Can a persistent spell cast using the Sorcerer's Metamagic Twinned Spell affect both spells?

Question

The description for the Sorcerer Metamagic Twinned Spell says:

When you cast a spell that targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you can spend a number of sorcery points equal to the spell’s level to target a second creature in range with the same spell (1 sorcery point if the spell is a cantrip).

To be eligible, a spell must be incapable of targeting more than one creature at the spell’s current level. For example, magic missile and scorching ray aren’t eligible, but ray of frost and chromatic orb are.

The general upswing is the Sorcerer can cast two Mage Armor or two Suggestion spells. Something with instantaneous results. But what happens when the spell has follow up abilities?

The situation came up when a Cleric/Divine Soul Sorcerer cast a Twinned Spiritual Weapon (in the form of a hammer).

As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the weapon up to 20 feet and repeat the attack against a creature within 5 feet of it.

Can the Sorcerer move and attack them independently? Or use one Bonus Action to move attack one round and wait until the next round to move/attack the other?

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I found a similar spell, and this one directly effects a creature: Dominate Beast.

You can use your action to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn't do anything that you don't allow it to do. During this time, you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

Can the Sorc control both beasts in the same round?

Answer 1

Spiritual Weapon (Hammer) can not be twin cast

It doesn't target a creature at all, so it is not twinnable.

Dominate Beast is eligible, and presents a sticky situation

As you've quoted, the language of dominate beast states:

You can use your action to take total and precise control of the target.

Spell is twinned for two targets, but the spell language doesn't change

Once twinned, you now have two beasts under your control, but unless you have a means for a second action, you only have one action available to control one beast. The twinning of the spell only allows you to target two creatures, it does not change the wording of the spell used.

This means you are still limited to controlling one beast with your action.

The argument for allowing it

The other side of this is that with Twin, you aren't casting two spells, but just one spell that has two targets. Anything you do afterwards would be twinned as well and thus a single action would be sent to both beasts.

So...DM call

Unfortunately, this does seem like it can be a DM decision and what feels right at your table. There is reasonable logic for each case.

Answer 2

You would not be able to control more than one Hammer with one Bonus Action

The spell requires the use of a Bonus Action to control a Spiritual Weapon. It doesn't have a clause to allow control of multiple weapons if you're in a situation where you have multiple weapons summoned. So regardless of the circumstances, only one of them may attack in a given turn, unless you somehow encounter a mechanic that gives you more than one Bonus Action in a turn (I am not aware of any such mechanics).

Spiritual Weapon is not a valid candidate for the Twinned Spell metamagic.

Spells that are eligible are required to be able to target a single creature, without a range of "self". Spiritual Weapon fails because it does not target a creature at all.

Spiritual Weapon cannot have more than one weapon active at a time

The description for Spiritual Weapon says

You create a floating, spectral weapon within range that lasts for the duration or until you cast this spell again.

So since the spell cannot be Twinned, and since there are no features (that I am aware of) that allow you to bypass this limit, a spellcaster may not have more than one Spiritual Weapon active at any time.

Answer 3

You cannot twin spiritual weapon, as each creature attacked by the spell becomes a target of it, meaning that the spell does not pass Twinned Spell's requirement of being "incapable of targeting more than one creature".

When Twinned Spell says it lets you "target a second creature in range with the same spell", it means the same singular spell instance, not a second copy of the spell. As such, a twinned dominate beast would allow you to control two beasts with one action- Twinned Spell effectively causes 'the target' in dominate beast's text to become two creatures, so the text relaying what happens to 'the target' applies to both victims at once.