Unleashing Double the Power: Can You Use Quickened Spell on Eldritch Blast?

Yes, absolutely! You can use the Sorcerer’s Quickened Spell metamagic option on the Warlock’s iconic cantrip, Eldritch Blast. This potent combination allows you to cast Eldritch Blast as a bonus action, rather than its standard action casting time. The implications of this are massive, unlocking a plethora of tactical possibilities and significantly increasing the damage output potential of characters who can wield this synergy. This article delves deep into the mechanics of how this interaction works, exploring its limits, and answering frequently asked questions to ensure you can make the most of this powerful combination.

How Quickened Spell and Eldritch Blast Interact

The Quickened Spell metamagic, available to Sorcerers and those who take a feat granting access to metamagic, lets you alter the casting time of a spell with an action casting time into a bonus action casting time. The specific wording states: “When you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you can spend 2 sorcery points to change the casting time to 1 bonus action for this casting.” Eldritch Blast, while a cantrip, has a standard action casting time, making it a prime target for Quickened Spell.

The significance of this cannot be understated. Normally, you can only cast one spell with an action time in a turn, along with potentially a bonus action spell. However, by using Quickened Spell on Eldritch Blast, you free up your action for another damaging spell, or even another cantrip with an action casting time, or any other action that you would find useful. Here’s how it breaks down in practice:

1. Bonus Action: You use your bonus action and spend 2 sorcery points to cast Eldritch Blast via Quickened Spell.
2. Action: You then use your action to cast another spell, use an item, dash, disengage, or perform any action as the rules of your system dictate.
3. Movement: You can perform movement before, after, or both before and after you use your actions.

This interaction is powerful because Eldritch Blast scales with your level, producing multiple beams as you grow in power, and is further enhanced with various Eldritch Invocations, such as the coveted Agonizing Blast, which adds your Charisma modifier to each beam’s damage. Therefore, casting Eldritch Blast twice in one turn through Quicken Spell is akin to unleashing an additional full-power attack, making it an amazing benefit to a character’s offensive capabilities.

Limitations and Considerations

While this combination is incredibly potent, there are certain restrictions and considerations to keep in mind:

• Sorcery Points: Quicken Spell costs 2 sorcery points per use. These resources are limited, meaning you can’t spam this combo every turn without consideration.
• Bonus Action Spell Restriction: The spell casting rules state you cannot cast another spell of an action casting time in the same turn if you have already cast a bonus action spell. However, it does not restrict you to not being able to cast a cantrip with an action casting time.
• Metamagic Options: Remember that you can only use one metamagic option per spell casting. This means you cannot use quickened spell and another metamagic option at the same time on one cast of Eldritch Blast. You can, however, use Metamagic on a separate casting of Eldritch Blast, or another spell entirely.
• Class Restrictions: The Quickened Spell metamagic is primarily a Sorcerer feature. Other classes can gain access via multiclassing or feats like Metamagic Adept.
• Hex: While you can cast both Hex and Quickened Eldritch Blast, you cannot cast them in the same turn. This is because Hex is a spell with a bonus action casting time, meaning you cannot cast another action casting time spell on the same turn.

Strategic Implications

The ability to use Quicken Spell on Eldritch Blast opens up several strategic options:

• High Damage Output: Combine Quickened Eldritch Blast with a second action spell to unleash a massive burst of damage in a single turn.
• Action Economy Efficiency: Allows the character to have the same kind of offensive output as they would on two turns, within the scope of one turn.
• Mobility: Use your action to move around to the best position before dealing your damage, or take advantage of your bonus action spell usage to move first, so long as you are in range of your target.
• Adaptability: Use your action to disengage and move away if things are getting too dangerous or you need to reposition, while still firing off an Eldritch Blast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use Quickened Spell on a cantrip?

Yes, you can use Quickened Spell on any spell with a casting time of one action, including cantrips.

Can you use Metamagic on Eldritch Blast?

Absolutely. Eldritch Blast is a valid target for metamagic. However, keep in mind that you can only use one metamagic option per casting.

Is Eldritch Blast the best damage cantrip?

While Eldritch Blast isn’t the single strongest cantrip by raw damage numbers, its scaling, multiple beams, force damage type, and synergy with Eldritch Invocations like Agonizing Blast make it incredibly powerful and consistent.

Why is Eldritch Blast so good?

Eldritch Blast is cherished due to its scaling, the least resisted damage type (force), and its many synergistic invocations. It’s very customizable and consistently useful throughout a Warlock’s progression.

Can you Twin Spell an Eldritch Blast?

Yes, at lower levels (1st-4th), Eldritch Blast can target a single creature. Therefore, it can be twinned. However, this ceases to be the case once it targets more than one beam.

Can a Hexblade use Eldritch Blast?

Yes, any Warlock subclass can use Eldritch Blast. The Hexblade subclass does not force you to use melee or Pact of the Blade.

Can you cast two cantrips in one turn?

Yes. If you cast a bonus action spell, you can still cast a cantrip with a casting time of one action in the same turn.

Can I cast 2 Fireballs with Quickened Spell?

No. Quickened Spell allows you to turn a spell with an action casting time into a spell with a bonus action casting time. However, it does not circumvent the restriction of being able to cast a spell with an action casting time after casting a spell with a bonus action casting time, as Fireball is not a cantrip.

Can you cast 2 Eldritch Blasts?

Yes. By using Quickened Spell to cast it as a bonus action, and then casting it again with your action. This also applies if your action was cast via another action source, such as through Action Surge, as both actions can be used to cast Eldritch Blast. At higher levels, you will also cast multiple beams per Eldritch Blast casting.

Can you learn Eldritch Blast with Spell Sniper?

Yes. Eldritch Blast is learnable with feats such as Magic Initiate and Spell Sniper.

Does Powerful Cantrip work with Eldritch Blast?

Yes. Powerful Cantrip adds an expected damage to Eldritch Blast of 2.5 damage per missed beam. This means you add an expected 7.5 to damage for 3 beams.

Can you use Hex and Eldritch Blast in the same turn?

You can use them in the same turn, but you must cast Hex in a previous turn, as it has a casting time of a bonus action.

Does Hex affect Eldritch Blast?

Yes. Eldritch Blast makes separate attack rolls, meaning each beam gets the extra damage from Hex should they hit.

Can you split Eldritch Blast beams?

Yes. You can target separate creatures with the separate beams, if you choose to do so.

Does Distant Spell work on Eldritch Blast?

Yes. It doubles the range of a spell. Combined with the Eldritch Spear invocation, this means the range of Eldritch Blast would be a staggering 600 feet.

Conclusion

The ability to use Quickened Spell on Eldritch Blast is a game-changer, granting characters who can access this combination a significant boost in offensive output, flexibility, and strategic options. By understanding the interplay of these mechanics, and being mindful of the restrictions, you can leverage this synergy to its full potential, making your character a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. This combination can turn a single-class character into a powerful offensive engine, and a multiclass character into a terrifyingly versatile combatant.