The spellcasting classes can use the fun spell called “Frostbite” to help them stay warm during winter.
What can you do with this new toy? ..
What Does It Do?
Shadow Blade is a 2nd level Illusion school spell that allows the caster to create a blade out of thin air. The caster must concentrate for one minute, and the blade will then be in their hand. It can be used as a one-time bonus action, or it can be kept on the person for up to one minute.
The spell lets you form a sword of shadow in your hand. This counts as a weapon you can use to make attacks. It’s a simple melee weapon that anyone who casts the spell is proficient with.
The weapon has a finesse that allows it to attack with either Strength or Dexterity.
The psychic sword is a weapon that does more damage than a greatsword on a hit. It has a 2d8 psychic plus your attack ability modifier as its damage. ..
When you cast a spell with a higher-level slot, the damage increases by 5d8.
If you drop or throw a spell, it disappears at the end of your turn. You can call it back with a bonus action, as long as you’re still concentrating on the spell. ..
When you attack something in the dark, you get an advantage on the attack. ..
Who Gets Shadow Blade?
Warlocks, Sorcerers, and Wizards can get the spell as a part of their class spell lists.
Arcane Trickster Rogues and Eldritch Knight Fighters can pick up the Arcane Trickster spell from the Wizard spell list.
Multiclassing is a great way to pick up new classes quickly. You can put at least three levels into Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard to get the class you want. ..
Uses For Shadow Blade
Shadow blade is a relatively straightforward sword.
You make a sword that can be used for attacks. ..
It’s a useful spell, especially for anyone with darkvision. But we can look into specific classes as well.
1. Warlocks
Shadow blade is an interesting spell for warlocks. Shadow blade is a concentration spell, so it competes with hex or darkness if you have Devil’s Sight. ..
Shadow Sorcerers are a powerful class of magic users that can cast the darkness spell for you. This spell gives you an advantage in battle, making it more important to have them in your party.
Shadow blade can’t really be used with either the Pact of the Blade or the Hexblade’s Hex Warrior feature. Shadow blade could be used in your off-hand if you want to dual-wield, but none of your Blade Pact invocations work with it either.
The Pact of the Blade warlocks can use a melee option that is unique to them called Green Flame Blade. This ability combines well with a cantrip like Green Flame Blade, making it more viable.
When you have access to eldritch blast, the Agonizing Blast invocation, and hexes, you’ll usually have better damage-dealing options. ..
2. Eldritch Knight Fighters
Pros:
Eldritch Knights find the spell to be quite helpful. ..
You can’t cast the illusion spell until you reach level 8. It’s an illusion spell, so you must take it at a level when you can pick a spell from any school.
You don’t need a high Intelligence modifier to use the spell, which is a big plus for you.
When you get the spell, you can make a blade that does more damage than a greatsword and a shield. Plus, you can pair it with one for extra AC.
At 13th level, you can create a shadow blade that deals 3d8 damage on a hit. ..
Your fighter can really take advantage of their Action Surge by using it to deal extra damage.
Cons:
You have to focus on the spell and not on the person.
If you’re taking too much damage, you may lose your ability to cast spells or use haste.
If you can find a Flame Tongue or a different magic weapon with lots of damage dice, it may be a better choice to use that instead. ..
The spell haste grants you an extra attack and a bonus to your defense. ..
Shadow blade is a great choice for a campaign if your magic items are not enough.
3. Arcane Trickster Rogues
Shadow blade is a great weapon for Arcane Tricksters because it does extra damage and gives you more attacks.
Eldritch Knight is better than other classes. ..
If you rely on your Sneak Attack to deal damage, then using Shadow Blade can help you get the advantage you need. ..
Your Versatile Trickster feature does give you another way to get an advantage with mage hand, but it can be more difficult to set up. ..
You can cast this spell as an action, and it’s a separate bonus action to get advantage using it.
Shadow blade is a more simple sword that doesn’t require you to use your bonus action every turn.
With either green flame blade or booming blade, shadow blade can deal psychic damage on top of its Sneak Attack.
4. Sorcerers
Sorcerers are typically not very sturdy and don’t do well with melee spells. ..
Sorcerers have some interesting interactions with this spell. If you really want to go into melee, it has some pretty powerful options.
If you have the sorcery points to burn, you can cast shadow blade, then use your action to cast the booming blade cantrip three times with your Twinned Spell metamagic (Twinned Spell doesn’t work with green flame blade, sadly).
Your turn begins by Quickening your blade for three powerful melee attacks.
Pros:
If you’re in dim light or darkness, and especially if you’re an elf with Elven Accuracy, it can be a relatively effective strategy to use. ..
You can cast up to 3 blade cantrips in a turn by using your Twinned Spell and Quickened Spell metamagics. This is a great ability to have in your arsenal, as it allows you to cast more powerful spells quickly.
Your three attacks with shadow blade and booming blade deal an additional 5d8 psychic and 3d8 thunder damage to the target if they move.
The thunder damage from a booming blade is not multiplicative, but it can be used to try to lock down multiple opponents by threatening them with the thunder damage. Additionally, the Mobile feat can help keep enemies at bay and allow you to run free.
At 17th level, you can cast Meteor Swarm for 20d6 fire and 20d6 bludgeoning damage. ..
9th-level spells offer a variety of options for combat. Shadow blade and booming blade may not be the best choices for every situation, but they can be effective if you need to get into melee. ..
Don’t fight anything immune to psychic or thunder.
Cons:
You’ll want a good attack modifier, even if you can reliably get triple advantage with Elven Accuracy.
That means that a sorcerer with decent Dexterity or Strength is more likely to be successful in battle.
This combo is meant to be used against multiple opponents. If you want to use Twinned Spell, you need a second target within range. If another one isn’t within range, you’re out of luck. ..
Sorcerers using this strategy burn through their sorcery points quickly. ..
If you want to conserve your spell slots, you can stick to twinning a booming blade. It’s half the cost of your Quickened Spell metamagic.
You have now defended against two attacks with your booming blade. ..
If you can somehow get your hands on a set of Illusionist’s Bracers, you won’t have to spend sorcery points on Quickened Spell. It’s even better than you think, since the bracers innately let you cast a cantrip as a bonus action. ..
You can now Twin your bonus action booming blade for a total of 4 attacks with the cantrip. This means that you can make 4 attacks with the cantrip in a single turn.
If you can get a pair of these bracers from Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica and figure out a way to protect your sorcerer from your enemies’ attacks, you can be an utter beast on the battlefield… so long as you’re fighting more than one opponent. ..
5. Wizards and Bards
Shadow blade is a powerful weapon that can be used by the Bladesinger wizard, the College of Swords Bard, and the College of Valor Bard.
Extra Attack is a great benefit for all three of these subclasses, making shadow blade a little more useful for them. ..
Bards and wizards who specialize in spells that deal damage in melee are less effective when forced into melee. ..
Pros:
There’s a good chance that all three subclasses will have high Dexterity, so you don’t have to worry about boosting another ability score.
A swordsman or bard may want to focus on melee attacks in order to use their flourishes.
Since high-level players can get shadow blade for free, it is a good way to buff their damage significantly. ..
Bard is a class that has been around for centuries and has always been a popular choice for players looking to add some extra damage and utility to their party. While it still competes with high-level spells, the Bard’s strategy of using their bonus action to give out Bardic Inspiration or cast other bonus action spells like healing word makes them a powerful ally. ..
The Valor bard can cast a spell and then make a weapon attack as a bonus action. ..
You can make an attack with your shadow blade as a bonus action if you have the green flame blade.
To learn shadow blade and green flame blade, you would need to spend two magical secrets. This can be a bit costly. ..
The Bladesinger’s Song of Victory feature lets the player deal extra damage equal to their Intelligence modifier when they make melee weapon attacks. This helps make shadow blade a bit more appealing at higher levels.
But even with two attacks, the wizard will still have more powerful spells at their disposal than you. ..
Cons:
Shadow blade is a magical weapon that requires either multiclassing or using one of a bard’s magical secrets. This can be a big ask when the game has fireball or counterspell. ..
Starting at 11th level, the wizard can use Tenser’s transformation to become a powerful magical being. Bards can also get it through Magical Secrets.
Shadow blade does an extra 2d12 force damage when cast at 6th level, compared to a flat 4d8 psychic damage. ..
Tenser’s transformation gives extra attack to wizards who don’t have it already, a couple of saving throw proficiencies, and a good chunk of temporary hit points. ..
Wizards who need to go into melee can still cast spells while concentrating on Tenser’s transformation, but it comes at the cost of not being able to cast spells for a certain amount of time. ..
Shadow blade is a powerful spell, but it can be difficult to use consistently. ..
