How Smart is Spiritual Weapon?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Could you cite some rules on that?

15 years of playing D&D.

Beyond which, I haven't seen any convincing argument put forward to support your position.

 

[Bad Paper]

Line of effect was not broken. That part is wrong. I would either have the weapon continue attacking the square where the target was last seen or I would have it follow the target. It would not return to Mommy.

I like Frank's point about the weapon returning and hovering to an invisible caster.

I do not like the idea that see invisibility would enable the weapon to strike without penalty. The caster can see invisible, not the spell effect.

Here is my grandiose ruling: similar to the manner in which a summoned monster is an effect that then receives a target (in most cases: "attack that guy"), I will say that spiritual weapon is an effect that follows around its target, regardless of the visible state. Note that the target must at least be visible to the caster in order for the weapon to first be sicced upon it.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Note that the target must at least be visible to the caster in order for the weapon to first be sicced upon it.

Hmmm, I didn't think of it that way. That's a good point.

 

[KarinsDad]

Invisibility is an illusion glamer.

Illusions fool creatures. They do not fool spells.

Illusion spells deceive the senses or minds of others.

Once targeted, the Spiritual Weapon would stick to the target just like Faerie Fire (another Evocation spell) does. Magic targets the creature and magic is not stopped by an illusion unless it states that it is.

If the creature moves, invisible or not, the spell moves with it.

A Summoned Monster, on the other hand, is a creature and could be fooled by an illusion.

 

[Bad Paper]

yeah, that's a good way of putting it.

 

[Goldmoon]

So if a mage has a spiritual weapon sicced on him and he casts mirror image, the weapon always strikes the mage and ignores the images?

 

[Hypersmurf]

So if a mage has a spiritual weapon sicced on him and he casts mirror image, the weapon always strikes the mage and ignores the images?

Much like if I cast Magic Missile with the Repeat Spell metamagic feat on the wizard, then he casts Mirror Image... in the second round, he gets hit with the Repeated Magic Missiles. I don't need to select from among indistinguishable targets, because I already selected the target before the figments appeared, and the Repeated spell strikes the same target as the original spell.

If he cast Mirror Image first, and then I cast Repeating Magic Missile, I would need to choose my target from among the wizard and his figments. If I choose wrong, the spell has no effect... and so too will the repeated spell.

-Hyp.

 

[Bad Paper]

I disagree with Hypersmurf. I would run Spiritual Weapon as simply knowing which square to target, but still being affected by invisibility, mirror image, blur, darkness, etc. So, goldmoon, if the target cast MI after getting a SW on him, then the SW would be susceptible to the images.

Now: what if the target casts Spell Resistance after being targetted by SW? My guess is that the caster of SW would have to roll a CL check on its next attack. Thoughts?

 

[KarinsDad]

I disagree with Hypersmurf. I would run Spiritual Weapon as simply knowing which square to target, but still being affected by invisibility, mirror image, blur, darkness, etc. So, goldmoon, if the target cast MI after getting a SW on him, then the SW would be susceptible to the images.

Now: what if the target casts Spell Resistance after being targetted by SW? My guess is that the caster of SW would have to roll a CL check on its next attack. Thoughts?

Read post #14 above. Illusions do not fool spells according to the definition of illusions. They fool creatures.

 

[Hypersmurf]

So, goldmoon, if the target cast MI after getting a SW on him, then the SW would be susceptible to the images.

Oh, it's susceptible to the images, but their effect is nothing.

Enemies attempting to strike the subject determine their target randomly. An enemy is defined in the glossary as "A creature unfriendly to you". A Spiritual Weapon is not a creature, therefore not an enemy, therefore does not need to determine its target randomly.

Now: what if the target casts Spell Resistance after being targetted by SW? My guess is that the caster of SW would have to roll a CL check on its next attack. Thoughts?

I'd call it the equivalent of a creature with innate SR being struck while his SR is voluntarily lowered, and then struck again after it comes back up.

"If the creature has voluntarily lowered its spell resistance and is then subjected to a spell, the creature still has a single chance to resist that spell later, when its spell resistance is up."

-Hyp.