Explain Spiritual Weapon to me

[Al'Kelhar]

Spiritual Weapon (Cleric Attack 5)
Effect: You conjure a weapon that appears in the target's square and attacks. Your allies gain combat advantage against the target. You can move the weapon up to 10 squares to another enemy's square as a move action. The weapon lasts until the end of your turn.
Sustain Minor: When you sustain the power, repeat the attack. Your allies continue to gain combat advantage against the weapon's target.

In the absence of the cleric actively moving the weapon to "another enemy's square", does the weapon follow the target around the battlefield, or is the only way it can move by the cleric expending a move action?

If the weapon follows the target around, what happens if the target moves out of range? What happens if the target moves more than 10 squares?

When does combat advantage against the target end - when the weapon is no longer in the target's square (e.g. because either the weapon or the target have moved from that square), or when the target is no longer the target of the weapon (i.e. only when the cleric designates a different target for the weapon by moving it to another enemy's square)?

It seems to me that this power could be clarified by removing "enemy's" from "another enemy's square" in the Effect text, and changing Sustain to: "When you sustain this power, the weapon attacks an enemy in the square it is in at the time".

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[robotsinmyhead]

I wouldn't imagine that the weapon follows the target. It specifically says, "You can move the weapon up to 10 squares... as a move action" So think about it as it is: a floating weapon that you control fully.

Errata also changed the text a bit to this: "You can move the weapon up to 10 squares, within range, to another enemy’s square as a move action."

As for the combat advantage question, it seems as though the weapon grants combat advantage to the target as long as it is targetted by the weapon, which could reasonably be inferred as "till the beginning of your next turn" or "end" - That might matter at some point, and it's a little ambiguous.

When I use Spiritual Weapon, I often sustain minor just to keep the power active, but don't want to move the weapon (in the case that the target has moved) so I can position myself. I think it's a great power, but currently, conjurations on the whole are a bit "rules lite" right now, and you should come to an agreement with your DM on some of the specifics.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Unlike robotsinmyhead (great name BTW!) I think it sticks with the person it is attacking, because of the bit he doesn't quote.

So the normal use of the weapon is that it appears and attacks someone. If you sustain it then it will spend another round attacking them (and it follows them around if they move - as long as they don't move out of range). On the other hand, if you want it to attack a different enemy you can use a move action to move it up to 10 squares to another enemy within range.

I see it as a magic weapon that sticks with a person, swatting away at them until it is either no longer sustained or is moved to another person (or is hit by dispel magic in the unlikely event that anyone ever chooses that spell).

Cheers

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

I tried searching around and couldn't find an answer to this, so I thought I'd tack it on here for clarification:

Spiritual Weapon in its description says it lasts until the end of your next turn, the sustain allows you to make another attack with it. Does it still go away at the end of your turn, or can it actually be sustained indefinitely?

I think it goes away, but I'm confused by the use of sustain to describe that, as it has nothing to do with sustaining anything.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Sustain as an action, always increases duration. p278

 

[The Blow Leprechaun]

Sustain as an action, always increases duration. p278

Wow, that really increases the potential of that power.

Thank you for the clarification, and a page number to point to in case my DM gets angry

 

[mach1.9pants]

Definitely the best daily in our party, and we understand it as not moving with a baddie that moves away. Cleric casts it and gets a decent damage, CA granting attack every round as a minor action. Has to give up his move occasionally but well worth it (his move 5 vs 10 for SW!)

 

[Starfox]

You conjure a weapon that appears in the target's square and attacks....

I read this that the Spiritual Weapon has n space of its own; it occupies the target's square. If the target moves, "the target's square" is now someplace else.

The other reading would make the Spiritual Weapon take up a square of its own. This has a lot of complications; it can be used to block passages and such with an unbeatable conjuration, and it makes its initial appearance in an enemy's square illegal.

 

[Thanee]

Wow, that really increases the potential of that power.

Let's say it makes it a viable choice. Otherwise it would be really bad.

Even so I think it has a hard time to compete with Consecrated Ground.

It's very good, though, if you have a Rogue in the party, because of the Combat Advantage bit.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Danceofmasks]

All the cleric 5 powers are awesome ... and what the best power is depends entirely on the cleric's stats.
For instance, on a (extremely) high str battle cleric, weapon of the gods is the best option.
It stacks with righteous brand and combat advantage .. an additional +45% (+50% at level 8, +55% at level 14, etc) to hit is silly.
What's more, if an encounter looks scary, and the cleric also has divine power (cleric 9), which is a close burst 2 weapon attack, since weapon of the gods is a minor action, one guess what happens next?