Spiritual Weapon Stacks With Inspire Courage

[Rory]

From the Core Rulebook FAQ:

Ray: Do rays count as weapons for the purpose of spells and effects that affect weapons?
Yes. (See also this FAQ item for a similar question about rays and weapon feats.)

For example, a bard's inspire courage says it affects "weapon damage rolls," which is worded that way so don't try to add the bonus to a spell like fireball. However, rays are treated as weapons, whether they're from spells, a monster ability, a class ability, or some other source, so the inspire courage bonus applies to ray attack rolls and ray damage rolls.

The same rule applies to weapon-like spells such as flame blade, mage's sword, and spiritual weapon--effects that affect weapons work on these spells.

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What other spell effects affect Spiritual Weapon...

...Bless?
...Prayer?
...Haste?
...Heroism?
...Good Hope?

(the extra attack from Haste I think would be right out, but the +1 to hit from it would be a gray area)

I was under the previous impression that nothing added to or changed the damage from Spiritual Weapon. The FAQ boldly states at least one buff, Inspire Courage, works on it, as well as implying others.

[Rory]

Anyone have any strategical thoughts on this?

[Rory]

A quote from another thread, not wanting to derail that one...

Someone wrote:

Note that spiritual weapon is most fun if you are a cleric of Cayden, Lamashtu or Sarenrae (rapier, kukri or scimitar for that 18-20 crit range) or Urgathoa (scythe for that x4 crit multiplier). [With Charm/Love and Travel, I'm guessing Cayden is your diety? If so, good for you! 18-20 crit range it is!]

Does a spiritual weapon crit like an actual weapon given that the description states:

"(Spiritual Weapon) strikes as a spell, not as a weapon, so for example, it can damage creatures that have damage reduction."

?

[Grick]

Rory wrote:

Does a spiritual weapon crit like an actual weapon

Spiritual Weapon: "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."

[Jiggy]

Rory wrote:

Does a spiritual weapon crit like an actual weapon given that the description states:

"(Spiritual Weapon) strikes as a spell, not as a weapon, so for example, it can damage creatures that have damage reduction."

?

Look at the sentence right before that:

Spiritual Weapon wrote:

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.

[Rory]

Grick wrote:

Rory wrote:

Does a spiritual weapon crit like an actual weapon

Spiritual Weapon: "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."

I'm blind, thanks!

Any word on the buffs adding to it? I was surprised at the FAQ comment and still in semidisbelief at that one.

[Mike Schneider]

Rory wrote:

Anyone have any strategical thoughts on this?

Certain deities grant a nice benefit: a ranged weapon -- which means that your Spiritual Weapon, while it must remain between you and your target, doesn't have to be adjacent to them (i.e., subject to Dispel if you're trying to knock off a caster). OTOH, it can fire in melee anyway (if you need it to) without provoking (or suffering other annoyance) because it's a spell effect, not an actual material weapon.