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Seriously, I dont think there are a pair of more poorly worded spells remaining in the system than Simulacrum and its lesser version.
Thing is I have a player wanting to use Alchemical version of the spell as a discovery, which is all cool with me really, but looking harder at the spell it becomes extremely confusing how exactly to create a creature (I guess I should call it a stat block) for any kind of simulacrum, much less a nerfed lesser version.
At first it seems pretty easy, ok cool. The PC can make one of a creature/level total does not exceed his HD. Check, done. Then comes the problem of it only ACTUALLY possessing half of it's own HD... o...k... I sorta see what you're getting on here, but um. A creatures HD effects absolutely everything about EVERY creature, and it's not like we have a 7 HD progression for any 7 HD creature, all the stats it had at a given point, which EX abilities it would still have, the order in which it takes its feats, skills, Base Attack Bonus, saves, ability score pumps, etc.
On top of all this, there dont seem to be any rules for leveling DOWN a creature, with any kind of user friendlyness. Sure I can take the characters intended minion creature as it is, an Young Blue dragon, give it the stats of a wyrmling, take away its magic and BOOM we have a nerfed lesser simulacrum, but these kinds of convenient stat place-offs are so extremely rare to come across the only ones I can think of at all ARE the Dragons.
My player even suggested letting him use the Eidolon (Spelling?) Rules for an appropriate HD creature to try to emulate whatever the lesser simulacrum was shaped after, and it seems like the easiest fix I can think of, even being as clunky, and non-intuitive as it is.
So, here I am left questioning myself as to what to do here. The flavor fits with the PC, and I want to make it work, but he and I are having a hard time justifying even letting him do it simply for the amount of paperwork, number crunching, and motrin 800's it would require.
For the record I think this spell would be a perfect candidate for ERRATA IN FUTURE PRINTINGS, to simplify, balance, or basically just make work. Even a template or creature sub-type with matching rules would work... so help, please!
Let's look at the spells.
School illusion (shadow); Level sorcerer/wizard 7Casting Time 12 hours
Components V, S, M (ice sculpture of the target plus powdered rubies worth 500 gp per HD of the simulacrum)
Range 0 ft.
Effect one duplicate creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
Simulacrum creates an illusory duplicate of any creature. The duplicate creature is partially real and formed from ice or snow. It appears to be the same as the original, but it has only half of the real creature's levels or HD (and the appropriate hit points, feats, skill ranks, and special abilities for a creature of that level or HD). You can't create a simulacrum of a creature whose HD or levels exceed twice your caster level. You must make a Disguise check when you cast the spell to determine how good the likeness is. A creature familiar with the original might detect the ruse with a successful Perception check (opposed by the caster's Disguise check) or a DC 20 Sense Motive check.
At all times, the simulacrum remains under your absolute command. No special telepathic link exists, so command must be exercised in some other manner. A simulacrum has no ability to become more powerful. It cannot increase its level or abilities. If reduced to 0 hit points or otherwise destroyed, it reverts to snow and melts instantly into nothingness. A complex process requiring at least 24 hours, 100 gp per hit point, and a fully equipped magical laboratory can repair damage to a simulacrum.
School illusion (shadow); Level sorcerer/wizard 4Casting Time 1 hour
Components V, S, M (an ice sculpture of the target plus powdered rubies worth 50 gp per HD of the simulacrum)
Duration 1 hour/level
This spell functions as simulacrum, except you can't create a simulacrum of a creature whose HD or levels exceed your caster level, and it has no magical abilities. The creature is not under your control, though it recognizes you are its creator.
So, let's look at a 7th level caster (earliest you could have this). You are making a duplicate of a creature. You aren't conjuring up something out of thin air, so the creature has to exist in the first place. So you don't have to worry about 'lesser versions' of a creature, if it doesn't already exist then you can't duplicate it. Kind of like how you can't make a xerox copy of an unwritten contract.
So, just find a creature that he has access to with his or less hp, and duplicate it. A fighter of his level is a good choice, no magical abilities, but a big guy with a sword. Another PC is a good choice. A dragon is a bad choice, since it wouldn't have any supernatural abilities (like breath). Plus you have to find a dragon in the first place, and get it to stand still while you duplicate it. :)
EDIT : Please note the component list, an ice sculpture of the target, which is not the ice sculpture, it's the creature being duplicated.
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I understand that much of it MDT, and thank you for the response but my problems lie in the rules about the area of
It appears to be the same as the original, but it has only half of the real creature's levels or HD (and the appropriate hit points, feats, skill ranks, and special abilities for a creature of that level or HD).
I'm also using this discovery for the rules which reference Lesser Simulacrum, which in turn references the normal full version of the spell in question.
How on earth are we supposed to be expected to simply halve all of these things, especially when there is no progression from something like a baby minotaur statblock with 1 HD, to a full one with 6? What feats do I cut from the final product? How much BAB should it have? What stat adjustment did it pick at level 4?
The PC in question wants something more monstrous than a goon, fake human/dwarf/1hd Race fighter for it as well, the characters name is Spider, and as such he really wants a monstrous giant spider of some sort (Probably Ogre Spider mechanically).
Am I making any sense here?
It has half the HD, so, if the target has 10 HD, you say the simulacrum is a 5HD creature. That simple. HD only affect things like spells that limit HD affected, and special abilities that won't work on creatures based on HD). Half the Hit Points. Half the Skill ranks (subtract stat, and assume no racial bonuses, then half the result, then add the stat back in). Remove a few feats (that's the only hard one, remove things dependent on other things first). If it has a special ability that has DC's based on HD, then subtract half it's HD from the DC. Done.
My previous comments on Simulacrum. (I was going to type up essentially the same post again in this thread, but I'm too lazy.)