[RPG] What happens if a mage dies with multiple clones

dnd-5espells

Imagine that a PC has created multiple clones, through the casting of clone, each matured.

What happens when that PC dies and declares his soul willing to go to each clone? I understand that the character could avoid this problem by declaring himself only willing to go to one particular clone, but if he did not, what would happen?

Would he occupy his first clone? The most recent? A random one? One of the player's choosing? DM's choosing? Or is it just DM perview?

Best Answer

There's no RAW or RAI to limit which clone your soul goes to.

Clone provides backup bodies for your soul. You cannot split your soul across multiple clones, but there are no rules or lore about issues with your soul traveling across distances. There's no instance of a soul travelling at a set speed, so there's no benefit, detriment, or limit to picking a clone based on location. The clone spell doesn't even limit you to using clones on the plane on which you died, suggesting the soul could travel through the planes to backup bodies.

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.

In this situation, where there are no limiting rules on which clone can be chosen, there is nothing to prevent a player from picking from any clone that has matured. Souls have been shown to be intelligent enough to make decisions, so the player would retain control over their soul, and it wouldn't be a DM decision (unless you leave it up to them for story purposes).

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