Can I draw a weapon as a part of a Melee Spell Attack?

Question

A spell like Steel Wind Strike requires a melee spell attack. Use an Object (PHB pg193) states, "...such as draw a sword as part of an attack." This doesn't clarify a spell or weapon attack. Steel Wind Strike requires the use of a melee weapon in the casting, but doesn't seem to hit with that weapon. You're doing force damage of 6d10, not the standard weapon damage, so it appears to just be a component for the casting rather than an actual weapon attack (as opposed to spells like Green-Flame Blade ((SCAG pg143)) that uses an actual melee weapon attack first).

So, since an attack with a melee weapon can involve drawing the weapon as a free part of the attack, and Steel Wind Strike uses the weapon as a casting component to make a melee spell attack, can that weapon be drawn as a free part of the melee spell attack action??

Answer 1

You may, and it doesn't even use your object interaction.

For steel wind strike, the weapon is a material component of the spell, and handling it is the somatic component of the spell. In this case, it does not even require your object interaction to draw the weapon, it is drawn as part of the casting of the spell:

A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.

In the same way that interacting with spell components inside your component pouch does not require expending your free object interaction, or interacting with any other costly material component, interacting with the sword required for casting steel wind strike does not use up your object interaction. Accessing material components almost always involves drawing them from a pouch, bag, or pocket. If anything, a sword readied on your side is probably easier to get to than that diamond in the bottom of my pack - both are immediately accessible for the purposes of spellcasting.

Having a free hand is the necessary and sufficient condition for providing material and somatic components. If there were additional action economy implications here, they would be explained here in the section on spellcasting.

Answer 2

An attack is not the Attack action

You are allowed to draw a weapon “as part of an attack” - that’s any attack even if that attack is not part of the Attack action. Even if it is, as here, part of the Cast a Spell action.