Spiritual Weapon in D&D 5e: Everything You Need to Know

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Vanquish enemies by turning divine energy into a powerful weapon
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If you’re looking for a quick way to boost your cleric character’s damage output in D&D, look no further: Spiritual Weapon might be the spell you need. It’s a simple 2nd-level spell that creates a spectral weapon, allowing you to deal extra damage per turn using a bonus action by attacking with the weapon. In this article, we’ll cover all the details of the Spiritual Weapon spell, including how it works and the best ways to use it!

Spiritual Weapon: Overview

Spiritual Weapon is a 2nd-level evocation spell that summons a spectral weapon at any point within 60 feet of the caster. You can immediately make a melee spell attack and repeat the attack on subsequent turns using a bonus action. Each attack deals Force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting modifier.

Section 1 of 6:

What is Spiritual Weapon in D&D 5e?

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  1. When cast, it creates a floating, spectral weapon within range. You can make a melee spell attack with the weapon immediately after casting the spell, dealing Force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting modifier on a hit. For the next minute, you can spend a bonus action on each turn to move the weapon up to 20 feet and repeat the attack. [1]
    • Casting time: 1 Bonus action
    • Range: 60 feet
    • Components: Verbal and somatic
    • Duration: 1 minute
    • Remember, making a melee spell attack means the creature you target must be within 5 feet of the Spiritual Weapon.
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Section 2 of 6:

How Spiritual Weapon Works

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  1. Casting Spiritual Weapon with a 3rd-level spell slot or higher increases the damage dealt per hit by 1d8 for every 2 levels above 2nd. That means a 3rd level spell won’t change the damage output; it’s still 1d8 + your spellcasting modifier. Casting it at the 4th level increases the damage to 2d8, the 6th level damage is 3d8, and so on. [2]
    • Tip: If you plan to cast Spiritual Weapon at a higher level, try casting it at level 4 (since clerics don’t have many damage-dealing 4th-level spells anyway).
  2. Critical hits (or “crits”) happen when you roll a natural 20 on an attack roll. Even though Spiritual Weapon uses a bonus action, it still counts as a melee spell attack! Thus, it’s possible to score a crit with the spell, which means you can double the damage dice for the critical hit. [3]
    • However, you can’t add class features like Twinned Spell (a metamagic option for sorcerers) or Smite (a paladin feature) to Spiritual Weapon attacks.
    • Twinned Spell, which lets you target 2 creatures instead of 1, doesn’t apply to Spiritual Weapon because the spell doesn’t target creatures.
    • Smite, which adds extra damage to attacks, won’t work because it requires a melee weapon attack, whereas Spiritual Weapon is a spell attack.
  3. Because they’re spectral, they don’t have hit points (which measure how much damage a creature can take) and can’t be destroyed. They only cease to exist once the spell ends or if they move out of the caster's range. They also can’t be held because they’re incorporeal; Spiritual Weapons float on their own. [4]
    • Theoretically, your PC (player character) or any other creature could walk through a Spiritual Weapon since the weapons are spectral and don’t occupy any physical space.
    • If your PC casts Spiritual Weapon and falls unconscious, the spell doesn’t end (since it’s not a concentration spell). However, your PC can’t attack with the weapon while unconscious.
  4. Spiritual Weapon costs a bonus action to cast. Normally, attack rolls require their own separate action to perform—but Spiritual Weapon allows you to make a melee spell attack in the same bonus action right after the weapon is summoned. Attacks on subsequent turns also cost a bonus action. [5]
    • Technically, you could even have multiple Spiritual Weapon spells active since they don’t require concentration.
    • However, since you only get a single bonus action per turn, you can only move and attack with one of your Spiritual Weapons per turn.
    • If you’re considering polymorphing your character, the good news is that you should be able to keep moving and attacking with the Spiritual Weapon while polymorphed (so long as you cast the spell before Polymorphing).
  5. Opportunity attacks are made against creatures trying to move out of your PC’s melee range. However, the rules of opportunity attacking state that the attacker must be a creature—and since Spiritual Weapons are spectral magic creations, they can’t make attacks of opportunity. [6]
    • Spiritual Weapons also can’t give other creatures a flanking bonus. Flanking is a tactical maneuver that involves positioning 2 allies within 5 feet of an enemy on opposite sides.
    • However, allies can give a flanking bonus to the caster and their Spiritual Weapon.
    • For example, if an ally moves within 5 feet of an enemy and a Spiritual Weapon is on the enemy’s other side, the weapon gets a flanking bonus and rolls attacks with advantage (but the ally doesn’t).
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Section 3 of 6:

How to Use Spiritual Weapon

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  1. In 5e, the rules of spellcasting state that you can’t cast two leveled spells on the same turn. So, if you cast Spiritual Weapon as a bonus action, you can’t cast another leveled spell as an action. Instead, you can cast a cantrip spell as an action or make a weapon attack. [7]
    • If you’re casting Spiritual Weapon as a sorcerer, consider using one of the many available sorcerer cantrips like Fire Bolt, Shocking Grasp, or Ray of Frost.
    • If you’re casting Spiritual Weapon as a cleric, you could use a cantrip like Toll the Dead—or make a weapon attack since clerics can wear armor and wield simple weapons.
    • The good news is that you won’t be restricted this way on subsequent turns. You can cast leveled spells as an action even if you use your Spiritual Weapon as a bonus action because you’ve already cast the spell!
  2. Spiritual Weapon offers a simple yet substantial bonus if you’re looking for ways to make your cleric (or sorcerer) PC deal more damage per turn. Since it only costs a bonus action to use each turn, try casting it alongside strong, damage-dealing spells like Inflict Wounds (for clerics) and Fireball (for sorcerers). [8]
    • Even at its lowest level, 1d8 + your PC’s spellcasting ability modifier is pretty decent extra damage for a bonus action!
  3. Concentration spells require focus to maintain, so according to 5e’s rules, you can’t concentrate on more than 1 spell at a time. Luckily, Spiritual Weapon isn’t a concentration spell—which means you can also increase your PC’s damage output by casting heavy-duty concentration spells like Spirit Guardians while also using Spiritual Weapon. [9]
    • Spirit Guardians is a fantastic spell to pair with Spiritual Weapon because it deals passive damage to enemies within range.
    • That means you can keep casting other damage-dealing spells on subsequent turns—while maintaining Spirit Guardians and Spiritual Weapon at the same time!
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Section 4 of 6:

Which classes can cast Spiritual Weapon?

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  1. If your PC is a cleric, you’ll have access to Spiritual Weapon as soon as you get a 2nd level spell slot (which happens when a cleric reaches level 3). However, other classes and subclasses can use their special features to get Spiritual Guardians, too, including: [10]
    • Divine Soul sorcerers. Divine Souls are sorcerers whose powers come from a divine source; thus, they have access to the entire cleric spell list as well as the sorcerer list.
    • Bards. Although bards have their own separate spell list, their Magical Secrets class feature lets them learn spells from other classes.
Section 5 of 6:

Advice for DMs

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  1. According to the spell’s description, the weapon can take any form that its caster chooses, and clerics of particular deities can make their Spiritual Weapon resemble that deity’s weapon of choice. So, when a player says they’re casting Spiritual Weapon, ask them to describe it—and encourage them to get creative! [11]
    • For example, a cleric of Tyr might say their weapon looks like a glowing warhammer (since Tyr’s symbol is balanced scales atop a warhammer).
    • Still, the weapon doesn’t have to reflect the PC’s deity. It could look like anything; a PC with a sailor background might say it looks like a harpoon, while an arcane scholar PC might say it looks like a giant book!
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Section 6 of 6:

Is Spiritual Weapon a good spell?

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  1. For a 2nd level spell, Spiritual Weapon is powerful and well worth adding to your PC’s list of known spells. Because it requires a bonus action and can be cast alongside other spells, it’s valuable to keep on hand whether your PC specializes in melee or ranged combat, and it can easily improve your PC’s overall damage output. [12]
    • It’s also helpful for cleric PCs who tend to use a lot of weapon attacks since casting it lets you keep a weapon in your PC’s main hand and focus on attacks while still getting some extra spell damage!

Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    What are the weaknesses of a spiritual weapon?
    Jess Hamlet
    Board, Card, and Dice Game Expert
    Jess Hamlet is a Board, Card, and Dice Game Expert based in Springfield, Missouri. She is the owner of Village Meeple, Springfield’s first Board Game Cafe. The cafe charges an admission fee that grants customers access to over 420 board games while they enjoy the atmosphere. They also serve food and drink, sell board games and accessories, and host private events. They also host events of their own, and put on teaching sessions for a variety of tabletop games for members of the community to come learn. Their board game shop hosts a wide variety of products, including party games, small box games, kid-friendly games, and dice games. Village Meeple champions the growth of in-person gaming, educational encounters, and table-top adventure in the community. Jess received an MBA from Southwest Baptist University and a Bachelor’s in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training from Missouri State University.
    Jess Hamlet
    Board, Card, and Dice Game Expert
    Expert Answer
    To start, it uses your bonus action when attacking, so it competes with other abilities or spells that also rely on your bonus action. So if you're juggling features like Healing Word or other spiritual guardians, your bonus action can feel a bit cramped. Another drawback is that Spiritual Weapon doesn’t scale with your weapon proficiency or bonuses; its attack and damage rely solely on your spellcasting ability. This means you miss out on critical hit bonuses or magical weapon properties. Additionally, because it deals force damage, you might not always get the full advantage against enemies resistant to magic or immune to force damage.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf
      2. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf
      3. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/combat/making_an_attack/
      4. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/spellcasting/spells/spiritual_weapon/
      5. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf
      6. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf
      7. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/spiritual-weapon-5e-guide/
      8. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/spiritual-weapon-5e-guide/
      9. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/spiritual-weapon-5e-guide/
      1. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/character/classes/cleric/
      2. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/spiritual-weapon-5e-guide/
      3. ↑ https://explorednd.com/gameplay/spiritual-weapon-5e-guide/

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