Can our paladin cast "Holy Sword" on our Sacred Fist Warpriests unarmed strike?
Can our paladin cast "Holy Sword" on our Sacred Fist Warpriests unarmed strike?
Technically, yes, since it's a melee weapon. But it's pretty pointless, since
The spell is automatically canceled 1 round after the weapon leaves your hand.
So unless 1 round of holy sword unarmed strike suits your needs, don't bother.
Actually, what makes you think that your fist would ever "leave your hand"?
Assuming your DM lets you cast it in the first place (not a self-evident proposition) then it should act just like with any other melee weapon.
Note that there are several glove-like weapons that you can use if your DM gives you grief. Though he really shouldn't, since the spell description says: "This spell allows you to channel holy power into your sword, or any other melee weapon you choose."
That would seem to me to include your unarmed strike, whether it be fists, kicks, elbow jabs, head butts or whatever.
Actually no, while a monk's unarmed strike is treated as a manufactured weapon (which this requires; see FAQ, 3rd paragraph) a sacred fist's unarmed strike lacks this wording.
Couldn't you get around any niggling naysayers by using a cestus?
A cestus has the problems that it may not benefit from the improved unarmed damage (etc.) of the sacred fist, and since it leaves the paladin's hand more or less instantly as only the sacred fist would be wearing it, you'd only get 1 round of the effect as Fuzzy pointed out.
Good catch, avr; I hadn't realized that "melee weapon" should be read as "manufactured melee weapon."
Wheldrake, in case it's not clear from avr's posts, the paladin isn't casting on their own hand. If the paladin was also a monk (or something else that makes their unarmed strike a manufactured weapon) it would work fine on their own hand. But the OP wants to use it on someone else's hand, which the paladin will presumably not keep holding. Casting it on someone else's longsword doesn't work any better (still just 1 round).
Thank you.
Just to confirm, does divine favor and divine power (the warpriests primary buffing spells) still grant an increase to damage for a sacred fist?
(They both say weapon damage rolls, does that FAQ mean that they also read as "manufactured weapon damage rolls"? or is that just for when "melee" is mentioned?)
From the same FAQ divine favor/power are fine, they give bonuses to attack and damage rolls but don't enchant a weapon directly.
Thanks again.
Final question, would casting spells like holy sword on Handwraps allow unarmed strikes to benefit from the spells?
'masterwork handwraps can be enchanted as weapons, providing their benefits on unarmed attacks the character makes with her hands.'
Yes, looks like that'd work.