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Hey Community,
Can one target a weapon that is Worn with the spell Magic Weapon?
Cast: ◆◆, somatic, verbal
Range: touch
Targets: 1 weapon that is unattended or wielded by you or a willing ally
The weapon glimmers with magic and energy. The target becomes a +1 striking weapon, gaining a +1 item bonus to attack rolls and increasing the number of weapon damage dice to two.
Worn vs Unattended?
Worn has a pretty clear description (linked above), as does Wielded, but I couldn't find a game term for Unattended. Can a character reach around and just cast the spell on a weapon slung across his back?How do you rule it?
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It's pretty clear in the description.
Targets: 1 weapon that is unattended or wielded by you or a willing ally.
Unattended is worn and not wielded, by my standards. It's slung onto a persons back or swinging along their hip tucked in their belt. Not readily available like being in hand.
Or even lying on the ground in a nearby corner.
Let's look at the definition of "unattended":
Definition of unattended (merriam-webster)
: not attended : not watched or looked after : lacking a guard, escort, caretaker, etc.
So, it can be anywhere.
"The Voyager 2 spacecraft is unattended as it flies into deep space."
My ruling would be:
Any weapon within range of the spell.
I agree with roll4initiative. The point of the wording of the ability is to make it so you can't use it on something that's in the possession of an enemy, or I guess a non-ally, technically, since those aren't necessarily the same thing. As for why you'd want to do that in the first place I don't know, but that's how it reads to me.
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I couldn't find an in-game definition of unattended either. To my surprise, there's one on an "attended object" under Items and Hit Points.
Items have Hit Points like creatures, but the rules for damaging them are different (page 272). An item has a Hardness statistic that reduces damage the item takes by that amount. The item then takes any damage left over. If an item is reduced to 0 HP, it’s destroyed. An item also has a Broken Threshold. If its HP are reduced to this amount or lower, it’s broken, meaning it can’t be used for its normal function and it doesn’t grant bonuses. Damaging an unattended item usually requires attacking it directly, and can be difficult due to that item’s Hardness and immunities. You usually can’t attack an attended object (one on a creature’s person).
It's pretty clear in the description.
Targets: 1 weapon that is unattended or wielded by you or a willing ally.
Unattended is worn and not wielded, by my standards.
The problem is that "worn" and "wielded" have specific in-game definitions. A polearm that is stowed may be worn, but it's not Worn.
That being said, I also think it's pretty clear the intent is for a character to be able to cast it on their own weapon, as long as they can touch it. So, for instance, you'd have to Interact/Manipulate to bring a dagger out of your backpack before casting magic weapon on it, but a sword in a sheath could be magic weaponed, as well as a polearm on one's back.
I believe worn is not unattended. I read Unattended as not currently carried or worn by anyone.I'd have to agree. And reading the rules for a few item/actions that mentions unattended just reinforces that for me.
I mean the Slippers of Spider Climbing has the "If the slippers are left unattended for a while, they tend to attract spiders that nest inside" effect that would be somewhat awkward if that happened while you are walking around and the Palm an Object action doesn't seem to me that it should work on stuff that is worn.
Good point. I guess technically you're probably right. But I'd be hard-pressed to find a GM that wouldn't allow magic weapon to be used on a weapon worn by a willing ally, as the intention of the ability seems pretty clear to me.
I am the player in question, so I shan't comment too much until after the game and leave it to the GM's ruling. That said, is this something that we need an FAQ on, i.e. whether the definition of "unattended" which is used repeatedly across the rules, and/or the issue of Magic Weapon on worn / stowed items.
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The Interact action points out that you "grab an unattended or stored object" so there's at least a separation between unattended and stored. Do note that this was before the errata that split carried items into held, worn, and stowed.
The Light cantrip also has a similar distinction, requiring its target to be "either unattended or possessed by you or a willing ally"
If attended objects are defined as objects on a creature's person, I think it's safe to assume something unattended is not on a creature's person. At the very least, it's anything that isn't being carried (held, worn, or stowed).
