Can the automatic damage from the Witch Bolt spell be repeatedly activated using an Order of Scribes wizard's Manifest Mind feature?

Question

The Order of Scribes wizard sublass has the Manifest Mind feature (TCoE, p. 78), which creates a manifested spectral mind that can be moved by the wizard as a bonus action. Additionally, the wizard can cast spells through the spectral mind:

Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind's space, instead of your own, using its senses.

This allows the Scribes wizard to cast a spell remotely through the spectral mind.

The spell witch bolt (PHB, p. 289) can be cast through the spectral mind, but it is not clear to me whether its damage can be repeated if the spectral mind is within 30 feet but the wizard is more than 30 feet away. The problematic part of the spell description is the following:

The spell also ends if the target is ever outside the spell's range or if it has total cover from you.

Is the target considered "outside the spell's range" if the spectral mind is within 30 feet of the target, but the wizard isn't?

Answer 1

It's likely that the Spectral Mind is considered to be your location for the entire duration of the spell.

First, let's look at the full relevant text of the Manifest Mind ability:

Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind's space, instead of your own, using its senses. You can do so a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

As a bonus action, you can cause the spectral mind to hover up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you or it can see. It can pass through creatures but not objects.

The Manifest Mind feature says that you can treat the Minds space as your own whenever you cast a spell. I don't see a clause stating that the spell snaps back to your true location after it's been cast, nor do you have the option of doing so even if you wanted to. It appears that, once cast, the spell is locked in to treating the mind as the source for the duration.

This means that the Mind must stay within 30 feet of the target, and should the target ever have full cover from the mind, the spell is broken, even if the target is within 30 feet of you, and not behind full cover.

Answer 2

It doesn't seem to work that way

The Order of the Scribes wizard's Manifest Mind feature reads (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything page 78, emphasis mine):

Whenever you cast a wizard spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the spectral mind's space, instead of your own, using its senses. You can do so a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Notably, the spectral mind is not casting the spell. You are casting the spell and are able to do so as if you were in the position of the spectral mind while casting the spell. Your actual position does not change.

The full text for witch bolt reads (Player's Handbook page 289, emphasis mine):

A beam of crackling, blue energy lances out toward a creature within range, forming a sustained arc of lightning between you and the target. Make a ranged spell attack against that creature. On a hit, the target takes 1d12 lightning damage, and on each of your turns for the duration, you can use your action to deal 1d12 lightning damage to the target automatically. The spell ends if you use your action to do anything else. The spell also ends if the target is ever outside the spell’s range or if it has total cover from you.

The wording of the spell takes no consideration for where the spell was cast from, only the current position of the caster.

The initial ranged spell attack happens during the casting of the spell, so that part does apply as normal, as if the caster was in the position of the spectral mind. Once the spell has finished being cast, the use of Manifest Mind has ended. If the target is now outside the range of the spell from the current position of the caster, or behind total cover, the spell ends right away.