Does Thirsting Blade Work with Green Flame Blade? A Deep Dive
The short answer is a resounding no, Thirsting Blade does not work with Green Flame Blade. Thirsting Blade, an Eldritch Invocation for Warlocks, allows you to attack twice when you take the Attack action. Green Flame Blade, on the other hand, requires the Cast a Spell action. These are two distinct actions, and because Thirsting Blade specifically calls out the Attack action, it cannot be triggered by the casting of a spell like Green Flame Blade. This is a common point of confusion for players, especially those looking to maximize their damage output with a Gish-style character. Let’s delve into the specifics and explore the nuances surrounding this interaction, as well as other related questions.
Understanding the Core Mechanics
To fully grasp why these features don’t mesh, it’s important to understand the core mechanics of each.
Thirsting Blade
Thirsting Blade is an Eldritch Invocation available to Pact of the Blade Warlocks. It states:
“You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.”
This means that if your Warlock takes the Attack action, they get two attacks instead of the usual one, provided they are wielding their pact weapon. This is a straightforward benefit that significantly increases a Warlock’s martial capabilities.
Green Flame Blade
Green Flame Blade is a cantrip that has the following core function:
“As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell’s range, otherwise the spell fails… “
This is crucial: you are using the Cast a Spell action, not the Attack action. While the spell involves making a weapon attack, it’s the casting of the spell that’s the primary action. This is why many features that rely on the Attack action are not compatible with Green Flame Blade and other similar cantrips like Booming Blade.
Why the Interaction Fails
The incompatibility lies precisely in the action requirement. Thirsting Blade is very specific – it triggers when the Attack action is used. Green Flame Blade, conversely, requires you to take the Cast a Spell action. Even though a melee weapon attack is made as part of Green Flame Blade, it’s still the Cast a Spell action that is the core activity. Therefore, the condition for Thirsting Blade to activate is never met by simply casting Green Flame Blade.
Related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This interaction often leads to a cascade of other related questions. Here are 15 common FAQs to provide further clarity and useful insights:
1. Can Extra Attack be used with Green Flame Blade?
No, Extra Attack functions identically to Thirsting Blade in this context. It triggers when the Attack action is used, which casting Green Flame Blade is not.
2. Can you use Multiattack with Green Flame Blade?
No, for the same reason as Thirsting Blade and Extra Attack, Multiattack requires the Attack action to be triggered, while Green Flame Blade utilizes the Cast a Spell action.
3. Can you dual-wield and use Green Flame Blade?
No, you cannot use two-weapon fighting with Green Flame Blade. The off-hand attack requires you to take the Attack action first. However, casting Green Flame Blade uses a different action—the Cast a Spell action.
4. Can you combine Green Flame Blade and Shadow Blade?
By RAW (Rules As Written), you cannot use Shadow Blade with the cantrips Green-Flame Blade or Booming Blade. These cantrips require you to use a melee weapon worth at least 1 silver piece. Shadow Blade does not fulfill this requirement, as it’s a conjuration of shadowy energy.
5. Can you stack Green Flame Blade and Booming Blade?
Since most characters can only cast one cantrip per turn, you cannot normally stack these two. However, an Eldritch Knight fighter with Action Surge or a Sorcerer with Quickened Spell could cast two cantrips, but you could not cast both on the same swing. It would be one cantrip per attack.
6. Can Green Flame Blade be used with Shillelagh?
Yes, Green Flame Blade works just as well with a weapon empowered by Shillelagh. The spell requirement is making a melee attack with a weapon, which Shillelagh turns a club or quarterstaff into.
7. Can Green Flame Blade be twinned?
No, Green Flame Blade cannot be twinned by a Sorcerer’s Metamagic. To be eligible for twinning, a spell must only target one creature initially. Green Flame Blade has a secondary target effect, even if that secondary effect might not always occur.
8. Does Green Flame Blade work with War Caster?
Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade do work with War Caster, allowing you to use them for an Attack of Opportunity, but the secondary effect of Green Flame Blade cannot be activated on that opportunity attack if you do not hit an additional target.
9. Does Spell Sniper work with Green Flame Blade?
Spell Sniper extends the range of Green Flame Blade, but not its reach. However, it does allow you to use Green Flame Blade with a reach weapon (like a whip or halberd) from up to 10 feet away, which is a tactical advantage. Post Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Spell Sniper no longer affects either Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade’s range directly, as they now specify the range as self.
10. Can you use Green Flame Blade with Thunder Gauntlets?
Yes, you can use Green Flame Blade with Thunder Gauntlets as the gauntlets are part of your armour, and your armour is considered to be at least 1sp worth.
11. Does Green Flame Blade need a second target?
No, Green Flame Blade does not require a second target. You can cast it solely to add the 1d8 fire damage to your attack. The secondary damage is optional if no other creature is within 5 feet of the initial target.
12. Does Green Flame Blade require a free hand?
Yes, casting Green Flame Blade requires a free hand to perform the somatic component.
13. Can you Smite using Green Flame Blade?
Yes, if your Paladin or multiclassed Paladin character casts Green Flame Blade, they can apply a Divine Smite since the spell includes a melee weapon attack.
14. Can you use Green Flame Blade with an Unarmed Strike?
No, you cannot use Green Flame Blade with an unarmed strike. Both Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade spells specifically require the use of a weapon.
15. What Modifier does Green Flame Blade Use?
When using a weapon with Green-Flame Blade, you use the normal modifier for the weapon. For instance, a longsword attack would use your Strength modifier.
Conclusion
While the desire to combine Thirsting Blade with Green Flame Blade is understandable, the mechanics of the game prevent this combination. Understanding the precise language of the rules is crucial to properly utilizing features and spells. While these two specific features do not mesh, both are useful for their intended purposes and are worth incorporating into a character build. By understanding these distinctions, you can make better-informed decisions and optimize your character’s combat potential. Hopefully this has cleared up any confusion and provided you with a deeper understanding of how these abilities work.