D&D: You Probably Aren't Making The Most Of One Great Spell In The 2024 Rules

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The spell is among the most highly regarded in , but despite its power, some groups do not get the most out of the spell, while others do not consider its many drawbacks. is a seventh-level Illusion spell, normally available only to characters with 13 or more levels in the wizard class, though bards can also access the spell through the Magical Secrets feature. The requirements are considerable, as the spell uses 1,500 Gold Pieces’ worth of material components and takes 12 hours to cast. Knowing the minutiae of the spell can make it worthwhile.

There were many spells the 2024 fixed, and received some much-needed guardrails in the revised version. While the 2014 version limited the caster from creating a second simulacrum, nothing stopped the simulacrum itself from casting the spell, assuming a wizard level of 15 or higher, and making another copy of the original caster. The 2024 revision also prevents a simulacrum from casting the spell, preventing endless armies of wizards, but that does not mean the spell is straightforward, by any means. DMs need to understand its weaknesses, while players must learn how to capitalize on it.

has some weaknesses that players and DMs alike often fail to consider. Some of ’s best spells are low level, and the lower-level spells are certainly written with more thoroughness in their description and far less ambiguity than high-level magic. There are weaknesses of spelled out in its description, but others require deeper reading and cross-referencing of other rules. ’s duration is noted as “,” which confirms a simple casting of can snuff out the work of 12 hours and expenditure of expensive components. A simulacrum has half the hit point total of the copied creature.

While it is intuitive that wizard players tend to select their own character as the target to copy with, it is not always the most effective choice.

Though spellcasters can be fairly tanky in their ability to resist and endure damage, the low HP total of a simulacrum means