Ultimate Campaign: Retraining rules and Simulacra?

[aaron Ellis]

I'm really enjoying Ultimate Campaign. Still trying to absorb it all, though. I'm currently obsessing over the new retraining rules, specifically, can simulacra retrain existing skills, feats and even class levels?

The existing rules for simulacra and power are . . .

"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."

It's clear that simulacra can't increase their power, but can they swap skills? Change classes? Can they fiddle with feats? The rules as written seem to permit all of these.

What are your opinions? How would you rule on this?

[Sean K Reynolds]

I wouldn't let it. The "cannot increase its level or abilities" means (to me at least) that it is frozen (ha!) at its current level of development, and can't learn new things... even if learning a new thing (such as a new feat) required unlearning a thing it currently knows (a current feat).

[aaron Ellis]

Thanks for sharing your take on this. The allowance for a magical laboratory and repairing damage in the spell description got me thinking that simulacra, while frozen to a certain power level, aren't completely immutable.

I've been looking for alternatives to the Leadership feat for one of my high level characters and the simulacrum spell from the CRB and retraining from UCam - a wildly expensive combination - seems to fit the character better than taking on traditional cohorts and followers.

The original idea was inspired by Divayth Fyr (a creepy NPC wizard from the Elder Scrolls games) who grew 'wives' for himself using his own cells. His clones/simulacra had different skills, roles, and personalities, but all were completely loyal to their creator. I'm looking for a cool way to model that relationship using Pathfinder rules.

Anyway, thanks again.

[Sean K Reynolds]

Hmmm.

I'd create a spell that you cast simultaneously or before simulacrum that lets you alter the growing simulacrum's abilities as if using the retraining rules.

Or just let a simulacrum retrain. Forget what I said. :)

[aaron Ellis]

Excellent idea. Looks like I may want to check out the new Spell Research rules. Or not. :)

Thank you again for looking over this corner-ish case.