Can You Add Smite to Booming Blade? A Comprehensive Guide
Yes, you absolutely can combine Divine Smite (or other “Smite” spells) with Booming Blade. The core mechanic of Booming Blade involves making a melee attack with a weapon, and Divine Smite is triggered when you hit a creature with such an attack. It’s a potent synergy that elevates classes like Paladins and other melee-focused spellcasters. This combination amplifies your damage output, making it a highly effective tactic in combat.
Understanding the Mechanics
The interaction between Smite and Booming Blade rests on the precise wording of both abilities. Let’s break it down:
- Booming Blade: This cantrip requires you to make a melee attack with a weapon as part of casting the spell. This attack is the trigger for other effects.
- Divine Smite (and other Smite Spells): Divine Smite, specifically, activates “when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack”. Many other Smite spells also key off hitting a creature with a melee weapon attack (though their specific triggers may vary).
Because Booming Blade’s casting involves a qualifying melee weapon attack, and because you are hitting a creature with a melee weapon attack when Booming Blade connects, you can expend a spell slot to activate Divine Smite, or use other Smite spells, alongside the cantrip’s damage.
The Action Economy
It’s vital to understand the action economy in play. Booming Blade utilizes your action to cast the spell and make the attack. Divine Smite doesn’t consume an action or bonus action but instead utilizes your reaction. Smite spells usually use a bonus action to cast and then are triggered on a melee weapon attack.
Optimizing Your Strategy
To maximize the effectiveness of this combination, consider the following:
- Choose the Right Weapon: The weapon’s damage die directly affects the overall damage output. Heavy weapons with high damage dice, like a greatsword, can maximize the impact of both Booming Blade and Smite.
- Consider Feats: Feats like War Caster allow you to cast Booming Blade as an opportunity attack, potentially disrupting enemy movement and adding a new layer to your combat control.
- Spell Slots: Managing your spell slots efficiently is crucial. Smite consumes spell slots, so careful planning ensures you don’t run out of resources in a prolonged encounter.
- Multiclassing: Classes like Paladin and Sorcerer can provide access to both Divine Smite and metamagic options, enabling you to twin spell buffing spells and further enhance your combat prowess.
- Metamagic: The GamesLearningSociety.org, studies the complex educational aspects of games. While using Booming Blade, the careful application of spells can result in significant advantages. Careful planning, using actions, and the proper spell slot, will help you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the nuances of combining Smite and Booming Blade:
1. Can you Smite on a Green Flame Blade attack?
Yes, similarly to Booming Blade, Green Flame Blade also requires you to make a melee attack with a weapon as part of the spell. Therefore, you can activate Divine Smite (or other Smite spells) upon a successful hit.
2. Do you add modifiers to Booming Blade?
Yes, Booming Blade is a melee weapon attack, and you use the same ability modifier you would use for any other melee weapon attack (usually Strength or Dexterity, depending on the weapon). It does not use your spell attack modifier because it’s not a spell attack.
3. Can you Smite with a Flame Blade spell?
Yes, the Flame Blade spell creates a melee weapon that you wield. Since Divine Smite (and most Smite spells) are applicable on a melee weapon attack, you can use them with the Flame Blade.
4. Can you stack Green Flame Blade and Smite?
Yes, but with restrictions. You can’t cast two non-cantrip spells in the same turn unless one is a bonus action spell. You could cast Green Flame Blade (a cantrip) and then use a bonus action spell such as Thunderous Smite. You can also use Divine Smite along with Green Flame Blade.
5. Should you use Booming Blade or Extra Attack?
This depends on your class, level, and build. For classes that get extra attack, and don’t rely on the extra damage, booming blade can be effective. For Eldritch Knights and other gish classes, Booming Blade might offer better damage scaling than the standard Extra Attack, especially at higher levels, offering additional control through its secondary damage. Do the math for your specific situation!
6. Can you use 2 Smites at once?
No, you cannot stack multiple “Smite Spells” as they all use the bonus action and concentration. However, you can combine Divine Smite with a Smite Spell, because Divine Smite is a free action triggered by hitting a target. You can only have one Smite Spell active at a time.
7. Can you use Shadow Blade with Booming Blade?
The general consensus is that Shadow Blade and Booming Blade are not intended to be combined directly. Booming Blade requires a weapon worth at least 1 sp, which Shadow Blade technically isn’t.
8. Can you dual wield and use Green Flame Blade?
No, you cannot use two-weapon fighting with Green Flame Blade because the bonus action off-hand attack requires you to take the Attack action first, whereas casting Green Flame Blade uses the Cast a Spell action.
9. Can you stack Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade on the same attack?
No. Even if you are an Eldritch Knight fighter with action surge or a sorcerer with quickened spell you can use two cantrips, however they would be either Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade not both on one swing.
10. Can you stack Green Flame Blade with Shadow Blade?
No, by RAW you cannot use Shadow Blade with Green-Flame Blade or Booming Blade. These cantrips require that you use a melee weapon worth at least 1 silver piece and that you use that specific weapon for the attack.
11. Can Booming Blades stack?
No, the effect won’t stack with multiple castings. If you cast Booming Blade twice on the same turn, it will still only deal its extra damage once if the target moves. The damage from the normal hit does still happen, as it is an instantaneous effect.
12. Can you Smite on a thrown dagger?
No, to use Divine Smite, it has to be a melee weapon attack, not just an attack with a melee weapon. A thrown dagger is a ranged weapon attack, even though the dagger itself is a melee weapon.
13. Does Booming Blade work with Maneuvers?
Some maneuvers can be used when you cast Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade. Sneak Attack also works with these spells, you can stack them. Commander’s Strike, for example, which says when you take the Attack action, it can not apply when you cast either of these spells.
14. Can you combine Shillelagh and Booming Blade?
Yes, casting any combination of cantrips with Action/Bonus Action is perfectly permissible. Shillelagh makes your club or quarterstaff a magical weapon that uses your Wisdom modifier for attack and damage rolls, and you can then use Booming Blade with that weapon.
15. Is Booming Blade good for Eldritch Knight?
Yes, Booming Blade is particularly good for Eldritch Knights because it allows them to combine casting a spell with a weapon attack, fitting the “gish” archetype. The damage scales well, and the secondary effect adds valuable battlefield control.
Conclusion
Combining Smite with Booming Blade is a powerful tactic that can significantly enhance your damage output and battlefield control. By understanding the nuances of the rules and optimizing your build, you can create a formidable character capable of delivering devastating blows. Now go forth and smite those who dare to move!