D&D 5E Shillelagh after 5th Level

[Baumi]

I read the Druid Cantrips and initially found Shillelagh Awesome (as a bonus action it turns a club or quatertaff into a d8 Weapon and you can use your spellcasting stat for attack and damage), but then I realized that, unlike many other Cantrips, it doesn't get better with level. Neither does the Damage Die increases nor does the Druid get a second Attack.

At the first four levels its a little more damaging than Poison Spray or Thorn Whip (depending on the Attribute), but those get another damage die at 5th Level and are therefore have not only more utility (pulling & range) but are also more damaging. The only advantage I see is that you can do Opportunity Attacks with the Shillelagh, but thats it.

Is there something that I am not seeing or does this (cool) spell really becomes obsolete after a few levels?

 

[trentonjoe]

I think it also counts as a magic weapon.

 

[Ashkelon]

1. Be a warlock.
2. Get shillelagh with the magic initiate feat or something. Your pact weapon can now use Charisma for attack and damage rolls.
3. Whenever you summon your pact weapon, yell "SHILLELAGH!"

 

[RhaezDaevan]

You can keep the bonus a magic club or quarterstaff provides while still using your spellcasting ability instead of Strength.

So the magic weapon spell or an actual +1 club or quarterstaff can boost your attack.

 

[Daag]

1. Be a warlock.
2. Get shillelagh with the magic initiate feat or something. Your pact weapon can now use Charisma for attack and damage rolls.
3. Whenever you summon your pact weapon, yell "SHILLELAGH!"

This does not work, as when you take a cantrip through the Magic Initiate feat, your spellcasting ability for that cantrip is based on whatever class you take it for. So in this case, your spellcasting ability is always Wisdom for Shillelagh. The only way to get it to use it with charsima is by choosing Tome Pact, and gaining it as one of your bonus cantrips.

 

[Atlatl Jones]

This does not work, as when you take a cantrip through the Magic Initiate feat, your spellcasting ability for that cantrip is based on whatever class you take it for. So in this case, your spellcasting ability is always Wisdom for Shillelagh. The only way to get it to use it with charsima is by choosing Tome Pact, and gaining it as one of your bonus cantrips.

Unfortunately true. It's good for Bards to take via Magical Secrets, as it becomes a bard spell and uses Charisma, but fighty bards can't take it until 10th level. It's also good for clerics to take via Magic Initiate.

It also synergizes nicely with the Polearm Master feat.

 

[kerbarian]

This does not work, as when you take a cantrip through the Magic Initiate feat, your spellcasting ability for that cantrip is based on whatever class you take it for. So in this case, your spellcasting ability is always Wisdom for Shillelagh. The only way to get it to use it with charsima is by choosing Tome Pact, and gaining it as one of your bonus cantrips.

Hmm. You could take it via Magical Secrets as a bard and use Cha, but if you also want College of Valor for the extra attack, you don't get Magical Secrets until level 10.

A Nature domain cleric can take it and also use Divine Strike with it at 8th, but that's not as good as an extra attack.

Sadly, I don't see a way for a blade-pact Warlock to use Shillelagh with Cha aside from taking 6+ levels of Bard.

 

[Baumi]

I'm sure there is a way for other classes (with multiple Attacks) to get the Spell, but I want to focus on the Druid since it is a Spell that is exclusive to the Druid-List and therefore made for him.

The Magic Weapon Boni can surely help, but I don't think they make up for the loss of damage. Besides aren't there be some magical Implements that help Spellcasting too? The Polearm Mastery is certainly a nice feat and might give the Druid a certain Edge, but it seems a bit strange that you need a feat to make one Cantrip comparable to other Cantrips, but lets try it out (I'm not that great with Statistics, so this is only very rudimentary).

Damage is calculated with a base 50% hit Chance (higher with magic weapons) and no Crits.

Level 1 (no Magic Weapon, +3 Attribute Mod)
Poison Spray: 1d12 (6,5 avg) -> 3,25 DPR
Shillelagh: 1d8+3 (7,5) + 1d4+3 (5,5) -> 7,5 DPR (3,75 without Polearm-Feat)

This one is really strong, if you took the Polearm feat, also it gives you a free Attack if the enemies rushes you!

Level 5 (+1 Weapon, +4 Attribute Mod)
Poison Spray: 2d12 (13 avg) -> 6,5 DPR
Shiellagh: 1d8+5 (9,5) + 1d4+5 (7,5) -> 9,35 DPR (55% Hit Chance) (5,2 DPR without Feat)

Here you start to lose out without the Feat, but you are still way ahead with it.

Level 11 (+2 Weapon, +5 Attribute Mod)
Poison Spray: 3d12 (19,5 avg) -> 9,75 DPR
Shiellagh: 1d8+7 (11,5) + 1d4+7 (9,5) -> 12,6 DPR (60% Hit Chance) (6,9 DPR without Feat)

Still ahead with the Feat, but you should not use Shiellagh without it anymore.

Level 17 (+3 Weapon, +5 Attribute Mod)
Poison Spray: 4d12 (26 avg) -> 13 DPR
Shiellagh: 1d8+8 (12,5) + 1d4+8 (10,5) -> 14,95 (65% Hit Chance) (8,1 DPR without Feat)

Still Ahead with the Feat, but way behind without it. 8,1 DPR generally looks very low for that Level (not enthusiastic about the 15 DPR either).

It seems that it has it's niche with the Polearm Feat, especially at low levels. At higher Levels it doesn't seem to be worth it, especially if you consider that I have taken quite high Attributes and Magic Weapon Modifiers into account.

 

[jadrax]

The Magic Weapon Boni can surely help, but I don't think they make up for the loss of damage.

A +1 club that does 2d6 Elemental damage will, and that's not outside the bounds of what we have already seen.

Besides aren't there be some magical Implements that help Spellcasting too?

Doesn't look like it. This is a game that thinks adding the ability to change 1s to 2s of a spell Damage roll is worth including in a Feat. So I don't think you are going to see very much that adds to spell damage.

 

[Baumi]

Doesn't look like it. This is a game that thinks adding the ability to change 1s to 2s of a spell Damage roll is worth including in a Feat. So I don't think you are going to see very much that adds to spell damage.

I was thinking more about an attack-bonus, like +x weapons give.