Can a Simulacrum of a sorcerer regain its sorcery points?

Question

The description of Simulacrum states:

The simulacrum lacks the ability to learn or become more powerful, so it never increases its level or other abilities, nor can it regain expended spell slots.

If someone cast Simulacrum on a sorcerer, would the Simulacrum be able to regain its sorcery points by taking a long rest? (Can simulacra even take rests?) In particular, I ask because the sorcerer has the Font of Magic class feature at level 2 that allows them to convert their sorcery points into spell slots or vice versa.

(This question can also be extended to other limited-use class features like a fighter's Action Surge, a druid's Wild Shape, etc., but I don't know if the answer would be different since sorcery points can specifically be used to create spell slots.)

Answer 1

RAW, yes.

There is no restriction on the Simulacrum's ability to regain other expendable class feature. Additionally, any creature can take a short or long rest (and thereby restore the expended class features).

For Sorcery Points, you could even make new spell slots

The Simulacrum has this restriction:

The simulacrum lacks the ability to learn or become more powerful, so it never increases its level or other abilities, nor can it regain expended spell slots.

However, the Flexible Casting feature allows you to:

...transform unexpended sorcery points into one spell slot as a bonus action on your turn. The created spell slots vanish at the end of a long rest.

This ability is not restoring expended spell slots, but creating new ones. Therefore, it is allowed.

But Crawford has clarified that the intent is for other resources to be expended permanently as well

In this tweet, Crawford says:

Simulacrum—the spell's creation can't gain levels or regain expended spell slots (RAW). The creation is meant to be unable to regain use of any of its features that it expends (RAI).

This shows that there is a clear distinction between the way the feature is written and how it is meant to be used. It may even be errata'd to reflect this. Ask your GM whether your game will use the RAW interpretation or the RAI.

Answer 2

Rules as written: Yes - only spell slots are mentioned

The description of the simulacrum spell simply states:

The simulacrum lacks the ability to learn or become more powerful, so it never increases its level or other abilities, nor can it regain expended spell slots.

Besides HP, the only expendable resource specifically mentioned in the spell is spell slots. Thus, by a reading of the rules as written alone, one could argue that other class features (such as a sorcerer's sorcery points, a fighter's uses of Action Surge, a barbarian's uses of Rage, and so on) are technically not prevented from being refreshed on a long rest.

Rules as intended: No, a simulacrum's expended resources remain expended

Jeremy Crawford answered this exact question (and addressed the general case) in an unofficial tweet in June 2018:

3 Yes/No questions about Simulacrum after it does a long rest: 1) can Simulacrum-Sorcerer recover sorcery points and spend them to create spell slots? 2) can Simulacrum-Fighter get back an Action Surge use? 3) can a Simulacrum-Warlock get back Mystic Arcanum uses?

Simulacrum—the spell's creation can't gain levels or regain expended spell slots (RAW). The creation is meant to be unable to regain use of any of its features that it expends (RAI).

Well that RAI is a huge difference. It means making copies of battle masters, bards, monks, etc are way worse. I'm glad this isn't an errata.

There's a good chance it will be. A simulacrum is meant to lose efficacy over time, essentially running out of juice, until only at-will abilities remain.

Even though, as written, the inability to regain things only applies to spell slots, Crawford makes the intent clear here: Any of the simulacrum's expended resources remain expended, and can not be regained.

(Note: the simulacrum spell was actually changed in the 2018 PHB errata, but not to fix this loophole. The only change to the spell was to specify that the illusory duplicate is a construct, rather than a beast or humanoid.)