The ways this spell can be abused are manifold. The Clone-spell creates a copy of a living being which will fight alongside the original, until it is slain. This copy possesses none of the intelligence of the original and basically is just a drone. In combination with the Animate spell, the caster has a potent spell at hand, since they can animate an object, then clone it, then kill it to have two of the object!
The spell is not liked by many mages however, since there are disputes over if it is really virtuous to create life just to use as cannon fodder.
Lore[]
Another powerful combat spell is In Quas Xen. By means of illusion, this spell duplicates friend or foe, in every detail. Although the new creature is an illusion, it fights and bleeds exactly as the original. When a friend is cloned, the original and duplicates are still joined. Injury to each is felt by the other, death to one destroys the other. Yet the two are physically separate; they have independent turns in battle and may work together to vanquish a foe. When a hostile creature is duplicated, no connection between copy and original seems to remain. Pain to a monster's clone is not felt by the monster; and death of the creature does not remove the clone. The power of mandrake root is essential to this spell; as are the illusionary properties of nightshade. To mature the root, add spider silk to bind and ginseng to heal; mix with the living energy of sulphurous ash and add blood moss for animation. When casting the spell, fling the glittering sand that results into the air. The wind will catch the granules, and where the first one touches earth, there shall the clone arise.
- from Book of Lore (Ultima V)
Trivia[]
- The spell really can be abused in Ultima VI together with "Animate" to get lots of good equipment and make much money.
- Cloning the Avatar and then killing the clone reveals the otherwise inaccessible Avatar corpse.