This spell grows an inert duplicate of a living creature as a safeguard against death. This clone forms inside the vessel used in the spell’s casting and grows to full size and maturity after 120 days; you can also choose to have the clone be a younger version of the same creature. It remains inert and endures indefinitely, as long as its vessel remains undisturbed.
At any time after the clone matures, if the original creature dies, its soul transfers to the clone, provided that the soul is free and willing to return. The clone is physically identical to the original and has the same personality, memories, and abilities, but none of the original's equipment. The original creature's physical remains, if they still exist, become inert and can't thereafter be restored to life, since the creature's soul is elsewhere.
* - (a diamond worth at least 1,000 gp and at least 1 cubic inch of flesh of the creature that is to be cloned, which the spell consumes, and a vessel worth at least 2,000 gp that has a sealable lid and is large enough to hold the creature being cloned, such as a huge urn, coffin, mud- filled cyst in the ground, or crystal container filled with salt water)
DM problems, but, what if a PC wore a ring of mind shielding; and, upon death the soul went to the ring instead of directly to the clone? At any time after death AND the maturity of the clone, could the soul transfer to the clone - or does the clone ‘spoil’? RAW, the soul chooses to stay in the ring or depart for the afterlife. Rule of Cool, is a clone an afterlife?
***Can clones wait for the soul of their deceased caster to be free and willing?
I am curious. Does this spell allow me to do this for my friends or informed members. Like say my buddy the barbarian who he and I both enjoy the dark side of humour. Would I be able to create a clone for him? Or say we want to speak to someone. I go up to him. Offer him immortality. He foolishly agrees. We make the body for him. He pays for 3 clones. He does not know how exactly it works. Then down the road. Send in an assassin, kill him. Keep him imprisoned. People think he is dead and don’t search for him. And we have said hostage for what ever reason?
There doesn't appear to be a limit on the number of clones, or for whom one can make them. The language also doesn't mention "you", so it should be doable for any medium creature.
Clone + Soul Jar = twins?
Well if your able to live for ever you should be able to get to 17th level, then you can cast clone for free with Wish
Yes you can clone any medium creature, and im sure you could get away with cloning a large by using a wish spell.
So I’m thinking off the following .....
This will be the casting for a solo wizard to play at immortality
you’ll need the following items, spells
Rod of security, amulet of non detection, wish spell!
put on the amulet of non detection, activate the rod of security during a break in the campaign. You port in undetected to your palace. Cast Wish spell wording it for the effect of a Clone spell completely formed and aged to X years old. Basically the age of adulthood (say 18 to 20 as a human or 100 as an elf). Minute the spell completes you kill yourself thus keeping all your gear and everything intact.
you “COULD” bring along the party and “rebuild” the youth of your party!!
if you need money ... you could always find some rich nobles to go on a FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH trip. Basically charge 10k gold/each and take 10 nobles off to your palace and give them younger bodies. Do this a few times a year and you’ll always have funds to research and create new magic items
what do you think???
Fun party time: make clones of all of your friends, Finger of Death them, preserve the living hell out of the zombies. I don't know what to do with this...
Here's a fun combo that every character with access to 8th level wizard spells should do (bonus if you can cast wish to make it free). Clone says nothing about the clone having to be on the same plane of existence for the soul to transfer, so stash dozens (or hundreds) of clones in demiplanes. Immortality as long as you don't encounter soul trapping magic.
Lots of interesting speculation about what would happen if a lich cloned themselves before they became a lich.
While it is not fully known how one becomes a lich, we do know the person becoming a lich dies and becomes undead. Clones activate when the original body dies. So in my understanding, either the clone would activate and interrupt the lich ritual, or the clone would no longer function.
If i already have a vessel of a creature’s body that i wanted to transfer my soul to(such as a corpse of a giant who has had their soul removed via magic item) would this spell or some other spell allow that?
Depending on how many cubic inch-sized chunks of yourself you're willing to part with.
I mean... I assume the 'clone-you' would have regrown that bit of flesh. So it just means hacking off your big toe every casting.
Alternatively, it says 'at least 1 cubic inch'... it doesn't say it has to be fresh, or harvested all at once. Theoretically, I could collect the skin sloughed off with a rough sponge over the course of many weeks... or those extra bits of skin that come off when you clip your nails. Just have a jar of those clipping labeled "Future Me". No one will think anything of it.
Since I have l learned that this can be used against other creatures, I have a new end goal for any wizard I play.
Step 1: Gain Clone spell. (Step 1.A: Gain Wish spell for free castings of clone)
Step 2: Make a stronghold that is secure against magics and armed forces.
Step 3: Open the Bank of Immortality in that stronghold, and charge rich folk for creating clones that we store for them (Natural cost is 3,000 gp, so a 6,000 gp+ cost is the selling price as it also covers the cost of operation).
Step 4: Be a successful business owner for years and years and years to come.
Upfront cost is expensive, but I would figure that there are many nobies who would pay handsomely to ensure a safeguard against death (not all have a great cleric friend), especially one that makes them younger as well.
l have seen comments talking about small characters not being clone-able,but "a vessel worth at least 2,000 gp that has a sealable lid and is large enough to hold a Medium creature" does not mean a goblin cant be cloned,because all the jar needs to do is be able to store a full sized human,and,as a result,if it can fit a human,it can also fit a goblin. (no giants or whatever though,unless you want to use my logic to say that a coffin big enough for a giant is "big enough to hold a medium creature",and thus,meets the requirements for the spell to be able to clone large characters.)
The first sentence specifically mentions a medium creature. Don't know if they just forgot about some small creatures being player characters or they had something in mind when they got so specific about the size. Perhaps they should have just specified humanoid.
Step one: clone yourself.
Step two: die and become reborn in new body
Step three: cast create undead on your old body and make it a mummy or whatever.
This is more or less the path to becoming Lord Voldemort in D&D! I love this spell so much and the if I ever play an evil character, i’m playing this.
I agree. Technically certain powerful gnome wizards like Skenk Mcgenk wouldn't be able to clone themselves if this were the case.
Why would someone choose to be a lich and not a clone?
Power?
compare a Lich with an Archmage, the lich is mightier