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Hello all,
An occurrence came up last night and I did not know how to resolve. A caster created a Spiritual Weapon in the center of a hallway. He argued that the weapon occupied a space and that the creatures could not approach him. He argued since it can be hit and attacked it has some form of mass and cannot be just walked through.
Opinions?
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After reading the spell description, there are a few things to consider.
First, it states that the spiritual weapon cannot be attacked or harmed by physical means. Certain spells affect it though. Unless the player was facing spell-casters, he has no argument. (+1 DM)
Second, the weapon does not provide flanking or get a flanking bonus, which means you could argue that it doesn't threaten the squares around it. Unless the player takes a readied action to attack with the SW when the enemy approaches, they could walk past it without provoking an AoO. (+1 DM)
Third, and the most important one to me by my interpretation of the spell. To me it reads the spiritual weapon has two modes: Attacking an enemy or hovering next to the character. (+2 DM)
The first line states "A weapon made of force appears and attacks foes at a distance, as you direct it."
The last line of that paragraph states "...or if you are not directing it (to attack), the weapon returns to you and hovers."
My opinion is he couldn't have it hover in the hallway in the first place. Even if it could, enemies can get past it, maybe taking an AoO, but I think the PC would have to take additional actions (ready) to have the weapon attack them as they approach or go past.
Hello all,
An occurrence came up last night and I did not know how to resolve. A caster created a Spiritual Weapon in the center of a hallway. He argued that the weapon occupied a space and that the creatures could not approach him. He argued since it can be hit and attacked it has some form of mass and cannot be just walked through.
Opinions?
Spiritual Weapon doesn't create a creature -- it's a spell effect. Since spiritual weapon doesn't create difficult terrain or an obstacle (it doesn't say it creates one of those things), it doesn't hamper movement. You can move (even charge) through a square with a spiritual weapon in it with no penalty.
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Spiritual Weapon doesn't create a creature -- it's a spell effect. Since spiritual weapon doesn't create difficult terrain or an obstacle (it doesn't say it creates one of those things), it doesn't hamper movement. You can move (even charge) through a square with a spiritual weapon in it with no penalty.Hello all,
An occurrence came up last night and I did not know how to resolve. A caster created a Spiritual Weapon in the center of a hallway. He argued that the weapon occupied a space and that the creatures could not approach him. He argued since it can be hit and attacked it has some form of mass and cannot be just walked through.
Opinions?
Thanks guys, thats how I thought, but I had my players all argue for it so I gave it to him that time and said I would take it to a neutral
Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Opinions?
He is wrong (in my opinion.)
The Spiritual Weapon has no ability scores (unless I'm mistaken) and as such doesn't have a CMD. Without a CMD, you can't process an Overrun. Without being able to process an Overrun, the only safe conclusion a DM can make is the Spiritual Weapon does not impede someone crossing it's square.
And more spiritual weapons don't make attacks of opportunity.
Different question, same spell. Last session the cleric cast Bless on the party, and then a round or two later she cast Spiritual Weapon. The question then arose whether or not the Weapon benefited from the Bless spell. My take (and the DM agreed at the time) was yes, because it uses the caster's stats to attack with, whereas something like a summoned monster has it's own stats. However, I'm starting to doubt my initial instinct. Thoughts?
Different question, same spell. Last session the cleric cast Bless on the party, and then a round or two later she cast Spiritual Weapon. The question then arose whether or not the Weapon benefited from the Bless spell. My take (and the DM agreed at the time) was yes, because it uses the caster's stats to attack with, whereas something like a summoned monster has it's own stats. However, I'm starting to doubt my initial instinct. Thoughts?
I don't think the bless would affect the spiritual weapon - the spell description does state it strikes as a spell, not a weapon, despite the fact that it is using your BAB. Its a force effect, and the fact that its using your wisdom bonus to modify the attack bonus should differentiate it from normal weapon attacks. Thats my take, at least!
Different question, same spell. Last session the cleric cast Bless on the party, and then a round or two later she cast Spiritual Weapon. The question then arose whether or not the Weapon benefited from the Bless spell. My take (and the DM agreed at the time) was yes, because it uses the caster's stats to attack with, whereas something like a summoned monster has it's own stats. However, I'm starting to doubt my initial instinct. Thoughts?
It depends on your definition of the term "allies".
Area: The caster and all allies within a 50-ft. burst, centered on the caster.
The spiritual weapon is outside of the area affected by the spell (it's not a creature). I'm using the term "allies" to mean "allied creatures". Since the term "allies" is undefined, a DM could rule that "allied spell effects" are also allies.
Most DMs would say the bless would affect the caster and all allied creatures.
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Owner - D20 Hobbies
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Bless on the party, and then a round or two later she cast Spiritual Weapon. ... I'm starting to doubt my initial instinct. Thoughts?
No for two reasons:
1) The Weapon wasn't an Ally when Bless was cast so he wouldn't gain the benefit.
2) The Weapon isn't an ally anyway, it is a spell and wouldn't get the Bless if SW was cast before Bless.
An other question about the same spell; One of my characters wanted to stand in the same square as the spiritual weapon arguing that if an enemy could walk trough the square he could stand in it. I thougt he couldn't because both the weapon and the character would need room to move around. The enemy wouldn't care about the space the weapon needed.
I find this quite difficult to decide what to do at which time.. Any thoughts?
The spell is just an effect made of force energy. It does not even have mass. Even if it did it would emulate a weapon it would most likely be of the same size the the character is using. Are the players going to argue that weapons, and the wielder can't be in the same square?
They might try to argue the SW is not being held. Weapons with the dancing enhancement are not held either while they are dancing.
That makes sense, i'd let the spellcaster stand in the same square as the Sw, but other characters?
Yet an another question, does the sw automatically follow it's the creature it's attacking, does is have a speed or will it move anywhere whitin range instandly?
The text just says you can use your move action to redirect its target, not what happens when the target moves.
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A weapon made of force appears and attacks foes at a distance, as you direct it, dealing 1d8 force damage per hit, + 1 point per three caster levels (maximum +5 at 15th level). The weapon takes the shape of a weapon favored by your deity or a weapon with some spiritual significance or symbolism to you (see below) and has the same threat range and critical multipliers as a real weapon of its form. It strikes the opponent you designate, starting with one attack in the round the spell is cast and continuing each round thereafter on your turn. It uses your base attack bonus (possibly allowing it multiple attacks per round in subsequent rounds) plus your Wisdom modifier as its attack bonus. It strikes as a spell, not as a weapon, so for example, it can damage creatures that have damage reduction. As a force effect, it can strike incorporeal creatures without the reduction in damage associated with incorporeality. The weapon always strikes from your direction. It does not get a flanking bonus or help a combatant get one. Your feats or combat actions do not affect the weapon. If the weapon goes beyond the spell range, if it goes out of your sight, or if you are not directing it, the weapon returns to you and hovers.
Each round after the first, you can use a move action to redirect the weapon to a new target. If you do not, the weapon continues to attack the previous round's target. On any round that the weapon switches targets, it gets one attack. Subsequent rounds of attacking that target allow the weapon to make multiple attacks if your base attack bonus would allow it to. Even if the spiritual weapon is a ranged weapon, use the spell's range, not the weapon's normal range increment, and switching targets still is a move action.
1) anyone can stay in the same square as the spiritual weapon without problems for him or the spell. The only exception is if the creature is so large that it blocks line of sight. In that instance the spiritual weapon return near the caster.
2) The spiritual weapon has "unlimited" speed as long as the caster has line of sight with the spell effect target. "Following" the target around cost nothing. What cost is the act of "reprogramming" the spiritual weapon targeting. In that instance the caster use a move action and the spiritual weapon attack only once.
The spiritual weapon doesn't roll to hit, it's the cleric's roll. If the cleric is blessed, the bonus applies.Bless on the party, and then a round or two later she cast Spiritual Weapon. ... I'm starting to doubt my initial instinct. Thoughts?No for two reasons:
1) The Weapon wasn't an Ally when Bless was cast so he wouldn't gain the benefit.
2) The Weapon isn't an ally anyway, it is a spell and wouldn't get the Bless if SW was cast before Bless.
Actually, no.
"It strikes the opponent you designate, starting with one attack in the round the spell is cast and continuing each round thereafter on your turn. It uses your base attack bonus (possibly allowing it multiple attacks per round in subsequent rounds) plus your Wisdom modifier as its attack bonus. It strikes as a spell, not as a weapon, so for example, it can damage creatures that have damage reduction."
There seems to be a distinction between 'it' (i.e. the spell) and 'you'.
Also,
"Your feats or combat actions do not affect the weapon."
I take that line to mean that you can have weapon focus in the relevant weapon, and it won't apply. You can power attack too, and it won't apply to the SW.
Thus the SW quite is separate from the cleric, even if the cleric's player is the one making the dice roll. It is a spell that uses your BAB and WIS to determine its attack bonus. It is still a spell effect. So you can't buff it directly, neither does any buff operating on you affect it.
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Correct. As a spell Bless has no effect on it.
Compare Spiritual Weapon to Spiritual Ally (APG). Spirtual Ally specifically states that it occupies its space, threatens, flanks, and makes AoOs. It is an upgrade of Spiritual Weapon concept. Spiritual Weapon does not say it allows any of these things.
Regarding benefiting from things like bless: no bless does NOT apply. As FiddlersGreen stated it uses your BAB+wisdom modifier. It does not call out any other bonuses that it is eligible for. You cannot hit it with bless either since it is a spell and not a creature.
- Gauss