Can You Use Eldritch Smite with Booming Blade? A Comprehensive Guide
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Yes, you absolutely can use Eldritch Smite with Booming Blade in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (5e), provided you meet certain conditions. The key is understanding how these abilities interact and the rules governing their usage. This combination creates a potent offensive option for Pact of the Blade Warlocks, allowing for both considerable initial damage and the threat of extra damage if the enemy moves. Let’s delve into the specifics of how this combination works and address some common questions.
How the Combination Works
The combination hinges on the fact that both Booming Blade and Eldritch Smite are triggered by a melee weapon attack. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
- Casting Booming Blade: You use your action to cast the Booming Blade cantrip. As part of casting this cantrip, you make a melee weapon attack against a creature.
- Hitting the Target: If the attack roll hits, you deal the weapon’s damage, plus the extra thunder damage from Booming Blade.
- Applying Eldritch Smite: After hitting with your melee weapon attack, you can choose to activate your Eldritch Smite invocation. This requires you to expend a Warlock spell slot, and it adds force damage to the attack. Crucially, this must be done on a melee weapon attack made with your Pact Weapon.
The crucial point is that Eldritch Smite doesn’t require a separate attack; it’s triggered on a hit with a melee weapon attack. Similarly, Booming Blade requires you to make a melee weapon attack as part of its casting. This allows the two abilities to work in concert, amplifying your offensive output in a single, devastating blow.
Key Requirements for the Combination
- Pact Weapon: The melee weapon attack must be made with your Pact Weapon to use Eldritch Smite.
- Warlock Spell Slot: You must expend a Warlock spell slot to activate Eldritch Smite. Spell slots gained from multiclassing do not work.
- Melee Weapon Attack: Both abilities require you to make a successful melee weapon attack.
- Timing: Eldritch Smite can only be used once per turn.
This synergistic combination is often favored by Bladelocks seeking to maximize their damage potential. They can deliver a powerful attack with the bonus damage from booming blade and then the massive added damage from Eldritch Smite.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To further clarify the nuances of this powerful combo, here are 15 frequently asked questions about the interaction between Eldritch Smite and Booming Blade, as well as similar mechanics:
Can I use Eldritch Smite and Divine Smite on the same attack?
Yes, you can use both Divine Smite (from a Paladin) and Eldritch Smite on the same melee weapon attack, provided you hit the target. Divine Smite can be used once per attack and Eldritch Smite can be used once per turn. However, note that Eldritch Smite must use Warlock spell slots, while Divine Smite can use any type of spell slot you have available.
Can I use Green Flame Blade with Eldritch Smite?
Absolutely! Just like Booming Blade, Green Flame Blade requires a melee weapon attack as part of its casting. This allows you to combine it with Eldritch Smite, provided the attack is with your Pact Weapon and you expend a Warlock spell slot.
Does Eldritch Smite damage double on a critical hit?
Yes, Eldritch Smite damage dice are doubled on a critical hit. If you hit with Eldritch Smite using a 5th level spell slot (resulting in 6d8 force damage) and the attack is a critical hit, the damage is doubled to 12d8 force damage.
Can I cast Booming Blade and then use the Attack Action?
No, you cannot combine the Booming Blade cantrip with the Attack action. Booming Blade uses the “Cast a Spell” action. To use the Attack action, you make multiple attacks but you cannot use a spell. The Bladesinger’s Extra Attack feature, for example, allows you to cast a cantrip and make one weapon attack but this is not an Attack action.
Can I use Booming Blade with a bonus action attack from two-weapon fighting?
No, you cannot use Booming Blade with a bonus action attack from two-weapon fighting. Booming Blade requires a melee weapon attack made when casting the cantrip as an action, and two-weapon fighting requires you to make an attack action.
Can Eldritch Smite be counterspelled?
No, Eldritch Smite cannot be counterspelled because it is an ability that expends a spell slot, not a spell being cast. You can only counterspell spells that use the “Cast a Spell” action.
Can Booming Blade be counterspelled?
Yes, Booming Blade can be counterspelled since it is a cantrip and uses the “Cast a Spell” action. If counterspelled, the melee attack from Booming Blade will not occur as part of interrupting the casting.
Can I use Eldritch Smite with a ranged pact weapon?
Yes, you can absolutely use Eldritch Smite with an attack made using a ranged pact weapon like a longbow. The only requirement for Eldritch Smite is that the weapon you attack with is your Pact Weapon.
Can I use Eldritch Smite with spell slots from multiclassing?
No, you cannot use spell slots from a class that isn’t a Warlock to activate Eldritch Smite. You must use spell slots from the Pact Magic class feature.
Does the extra damage from Booming Blade stack if cast multiple times?
No, the damage from Booming Blade doesn’t stack. If a creature is affected by the extra thunder damage from Booming Blade, and moves, then is hit with another Booming Blade attack, the extra damage does not stack. Only the single effect from the last Booming Blade cast is active.
Can I use the War Caster feat to cast Booming Blade as an opportunity attack and use Eldritch Smite?
Yes, if you have the War Caster feat, you could cast Booming Blade as an opportunity attack if a creature provokes one. You can use Eldritch Smite on that attack if you meet all the other requirements (hitting with pact weapon and using a Warlock spell slot).
Can a Paladin smite after hitting with Booming Blade?
Yes, a Paladin can Divine Smite on a hit made with Booming Blade as it requires a successful hit with a melee weapon attack. Divine Smite can be used in addition to the spell effects.
Can a Bladelock multiattack with Booming Blade?
No, a Bladelock cannot multiattack with Booming Blade because it uses the “Cast a Spell” action. Multiattack is part of the attack action. The Bladelock’s extra attack feature does not apply to the Cast a Spell action. The bladesinger’s extra attack allows you to cast a cantrip and make one weapon attack as part of the same action.
Can you stack Green Flame Blade and Booming Blade?
No, you cannot use both Green Flame Blade and Booming Blade on the same attack. Both spells use the same action to cast. However, if your class has features that allow you to make another action, you could potentially cast both spells in one turn.
Can you smite with natural weapons?
Yes, natural weapons (claws, horns, etc.) qualify as melee weapons and can be used for Divine Smite, Eldritch Smite, and other features that require a melee weapon attack.
By understanding these interactions and FAQs, you can effectively use Eldritch Smite with Booming Blade, maximizing your damage output and making your Pact of the Blade Warlock a formidable force in combat.