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<\/a>Part of an ongoing series of 5e Rules notes.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nSince I’ve had players pick this, because it sounds very cool (and it can be), I had to do some digging into some of the aspects of\u00a0Spiritual Weapon\u00a0<\/em>that are not completely obvious.<\/p>\n No, seriously. But that’s because people see “weapon” and try to (incorrectly) apply all sorts of melee combat weapon rules and assumptions to it. It’s not:<\/p>\n Spiritual Weapon is a multi-round melee attack spell<\/i> If you just keep that in mind, you can ignore the whole rest of this post.<\/p>\n Base spell<\/a>:<\/p>\n Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action You create a\u00a0floating, spectral weapon\u00a0within range that lasts for the Duration or until you cast this spell again. When you cast the spell, you can make a\u00a0melee spell attack\u2060\u2060\u00a0against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes\u00a0force damage\u00a0equal to 1d8 + your Spellcasting Ability modifier.<\/p>\n As a Bonus Action on your turn\u2060, you can move the weapon up to 20 feet and repeat the attack\u2060 against a creature within 5 feet of it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The first confusion comes when wondering whether on Round 1 you simply cast it as your BA, and then need to take a regular Attack action to wield it, or not. The consensus wisdom out there is “or not”:\u00a0 the attack is also part of the Bonus Action (as it is in subsequent rounds), which\u00a0 means the following “what can you do with it when?”:<\/p>\n Round 1<\/b>: As a Bonus Action: cast up to 60 feet away + attack.<\/p>\n Rounds 2ff<\/b>: As a Bonus Action: move it up to 20 feet + attack.<\/p>\n And that lasts either until you dispel it or 1 minute (10 rounds).<\/p>\n “But! But!” people sputter, “It’s a\u00a0weapon\u00a0<\/i>attacking! That has to happen during a normal Action as an attack! You can’t have a spell doing a weapon attack and then do a different weapon attack or even a spell-cast, on the same turn!”<\/p>\n Yes. Yes you can. Because what you see<\/em> isn’t what’s really happening. It’s not actually a weapon<\/em>, not matter what it says in the name.<\/p>\n Think of the Spiritual Weapon as\u00a0a deconstructed magical attack spell<\/i><\/strong>. Nobody would question the ability to manifest a magical zap spell<\/i> and<\/span> attack with it that very same Bonus Action. Which is what you’re actually doing with Spiritual Weapon,<\/em> but the magical zap spell<\/i>\u00a0looks and moves\u00a0like\u00a0<\/i>a weapon, which confuses the heck out of people, because they want to treat it as a glowing animated physical weapon that does physical damage.<\/p>\n But it’s not. It is, quite literally “a floating, spectral weapon” that does “force damage” — and the likelihood of hitting with it has nothing to do with your physical melee abilities (Strength and Dexterity), but your melee spell<\/span><\/i>\u00a0abilities.<\/p>\n Well, on the round you cast it, that only burns your Bonus Action. So you have your full normal Movement and an Action to work with.<\/p>\n Except, regarding\u00a0casting multiple spells in a turn<\/a>,\u00a0remember\u00a0…<\/p>\n If you want to Cast a Spell that has a casting time of 1 Bonus Action, remember that you can\u2019t cast any other Spells before or after it on the same turn, except for Cantrips with a Casting Time of 1 Action.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So on that\u00a0initial round<\/u>\u00a0when you cast the Spiritual Weapon<\/em>, you can’t do any other\u00a0spells<\/i> except a 1-Action casting time Cantrip. You can still move around, shoot your bow, swing your sword, Hide, etc.<\/p>\n On\u00a0subsequent rounds<\/u>, though, you\u00a0can<\/i>\u00a0be casting spells during your normal Action, because the move-and-attack of the Spiritual Weapon is\u00a0not\u00a0a casting of a spell<\/em>. As noted in the Sage Advice\u00a0 Compendium<\/a> (p. 12)<\/p>\n Until Spiritual Weapon<\/em> ends, it gives you the option of controlling its\u00a0 spectral weapon as a Bonus Action. That Bonus Action does not involve casting a spell, despite the fact that it\u2019s granted by a spell, so you can control the weapon and cast whatever spell you like on the same turn.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In that same context, also note that Spiritual Weapon <\/i>is\u00a0not\u00a0a Concentration spell<\/i>. So even if the caster is attacked or otherwise distracted, that does not affect the spell, and casting the Spiritual Weapon<\/em> does not interfere with other Concentration spells you already have up. (One could even argue that, should the caster go unconscious, the Spiritual Weapon<\/em> would simply remain there, floating — it can’t attack without command — until the caster was revived if within the 1 minute spell duration.)<\/p>\n Well, maybe a few.<\/p>\n No. The Spiritual Weapon <\/i>is not a creature of itself (it has no volition or reaction).\u00a0 And it only attacks during a Bonus Action: Opportunity Attacks<\/a> are a Re<\/em>action.<\/p>\n No, because it’s not a physical object, thus not actually a weapon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Again, from\u00a0the spell text<\/a>:<\/p>\n Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell’s effect resemble that weapon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Effect resemble.” The shape and appearance of the SW is a “spell effect,” not actual substance.<\/p>\n Also, it’s an Evocation spell, one to “manipulate magical energy to produce a desired effect”; it is not a Conjuration which “involve the transportation of objects” or a Transmutation which can “change the properties of a … object.” Again, no object<\/span>, just effect<\/span>.<\/p>\n Remember that deconstruction mantra? If this was summoning a magical zap bolt<\/em> that flitted about the field of combat, it would clearly not be thought of as a magical weapon. That’s basically what Spiritual Weapon<\/em> is, a spell that resembles<\/i>\u00a0an actual weapon because that’s cool.<\/p>\n (People have actually asked this question.)<\/p>\nSpiritual Weapon is weird<\/h1>\n
\n<\/strong>that\u00a0looks\u00a0<\/i>like a weapon because that’s really cool.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\nThe Nuts and Bolts<\/h1>\n
\nRange: 60 feet<\/p>\n<\/a>These Are Not the Weapons You’re Looking For<\/h1>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSo while you’re doing Spiritual Weapon, what else can you do?<\/h2>\n
There Are No Stupid Questions About Spiritual Weapon<\/h1>\n
Does moving away from a Spiritual Weapon<\/em> trigger an Opportunity Attack?<\/h2>\n
Is this a magical weapon I see before me?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Can someone hold onto the Spiritual Weapon<\/em> as it’s moved and essentially fly like Thor?<\/h2>\n