

The above comparison only focuses on wielding a one-handed weapon.
#Warlock shadow blade how to#
You will therefore need to be tactical about how to reliably trigger this. Without it, this spell pales in comparison.

The most important thing is that the secondary damage is triggered. The secondary damage of Booming Blade and the fact that it scales by 2d8 every tier makes it consistently outdo attacking with a one-handed weapon even at 20th level when the fighter can make four attacks. Levelīooming Blade (without additional damage) For the purpose of this comparison, we shall assume that the weapon brandished for Booming Blade is a one-handed weapon wielded by the fighter making four attacks. To fully understand the power of Booming Blade, let’s compare the damage output of casting the spell with the fighter’s multi attack. It becomes increasingly important to trigger secondary damage. Lastly, at the 17th level, the initial attack deals 3d8, and the movement damage deals 4d8.Įvery time you reach the next tier in the game, you gain an additional 2d8 to your damage output on top of the weapon’s damage. At the 11th level, the initial attack deals 2d8 and movement damage is 3d8. When you reach the 5th level, the initial weapon attack deals 1d8 thunder damage and if the target moves, they take another 2d8 thunder damage. A notable exception is Eldritch Blast, which adds an additional attack instead of just another damage die.īooming Blade is another exception because it scales doubly with your level.

When you reach the 5th, 11th, and 17th level, the most damaging cantrips deal additional damage die. Most cantrips in D&D scale in damage according to your level. While this is the basic form of the spell, it improves dramatically as you level up. It’s a D&D spell that seems very simple in its function: you make an attack and if the target moves, they take additional thunder damage. If they willingly move at least 5 feet before the start of your next turn, they take 1d8 thunder damage and the spell ends. If you hit, you deal the weapon’s normal damage and the target of the spell becomes “sheathed in booming energy”. When you cast this cantrip, you make a melee attack with the weapon used as the material component against a creature within 5 feet of you. Therefore, this guide will be focused on the new version and it will cover some of the key differences between the two versions and how it affects the spell.īooming Blade has a casting time of 1 action, has a range of self (5-foot radius), requires somatic and material components, and has a duration of 1 round. It was originally published in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide in 2015 and an updated version of the spell was published in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything in 2020.Īlthough two slightly different versions of the spell exist, the version from TCoE is exclusively used and considered the official version of the spell. What is Booming Blade?īooming Blade is an evocation cantrip on the spell list of the artificer, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard.

What did the rogue just do? How did she cast a spell that seemed to deal damage twice? And why did she disengage only to back up 5 feet? The answer lies in one of D&D’s most powerful cantrips: Booming Blade. As soon as it moves, however, the energy around it cracks like thunder, and the orc reels in pain while the rogue smiles in satisfaction. On the orc’s turn, it steps forward to get revenge. The rogue uses her bonus action to Disengage and step back 5 feet, just out of reach. Continue reading our Booming Blade 5e Guide to find out more. The blade cracks with a thunderous roar and vibrations in the air surround the orc. Her blade trembles in the air and she plunges it into the orc’s chest. Instead of simply skewering it with her rapier, she waves her other hand and casts a spell. It’s your rogue’s turn, she sprints up to stab the large orc in front of you. You and your D&D party have been fighting orcs for the last hour.
