17 (hence, a 19th level caster can fuse three Simulacrums; a 21st level caster can fuse four Simulacrums …etc.).
The creature created by the spell is a Simulacrum with the following stats:
Size: As the bigger of the Simulacrums to be fused. The created creature shows a mix of physical features, but if they are more than one size category from each other, the smaller one tends to get subsumed and the created gestalt will show few of its features.
Type: If both Simulacrums to be fused share the same Type, the Gestalt has that same Type. If the Simulacrums to be fused have different Types, the Gestalt will have the Type among them which is higher in the following list:
• Outsider.
• Elemental.
• Construct (only Living Construct can be made into Simulacrums).
• Undead.
• Ooze.
• Aberration.
• Fey.
• Plant.
• Dragon.
• Magical Beast.
• Monstrous Humanoid.
• Animal, Giant, Humanoid, Vermin.
Hence, if an Elemental and an Ooze fuse, the result is an Elemental, but, if an Aberration and a Ooze fuse, the result is an Ooze.
The fusion of Giant and an Humanoid is a Giant.
The fusion of a Giant or Humanoid and an Animal or Vermin is a Monstrous Humanoid (if the Animal of Vermin is smaller than the Humanoid or Giant) or Magical Beast (if the Animal or Vermin is bigger).
The fusion of an Animal or Vermin is a Magical Beast (if the Animal is bigger) or an Aberration (if the Vermin is bigger).
Subtype: The Gestalt keeps all Subtypes, unless they are incompatible to each other (like Evil and Good, Lawful and Chaotic or Cold and Fire) in which case it loses both.
If more than two of the creatures being fused have incompatible Subtypes, use the majority rule: Two Lawful creatures fused with a Chaotic one produce a Lawful one.
Hit Dice:
Racial Hit Dice overlaps (hence, the Gestalt has as many racial Hit Dice as the Simulacrum with the most racial HD).
Different Class levels stack, but levels of the same Class overlap (hence, the Gestalt of a Wizard 5 and a Fighter 5 is a Wizard 5 / Fighter 5, but the Gestalt of a Wizard 3 and a Wizard 5 is a Wizard 5.
Initiative: Recalculate it taking into account the Dexterity bonus and feats of the Gestalt.
Movement and Speed: The Gestalt has all the movement modes (flight, swim, burrow…etc.) of the component Simulacrums.
To calculate its speed and maneuverability increase the sizes of the component Simulacrums to the size of the biggest among them, and recalculate each one’s movement’s speed and maneuverability. The Gestalt has the highest speed and best manouverability among all.
Natural Armor: The highest among the component Simulacrum.
Attack Bonus: Recalculate it using the new HD and Strength bonus (or Dexterity bonus, if appropiate).
Natural Weapons: The Gestalt keeps them all. Increase the sizes of the component Simulacrums to the size of the biggest among them, and recalculate each one’s natural weapon’s damage.
Space/Reach: As the biggest among the component Simulacrums.
Special Attacks: Keeps them all. Recalculate the DC using the new ability bonuses if necessary.
If one of the component Simulacrum is a monster able to cast spells, the Gestalt can cast them too, with the same Caster Level. If two of the component creatures can cast spells duplicating the same class (for example, two of them cast spells as a Sorcerer, or two of them cast spells as a Cleric), use the higher Caster Level, with daily Spell Slots appropriate to that Caster Level and to the relevant ability bonus, but the Gestalt keeps all the Domain Spells and all the Know Spell of both creatures, even if the known spells are too many for a caster of that Caster Level (hence, if you fuse two level 5 sorcerers, the Gestalt has caster level 5, cast so many spells as a level 5 sorcerer with its Charisma, but it can easily have more spells known that any level 5 Sorcerer).
Special Qualities: Keeps them all.
Saves: Recalculate them using the new HD and the new ability bonuses
Abilities: The highest of each one, with one exception. Increase the sizes of the component Simulacrums to the size of the biggest among them, and recalculate each one’s Dexterity; the Gestalt has the highest Dexterity among those recalculated Dex stats, not among the original ones.
Skills: The Gestalt has the highest Skill Rank for every skill among all the component creatures.
Feats: The Gestalt keeps all the feats, and all the weapon and armor proficiencies.
Alignment: The Gestalt keeps all alignment components (Neutral Good + Lawful Neutral = Lawful Good). If the component creatures have opposed alignment components (for example, one is Chaotic and other Lawful), those balance each other and the Gestalt tends to Neutrality.
If more than two component creatures have opposed alignment components, use the majority rule (two Evil creatures fused with a Good creature produce an Evil creature).
These divine spells are intended to have been researched and kept in secret by the higher ranking members of the churches. Your average cleric isn’t aware of them and doesn’t receive them as part of his spell list unless taught by somebody who knows them.
Divine Simulacrum
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Cleric 9, Druid 9, OA Shaman 9, Shugenja (Water) 9, Shugenja (Earth) 9.
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 12 hours
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: One duplicate creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell works like the arcane version, with some differences:
For Clerics and for Shugenjas who cast it as a Earth Spell, the Material Component is a masterwork (Craft [Sculpture] check vs. DC 20) clay statue in resemblance of the creature to be duplicated. The clay must have been made with blessed water (made by a priest of the same faith) and earth coming from a Consecrated and Hallowed area (again, cast by a priest of the same faith). The spellcaster can craft the statue herself, hire an artisan, or use spells to get the work done.
Some piece of the creature to be duplicated (hair, nail, or the like) must be powdered together with ruby stones worth 100 gp per HD of the simulacrum to be created. This powder is spilled over the statue while the spell is cast.
The caster must also pay 100 XP per HD of the simulacrum to be created (minimum 1,000 XP).
For Druids and Shamans, the statue must be made of precious wood like ebony wood or sandalwood, of a tree from a sacred druidic grove.
For Shugenjas who learn the spell as a Water one, the statue must be carved from frozen holy water.
This spell can create either a Standard Simulacrum or a Sacred Simulacrum.
Standard Simulacrum: The Standard Simulacrum has exactly the same features as an arcane one. This variant is favoured by Shamans, Shugenjas and by the churches of the deities of magic and by those of the gods of illusion, lies, stealth, deceit and trickery.
The Standard Simulacrum is under the absolute control of its creator, who can even order it to forget memories (or even modify them) or change its feelings, personality or alignment (it can’t however, change or lose its alignment subtypes even if ordered).
A Standard Simulacrum lacks a sense of self (it sees itself as an spell effect and an extension of the will of its master), a will of its own (save the will of its master), moral or ethical values (and will follow any order without remorse, even if it blatantly and grossly goes against the original creature’s ethos) and instincts of self-preservation.
It can’t act autonomously, show creativity or initiative unless ordered to do so (an order or fulfil a task “to the best of your abilities”, to “behave as if you were real”, to “behave as if you were X person” or “behave as if you were X kind of creature” is usually enough to make a Standard Simulacrum behave autonomously, creatively and to take initiatives of its own.
Beware: If a Standard Simulacrum is ordered to fulfil a task to the best of its abilities, and it judges that the original creature’s personality and alignment are an obstacle to it, it will change them.
A Standard Simulacrum that is told to fulfil an easy, repetitive task that doesn’t require creativity or initiative and is left unattended for a long will become more and more robot-like over time.
A Standard Simulacrum that is told to fulfil a complex task that requires creativity and initiative (or that is best done when showing those traits) “to the best of it abilities” and is left unattended for a long time will show more and more autonomy, initiative and creativity unless it becomes undistinguishable from a real creature (but its master can reassert control at any time).
Sacred Simulacrum: The Sacred Simulacrum has the same alignment as the god, philosophy or force that empowers the spellcaster (True Neutral for Druids who worship Nature itself), and is devoted to said deity, philosophy or force. It keeps, however, the basic personality, culture and tendencies of the base creature, and doesn’t follow (unless ordered by its creator) or even know any religious doctrine, rule or restriction that doesn’t come directly from the deity or force that empowered the spell (which can come as a surprise to some priests who ignore that many of their church’s rules are of human origin).
The Sacred Simulacrum is under the absolute control of its creator, like the Standard Simulacrum, with a few exceptions:
1. It can’t change its alignment even if ordered. If the base creature has an alignment subtype, it changes to match the Sacred Simulacrum’s alignment (for example, a Balor Sacred Simulacrum created by a priest of Heironeous would be Lawful Good and have the Lawful and Good subtypes). Any spell-like ability or supernatural attack or quality that has an alignment component would change too to match the Sacred Simulacrum’s alignment.
The Sacred Simulacrum’s inability to change its alignment makes it much less valuable as spy, and that’s the reason the churches of the deities of illusion, lies, stealth, deceit and trickery favour Standard Simulacrums instead.
2. If its creator loses it spellcasting ability and class features due to some gross violation of its deity’s commandments and doctrine, to an alignment change, or to lose her connection with Nature, the Sacred Simulacrum refuses to take orders anymore from her until she atones. If the creator refuses to seek atonement or switches to a new faith, the Sacred Simulacrum seeks another Cleric, Druid, Shaman or Shugenja of the original faith or philosophy as new master or mistress. If the creator has the spell Atonement cast on her, the Sacred Simulacrum will aid her in any quest that could be required to fulfil, and will return to her absolute control once the spellcasting ability is recovered.
Like the Standard Simulacrum, the Sacred Simulacrum lacks a sense of self, and instincts of self-preservation, but it has a set of values it can’t be made to change or ignore.
A Sacred Simulacrum can act autonomously, show creativity or initiative only when ordered to fulfil a task that is compatible with its patron deity’s doctrine, philosophy or ethos (also it only will show creativity or initiative when asked to do so, same as an Standard Simulacrum).
If a Sacred Simulacrum is ordered to do something that it perceives as incompatible to its values or ethos, it will do it anyway, but it will only obey direct orders, and won’t show creativity or initiative, even if ordered to do so.
A Sacred Simulacrum that is left unattended to fulfil a task on its own for a very long time will eventually find a way to promote its deity’s doctrine or its philosophy’s ethos while doing so, regardless of the task being an easy, repetitive and uncreative one, or a difficult, complex, creative one.
Simulacrum Gestalt
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 8, Cleric 9, Druid 9, OA Shaman 9, Shugenja (Water) 9, Shugenja (Earth) 9.
Components: V, S, M, XP (100 gp worth of diamond powder per HD of the creature created, plus 100 XP per HD of the simulacrum to be created (minimum 1,000 XP).
Casting Time: 12 hours
Range: 0 ft.
Target: Two Simulacrums previously created by the caster.
Effect: Merges two Simulacrums that were previously created by the caster.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
The Arcane version is able to fuse two Simulacrums, plus one more per two caster levels above 15 (hence, a 17th level caster can fuse three Simulacrums; a 19th level caster can fuse four Simulacrums; a 21st level caster can fuse five Simulacrums…etc.).
The Divine version is able to fuse two Simulacrums, plus one more per two caster levels above 17 (hence, a 19th level caster can fuse three Simulacrums; a 21st level caster can fuse four Simulacrums …etc.).
The creature created by the spell is a Simulacrum with the following stats:
Size: As the bigger of the Simulacrums to be fused. The created creature shows a mix of physical features, but if they are more than one size category from each other, the smaller one tends to get subsumed and the created gestalt will show few of its features.
Type: If both Simulacrums to be fused share the same Type, the Gestalt has that same Type. If the Simulacrums to be fused have different Types, the Gestalt will have the Type among them which is higher in the following list:
• Outsider.
• Elemental.
• Construct (only Living Construct can be made into Simulacrums).
• Undead.
• Ooze.
• Aberration.
• Fey.
• Plant.
• Dragon.
• Magical Beast.
• Monstrous Humanoid.
• Animal, Giant, Humanoid, Vermin.
Hence, if an Elemental and an Ooze fuse, the result is an Elemental, but, if an Aberration and a Ooze fuse, the result is an Ooze.
The fusion of Giant and an Humanoid is a Giant.
The fusion of a Giant or Humanoid and an Animal or Vermin is a Monstrous Humanoid (if the Animal of Vermin is smaller than the Humanoid or Giant) or Magical Beast (if the Animal or Vermin is bigger).
The fusion of an Animal or Vermin is a Magical Beast (if the Animal is bigger) or an Aberration (if the Vermin is bigger).
Subtype: The Gestalt keeps all Subtypes, unless they are incompatible to each other (like Evil and Good, Lawful and Chaotic or Cold and Fire) in which case it loses both.
If more than two of the creatures being fused have incompatible Subtypes, use the majority rule: Two Lawful creatures fused with a Chaotic one produce a Lawful one.
Hit Dice:
Racial Hit Dice overlaps (hence, the Gestalt has as many racial Hit Dice as the Simulacrum with the most racial HD).
Different Class levels stack, but levels of the same Class overlap (hence, the Gestalt of a Wizard 5 and a Fighter 5 is a Wizard 5 / Fighter 5, but the Gestalt of a Wizard 3 and a Wizard 5 is a Wizard 5.
Initiative: Recalculate it taking into account the Dexterity bonus and feats of the Gestalt.
Movement and Speed: The Gestalt has all the movement modes (flight, swim, burrow…etc.) of the component Simulacrums.
To calculate its speed and maneuverability increase the sizes of the component Simulacrums to the size of the biggest among them, and recalculate each one’s movement’s speed and maneuverability. The Gestalt has the highest speed and best manouverability among all.
Natural Armor: The highest among the component Simulacrum.
Attack Bonus: Recalculate it using the new HD and Strength bonus (or Dexterity bonus, if appropiate).
Natural Weapons: The Gestalt keeps them all. Increase the sizes of the component Simulacrums to the size of the biggest among them, and recalculate each one’s natural weapon’s damage.
Space/Reach: As the biggest among the component Simulacrums.
Special Attacks: Keeps them all. Recalculate the DC using the new ability bonuses if necessary.
If one of the component Simulacrum is a monster able to cast spells, the Gestalt can cast them too, with the same Caster Level. If two of the component creatures can cast spells duplicating the same class (for example, two of them cast spells as a Sorcerer, or two of them cast spells as a Cleric), use the higher Caster Level, with daily Spell Slots appropriate to that Caster Level and to the relevant ability bonus, but the Gestalt keeps all the Domain Spells and all the Know Spell of both creatures, even if the known spells are too many for a caster of that Caster Level (hence, if you fuse two level 5 sorcerers, the Gestalt has caster level 5, cast so many spells as a level 5 sorcerer with its Charisma, but it can easily have more spells known that any level 5 Sorcerer).
Special Qualities: Keeps them all.
Saves: Recalculate them using the new HD and the new ability bonuses
Abilities: The highest of each one, with one exception. Increase the sizes of the component Simulacrums to the size of the biggest among them, and recalculate each one’s Dexterity; the Gestalt has the highest Dexterity among those recalculated Dex stats, not among the original ones.
Skills: The Gestalt has the highest Skill Rank for every skill among all the component creatures.
Feats: The Gestalt keeps all the feats, and all the weapon and armor proficiencies.
Alignment: The Gestalt keeps all alignment components (Neutral Good + Lawful Neutral = Lawful Good). If the component creatures have opposed alignment components (for example, one is Chaotic and other Lawful), those balance each other and the Gestalt tends to Neutrality.
If more than two component creatures have opposed alignment components, use the majority rule (two Evil creatures fused with a Good creature produce an Evil creature).
These divine spells are intended to have been researched and kept in secret by the higher ranking members of the churches. Your average cleric isn’t aware of them and doesn’t receive them as part of his spell list unless taught by somebody who knows them.