D&D General Tasha's: Spell sniper + booming blade + reach weapon

[WBruce]

I heard Tasha's Cauldron of Everything changed the Spell sniper + booming blade + reach weapon combo.
Can someone please confirm to me if the combo still applies?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Bacon Bits]

I don't really know the combo.

However, Booming Blade now begins: "You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you." I'm guessing that is the change. The range would still double from Self (5-foot radius) to Self (10-foot radius), but you're still required to attack a target within 5 feet. So, I don't see how Spell Sniper and a reach weapon really have any beneficial effect at all on Booming Blade.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I heard Tasha's Cauldron of Everything changed the Spell sniper + booming blade + reach weapon combo.
Can someone please confirm to me if the combo still applies?
Thanks in advance.

The issue as I see it: Spell sniper requires a spell with a range. Booming blade has a range of Self, so would not qualify despite the (5-foot radius) of the spell. This is why (or at least one reason) the booming blade spell's range was changed from 5 feet.

So, if you are using the updated version of the spell, I would say bye-bye to that combo.

 

[WBruce]

Ok, thank you all.

 

[evilatredes]

Actually no. That combo is still valid, with Booming Blade.

The cantrip Booming Blade's range is extended to 10ft, when paired with a reach weapon. That has not changed.

Break down the cantrip description. The attack roll itself is done with a melee weapon, in this case a whip/polearm. The range of Booming Blade is extended to 10ft. through the feat Spell Sniper. So when the cantrip, feat, and a reach weapon are used together it is a valid use of Booming Blade. This is both RAW and RAI.

Longsword (Non-Reach weapon) + Booming Blade + Spell Sniper = 5ft Spell range.

Whip (Reach weapons) + Booming Blade + Spell Sniper = 10ft. Spell Range.

RAI = You are given a choice of cantrips which includes both Booming Blade as well as Green Flame Blade, when selecting the Feat Spell Sniper in dndbeyond. This is not a coincidence, and was intentional.

 

[Clint_L]

This is the kind of stuff that I just immediately make a house rule against.

 

[bedir than]

Longsword (Non-Reach weapon) + Booming Blade + Spell Sniper = 5ft Spell range.

The spell clearly says the range is "self" not 5'

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The cantrip Booming Blade's range is extended to 10ft

You are still using the old text. It was changed.

 

[DND_Reborn]

The cantrip Booming Blade's range is extended to 10ft, when paired with a reach weapon. That has not changed.

@Paul Farquhar is correct. Here is the spell now:

The target must be within 5 feet of you, reach is not an issue.

 

[James Gasik]

I've always been curious why a 10' reach was a problem with Booming Blade anyways, given what you had to do in order to make it a thing. Wow, a creature with normal reach might take some bonus thunder damage. You of course had to be a Bugbear, use a reach weapon (which is usually a little less damaging on it's own than regular two handed weapons), and take a Feat to do this.

Contrast and compare what you can do with Polearm Mastery or Sentinel when using a reach weapon. Yeah, not really impressed. Sure, you could argue that this stunt combines with those, but how many ASI's are you giving up at this point?

Feats should be awesome, given that you get so few opportunities to select one, and that there's a very real opportunity cost for doing so.