Cleric with Priest cating Contagion spell

[Baron28]

A scenario below...

As an action, a War Priest Cleric casts Contagion. The Melee spell attack is a hit and the Cleric chooses to inflict the target with the Slimy Doom disease. The target now has DISSAV: constitution; DISCHK: constitution.

Is casting this spell an attack action? If so, then does the War Priest Cleric also get to make one weapon attack as a bonus action? If so, the War Priest could direct that weapon attack at the creature afflicted with Slimy doom. On a hit, the creature would take damage and also be stunned.

There were different opinions at the table regarding this. Some thought that casting a spell is not an attack action. Others thought that since you make a melee spell attack, that a War Priest was entitled to make a weapon attack as a bonus action.

What is the correct ruling here?

[tantauralus]

PHB Chapter 9 Chapter Combat - Subchapter Actions in Combat lists "Attack" and "Cast a spell" as two different types of actions players can take during combat.
Therfore casting "Contagion" is a "Cast a spell" action and no "Attack" action and the Cleric of the War-Domain does not get an Bonus Attack as he did not use the "Attack" action.

[LordEntrails]

Agree with Tantauralus on this.

[Nickademus]

There is nowhere in the rulebooks that I know of where the Attack Action involves spellcasting. The ability to cast a spell may become available when the Attack Action is taken, but the action itself never involves a spell. If I remember correctly, the Attack Action allows one or more weapon attacks, of which each melee weapon attack may be replaced with an unarmed strike, a grapple attempt, or shove attempt.

[Baron28]

There is nowhere in the rulebooks that I know of where the Attack Action involves spellcasting. The ability to cast a spell may become available when the Attack Action is taken, but the action itself never involves a spell. If I remember correctly, the Attack Action allows one or more weapon attacks, of which each melee weapon attack may be replaced with an unarmed strike, a grapple attempt, or shove attempt.

The only reason I brought this up is because that spell, contagion, (among others) require you to make a melee spell attack as opposed to the target making a saving throw.

[Zacchaeus]

The character is still casting a spell though not making an attack action.

[LordEntrails]

So I found 3 references to spell attacks in Sage Advice. The most recent 2 (2017 & 2018) both say that spell attacks are not weapon attacks. The one from 2015 says that a "melee spell attack" counts as a melee attack.
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2018/01/28/if-i-understand-it-correctly-there-are-weapon-attacks-and-there-are-spell-attacks/
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2018/02/26/does-the-melee-spell-attack-from-steel-wind-strike-count-as-a-weapon-attack/
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/09/04/melee-spell-attack-and-melee-attack/

What's the exact wording of the ability that gives the war priest the bonus weapon attack? If it says "melee attack" then a spell attack can be a melee attack if the spell says it is. If the ability requires a "weapon attack", then no spell attack counts as a weapon attack.

[tantauralus]

What's the exact wording of the ability that gives the war priest the bonus weapon attack?

Wording:
When you use an Attack action you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.

[LordEntrails]

Then yes, I believe a "spell attack" (melee or ranged) would trigger this. You could always tweet Crawford and ask.

[Nickademus]

Then yes, I believe a "spell attack" (melee or ranged) would trigger this. You could always tweet Crawford and ask.

No, a spell attack isn't made using the 'Attack Action'. So it would not allow the War Priest ability to be used. We already covered this in this thread.

[LordEntrails]

No, a spell attack isn't made using the 'Attack Action'. So it would not allow the War Priest ability to be used. We already covered this in this thread.
Except if you read the Sage Advice articles, if you believe Jeremy Crawford is an authority and his tweets are authoritative, their are two of them that I linked that specifically say that their are spells that are spell attacks that count as attacks.

Edit: But, that said, it doesn't matter enough to me to worry any more about :)

[Nickademus]

Now you're confusing me. I looked at those tweets. None of them have anything about the Attack Action.

I think we are having two different conversations.

[Baron28]

Now you're confusing me. I looked at those tweets. None of them have anything about the Attack Action.

I think we are having two different conversations.

Thank you all for you input and commentary. The table decided that Casting a spell, whether the target rolls a saving throw or the caster makes a melee or range attack, is a different action than an attack.