Spiritual Weapon questions

[Pickaxe]

Spiritual Weapon produces an effect that appears as your deity's favored weapon and uses the crit range and multiplier of that weapon. It uses the caster's BAB to attack and to determine if it gets multiple attacks after the first round.

If your deity's favored weapon is a ranged weapon, does your Spiritual Weapon suffer penalties such as for firing into melee?

If you are under the effect of Divine Power, does Spiritual Weapon use your normal BAB or your new BAB from Divine Power?

--Axe

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Spiritual Weapon produces an effect that appears as your deity's favored weapon and uses the crit range and multiplier of that weapon. It uses the caster's BAB to attack and to determine if it gets multiple attacks after the first round.

If your deity's favored weapon is a ranged weapon, does your Spiritual Weapon suffer penalties such as for firing into melee?

I would say not, as it says that your feats and combat actions do not effect it (and it cannot gain or grant flanking) so I would say that melee penalties for rnaged weapons are in the same catagory of 'things we can ignore'. Since you use wisdom with your BAB instead of str and gain damage bonuses only from level, the ranged vs melee issue seems unimportant.

If you are under the effect of Divine Power, does Spiritual Weapon use your normal BAB or your new BAB from Divine Power?

I would say the latter since divine power says it actually changes you BAB, not just the results of it.

 

[frankthedm]

Too hot, brain bubbling, posted in error...

 

[Mistwell]

Spiritual Weapon produces an effect that appears as your deity's favored weapon and uses the crit range and multiplier of that weapon. It uses the caster's BAB to attack and to determine if it gets multiple attacks after the first round.

If your deity's favored weapon is a ranged weapon, does your Spiritual Weapon suffer penalties such as for firing into melee?

I would not think so. It shouldnt be a disadvantage to have a ranged weapon instead of a melee weapon for a spell like this (which is attacking at range on it's own).

If you are under the effect of Divine Power, does Spiritual Weapon use your normal BAB or your new BAB from Divine Power?

--Axe

I do not think so. It's your base bonus, not your increased one.

 

[MarkB]

Fire what? The spiritual weapon strikes. No ammunition is created or fired. Bcause it strikes as a spell rather than a weapon the 1d8 damage is not reduced, but the spirtual bow can only crit on a 20 because improvised weapons only crit on 20s.

The text implies that a ranged spiritual weapon strikes from range, though it still uses the spell's range in place of its range increment, and still requires a move action to switch targets. Therefore, a spiritual ranged weapon will have the same critical range as a normal weapon of that type being used at range.

 

[frankthedm]

The text implies that a ranged spiritual weapon strikes from range, though it still uses the spell's range in place of its range increment, and still requires a move action to switch targets. Therefore, a spiritual ranged weapon will have the same critical range as a normal weapon of that type being used at range.

Too hot, brain bubbling, posted in error...

Spiritual Weapon
Evocation [Force]
Level: Clr 2, War 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect: Magic weapon of force
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

A weapon made of pure force springs into existence and attacks opponents at a distance, as you direct it, dealing 1d8 force damage per hit, +1 point per three caster levels (maximum +5 at 15th level). 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. It strikes the opponent you designate, starting with one attack in the round the spell is cast and continuing each round thereafter on your turn. It uses your base attack bonus (possibly allowing it multiple attacks per round in subsequent rounds) plus your Wisdom modifier as its attack bonus. It strikes as a spell, not as a weapon, so, for example, it can damage creatures that have damage reduction. As a force effect, it can strike incorporeal creatures without the normal miss chance associated with incorporeality. The weapon always strikes from your direction. It does not get a flanking bonus or help a combatant get one. Your feats or combat actions do not affect the weapon. If the weapon goes beyond the spell range, if it goes out of your sight, or if you are not directing it, the weapon returns to you and hovers.

Each round after the first, you can use a move action to redirect the weapon to a new target. If you do not, the weapon continues to attack the previous round’s target. On any round that the weapon switches targets, it gets one attack. Subsequent rounds of attacking that target allow the weapon to make multiple attacks if your base attack bonus would allow it to. Even if the spiritual weapon is a ranged weapon, use the spell’s range, not the weapon’s normal range increment, and switching targets still is a move action.

A spiritual weapon cannot be attacked or harmed by physical attacks, but dispel magic, disintegrate, a sphere of annihilation, or a rod of cancellation affects it. A spiritual weapon’s AC against touch attacks is 12 (10 + size bonus for Tiny object).

If an attacked creature has spell resistance, you make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against that spell resistance the first time the spiritual weapon strikes it. If the weapon is successfully resisted, the spell is dispelled. If not, the weapon has its normal full effect on that creature for the duration of the spell.

The weapon that you get is often a force replica of your deity’s own personal weapon. A cleric without a deity gets a weapon based on his alignment. A neutral cleric without a deity can create a spiritual weapon of any alignment, provided he is acting at least generally in accord with that alignment at the time. The weapons associated with each alignment are as follows.

Chaos
Battleaxe

Evil
Flail

Good
Warhammer

Law
Longsword

 

[MarkB]

The weapon itself strikes. Thats the bow. A bow used to strike is an improvised weapon.

You're extrapolating a lot from just one word - especially one used as a general case.

Even if the spiritual weapon is a ranged weapon, use the spell’s range, not the weapon’s normal range increment, and switching targets still is a move action.

Why bother having this line if the ranged weapons are just moving up to their targets and smacking them? It clearly takes the assumption that those weapons are firing at their targets, otherwise it'd say "Even if the spiritual weapon is a ranged weapon, it strikes as a melee attack, and is considered an improvised weapon for purposes of critical range."

 

[Mistwell]

The weapon itself strikes. That is the bow. A bow used to strike is an improvised weapon...."Even if the spiritual weapon is a ranged weapon, use the spell’s range, not the weapon’s normal range increment, and switching targets still is a move action."

I think your intepretation and the text of the spell that I just quoted are mutually exclusive.

 

[frankthedm]

You're extrapolating a lot from just one word - especially one used as a general case.

Yeah. I am. Work is roasting hot and my brain is fried.

You win.

 

[frankthedm]

I would not think so. It shouldnt be a disadvantage to have a ranged weapon instead of a melee weapon for a spell like this (which is attacking at range on it's own).

Should or should not, unless there is a way to stike with the spiritual bow as an improvised weapon, which several people objected to, it looks like the firing into melee penalty does apply. You folks argued it should strike like a bow, so it is like every ranged weapon in the game. You can't have things both ways.