Can the Great Weapon Master feat's “Power Attack” apply to attacks from the Spiritual Weapon spell? Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara Planned maintenance scheduled April 23, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)Is a melee spell attack also a melee attack?How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?Does Spiritual Weapon use my own action to attack during combat?Can spiritual weapon fly?Does Spiritual Weapon count as an adjacent enemy for Sneak Attack?Can I Combine Shield Master and Great Weapon Master?Is there a way to make the Elven Accuracy feat work with the second benefit of Great Weapon Master?Can the Polearm Master 1d4 bonus attack be used with Great Weapon Fighter/Master?Does the extra attack from Great Weapon Master apply to all melee weapons?How does the Great Weapon Master feat's bonus-action attack work against a zombie that survives thanks to Undead Fortitude?How does a Spiritual Weapon interact with illusions of creatures when it is moved?Can a spiritual weapon be moved through walls?
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Can the Great Weapon Master feat's “Power Attack” apply to attacks from the Spiritual Weapon spell?
Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar Manara
Planned maintenance scheduled April 23, 2019 at 00:00UTC (8:00pm US/Eastern)Is a melee spell attack also a melee attack?How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?Does Spiritual Weapon use my own action to attack during combat?Can spiritual weapon fly?Does Spiritual Weapon count as an adjacent enemy for Sneak Attack?Can I Combine Shield Master and Great Weapon Master?Is there a way to make the Elven Accuracy feat work with the second benefit of Great Weapon Master?Can the Polearm Master 1d4 bonus attack be used with Great Weapon Fighter/Master?Does the extra attack from Great Weapon Master apply to all melee weapons?How does the Great Weapon Master feat's bonus-action attack work against a zombie that survives thanks to Undead Fortitude?How does a Spiritual Weapon interact with illusions of creatures when it is moved?Can a spiritual weapon be moved through walls?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
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The Great Weapon Master feat (PHB, p. 167) says:
- Before you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.
The Spiritual Weapon spell description reads:
You create a floating, spectral weapon within range that lasts for the duration or until you cast this spell again. When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. [...] The weapon can take whatever form you choose.
Does the form determine the stats of the weapon (and therefore grant the Heavy attribute that allows the listed GWM benefit to be used), or is it just a cosmetic decision?
dnd-5e spells feats weapons attack
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The Great Weapon Master feat (PHB, p. 167) says:
- Before you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.
The Spiritual Weapon spell description reads:
You create a floating, spectral weapon within range that lasts for the duration or until you cast this spell again. When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. [...] The weapon can take whatever form you choose.
Does the form determine the stats of the weapon (and therefore grant the Heavy attribute that allows the listed GWM benefit to be used), or is it just a cosmetic decision?
dnd-5e spells feats weapons attack
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Related: How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?, Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?, Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
43 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The Great Weapon Master feat (PHB, p. 167) says:
- Before you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.
The Spiritual Weapon spell description reads:
You create a floating, spectral weapon within range that lasts for the duration or until you cast this spell again. When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. [...] The weapon can take whatever form you choose.
Does the form determine the stats of the weapon (and therefore grant the Heavy attribute that allows the listed GWM benefit to be used), or is it just a cosmetic decision?
dnd-5e spells feats weapons attack
$endgroup$
The Great Weapon Master feat (PHB, p. 167) says:
- Before you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.
The Spiritual Weapon spell description reads:
You create a floating, spectral weapon within range that lasts for the duration or until you cast this spell again. When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. [...] The weapon can take whatever form you choose.
Does the form determine the stats of the weapon (and therefore grant the Heavy attribute that allows the listed GWM benefit to be used), or is it just a cosmetic decision?
dnd-5e spells feats weapons attack
dnd-5e spells feats weapons attack
edited 49 mins ago
V2Blast
27.5k597167
27.5k597167
asked 1 hour ago
RykaraRykara
5,6011647
5,6011647
$begingroup$
Related: How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?, Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?, Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
43 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Related: How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?, Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?, Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
43 mins ago
$begingroup$
Related: How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?, Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?, Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
43 mins ago
$begingroup$
Related: How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?, Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?, Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
43 mins ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
No
Unfortunately, Spiritual Weapon only takes the form of a weapon, not its statistics. So the spiritual weapon does not gain attributes like Heavy, Reach, etc. It just looks like whatever weapon you choose. (Note that the damage dice are independent of the original weapon as well.)
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
That was a thought I had, too, but I realized that Warlock's Pact of the Blade says " You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it." It never explicitly calls out stats either, but the implication is that the stats would match the chosen form. One would assume the two summoned weapons would be treated in the same way, barring an explicit rule that contradicts this assumption.
$endgroup$
– Rykara
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara The intent is clearly that spiritual weapon would not work with GWM, but you bring up an intriguing point there.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
49 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Rykara: The key might be that the details of the weapons are only given in the weapons table/section, so the stats of those weapons must be there; in contrast, spiritual weapon tells you the damage it does and how it works, overruling any specific stats regarding such weapons.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
47 mins ago
2
$begingroup$
Oh, and this answer might be improved by citing the last paragraph of the spell description: "The weapon can take whatever form you choose. Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell's effect resemble that weapon." This makes it clear that the spell's effect is not a weapon - it just resembles one.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
40 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The Attack of Spiritual Weapon is not a "Melee Attack", it's a "Melee Spell Attack"
This difference might seem semantic, but it's important for this situation. When you use the Bonus Action conferred by Spiritual Weapon, it doesn't call for a Melee Attack, but a Melee Spell Attack:
[...] When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
—Spiritual Weapon, Player's Handbook, pg. 278
The counter example is something like Green Flame Blade, which expressly says that the caster makes a Melee Attack as part of the Action:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails.
—Green Flame Blade, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, pg. 143
With a spell like Green Flame Blade, if used with a Heavy weapon, it would qualify for this kind of use of the Great Weapon Mastery feat.
So because Spiritual Weapon calls for a different kind of attack, it does not qualify for this feat.
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
A melee spell attack is a melee attack.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
52 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
I agree. This is a melee attack. But it is not a melee attack with a weapon (the same way a wizard who casts mage armor on himself isn't wearing armor).
$endgroup$
– Gandalfmeansme
46 mins ago
add a comment |
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2 Answers
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active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
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active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
No
Unfortunately, Spiritual Weapon only takes the form of a weapon, not its statistics. So the spiritual weapon does not gain attributes like Heavy, Reach, etc. It just looks like whatever weapon you choose. (Note that the damage dice are independent of the original weapon as well.)
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
That was a thought I had, too, but I realized that Warlock's Pact of the Blade says " You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it." It never explicitly calls out stats either, but the implication is that the stats would match the chosen form. One would assume the two summoned weapons would be treated in the same way, barring an explicit rule that contradicts this assumption.
$endgroup$
– Rykara
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara The intent is clearly that spiritual weapon would not work with GWM, but you bring up an intriguing point there.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
49 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Rykara: The key might be that the details of the weapons are only given in the weapons table/section, so the stats of those weapons must be there; in contrast, spiritual weapon tells you the damage it does and how it works, overruling any specific stats regarding such weapons.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
47 mins ago
2
$begingroup$
Oh, and this answer might be improved by citing the last paragraph of the spell description: "The weapon can take whatever form you choose. Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell's effect resemble that weapon." This makes it clear that the spell's effect is not a weapon - it just resembles one.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
40 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
No
Unfortunately, Spiritual Weapon only takes the form of a weapon, not its statistics. So the spiritual weapon does not gain attributes like Heavy, Reach, etc. It just looks like whatever weapon you choose. (Note that the damage dice are independent of the original weapon as well.)
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
That was a thought I had, too, but I realized that Warlock's Pact of the Blade says " You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it." It never explicitly calls out stats either, but the implication is that the stats would match the chosen form. One would assume the two summoned weapons would be treated in the same way, barring an explicit rule that contradicts this assumption.
$endgroup$
– Rykara
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara The intent is clearly that spiritual weapon would not work with GWM, but you bring up an intriguing point there.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
49 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Rykara: The key might be that the details of the weapons are only given in the weapons table/section, so the stats of those weapons must be there; in contrast, spiritual weapon tells you the damage it does and how it works, overruling any specific stats regarding such weapons.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
47 mins ago
2
$begingroup$
Oh, and this answer might be improved by citing the last paragraph of the spell description: "The weapon can take whatever form you choose. Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell's effect resemble that weapon." This makes it clear that the spell's effect is not a weapon - it just resembles one.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
40 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
No
Unfortunately, Spiritual Weapon only takes the form of a weapon, not its statistics. So the spiritual weapon does not gain attributes like Heavy, Reach, etc. It just looks like whatever weapon you choose. (Note that the damage dice are independent of the original weapon as well.)
$endgroup$
No
Unfortunately, Spiritual Weapon only takes the form of a weapon, not its statistics. So the spiritual weapon does not gain attributes like Heavy, Reach, etc. It just looks like whatever weapon you choose. (Note that the damage dice are independent of the original weapon as well.)
answered 1 hour ago
Nicolas BudigNicolas Budig
73837
73837
1
$begingroup$
That was a thought I had, too, but I realized that Warlock's Pact of the Blade says " You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it." It never explicitly calls out stats either, but the implication is that the stats would match the chosen form. One would assume the two summoned weapons would be treated in the same way, barring an explicit rule that contradicts this assumption.
$endgroup$
– Rykara
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara The intent is clearly that spiritual weapon would not work with GWM, but you bring up an intriguing point there.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
49 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Rykara: The key might be that the details of the weapons are only given in the weapons table/section, so the stats of those weapons must be there; in contrast, spiritual weapon tells you the damage it does and how it works, overruling any specific stats regarding such weapons.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
47 mins ago
2
$begingroup$
Oh, and this answer might be improved by citing the last paragraph of the spell description: "The weapon can take whatever form you choose. Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell's effect resemble that weapon." This makes it clear that the spell's effect is not a weapon - it just resembles one.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
40 mins ago
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
That was a thought I had, too, but I realized that Warlock's Pact of the Blade says " You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it." It never explicitly calls out stats either, but the implication is that the stats would match the chosen form. One would assume the two summoned weapons would be treated in the same way, barring an explicit rule that contradicts this assumption.
$endgroup$
– Rykara
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara The intent is clearly that spiritual weapon would not work with GWM, but you bring up an intriguing point there.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
49 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
@Rykara: The key might be that the details of the weapons are only given in the weapons table/section, so the stats of those weapons must be there; in contrast, spiritual weapon tells you the damage it does and how it works, overruling any specific stats regarding such weapons.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
47 mins ago
2
$begingroup$
Oh, and this answer might be improved by citing the last paragraph of the spell description: "The weapon can take whatever form you choose. Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell's effect resemble that weapon." This makes it clear that the spell's effect is not a weapon - it just resembles one.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
40 mins ago
1
1
$begingroup$
That was a thought I had, too, but I realized that Warlock's Pact of the Blade says " You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it." It never explicitly calls out stats either, but the implication is that the stats would match the chosen form. One would assume the two summoned weapons would be treated in the same way, barring an explicit rule that contradicts this assumption.
$endgroup$
– Rykara
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
That was a thought I had, too, but I realized that Warlock's Pact of the Blade says " You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it." It never explicitly calls out stats either, but the implication is that the stats would match the chosen form. One would assume the two summoned weapons would be treated in the same way, barring an explicit rule that contradicts this assumption.
$endgroup$
– Rykara
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara The intent is clearly that spiritual weapon would not work with GWM, but you bring up an intriguing point there.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
49 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara The intent is clearly that spiritual weapon would not work with GWM, but you bring up an intriguing point there.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
49 mins ago
1
1
$begingroup$
@Rykara: The key might be that the details of the weapons are only given in the weapons table/section, so the stats of those weapons must be there; in contrast, spiritual weapon tells you the damage it does and how it works, overruling any specific stats regarding such weapons.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
47 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Rykara: The key might be that the details of the weapons are only given in the weapons table/section, so the stats of those weapons must be there; in contrast, spiritual weapon tells you the damage it does and how it works, overruling any specific stats regarding such weapons.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
47 mins ago
2
2
$begingroup$
Oh, and this answer might be improved by citing the last paragraph of the spell description: "The weapon can take whatever form you choose. Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell's effect resemble that weapon." This makes it clear that the spell's effect is not a weapon - it just resembles one.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
40 mins ago
$begingroup$
Oh, and this answer might be improved by citing the last paragraph of the spell description: "The weapon can take whatever form you choose. Clerics of deities who are associated with a particular weapon (as St. Cuthbert is known for his mace and Thor for his hammer) make this spell's effect resemble that weapon." This makes it clear that the spell's effect is not a weapon - it just resembles one.
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
40 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The Attack of Spiritual Weapon is not a "Melee Attack", it's a "Melee Spell Attack"
This difference might seem semantic, but it's important for this situation. When you use the Bonus Action conferred by Spiritual Weapon, it doesn't call for a Melee Attack, but a Melee Spell Attack:
[...] When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
—Spiritual Weapon, Player's Handbook, pg. 278
The counter example is something like Green Flame Blade, which expressly says that the caster makes a Melee Attack as part of the Action:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails.
—Green Flame Blade, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, pg. 143
With a spell like Green Flame Blade, if used with a Heavy weapon, it would qualify for this kind of use of the Great Weapon Mastery feat.
So because Spiritual Weapon calls for a different kind of attack, it does not qualify for this feat.
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
A melee spell attack is a melee attack.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
52 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
I agree. This is a melee attack. But it is not a melee attack with a weapon (the same way a wizard who casts mage armor on himself isn't wearing armor).
$endgroup$
– Gandalfmeansme
46 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The Attack of Spiritual Weapon is not a "Melee Attack", it's a "Melee Spell Attack"
This difference might seem semantic, but it's important for this situation. When you use the Bonus Action conferred by Spiritual Weapon, it doesn't call for a Melee Attack, but a Melee Spell Attack:
[...] When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
—Spiritual Weapon, Player's Handbook, pg. 278
The counter example is something like Green Flame Blade, which expressly says that the caster makes a Melee Attack as part of the Action:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails.
—Green Flame Blade, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, pg. 143
With a spell like Green Flame Blade, if used with a Heavy weapon, it would qualify for this kind of use of the Great Weapon Mastery feat.
So because Spiritual Weapon calls for a different kind of attack, it does not qualify for this feat.
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
A melee spell attack is a melee attack.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
52 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
I agree. This is a melee attack. But it is not a melee attack with a weapon (the same way a wizard who casts mage armor on himself isn't wearing armor).
$endgroup$
– Gandalfmeansme
46 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The Attack of Spiritual Weapon is not a "Melee Attack", it's a "Melee Spell Attack"
This difference might seem semantic, but it's important for this situation. When you use the Bonus Action conferred by Spiritual Weapon, it doesn't call for a Melee Attack, but a Melee Spell Attack:
[...] When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
—Spiritual Weapon, Player's Handbook, pg. 278
The counter example is something like Green Flame Blade, which expressly says that the caster makes a Melee Attack as part of the Action:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails.
—Green Flame Blade, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, pg. 143
With a spell like Green Flame Blade, if used with a Heavy weapon, it would qualify for this kind of use of the Great Weapon Mastery feat.
So because Spiritual Weapon calls for a different kind of attack, it does not qualify for this feat.
$endgroup$
The Attack of Spiritual Weapon is not a "Melee Attack", it's a "Melee Spell Attack"
This difference might seem semantic, but it's important for this situation. When you use the Bonus Action conferred by Spiritual Weapon, it doesn't call for a Melee Attack, but a Melee Spell Attack:
[...] When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
—Spiritual Weapon, Player's Handbook, pg. 278
The counter example is something like Green Flame Blade, which expressly says that the caster makes a Melee Attack as part of the Action:
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails.
—Green Flame Blade, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, pg. 143
With a spell like Green Flame Blade, if used with a Heavy weapon, it would qualify for this kind of use of the Great Weapon Mastery feat.
So because Spiritual Weapon calls for a different kind of attack, it does not qualify for this feat.
answered 1 hour ago
XiremaXirema
24.4k269144
24.4k269144
4
$begingroup$
A melee spell attack is a melee attack.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
52 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
I agree. This is a melee attack. But it is not a melee attack with a weapon (the same way a wizard who casts mage armor on himself isn't wearing armor).
$endgroup$
– Gandalfmeansme
46 mins ago
add a comment |
4
$begingroup$
A melee spell attack is a melee attack.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
52 mins ago
1
$begingroup$
I agree. This is a melee attack. But it is not a melee attack with a weapon (the same way a wizard who casts mage armor on himself isn't wearing armor).
$endgroup$
– Gandalfmeansme
46 mins ago
4
4
$begingroup$
A melee spell attack is a melee attack.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
52 mins ago
$begingroup$
A melee spell attack is a melee attack.
$endgroup$
– Chris Starnes
52 mins ago
1
1
$begingroup$
I agree. This is a melee attack. But it is not a melee attack with a weapon (the same way a wizard who casts mage armor on himself isn't wearing armor).
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– Gandalfmeansme
46 mins ago
$begingroup$
I agree. This is a melee attack. But it is not a melee attack with a weapon (the same way a wizard who casts mage armor on himself isn't wearing armor).
$endgroup$
– Gandalfmeansme
46 mins ago
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$begingroup$
Related: How does the Spiritual Weapon spell work?, Would it be possible to grab my Spiritual Weapon and make a melee attack with it?, Can you pick up an ally's Spiritual Weapon and use it as your own?
$endgroup$
– V2Blast
43 mins ago