Will True Strike affect attacks made with Spiritual Weapon?
Will True Strike affect attacks made with Spiritual Weapon?
True Strike: "Range personal; Target you; ... Your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus."
Spiritual Weapon: "It uses your base attack bonus (possibly allowing it multiple attacks per round in subsequent rounds) plus your Wisdom modifier as its attack bonus."
You're not making the attack roll, the magic weapon is.
No, Spiritual Weapon is not a weapon wielded by the person casting True Strike.
And...Grick got me by 47seconds :P
- Gauss
You're not making the attack roll, the magic weapon is.
Agreed. That's why Spiritual Weapon doesn't break invisibility.
How is *THAT* happening ? Future Mystic Theurge ?
I ask because True Strike is a personal target sorcerer/wizard 1 spell and Spiritual Weapon is a Cleric 2. I suppose it could happen if someone's using "Inbue with Spell Ability" or whatever it's called.
True Strike affects "your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round". When it says "your" does it mean you, the player, or you the character. And if it's you the character, is the attack roll that spiritual weapon makes its own, or the character's ?
I say the spiritual weapon has its own attack roll that is not the characters. The Spiritual Weapon uses the character's BAB, but not his bonus for Str or Dex (it uses wisdom). Spirtual weapon does say "Your feats or combat actions do not affect the weapon." Your casting of True Strike certainly isn't a feat, but what exactly is it ? It's its own thing.
EDIT: ninja'd lots because I took the time to put links in.
How is *THAT* happening ? Future Mystic Theurge ?
I ask because True Strike is a personal target sorcerer/wizard 1 spell and Spiritual Weapon is a Cleric 2. I suppose it could happen if someone's using "Inbue with Spell Ability" or whatever it's called.
An Inquisitor can cast both.
Any cleric can use True strike from a wand or scroll by using UMD. Only potions cannot be used for personal spells.
- Gauss
While, from the language in the books, I would agree, there is a FAQ on this that can be interpreted to mean otherwise. It is here.
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.
From the examples given, it would seem Inspire Courage would work on a spiritual weapon, as would Weapon Focus for the relevant weapon (per the other, internally linked FAQ). If this is the case, true strike should probably work as well.
Just to be clear: from the book, I would agree that it does not apply. However, this FAQ has muddied the waters of my mind on the subject. If someone would be so kind as to help clear them, it would be appreciated.
From the examples given, it would seem Inspire Courage would work on a spiritual weapon
If it's an ally of the bard, and can perceive the bard's performance, sure.
as would Weapon Focus for the relevant weapon (per the other, internally linked FAQ). If this is the case, true strike would work as well.
If the weapon was able to take weapon focus, or somehow become under the effect of true strike, then sure.
The same way a cleric under the effects of Bless wouldn't get the bonus applied to a spiritual weapon he casts, but if Bless was cast after the spiritual weapon (and is considered an ally of the caster), then it would get the bonus.
Otherwise, spiritual weapon is acting like a combat maneuver, with pretty much anything affecting the caster's attack roll to also affect the weapon. Including strength penalty, size modifiers, proficiency, etc.
Wow, I guess according to that the answer is yes. It moves Spiritual weapon from 'borderline direction that is attacking on its own' to 'actively directed and you are the one effectively swinging'.
Grick: According to the FAQ, a bless cast at ANY point that affects the cleric affects the clerics 'spell weapon' (Spiritual Weapon). The faq effectively means the spiritual weapon continues to be an extension of the Cleric.
Bless, Inspire Courage, any effect that affects the caster will affect the spiritual weapon. This does muddy things up.
- Gauss
Grick: According to the FAQ, a bless cast at ANY point that affects the cleric affects the clerics 'spell weapon' (Spiritual Weapon). The faq effectively means the spiritual weapon continues to be an extension of the Cleric.
I don't see that as a logical conclusion from the FAQ.
Effects that affect weapons work on a spiritual weapon. So if you Bless the spiritual weapon, it gets the bonus.
Inspire Courage works because it's constant, as soon as the weapon appears, it becomes affected by the ongoing Inspire Courage, so it gets the bonus.
Once Bless has been cast, it remains an effect on the people who were affected by it. Spiritual Weapon doesn't say it uses your Morale bonus to attack.
The question is: is the cleric actively controlling the spell or not?
Actively controlling: Use cleric's feats that affect weapon-like spells. Ergo: Spells affecting the cleric would also apply.
Not actively controlling: Do not use the cleric's feats that affect weapon-like spells. Spells affecting the cleric do not also apply.
The FAQ states that the cleric's feats apply to weapon-like spells such as Spiritual Weapon (something I previously thought to not be true). Thus, the cleric IS actively controlling. Since the cleric is actively controlling, anything else that is affecting the cleric's attack rolls also applies.
Because Inspire Courage and Bless cannot affect an object or spell directly if the cleric is not Actively Controlling they would not apply. However, since the FAQ indicates (as I have shown above) that the cleric is actively controlling then yes, those spells apply.
Spiritual Weapon also does not state it benefits from any feats you have. The FAQ however just stated that. It cannot be both ways. Either you can affect weapon-like spells with your feats and bonuses, or you cannot. There is no half/half.
- Gauss
Edit: Personally, I disagree with the last line of that FAQ. Weapon-like spells such as Spiritual Weapon should NOT benefit from feats and effects that affect weapons. They are 'one step removed'.
My understanding was:
Ray = you are making an attack
Spiritual Weapon = you have told a force spell to make an attack.
Unfortunately, the FAQ just merged the two but that is ok, it makes Spiritual Weapon etc more effective and keeps the spell effective longer.
If it's an ally of the bard, and can perceive the bard's performance, sure.
I have trouble considering the weapon an ally. First, the FAQ is all about bonuses to wielding weapons, and it would be weird to include two examples in a list of three that get the bonus not from being weapons, but by being allies that happen to wield themselves as weapons. It also opens up lots of other weird corner cases, such as these spell/weapon/allies being able to benefit from a Cavalier's Tactician ability, or counting for any feat or class ability that references allies.
Once Bless has been cast, it remains an effect on the people who were affected by it. Spiritual Weapon doesn't say it uses your Morale bonus to attack.
I don't think it would have to. In the Combat section, your "Attack Bonus" is defined as Base Attack Bonus + Strength + size modifier. By saying that the weapon's attack bonus is BaB + Wisdom it is not necessarily prohibited from having other bonuses later added to that, it just means that it uses Wisdom instead of Strength and has no size modifier.
The FAQ states that the cleric's feats apply to weapon-like spells such as Spiritual Weapon
No, it doesn't. It says "effects that affect weapons work on these spells."
This means ray spells, flame blade, mage's sword, and spiritual weapon can all be affected by Inspire Courage.
The cleric can direct it, just like she can direct a summoned monster, but that doesn't mean either of them can use the cleric's feats.
Because Inspire Courage and Bless cannot affect an object or spell directly if the cleric is not Actively Controlling they would not apply.
They apply to summoned monsters. Why wouldn't they apply to a magic weapon that attacks on its own?
However, since the FAQ indicates (as I have shown above) that the cleric is actively controlling then yes, those spells apply.
The FAQ does not indicate anything about 'active control'. All it says is "effects that affect weapons" there's nothing about control or wielder or anything like that.
It cannot be both ways. Either you can affect weapon-like spells with your feats and bonuses, or you cannot. There is no half/half.
False dilemma. If you're wielding a ray, your feats apply. If you're not wielding a ray, your feats don't apply. A cleric doesn't get to use the fighters weapon specialization. The spiritual weapon doesn't get to use the cleric's weapon focus.
In order to benefit from an effect that affects weapons, the effect must actually affect the weapon.
Ray = you are making an attack
Spiritual Weapon = you have told a force spell to make an attack.
Correct. And if you have an effect that increases your attack, then it applies to the ray (since you're making the attack) but not the spiritual weapon (since it's the one making the attack.
And if the spiritual weapon is under an effect that affects weapons (like Inspire Courage) then it benefits from that effect.
And if the spiritual weapon is under an effect that affects weapons (like Inspire Courage) then it benefits from that effect.
Actually, maybe not.
"Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability."
Since the spiritual weapon does not have an intelligence score of 1 or higher, it can't be affected by Inspire Courage.
So in order for the FAQ to not be wrong, it must apply to the Cleric.