If I remember right, the material component for Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade is "a weapon".
D&D 5E Alter Self- Natural Weapons
- Thread starter trentonjoe
- Start date
If I remember right, the material component for Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade is "a weapon".
trentonjoe
Explorer
As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails.
....so no because natural weapons aren't weapons?
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trentonjoe
Explorer
But green flame blade is:
As part of casting this spell, make a melee weapon attack against one creature within range, otherwise the spell fails.
I don't understand the difference. How is a melee weapon attack different than a melee attack with a weapon?
As part of casting this spell, make a melee weapon attack against one creature within range, otherwise the spell fails.
I don't understand the difference. How is a melee weapon attack different than a melee attack with a weapon?
AaronOfBarbaria
Adventurer
The 5th edition game divides up all attack rolls with two categories and two types, so that any attack roll made should be one, and only one, of the following four things: melee weapon attack, ranged weapon attack, melee spell attack, ranged spell attack.
It then separately classifies weapons based on which section of the weapons chart they appear in, so that any given weapon is one, and only one, of the following: melee weapon, ranged weapon. This is why weapons that appear on the melee weapon section of the chart and have the thrown tag are counted as melee weapons even when they are used to make ranged weapon attacks (which only matters because it sets which features can be applied, such as that a thrown melee weapon can benefit from the dueling fighting style's +2 damage, but cannot benefit from the archery fighting style's +2 to hit).
And lastly, the game (post errata) says "Instead of using a weapon to make a melee weapon attack, you can use an unarmed strike: a punch, kick, head-butt, or
similar forceful blow (none of which count as weapons)." which creates a situation in which a melee weapon attack is made with a thing that is not classified as any type of weapon (the errata even removes unarmed strike from the weapons chart to make that bit clear). Improvised weapons are similarly not weapons, but can be used to make melee weapon attacks and ranged weapon attacks.
So, to summarize, "melee weapon attack" refers to the type of attack roll being made, but not the weapon or non-weapon being used, while "melee attack with a weapon" refers both to the type of attack roll being made, and that a weapon must be used.
TwoSix
Everyone's literal second-favorite poster
Thank goodness for naturalistic language free of confusing jargon!
AaronOfBarbaria
Adventurer
Yeah, keeping language naturalistic and free of jargon gets pretty much not likely once you start having rules interact with other rules directly but only under limited circumstances.Thank goodness for naturalistic language free of confusing jargon!
trentonjoe
Explorer
Sooooo....neither would work because unarmed strike is not a weapon.
AaronOfBarbaria
Adventurer
"Melee attack with a weapon" = no unarmed strike because it's not a weapon. "Melee weapon attack" = yes unarmed strike because it is explicitly allowed by the rules despite not being a weapon.
trentonjoe
Explorer
But the spells material component is (weapon) which an unarmed strike is not, right? Or is that just fluff?
trentonjoe
Explorer
Also, is there any logical reason why one cantrip would work with unarmed strike and the other wouldn't?
