Scarlet Effigy

8th-level transmutation (hemomancy)
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a drop of blood from the spell's target)
Duration: Instantaneous

Touching a willing creature, you extract a drop of their blood. When you finish casting the spell, the drop of blood transforms into a scarlet, ironlike statue resembling the creature, called an effigy. When the effigy appears, the creature it resembles suffers three levels of exhaustion and its hit point maximum decreases by 2d10, as a portion of its life force is transfered inside the effigy. This reduction to the creature's hit point maximum can't be undone unless the effigy is destroyed. An effigy is a magical object with AC 15, 50 hit points and resistance to all damage except force.
If a creature dies while an effigy that resembles it exists, the effigy crumbles to dust, forming a new body for the creature's soul to inhabit, but not replicating any of the original creature's equipment. The newly formed body is physically identical to the creature's original body at the time of the effigy's creation. If the creature's soul is free and willing to return, it immediately transfers to the newly formed body, retaining the creature's personality, memories, and abilities. 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. If the creature's soul is unwilling or unable to return, the life force stored away in the effigy inhabits the newly formed body instead, retaining the personality, memories, and abilities that the original creature had at the time of the effigy's creation, but none after it (including memories of the original creature's demise).
Carrying an effigy provides greater protection, at the cost of safety. If a creature carrying its own effigy dies, it is restored to life with 2d10 hit points at the start of its next turn, provided that its corpse is in a state that can host its soul. Each time the creature is brought back to life in such a manner, it suffers three levels of exhaustion. However, while a creature is carrying its own effigy, its level of exhaustion can't increase beyond five.
Immediately after an effigy is destroyed, the creature it resembles suffers a level of exhaustion. If you cast this spell again, any currently active effigies you created with this spell are instantly destroyed.
Amplify X. While a creature is carrying its own effigy, its physical body can't be destroyed by spells and magical effects, such as the disintegrate spell. In addition, whenever a creature carrying its own effigy is restored to life, it does so with an amount of hit points equal to Xd10, instead of 2d10.