'Clone' - clarification? [Archive] - Wizards Community

'Clone' - clarification? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Khatoblepas
08-25-06, 07:21 PM Say you have this mad sorcerer/wizard guy. He's mortally afraid of dying and not coming back, so he uses the clone spell.

1) How many clones can be grown at once? One? Three thousand? I've always read it as you can have as many clones as you can sustain.

2) How do you preserve them? Are they similar to corpses which have 'raise dead' cast on them at the original's death? I'd suppose if they were you could use Glass Tubes of Gentle Repose to store them in =P.

3) Do they age as the original ages? Say the wizard casts Clone, ages 50 years and becomes venerable, and dies from a fatal arrow to the face. Are the clones venerable too? Or do they come back at the age the wizard was when he cast it?

4) And what happens when someone steals a clone, Animate Deads it, then Awakens it? Is it effectively the Wizard, or a 1st level Warrior (as per Libris Mortis)?
Yaeri
08-26-06, 02:15 PM 1) I believe you can have as many clones as you want. I don't have anything in the rules to back this up though. It just seems reasonable. And there's precedent of this in a FR novel. Remains the question, can you choose which one of your clones to inhabit when you die, or does your soul enter a random one?
2) With the spell: preserve corpse, or with a stasis spell.
3) Yes. Everything in the spells description points in this direction, as do a lot of other things in D&D. When your soul enters a clone, it will aquire the age you were when you died.
4) I don't know the awaken spell, but as long as your sould doesn't inhabit the clone, it's just a lifeless empty husk. The answer to your question most likely will be: no it doesn't become you. It will be a 1st level warrior, if anything at all. A brief description of the awaken spell might help.
Derren S.
08-26-06, 03:53 PM 1. As many as you want. When you die you inhabit the newest clone imo.
2. Races of Dragon has a nice magic item for that.
3. It is implied that the clone takes on the age of the character when he inhabits one. A shame if you ask me. If that wouldn't be the case Clone would be a viable way for immortaility besides lichdom
4. You can't animate a clone as it technically isn't a corpse (yet).
Khatoblepas
08-26-06, 05:44 PM Very interesting. So my plan of the paranoid wizard can go ahead.

One thing to note, however, about the living forever dealey? Some fluff in Reincarnate may provide a budding adventurer immortality, albeit in a diferent body every few decades.

The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand.

Nowhere does it say that the new body takes on the age of the soul, nor that they take on the penalties of age. So if you're willing to take a chance on the Wheel of Druids, when you reach venerable age just stab yourself and have someone reincarnate you. Munchkins beware, though, age bonuses might stack =\
MaximusRift
08-26-06, 05:51 PM Just to contribute to the post...

Could said wizard/sorceror experiment on said clone making it tougher/stronger/immortal? Perhaps adding a template in some way?
Khatoblepas
08-26-06, 07:21 PM Personally, I'd allow that, but for each extra ability I'd say that there was an increasing chance the clone, on inhabitation by the soul, rejects it bodily and the creature gets dealt a hefty amount of constitution damage (2d6 should cover it) and the loss of said abilities. The save is fortitude based, and the chance would be rolled on inhabitation. Each minor ability raises the DC by 2 (small stat increases (per stat), movement, 0 or 1st level spell like ability 1/day), major ability by 5 (larger stat increases (per stat), higher up spell like abilities or low level more times per day), and 'epic' ability (anything more) raises it by 10 to 20, DM's disgression. Only the selected clone gains these abilities. Any more clones become useless, outdated and rot away to dust in 1d6 minutes, even under the stasis or gentle repose enchantments.

Alternatively, I wouldn't allow templates to be stacked up on the clones, only grafts. These wouldn't give the clones a penalty to HP, as they're grafting onto inert flesh! Still, con drain on failed fort save against rejection, 10+HP 'sacrificed'.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Khatoblepas 08-25-06, 07:21 PM	Say you have this mad sorcerer/wizard guy. He's mortally afraid of dying and not coming back, so he uses the clone spell. 1) How many clones can be grown at once? One? Three thousand? I've always read it as you can have as many clones as you can sustain. 2) How do you preserve them? Are they similar to corpses which have 'raise dead' cast on them at the original's death? I'd suppose if they were you could use Glass Tubes of Gentle Repose to store them in =P. 3) Do they age as the original ages? Say the wizard casts Clone, ages 50 years and becomes venerable, and dies from a fatal arrow to the face. Are the clones venerable too? Or do they come back at the age the wizard was when he cast it? 4) And what happens when someone steals a clone, Animate Deads it, then Awakens it? Is it effectively the Wizard, or a 1st level Warrior (as per Libris Mortis)?
Yaeri 08-26-06, 02:15 PM	1) I believe you can have as many clones as you want. I don't have anything in the rules to back this up though. It just seems reasonable. And there's precedent of this in a FR novel. Remains the question, can you choose which one of your clones to inhabit when you die, or does your soul enter a random one? 2) With the spell: preserve corpse, or with a stasis spell. 3) Yes. Everything in the spells description points in this direction, as do a lot of other things in D&D. When your soul enters a clone, it will aquire the age you were when you died. 4) I don't know the awaken spell, but as long as your sould doesn't inhabit the clone, it's just a lifeless empty husk. The answer to your question most likely will be: no it doesn't become you. It will be a 1st level warrior, if anything at all. A brief description of the awaken spell might help.
Derren S. 08-26-06, 03:53 PM	1. As many as you want. When you die you inhabit the newest clone imo. 2. Races of Dragon has a nice magic item for that. 3. It is implied that the clone takes on the age of the character when he inhabits one. A shame if you ask me. If that wouldn't be the case Clone would be a viable way for immortaility besides lichdom 4. You can't animate a clone as it technically isn't a corpse (yet).
Khatoblepas 08-26-06, 05:44 PM	Very interesting. So my plan of the paranoid wizard can go ahead. One thing to note, however, about the living forever dealey? Some fluff in Reincarnate may provide a budding adventurer immortality, albeit in a diferent body every few decades. The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand. Nowhere does it say that the new body takes on the age of the soul, nor that they take on the penalties of age. So if you're willing to take a chance on the Wheel of Druids, when you reach venerable age just stab yourself and have someone reincarnate you. Munchkins beware, though, age bonuses might stack =\
MaximusRift 08-26-06, 05:51 PM	Just to contribute to the post... Could said wizard/sorceror experiment on said clone making it tougher/stronger/immortal? Perhaps adding a template in some way?
Khatoblepas 08-26-06, 07:21 PM	Personally, I'd allow that, but for each extra ability I'd say that there was an increasing chance the clone, on inhabitation by the soul, rejects it bodily and the creature gets dealt a hefty amount of constitution damage (2d6 should cover it) and the loss of said abilities. The save is fortitude based, and the chance would be rolled on inhabitation. Each minor ability raises the DC by 2 (small stat increases (per stat), movement, 0 or 1st level spell like ability 1/day), major ability by 5 (larger stat increases (per stat), higher up spell like abilities or low level more times per day), and 'epic' ability (anything more) raises it by 10 to 20, DM's disgression. Only the selected clone gains these abilities. Any more clones become useless, outdated and rot away to dust in 1d6 minutes, even under the stasis or gentle repose enchantments. Alternatively, I wouldn't allow templates to be stacked up on the clones, only grafts. These wouldn't give the clones a penalty to HP, as they're grafting onto inert flesh! Still, con drain on failed fort save against rejection, 10+HP 'sacrificed'.