Could spiritual weapon take the form of a wagon wheel temporarily to replace a broken one? What about oars on a boat or even a flying carpet? Does this spell have off shelf uses?
There isn't anything about the spell that suggests it is physical. It is a "spectral" weapon and deals force damage instead of a physical weapon damage.
The way I think about it is like this. Say your trying to make a quick wagon wheel replacement to get away. A spectral wheel that extrudes force could be possible if the force is constant. Maybe you need to get through a big locked door. You can make a battering ram but would you also be able to make a big crowbar and pop the hinges? Seems to depend on if the force is like an explosion or constant.
It will depend on your DM. I interpret it as ghostly and able to deal damage to things as it passes through them, not a solid (or semi-solid) object that can be used as a shapeshifting multi-tool.
When the game's rules say "weapon", they mean it. They're talking about things like swords and clubs, not any random thing you could potentially injure someone with.
So, you've got this floating spectral sword or mace or whatever, and the spell only gives you one surefire way to use it: you can attack a creature with it as a bonus action.
Anything beyond that is strictly up to your DM. Personally, I think the spell should also be able to smash, pierce or cut objects. While it deals force damage, this is arguably a vestigial bit of history.
In 3rd edition this allowed you to strike incorporeal creatures and creatures in the Ethereal Plane, but in 5th edition any magical bludgeoning/piercing/slashing damage works just as well against ghosts and the likes. 5e also dropped the general rule that force effects automatically extend into the Ethereal Plane.
On top of that, 3e and 4e had mechanics for attacks that bypass AC, and Spiritual Weapon didn't use those mechanics in either edition.
All of this suggests the spectral weapon is solid like a Wall of Force, and it's basically equivalent to a real magic weapon.
But this is all just me inferring from the spell's history. Officially, you can only use it to attack creatures. Consult your DM if you want to do anything else with it.
I was watching CR play. Jester has a big lollipop and a guest created a human bust like Beethoven that just crashed into enemies. During discussions on the show Mat said the spell could take any shape and that got me wondering about other possible uses. I agree such uses would fall into a grey area for the DM.
spells essentially have two components; not to be confused with V,S,M. There is the mechanical and flavour. Spiritual weapon uses a bonus action to potentially do force damage, this is the mechanical. Spiritual weapon in CR and other tables could potentially take any form appropriate to the story. Jester is a trickery domain cleric and by all accounts it is appropriate for her to conjure a goof ball confection to further the goals or the "traveler". This is the flavour.
Could spiritual weapon take the form of a wagon wheel temporarily to replace a broken one? What about oars on a boat or even a flying carpet? Does this spell have off shelf uses?
There isn't anything about the spell that suggests it is physical. It is a "spectral" weapon and deals force damage instead of a physical weapon damage.
The way I think about it is like this. Say your trying to make a quick wagon wheel replacement to get away. A spectral wheel that extrudes force could be possible if the force is constant. Maybe you need to get through a big locked door. You can make a battering ram but would you also be able to make a big crowbar and pop the hinges? Seems to depend on if the force is like an explosion or constant.
It will depend on your DM. I interpret it as ghostly and able to deal damage to things as it passes through them, not a solid (or semi-solid) object that can be used as a shapeshifting multi-tool.
When the game's rules say "weapon", they mean it. They're talking about things like swords and clubs, not any random thing you could potentially injure someone with.
So, you've got this floating spectral sword or mace or whatever, and the spell only gives you one surefire way to use it: you can attack a creature with it as a bonus action.
Anything beyond that is strictly up to your DM. Personally, I think the spell should also be able to smash, pierce or cut objects. While it deals force damage, this is arguably a vestigial bit of history.
In 3rd edition this allowed you to strike incorporeal creatures and creatures in the Ethereal Plane, but in 5th edition any magical bludgeoning/piercing/slashing damage works just as well against ghosts and the likes. 5e also dropped the general rule that force effects automatically extend into the Ethereal Plane.
On top of that, 3e and 4e had mechanics for attacks that bypass AC, and Spiritual Weapon didn't use those mechanics in either edition.
All of this suggests the spectral weapon is solid like a Wall of Force, and it's basically equivalent to a real magic weapon.
But this is all just me inferring from the spell's history. Officially, you can only use it to attack creatures. Consult your DM if you want to do anything else with it.
I was watching CR play. Jester has a big lollipop and a guest created a human bust like Beethoven that just crashed into enemies. During discussions on the show Mat said the spell could take any shape and that got me wondering about other possible uses. I agree such uses would fall into a grey area for the DM.
spells essentially have two components; not to be confused with V,S,M. There is the mechanical and flavour. Spiritual weapon uses a bonus action to potentially do force damage, this is the mechanical. Spiritual weapon in CR and other tables could potentially take any form appropriate to the story. Jester is a trickery domain cleric and by all accounts it is appropriate for her to conjure a goof ball confection to further the goals or the "traveler". This is the flavour.
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
Good points. Thanks for indulging my tangent