Clone

A
Support

Clone is a Support spell. Support spells strengthen, protect, or buff allies.

See all Support spells →
 spell that grows a hidden duplicate for a second life, letting a soul return after death. It offers
restoration

Clone is a Healing spell. Healing spells restore hit points and bring characters back to life.

See all Healing spells →
 and
renewed escape

Clone is a Mobility spell. Mobility spells augment or allow for new ways of moving.

See all Mobility spells →
 from oblivion.

2024 Rules
Level & School
8th-level necromancy
Casting Time
1 hour
Range
Touch
Components
V, S, M (a diamond worth 1,000+ GP, which the spell consumes, and a vessel worth 2,000+ GP that is large enough to hold the creature being cloned)
Duration
Instantaneous
Classes
Wizard

You touch a creature or at least 1 cubic inch of its flesh. An inert duplicate of that creature forms inside the vessel used in the spell's casting and finishes growing after 120 days; you choose whether the finished clone is the same age as the creature or younger. The clone remains inert and endures indefinitely while its vessel remains undisturbed.

If the original creature dies after the clone finishes forming, the creature's soul transfers to the clone if the soul is free and willing to return. The clone is physically identical to the original and has the same personality, memories, and abilities, but none of the original's equipment. The creature's original remains, if any, become inert and can't be revived, since the creature's soul is elsewhere.

2014 Rules
Level & School
8th-level necromancy
Casting Time
1 hour
Range
Touch
Components
V, S, M (a diamond worth at least 1,000 gp and at least 1 cubic inch of flesh of the creature that is to be cloned, which the spell consumes, and a vessel worth at least 2,000 gp that has a sealable lid and is large enough to hold a Medium creature, such as a huge urn, coffin, mud-filled cyst in the ground, or crystal container filled with salt water)
Duration
Instantaneous
Classes
Wizard

This spell grows an inert duplicate of a living creature as a safeguard against death. This clone forms inside a sealed vessel and grows to full size and maturity after 120 days; you can also choose to have the clone be a younger version of the same creature. It remains inert and endures indefinitely, as long as its vessel remains undisturbed.

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.

The clone is physically identical to the original and has the same personality, memories, and abilities, but none of the original's equipment. The original creature's physical remains, if they still exist, become inert and can't thereafter be restored to life, since the creature's soul is elsewhere.

Clone 5.5e 2024 vs. 5e 2014 edition differences

You can now cast it on a creature or on at least 1 cubic inch of its flesh, instead of only a living creature. The finished clone can now be the same age as the original, not just younger. The death-trigger timing is clarified as after the clone finishes forming.

Spells similar to Clone

  • Simulacrum 7th-level illusion

    Both create a duplicate of a creature under the caster's magic that exists independently and serves long-term, wizard-focused support options.

  • Sequester 7th-level transmutation

    Both hide and preserve a creature or its essence for an indefinite time, effectively stashing someone away until a later need arises.

  • Magic Jar 6th-level necromancy

    Both involve moving or manipulating a soul to a new vessel so a life or consciousness can continue apart from the original body.

  • Resurrection 7th-level necromancy

    Both restore a creature's life and continuity of identity, functioning as high-level solutions to death for the party.

  • True Resurrection 9th-level necromancy

    This spell, like Clone, fully returns a deceased creature to life and preserves their identity, offering an even more powerful take on undoing death.