Alternative melee cantrip: is it too strong?

[Ganymede81]

Here are the rules to a cantrip I just created. Is it too powerful compared to cantrips like Shillelagh or other pure damage cantrips?

Burning Bash
Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a melee weapon)
Duration: Instantaneous
You imbue a weapon you touch with the power of flame. Make a melee weapon attack with that weapon. On a hit, the target takes damage as normal for the attack, plus an additional 1d4 fire damage.
The spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).

 

[Quickleaf]

Clearly OP. Compare to Elemental Weapon (3rd level).

Elemental Weapon
3rd-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

A nonmagical weapon you touch becomes a magic weapon. Choose one o f the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. For the duration, the weapon has a +1 bonus to attack rolls and deals an extra 1d4 damage of the chosen type when it hits.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot o f 5th or 6th level, the bonus to attack rolls increases to +2 and the extra damage increases to 2d4. When you use a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the bonus increases to +3 and the extra damage increases to 3d4.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

My suggestion would be to more closely write it up in line with Shillelagh. Make it a bonus action to cast, duration one minute, can use spellcasting ability in place of Strength for attack and damage bonus, counts as magic, and the damage bonus is considered fire damage rather than the same damage type of the weapon.

 

[jonathonhawke]

Elemental Weapon lasts up to an hour, includes an attack bonus, and the weapon becomes magical.
Burning Bash lasts for one attack, does not include an attack bonus, and does not state that the weapon is considered magical.
I think a better comparison for Burning Bash is Booming Blade from SCAG.

 

[Ganymede81]

My suggestion would be to more closely write it up in line with Shillelagh. Make it a bonus action to cast, duration one minute, can use spellcasting ability in place of Strength for attack and damage bonus, counts as magic, and the damage bonus is considered fire damage rather than the same damage type of the weapon.

My objective here was to create a cantrip that rewarded a single-attack spellcaster (cleric, druid, etc.) that invested in becoming reasonably effective in melee. Shillelagh is different, it instead bootstraps up a character that is no good in melee to be reasonably effective. To someone like a war cleric with a strength rivaling his wisdom, Shillelagh represents little to no benefit at all.

Elemental Weapon lasts up to an hour, includes an attack bonus, and the weapon becomes magical.
Burning Bash lasts for one attack, does not include an attack bonus, and does not state that the weapon is considered magical.
I think a better comparison for Burning Bash is Booming Blade from SCAG.

Apparently, Sword Coast has a couple cantrips that graft magical enhancements onto melee attacks.

Booming Blade is one. Greenflame Blade is another, and is possibly an even better comparison. When maxed out at 17th level, that spell adds an extra 3d8 fire damage to your target, and splashes 3d8+spellmod damage to an adjacent target. Even by itself, the bonus 3d8 damage outclasses 4d4, with respective average damages of 13.5 and 10.

I erred on the side of caution in determining my cantrip's power level, but it seems like the Sword Coast cantrips are already way stronger.

 

[jonathonhawke]

I didn't notice before, but Elemental Weapon isn't limited to melee weapons.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

My objective here was to create a cantrip that rewarded a single-attack spellcaster (cleric, druid, etc.) that invested in becoming reasonably effective in melee. Shillelagh is different, it instead bootstraps up a character that is no good in melee to be reasonably effective. To someone like a war cleric with a strength rivaling his wisdom, Shillelagh represents little to no benefit at all.

Ok, I can see that now. My apologies, I read this while half asleep.

 

[Jediking]

I first thought that is was Burning Bush and was looking for some type of confusion effect...

Another option is to make it similar to a cantrip-level Smite. Changing the casting to a bonus action and having it last for 1 minute until your next hit with a melee attack. This wouldn't work with concentration though, but with someone who is wading into melee maybe it would be worth it.

Overall I think it is fine as it is, it seems balanced, but try it out. Nothing quite shows anything being unbalanced as actual gameplay.

 

[Ganymede81]

Another option is to make it similar to a cantrip-level Smite. Changing the casting to a bonus action and having it last for 1 minute until your next hit with a melee attack. This wouldn't work with concentration though, but with someone who is wading into melee maybe it would be worth it.

I like that. What I'm leaning toward now is something similar where the spell is cast with a bonus action and only lasts until the end of your turn for your first attack (no concentration needed). Either that, or it is cast like shillelagh and lasts a minute, adding a flat 1d8 elemental damage to attacks with it.

In either case, both options are way weaker than Booming Blade and Greenfire Blade; those two spells are ridonkulous.

 

[Xeviat]

Booming blade is a control spell, which devalues the extra damage because the target gets to decide if taking the damage or moving is worth it, not the attacker. Greenflame blade spreads the damage out between two targets, but it does become better later.