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Suppose a Cleric already cast the Spiritual Weapon spell to create a spectral weapon. If the Cleric is in an Antimagic Field but the weapon isn't, can the Cleric still use their bonus action to attack with the weapon?

The weapon is not in the antimagic field, so it should not vanish. However, perhaps the antimagic field suppresses the connection between the caster and their spiritual weapon, making it impossible for the caster to use it?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Hello there! I suggest to match the title and the question in the end of the post. \$\endgroup\$
    – Eddymage
    Oct 25, 2022 at 15:58

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No.

The description of the Antimagic field states (emphasis mine):

A 10-foot-radius invisible sphere of antimagic surrounds you. This area is divorced from the magical energy that suffuses the multiverse. Within the sphere, spells can't be cast, summoned creatures disappear, and even magic items become mundane.

The emphasized part suggests that magic of any kind cannot exist inside this area: any connection between the weapon and the caster is interrupted. The Spells entry of the Antimagic Fields states (emphases mine):

Any active spell or other magical effect on a creature or an object in the sphere is suppressed while the creature or object is in it.

The question is: is Spiritual Weapon active on the caster? The spell's description says (emphases mine):

You create a floating, spectral weapon within range that lasts for the duration or until you cast this spell again. When you cast the spell, you can make a melee spell attack against a creature within 5 feet of the weapon. On a hit, the target takes force damage equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.

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.

There is a clear connection between the caster and the weapon; for the duration the caster can command the weapon via the magical link made by the spell: this means that the spell is active on the caster.

Therefore, the caster cannot use their bonus action to make the weapon move or attack while they are inside the AoE of the Antimagic Field: as soon as they exit from the dead magic area, however, they can resume command of the Spiritual Weapon (if its duration has not yet expired).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Does the same logic hold for summoned creatures? If not, then why not? \$\endgroup\$ Oct 25, 2022 at 18:00
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    \$\begingroup\$ @AncientSwordRage If I recall correctly, summoned creatures obey to verbal commands: see Summon Fey for example. \$\endgroup\$
    – Eddymage
    Oct 25, 2022 at 18:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ Animated dead, however, obey mental commands. Would an AMF prohibit their caster from controlling them? \$\endgroup\$
    – Kirt
    Oct 29, 2022 at 5:53
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Kirt That's true: AMF would block the control by the caster, by the same reasoning above in the answer (Animate Object would work in the same way). It seems that spells Summon XYZ let the caster control the creatures via verbal commands, while Animate XYZ require a mental(magic) link. \$\endgroup\$
    – Eddymage
    Oct 29, 2022 at 21:04
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This is a DM judgement call

Antimagic field says:

Spells. Any active spell or other magical effect on a creature or an object in the sphere is suppressed while the creature or object is in it.

Spritiual Weapon is an active spell, but is it "on" the caster? I think this can not be fully resolved by the rules text, as the spellcasting rules do not formally define when a spell is on a creature.

There clearly is some connection to the caster, or the caster would not be able to control it. However, usually a spell "on" a target means the target has been enchanted by the spell (such as bless, for example), which is not the case here. So you need to ask you DM how it works in their game.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Are you saying, if a spell targets a point of origin instead of a creature or object, then it would function normally? We only get within range from Spiritual Weapon, but that might be considered a point of origin, though in the spellcasting rules, it says spell targets creatures, objects, or a point of origin for an area of effect. This doesn't really fit any of those directly. \$\endgroup\$
    – Wyrmwood
    Oct 25, 2022 at 15:50
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Wyrmwood, What I am saying is there is no defintion when a spell is considered to be "on" a creature (at least I find none). So the rules do not say if the creature must be a target for the spell, or enchanted by the spell for that to be the case, or if having a connection like here is sufficient for it. The spellcasting rules are talking about targeting spells, which is different, and not relevant here, I believe. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 25, 2022 at 16:33
  • \$\begingroup\$ Agreed. I think you can't say with specificity due to the poor wording. Had it used target instead of on, it would be different, but taken with the rest of the wording, even then, it would still be ambiguous. \$\endgroup\$
    – Wyrmwood
    Oct 25, 2022 at 19:38
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This is probably something the DM has to decide.

While Spiritual Weapon is currently a active spell and connected to the caster (as otherwise they wouldn't be able to control it), but generally when a spell is on a creature's normally something like Bless or Bestow curse which was enchanted by the spell in someway which isn't the case with Spiritual Weapon.

Personally, I would rule that as long as the caster is in the anti-magic field they can't control the weapon as the magic in that area has been severed and as such the link with it was also but the weapon itself is still around (unless it also is in the antimagic field) but different DMs might rule differently.

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