Suppose you have an undead creature, like a vampire, lich, or deathknight. If a sample of its flesh were taken (perhaps whilst it was still alive), could it be cloned as the original, uncursed creature it started from? The rules for the Clone spell state:
"When the clone is completed, the original's soul enters it immediately, if that creature is already dead."
If undead are soulless, are those souls free to enter a new body? This seems to be the case as some forms of undeath can be reversed with strong clerical magic. Further:
"If the original creature gained permanent negative levels since the flesh sample was taken, the clone gains these negative levels as well."
Does this factor into the equation?
My aim is to find a way to clone a powerful undead creature as its original human form (albeit far less powerful)for a unique plot twist in my campaign, and the 2nd ed. D&D rules allowed for this...whaddya think?
could it be cloned as the original, uncursed creature it started from?
To create the duplicate, you must have a piece of flesh (not hair, nails, scales, or the like) with a volume of at least 1 cubic inch that was taken from the original creature's living body. The piece of flesh need not be fresh, but it must be kept from rotting.
So it's doable, although a cubic inch isn't something to sneeze at. But if you find a finger that was lobbed off and then pickled, you're good to go.
If undead are soulless, are those souls free to enter a new body?Aren't the only "soulless" undead Skeletons and Zombies? The others either are souls, or have them rebound to their undead body.
When the clone is completed, the original's soul enters it immediately, if that creature is already dead.Undead aren't dead, so nothing happens until the monster is slain.
This seems to be the case as some forms of undeath can be reversed with strong clerical magic.
Which forms? I thought you always had to kill the undead form before the original creature could be restored, but I may well be wrong.
"If the original creature gained permanent negative levels since the flesh sample was taken, the clone gains these negative levels as well."
Does this factor into the equation?
Nope. Unless the undead target actually has negative levels from some other mishap.
My aim is to find a way to clone a powerful undead creature as its original human form (albeit far less powerful)for a unique plot twist in my campaign, and the 2nd ed. D&D rules allowed for this...whaddya think?
Have you considered creating a Simulacrum? I don't think the rules explicitly say you have to make one based on a creature in its current state, so you might create one using the victim just before he got undeaded as a template.
The simalcrum was actually my first thought, but their inability to heal or advance makes their utility marginal at best. The OLD clone spell created a vital., living clone of the creature with memories and everything up to the point bthe sample was taken. The clone and the original could only coexist on the same plane for a short time, as one or both would go insane and destroy the other or themselves. Seemed to suggest a "soul share" issue.
So, my question remains: is there an established game mechanic that supports the possibility of a powerful undead creating a lower-level living clone of itself to, say, adventure to find a cure for the original undead form? Just became relevant in our bi-weekly game, so any additional help is appreciated!