Was wondering if Crusader's Mantle works with Spiritual Weapon? It says it affects weapon attacks, and spiritual weapon creates a weapon (though magical and uses melee spell attack) but I don't know if that works. Would it work with other spells like Tiny Servant, Animate Objects, or Conjure spells/ Tasha's summon spells? Or would it only work if those had weapons, like Conjure Elemental-Azer since they have a warhammer attack?

Crusader's Mantle specifically only gives the benefit to creatures and the extra damage only works on weapon attacks. Spiritual Weapon is a weapon but not a creature - so it can't be affected. Animate Objects and Tiny Servant objects become creatures for the duration so they get the benefit - but they don't have weapons - so they can't get the extra damage it provides.

So apply that generalisation to anything. If it is a creature and it has a weapon - then yes it can get the damage. Otherwise - no.

It looks to me like the tiny servant's slam attack is a melee weapon attack and satisfies the requirement to benefit from crusader's mantle.

Quote from Emmber >>

Crusader's Mantle specifically only gives the benefit to creatures and the extra damage only works on weapon attacks. Spiritual Weapon is a weapon but not a creature - so it can't be affected. Animate Objects and Tiny Servant objects become creatures for the duration so they get the benefit - but they don't have weapons - so they can't get the extra damage it provides.

So apply that generalisation to anything. If it is a creature and it has a weapon - then yes it can get the damage. Otherwise - no.

There's a difference between a "weapon attack" and an "attack with a weapon".  Crusader's Mantle requires the former (which includes unarmed attacks), but not the latter (which would cover Spiritual Weapon, which is probably the only instance of a "spell attack with a weapon").  With Spiritual Weapon, btw, the caster is the creature that's making the attacks, not the actual weapon itself.  The reason why Crusader's Mantle doesn't apply is because it's a spell attack, not a weapon attack.  So the criteria are not "is a creature" and "has a weapon", they're "is a creature" and "is making a weapon attack".

Quote from TexasDevin >>

It looks to me like the tiny servant's slam attack is a melee weapon attack and satisfies the requirement to benefit from crusader's mantle.

Yup.  Animate Objects does not explicitly call it a weapon attack, but given the description, it's reasonable to assume it is, since it doesn't seem to be a spell attack, and it's referred to as a "slam" attack.

I think Tonio has it most correct.

That is weird about animate objects. It probably is supposed to be a weapon attack (like unarmed strikes and most natural weapons), but got missed. So RAW they are not weapon or spell attacks (but every attack is supposed to be one of the 2).

To recap, does crusader's mantle work with:

• Spiritual weapon - no
• Tiny servant - yes
• Animate objects - yes (implicitly)

For what it's worth, all "slam" attacks in official monsters (that I could find) are "melee weapon attacks", and Animate Objects explicitly calls it a "slam" attack.

That’s good to know. So that would also mean if someone used conjure animals and had two dire wolves their bite attack would qualify as well?

Yea the others are right. It says "weapon attack" rather than "attack with a weapon" - so unarmed strikes and natural weapons (claws - teeth - horns - etc) all count for the damage.

 Of course you could cast Animate Objects on a bunch of daggers so that is implicitly both a creature and also a weapon attack at the same time :) ... though I think the comments about slam are also fairly convincing. Animate Objects and Crusader's Mantle becomes quite a useful combination that way.

Quote from David42 >>

 Of course you could cast Animate Objects on a bunch of daggers so that is implicitly both a creature and also a weapon attack at the same time :) ... though I think the comments about slam are also fairly convincing. Animate Objects and Crusader's Mantle becomes quite a useful combination that way.

 

 Pretty sure you were joking, but just in case: a dagger animated by Animate Objects is no longer an object, nor a weapon, but a creature, instead.

Granted, it might get pretty hairy if another creature decided to grapple said animated dagger, then use it as a "weapon" to attack another creature... I guess that'd fall squarely under "ask your DM", hehe. :D

Quote from Tonio >>

Quote from David42 >>

 Of course you could cast Animate Objects on a bunch of daggers so that is implicitly both a creature and also a weapon attack at the same time :) ... though I think the comments about slam are also fairly convincing. Animate Objects and Crusader's Mantle becomes quite a useful combination that way.

 

 Pretty sure you were joking, but just in case: a dagger animated by Animate Objects is no longer an object, nor a weapon, but a creature, instead.

Granted, it might get pretty hairy if another creature decided to grapple said animated dagger, then use it as a "weapon" to attack another creature... I guess that'd fall squarely under "ask your DM", hehe. :D

 Agreed. It is a creature and possibly no longer an object.

However, crusader's mantle doesn't require an attack with an object, it requires a weapon attack. So depending on the DM an animated dagger is certainly a creature but it might also be considered a weapon (since it is a dagger after all) even if it isn't an object (assuming something can't be both an object and a creature at the same time) :)

Anyway, the interaction is firmly in the hands of the DM one way or another.

Using Crusader's Mantle. debate came up about if people within the 30ft make a "Ranged" attack bow or thrown weapon. get the 1d4 radiant damage when the projectile leaves the 30ft range..  The spell reads very clearly "weapon attack" not "Melee weapon attack"  and says nothing about if the ranged projectile leaves the 30ft .

Looking to use this with a group of archers  to boost all their shots.

I have been looking but have not seen any Clear confirmation of this usage.

Quote from Shdwmstff >>

Using Crusader's Mantle. debate came up about if people withing the 30ft make a "Ranged" attack bow or thrown weapon. get the 1d4 radiant damage when the projectile leaves the

30ft range..  The spell reads very clearly "weapon attack" not "Melee weapon attack"  and says nothing about if the ranged projectile leaves the 30ft .

Looking to use this with a group of archers  to boost all their shots.

I have been looking but have not seen any Clear confirmation of this usage.

 Works fine with archers.

Quote from Shdwmstff >>

Using Crusader's Mantle. debate came up about if people within the 30ft make a "Ranged" attack bow or thrown weapon. get the 1d4 radiant damage when the projectile leaves the 30ft range..  The spell reads very clearly "weapon attack" not "Melee weapon attack"  and says nothing about if the ranged projectile leaves the 30ft .

Looking to use this with a group of archers  to boost all their shots.

I have been looking but have not seen any Clear confirmation of this usage.

 

 
As long as the creature dealing the damage is within the aura, that’s all that matters.

Going to resurrect this discussion since the 2024 PH reads "...when hitting with a weapon or an Unarmed Strike." So my questions:

• How does this apply to the initial question (summoned spirits, summoned weapons, etc.)
• What about ranged attacks that initiate within the emanation?

Seems like they had a great opportunity to clarify this and dropped the ball...