Does Booming Blade Work With Spell Sniper?
The short, and definitive answer is: No, Booming Blade no longer works with the Spell Sniper feat. While it might seem counterintuitive given the initial interpretations of the spell, errata and clarifications have made it clear. The core of the issue lies in how the spell and the feat interact, specifically regarding the range requirement.
The Mechanics of Booming Blade and Spell Sniper
Understanding Booming Blade
Booming Blade is a melee cantrip that allows you to make a weapon attack against a creature within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the target suffers the weapon’s normal damage, plus extra thunder damage if it moves willingly before the start of your next turn. It’s crucial to note that the spell’s range is explicitly defined as 5 feet.
How Spell Sniper Works
The Spell Sniper feat grants the following key benefits:
- You learn one additional cantrip that requires an attack roll.
- When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell’s range is doubled.
- Your ranged spell attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover.
It’s this second bullet point, doubling the spell’s range, that is central to the discussion.
Why They Don’t Work Together Anymore
Originally, it was argued that Spell Sniper could double the range of Booming Blade, allowing you to hit creatures up to 10 feet away. This argument stemmed from an interpretation of the spell as having a range, which Spell Sniper could then modify.
However, official errata and clarifications have since specified that Booming Blade requires you to make a melee attack against a creature within 5 feet. The spell text itself states, “You make a melee attack against one creature within 5 feet of you.” The important distinction here is that it’s not that you use a spell to reach out 5 feet; it’s that the target must be within 5 feet to begin with. Thus, the spell’s effective range is inherent, and the Spell Sniper feat does not extend that requirement, it’s part of the target limitation for the attack itself. The feat only doubles the actual range of the spell, not its limitations, and because Booming Blade has no actual range beyond self it has nothing to double.
Therefore, the doubling aspect of Spell Sniper no longer applies to Booming Blade. The spell’s range isn’t a range the Spell Sniper feat can modify; it’s a limitation on where the melee attack can be made, it only has a range of “self”.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I use Spell Sniper to increase the range of Green-Flame Blade?
No. Just like Booming Blade, Green-Flame Blade specifies that the initial target must be within 5 feet, it’s also a “self” ranged spell. This makes the range doubling benefit of Spell Sniper useless for Green-Flame Blade as well.
2. Does Spell Sniper work with reach weapons when using Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade?
No, the reach of your weapon has no impact on the range limitations of either Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade. The spells target a creature within 5 feet, irrespective of your weapon’s reach.
3. Does Spell Sniper affect spells like Produce Flame?
Yes. Produce Flame, like other ranged spell attacks, does benefit from Spell Sniper. The spell has an actual ranged attack and requires an attack roll, so its range can be doubled by the feat.
4. Does Spell Sniper work with all spells that require an attack roll?
No. It only affects spells that make a ranged attack roll. Spells that require a melee spell attack, such as Thorn Whip or Primal Savagery, are not affected by the range doubling effect, despite requiring an attack roll. Although you will still get the cantrip and cover piercing benefits.
5. Can I double the range of Thorn Whip with Spell Sniper?
While Thorn Whip does make a melee spell attack and is affected by the cover ignoring benefits of the feat, the range cannot be doubled. The range of Thorn Whip is not an actual range that Spell Sniper can modify it is a limited range of 30 feet.
6. Does Counterspell automatically succeed against Booming Blade?
No, Counterspell does not automatically succeed against Booming Blade. While Counterspell can be used to interrupt the casting of Booming Blade, you must make a check to see if you succeed. If you succeed in using Counterspell then the melee attack portion does not occur.
7. Can the damage from two Booming Blades stack?
No. You cannot stack the effects of two Booming Blades. The rules prevent stacking multiple instances of the same effect, whether they’re from the same source or different ones.
8. Does Booming Blade work with the War Caster feat?
Yes. Booming Blade works perfectly well with War Caster. The “self” range of the spell only means that you are the origin point of the spell.
9. Can I learn Eldritch Blast with Spell Sniper?
Yes, you can learn Eldritch Blast with Spell Sniper. The feat allows you to learn any cantrip that requires an attack roll from any class list.
10. Can I use both Distant Spell and Spell Sniper to further increase range?
Yes. Distant Spell and Spell Sniper will stack. The Distant Spell metamagic doubles the range of a spell, and Spell Sniper doubles it again. This can result in extreme range extensions.
11. Can I use Primal Savagery with Spell Sniper?
Yes, but not for the doubled range effect. While Primal Savagery requires a melee spell attack, it is not a ranged spell attack, meaning the range doubling of Spell Sniper does not apply. However you can still use the cover piercing effect of the feat.
12. Can I use Booming Blade with Psychic Blades?
Using Booming Blade with Psychic Blades is possible but not synergistic. Booming Blade requires the Cast a Spell action, while Psychic Blades uses a bonus action after using the Attack action, so you wouldn’t be able to do both.
13. Can I throw a weapon using Booming Blade?
No. Booming Blade requires you to make a melee attack with a weapon. You cannot use a thrown weapon for the spell.
14. Does Booming Blade work with Shadow Blade?
No, the general consensus is that Booming Blade does not work with Shadow Blade. Both require you use a weapon, but booming blade requires a material component of a weapon worth at least 1 sp. Which shadow blade is not considered to be.
15. Does the Dueling fighting style apply to Booming Blade?
Yes. The Dueling fighting style applies to the attack portion of Booming Blade, assuming you are wielding a one-handed weapon in one hand and nothing in the other. You do not get the bonus damage on the added thunder damage.
Conclusion
While Booming Blade and Spell Sniper may have seemed like a powerful combination in initial interpretations, official rulings have clarified that the two do not interact in terms of range increase. The range limit of the spell is not an actual range but a limit of use. While the Spell Sniper feat remains powerful and useful for many spellcasting builds, its range-doubling effect simply doesn’t apply to melee spells like Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade. This understanding ensures a balanced gameplay experience, aligning with the intended mechanics of these spells and feats.