The green-flame blade is a powerful and fast sword that can be used to deal damage quickly. The booming blade is a slower but more powerful sword that can be used to deal more damage over time.
The spell green-flame blade is a relatively new spell that is only used in the newest edition of the Dungeons and Dragons game. Compared to long-standing favorites like fireball, this spell may be a little less known.
In 4th edition, the swordmage was a new class that was released in the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. This class is a mage/fighter hybrid that is unique to the Forgotten Realms setting. ..
These spells were released in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, and have now been changed with the release of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything for 5e.
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What Do They Do?
Green-Flame Blade
You create a powerful gust of wind that knocks all creatures within 5 feet of you prone.
Booming Blade
You create a melee weapon made entirely of air. The weapon is light and easy to carry, but it has no real substance. If you hit a creature with the weapon, the creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage and is pushed 10 feet away from you. ..
When you cast a spell using a melee weapon, you make a melee attack with that weapon. ..
If an attack hits, the player does the same amount of damage as they would with a normal attack, but with a spell that has an additional effect.
The green-flame blade fires a powerful beam of energy that leaps to a second target within 5 feet of the creature you hit. The booming blade encases the target in thunderous energy that damages the target if it moves willingly before the start of your next turn.
Starting at 5th level, your spells deal extra fire or thunder damage.
At 11th and 17th level, the damage increases by an additional 1d6. ..
Who Gets Them?
Both spells are relatively easy to get ahold of. ..
Eldritch Knight fighters and Arcane Trickster rogues can use the green-flame blade and booming blade artificer spells, which are on the wizard spell list.
Arcana Domain clerics learn two wizard cantrips at 1st level, giving them access to these blade spells as well. These spells are: Blade of the Righteous and Blade of the Warlord.
Since high elves are automatically proficient in one cantrip from the wizard spell list, any high elf of any class can learn this spell. ..
Bards, of course, can learn the spell using their Magical Secrets feature. Although both Swords and Valor bards would be relatively high-levelled before they could learn either cantrip.
Characters can take the Magic Initiate feat or the new Artificer Initiate feat, allowing them to learn a cantrip or two from one of the classes that have these spells on their list.
The Spell Sniper feat also grants you a cantrip of your choice. However, the recent changes to the spells make that feat a much less appealing option than it once was.
Multiclassing is an option for many builds. A number of builds can benefit from a level of warlock in order to pick up abilities from the Hexblade or one of the other warlock pacts.
The College of Valor and the College of Whispers bards can benefit from this method in particular, as taking a level in warlock for the Hexblade pact gives them access to the blade cantrips, as well as allowing them to attack using Charisma, their spellcasting ability, and primary ability score.
The College of Swords bards do not use these spells as much as other bards.
The Blade Flourishes cantrips require you to use the Attack action, but they count as the Cast a Spell action. ..
Spell Interactions
The two spells, previously known as “Bane of the Living” and “Death’s Door”, have been renamed “Life’s Grasp” and “Death’s Reach”. The change was made to reflect the new philosophies behind the spells. ..
Some people have found the new language confusing, as it changed how some spells interacted with other abilities. ..
War Caster
These two blade spells still work with the War Caster feat.
War Caster allows you to cast a spell when a creature provokes an opportunity attack from you.
The spell has to be cast for 1 action and only affects the creature that provoked the opportunity attack.
This has caused a lot of confusion over the years, but the official ruling is that ‘must target only that creature’ means in this case, it has to only target the creature provoking the opportunity attack.
That means that spells that could hit multiple targets are still usable. So long as you only target one creature with it this time.
The secondary damage that green-flame blade can cause is a question. The range changing for both spells to ‘Self (5 ft.)’ didn’t help, as one interpretation was that the spell targeted you, not the creature provoking the opportunity attack.
Jeremy Crawford, the lead rules designer for Dungeons and Dragons, elaborated on how the spells work on Twitter. He specified that Self (5 ft.) effectively means that you (the ‘Self’) are the spell’s point of origin, but not necessarily its target. This means that if you cast a spell targeting yourself, your target will still be affected.
The inconsistency in the range of spells within the Dungeons and Dragons game can be confusing for players. For example, thunderwave has a range of 15 feet, but thunderclap has a range of 5 feet. This inconsistency makes it difficult to know which spell to use in certain situations. ..
Both spells make a loud clap of thunder that damages creatures around you. However, the spell for thunderclap appears in a different book than the spell for clap of thunder. We may see an errata for this spell eventually, making it more inline with similar spells.
The main point of this article is that both War Caster’s blade and fire blade can be used with it, but the green flames will do more damage.
Blade-wielding creatures are often drawn to the booming sound of blades, as it can encourage them to stay.
Twinned Spell Metamagic
Prior to the release of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, both spells had a range of 5 feet. ..
The green-flame blade cannot be twinned like War Caster, Twinned Spell. This is because the spell requires that the blade be “incapable of targeting more than one creature”.
The blade that was used in the demonstration worked with a Twinned Spell, allowing the user to effectively make two attacks at once. ..
This change to the spells’ range now means they can no longer be used with Twinned Spell. This is a disappointment to people trying to build melee sorcerers everywhere.
Polearm Master & Spell Sniper
This combination of feats allowed you to fire off a barrage of spells in quick succession, dealing massive damage.
The ability to make an opportunity attack against a creature when it enters your reach is a powerful tool that can be used to take advantage of unsuspecting enemies. Polearm Master allows you to do just that, making it an essential part of any warcaster’s arsenal.
Which was great, except for the fact that the blade’s range was reduced to 5 feet.
The solution to the Spell Sniper problem was to take Spell Sniper.
The blade would double its range, allowing it to be used with a reach weapon.
The new spells now specify that they require you to make an attack against a creature within 5 feet of you, rather than simply listing a range. However, the old range increment still applies.
Spells in 5th Edition are written in natural language, which can be difficult to understand. ..
Different DMs may rule that a spell with a range of 5 feet can affect an area up to 10 feet wide, while Spell Sniper doubles that range to 15 feet. ..
The concern is that blade cantrips could be used with reach weapons, such as swords and spears, to inflict serious damage.
Polearm Master is a powerful weapon that can still be used in the right situation.
Quarterstaffs and spears have a reach of 10 feet.
Polearm Master and War Caster still allow you to get an extra casting of booming blade or green-flame blade as a reaction to someone entering your reach. ..
Pact of the Blade and Shadow Blade
Both spells used to have a weapon as their material component.
These now list a weapon worth at least 1 spell point, and specifies that you have to use the same weapon you used to cast the spell when you make the attack.
Since Pact of the Blade ‘creates’ a weapon, it raises the question of if these spells still work when using one of these conjured weapons.
According to Jeremy Crawford, the Pact of the Blade weapons do work for the spell. The created weapon apparently still has a monetary value … even if it vanishes if it’s more than 5 feet away from you for a minute. ..
Shadow blade no longer counts as a weapon, as it weaves threads of shadow into it.
The weapon it makes doesn’t have a form associated with a particular price in the Player’s Handbook.
The “stabbing illusion” is a popular urban legend that purportedly makes people believe they have been stabbed. ..
According to Wizards of the Coast’s organized play group, shadow blade costs $2.50 per minute to cast. This means that a player could spend anywhere from $0.50 to $2.50 per minute casting shadow blade, which would amount to a total cost of $8.50 per hour or $128.00 per day.
If you want to hire someone to cast shadow blade, it would cost more than 1 sp. This could make the conjured blade qualify as the spells’ material component.
The idea is that if someone charges you more for something than it’s worth, they might not be considered a true player in the game.
If I purchase a diamond from a merchant, but end up paying more than the diamond’s worth, would it still be considered a sale?
Setting aside any pricing shenanigans, Crawford also said that as a DM, he would let you use shadow blade as the material component for a spell. ..
The rule in question is the one that states that a simple melee weapon has a value of 1d6. This rule is not applied fairly, as some weapons are worth more than others. For example, a sword is worth more than a dagger, and a greatsword is worth more than an axe. This rule should be changed so that all simple melee weapons have the same value, which would be 1d6. ..
It’s ultimately up to your DM what happens next.
How to Use These Spells
The cantrips, which are spells that allow casters to use their magic in melee combat, have been updated to include new abilities. The update includes new spells such as Fireball and Blade Barrier, which allow casters to fight more effectively in close quarters. ..
Pact of the Blade warlocks using eldritch blast can come in handy for keeping up with the damage output of warlocks using arcane blast.
They are a powerful cantrip for Bladesingers and other melee-focused Abjuration and War Magic wizards.
Arcane Tricksters and Eldritch Knights can put them to good use, as can Valor Bards if they get ahold of one. The combo works decently well for College of Whispers bards, as their Psychic Blades feature requires a weapon attack to work.
Illusionist’s Bracers
Shadow Blade is a cantrip that allows the user to create a shadow clone. This clone is incredibly useful for dodging and blocking attacks, as well as providing temporary protection from damage.
The bracers, from Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica, allow you to cast a cantrip a second time as a bonus action after you cast it the first time.
Sneak Attack is a powerful ability that rogues can use to deal Sneak Attack damage. Eldritch Knights can use it for a second big swing, and it is great for wizards, especially the Bladesinger.
Rogues
Blade spells are useful for Arcane Trickster rogues that want to get into melee.
Rogues don’t get the Extra Attack feature, so they’re left with only one attack per turn. Unless they’re doing two-weapon fighting of some kind. ..
The spells can be picked up using feats, multiclassing, or racial features to increase their damage.
Arcane Tricksters and other rogues can now boost their damage with cantrips. These spells function as straight damage boosts, without the need for feats or weapons. ..
The Versatile Trickster feature allows you to use your mage hand to get an advantage against a target, making it more likely that your booming blade or green-flame blade will hit.
If you have an elf’s accuracy, it’s even better. ..
The Steady Aim rogue feature in Tasha’s Cauldron allows a rogue to use their bonus action to give themselves advantage on their next attack roll. They can’t move on that turn, and the feature is optional, but it’s another method if your DM allows it.
The blade is especially effective if you have the Mobile feat, or if you already had advantage from another source. After hitting the target, you can move (or Disengage as a bonus action and then move).
The enemy is put in a difficult position by the new strategy. ..
Do they focus on taking down the rogue, or stay put and try to flank them?
This rogue has a great combo of abilities that make her very safe. She doesn’t need to take Mobile or use Disengage to move away safely.
If you have a booming blade from being a high elf, you can hit and run with impunity.
You can use your Dash action to stay out of melee range for a brief period of time, until you make a strike.
Eldritch Knights
Cantrips are a fun and interesting mechanic in “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” but they’re not always the most useful tool for players. This largely depends on the player’s playstyle. ..
Extra Attack allows fighters to take more hits in a single turn, which can lead to more damage being dealt. This can be helpful if you need to take down an enemy quickly, or if you’re fighting in a dangerous area where taking too many hits could mean death.
As you level up, your attacks will become more powerful, but you may not need to use cantrips if your weapon does additional damage.
The War Magic feature allows you to make an extra attack as a bonus action when you cast a cantrip.
This means that as you level up, your options for action will change based on how much bonus action attacks you have. If you get magic weapons or other ways to gain extra bonus action attacks, then the options for action will become more complicated.
An Eldritch Knight can use a blade to force a target to focus on them. This can be useful if the Knight wants to take down their target quickly or if they need to control the target’s movements.
Eldritch Knights are unique in that they do not have a marking feature like the Cavalier. This means that spells like booming blade can be used to try to tank an opponent. ..
Clerics
The cleric most likely to put them to use is the Arcana Domain cleric.
In theory, you could combine a bonus action spell like spiritual weapon with a blade cantrip for a decent amount of damage.
Arcane Clerics don’t usually get heavy armor, but if you’re playing a race that gives you proficiency in it early on, it might be a good idea. ..
Booming Blade is a cleric spell that can be learned through a feat or multiclassing. ..
The spell only really interacts with Divine Strike, getting some extra thunder damage, and Destructive Wrath, allowing you to maximize the thunder damage from the spell.
The Tempest clerics are more likely to use powerful thunder spells, or Channel Divinity for destructive wave.
If you can find a way to get shillelagh through a feat or multiclassing, you can use it to make your attacks with Wisdom for a more damaging and accurate attack.
Wizards
There are many ways that wizards can choose to spend their time. ..
The school’s long list of high-level spells gives them plenty of ways to do damage in combat. ..
Some wizards prefer to fight up close and personal.
Arcane Ward provides a good defensive benefit that can keep wizards alive for a bit longer.
If they’re focusing on canceling out other mages’ spells, they can use blade cantrips to attack, saving spell slots for counterspell or other reaction spells.
Arcane Deflection is a defensive feature that war magic wizards possess. This allows them to shrug off some of the damage that would otherwise be inflicted upon them. ..
The spell allows the caster to add a bonus to their AC or a failed save. This could potentially allow them to avoid damage in combat.
The Durable Magic feature of the spellbook provides a boost to AC and saves while concentrating on a spell.
The magical transformation allows you to gain an extra attack and temporary hit points, as well as the boost from Durable Magic. It also doesn’t prevent you from using Arcane Deflection or Arcane Ward.
If you have feats that improve your Constitution saves, you are more likely to be able to last the fight without the spell dropping.
Bladesingers
This is a unique group of bladesingers. They were specifically designed to be melee wizards, and as a result, they are very powerful.
The extra attack feature of their bladesong gives them a large boost to their AC and Constitution saves, which allows them to maintain concentration and attack twice with one of the attacks.
With Illusionist’s Bracers, a Bladesinger could cast green-flame blade twice in one turn. ..
Their Song of Victory gives them an additional attack and bonus damage in melee. This makes them a powerful attacker in the right situation.
If your DM allows you to combine shadow blade and one of the cantrips, you can make even more powerful swings with each swing of your sword. ..
Extra Attack doesn’t stack with Tenser’s Transformation, but the spell still allows them to use the Song of Defense feature to expend spell slots to absorb damage. ..
Your spells and blade cantrips will be your best options for boosting your damage early on in your adventure.
Warlocks
The spell is a simple one, but it can be used by any warlock who knows how to cast spells.
Pact of the Blade warlocks are the ones most likely to take it.
Eldritch blast is a powerful spell that does a lot of damage. It’s especially effective when combined with other invocations and spells, like hex. ..
The Pact of the Blade warlocks are using the Blade cantrips to try and keep up with their Bladesingers counterparts, but unfortunately, they didn’t get an improvement to their Extra Attack ability. Their version of Extra Attack doesn’t work with the cantrips.
The Lifedrinker invocation does work … although it will only deal the extra damage once per turn if used with either of the two swords.
A Pact of the Tome warlock is a spellcaster who makes a pact with an otherworldly being, usually a deity or spirit. This pact gives the warlock access to special powers and abilities not available to other spellcasters. ..
The pact of the Tome warlocks gain three cantrips from any class’ spell list.
Shillelagh is a magical weapon that uses its spellcasting ability for attack and damage rolls.
With a blade cantrip and a staff, the player can deal extra damage with their attacks.
Pact of the Tome warlocks can get discounted versions of the toys that Blade Pact and Chain Pact warlocks get. ..
Some builds will go this way, while others will not. It all comes down to what you are looking for in a build and what works best for you.
The new spell gives players one more way to deal damage to enemies without resorting to eldritch blasting. ..
Warlocks who specialize in using the green-flame blade spell can do so with increased damage thanks to their Radiant Soul ability. This enhancement allows them to add their Charisma modifier to the fire damage dealt. ..
Artificers
artificer spells that deal damage with melee weapons can now be used by artificers who are skilled in melee.
The Battle Smith gets the ability to attack with their Intelligence modifier, making them more appealing options at lower levels.
While they do get an extra attack, it only gives them a maximum of two attacks. This means that the blade cantrips may outpace basica attacks in damage at higher levels.
Their Arcane Jolt ability can only be used once per turn, so if they lose one of their two attacks, it doesn’t really hurt them too much.
The Armorer can use the blade cantrips to get some play out of the weapon’s blade.
Guardian armorers get a ranged weapon that doesn’t work with either spell, but armorers who choose the Guardian Armor Model get a special gauntlet that counts as a simple melee weapon. ..
Since the gauntlet is a part of a suit of armor that almost certainly costs more than 1sp, and it explicitly is a simple melee weapon, you can probably use your gauntlet weapons as the material component for the spell. ..
The Guardian Armorers have a tanking feature that comes from their gauntlets, but the booming blade could provide an extra incentive to focus on you if you’re comfortable with losing that second chance to effectively “mark” the target with your gauntlets.
At higher levels, the blade cantrips will give you a bit of a damage boost.
Bards
Swords bards who want to use Blade Flourishes must avoid using shields. ..
At lower levels, one of these cantrips might be useful for a little extra damage.
But once you get your Bardic Inspiration back on a short rest, there’s little reason to keep using them. Especially after you get your Master’s Flourish feature. ..
If you’re a College of Whispers bard, using your Psychic Blades and cantrips together can give you a little more power when attacking.
You’ll need to get the Hexblade warlock’s cantrip in order to help out the Whispers bard in melee.
The College of Valor bards are having a bit of trouble with their spell-plus-bonus-attack feature, Battle Magic. Their spell says “a bard spell”, but the game says it should be “a bard spell and bonus attack”. Can someone explain why this is the case?
It still works, but you’ll have to select the blade spell you want to use as one of your Magical Secrets.
You’ll have access to four of those by the time you get Battle Magic, but it would mean either getting the cantrip earlier, only to take it again as a Secret, or waiting for the cantrip until later. ..
If you multiclass into warlock or sorcerer for the spell, you can use the new rules in Tasha’s to retrain the blade cantrip.
Sorcerers
Since the cantrips have been made un-twinnable, they’re significantly less useful for sorcerers. ..
If your DM allows it, you can still cast shadow blade and add a blade cantrip to it for your one attack.
You can’t duplicate the cantrip anymore.
Illusionist’s Bracers and Quickened Spell do not stack. ..
The Storm sorcerer abilities that work on thunder damage require that it be done with a spell of 1st level or higher. This means that booming blade isn’t particularly helpful there.
Other Classes
Spells that druids and rangers can learn through feats include healing spells and defensive spells. ..
A ranger with abooming blade can use the weapon as if it were a wizard’s bladed weapon.
The paladins are able to take the spell, but their tendency to rely on smites for damage makes it less of a good option.
The Circle of the Moon druid is a main melee druid who can’t use blade cantrips in their animal shape.
Shillelagh and the Polearm Master and War Caster feats work well together. When someone gets within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to cast booming blade or green-flame blade. ..
You could also use green-flame blade as a Wildfire druid, pairing it with shillelagh and the extra fire damage from your Enhanced Bond feature.
Unfortunately, you can’t use a blade cantrip with a flame blade. The spell only allows you to make melee attacks with it as an action.
The conjured blade is not a weapon.
The object, which is only a few inches wide and a few feet long, appears to be nothing more than an unremarkable piece of metal. But appearances can be deceiving, and this object may hold the key to unlocking one of the greatest mysteries in history. The object is known as the “Roswell UFO,” and it has sparked the interest of many people around the world. It is believed that this object may be evidence of extraterrestrial life, and its discovery could change the course of history. ..
Spells are relatively useful for the Profane Soul blood hunter. ..
The class is available on the D&D Beyond website and is a great way to get into the game.
The blood hunter is a new content update that is available now. It includes new challenges and rewards, as well as some changes to the game itself.
Eldritch Knights use cantrips for the same reason as other people: eventually you get a bonus action attack when you cast a cantrip.
There are many ways to put these tools to good use.
