Combo: Greenflame Blade + Spell Sniper = Total madness?

[Blas_de_Lezo]

Greenflame Blade allows you to deal additional fire damage with your melee attacks to a creature within 5 feet range of the original target.

If I understand right, combined with the Spell Sniper feat "when you cast a spell that requires an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled". Greenflame Blade requires an attack roll. Is it ok to suppose that then you can extend the additional damage of Grenflame Blade to creatures 10 feet away from the original target? Demential!

[NNescio]

Greenflame Blade allows you to deal additional fire damage with your melee attacks to a creature within 5 feet range of the original target.

If I understand right, combined with the Spell Sniper feat "when you cast a spell that requires an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled". Greenflame Blade requires an attack roll. Is it ok to suppose that then you can extend the additional damage of Grenflame Blade to creatures 10 feet away from the original target? Demential!

Spell Sniper modifies only the range of the spell (Range: 5ft in the case of GFB), and not other attendant effects like the distance which the GFB can jump, or the AoE effect of Ice Knife.

Spell Sniper does allow you to hit somebody from 10ft away with a GFB'ed polearm or some other reach weapon though. The flames will still only jump to a creature within 5 ft of your target, and not 10 ft. This could still be useful if you need to move away from a creature (who only has 5 ft reach) after GFB'ing it without triggering OA. The value jumps up tremendously if your DM is the anal-retentive sort who would insist you take damage from GFB if there aren't any other targets within 5 ft of the guy you hit (the RAW argument goes that GFB "leaps from the target to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 ft", and that you don't get to choose NOT TO make that choice, but that is subject to debate).

The more useful application is to use it with Booming Blade, to prevent your opponent from chasing you. Mobile is generally far more useful for this purpose though (since its other effects are usually more useful), but some character builds may prefer Spell Sniper's other effects instead of Mobile's, particularly if long ranges and/or cover come up often.

[Citan]

Greenflame Blade allows you to deal additional fire damage with your melee attacks to a creature within 5 feet range of the original target.

If I understand right, combined with the Spell Sniper feat "when you cast a spell that requires an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled". Greenflame Blade requires an attack roll. Is it ok to suppose that then you can extend the additional damage of Grenflame Blade to creatures 10 feet away from the original target? Demential!

Hi!

I don't think that works (un?)fortunately.
By RAW, Spell Sniper targets spells that "requires an attack roll".
By RAW, Green Fire Blade doesn't ask you to make an attack roll but "make a melee attack as part as the action".
The fact that this melee attack requires an attack roll is out of the scope imo (because it's not expressly indicated in the spell description).

I think it's a plain enough reading. Besides the RAI is obvious so...

[vcremasco]

Actually, Jeremy Crawford answered through the Sage Advice but I am not able to send you the link.

He says that Spell Sniper doubles the reach of GFB as it doubles the reach of any cantrip/spell that have some kind of attack (spell attack or regular attack).

(Ask to Google: "Can Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade used with a whip? Update" and the link will show up)

[Citan]

Actually, Jeremy Crawford answered through the Sage Advice but I am not able to send you the link.

He says that Spell Sniper doubles the reach of GFB as it doubles the reach of any cantrip/spell that have some kind of attack (spell attack or regular attack).

(Ask to Google: "Can Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade used with a whip? Update" and the link will show up)
Ah ok. Thanks for the correction then.

OP's idea still doesn't work though, confer the explanation of NNescio (affects the range of the initial cast, not the range of the aftereffect).

[Falcon X]

Actually, Jeremy Crawford answered through the Sage Advice but I am not able to send you the link.

He says that Spell Sniper doubles the reach of GFB as it doubles the reach of any cantrip/spell that have some kind of attack (spell attack or regular attack).

(Ask to Google: "Can Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade used with a whip? Update" and the link will show up)
Yeah, I dug this up recently when I was trying to see if I could channel GFB through my whip. Apparently, Crawford addressed this question directly by saying that Spell Sniper would be the thing to make the whip work.

BTW, I'm playing a whip using Bladesinger with Spell Sniper right now, and it's great. Not only can I channel the melee cantrips through my whip, I was able to pick up Eldritch Blast and shoot it 240' while ignoring cover. It's a pretty sweet feat.

Edit - Here are relevant responses:
https://twitter.com/jeremyecrawford/status/663511408269627392
http://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/11/15/spell-sniper-distant-spell-is-the-range-quadrupled/
http://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/01/10/does-spell-sniper-feat-grant-10-ft-range-to-touch-spells/
http://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/01/14/can-booming-blade-and-green-flame-blade-used-with-a-whip/ - Most full discussion on the matter.

[Joe the Rat]

Polearm Master, Spell Sniper, War Caster, booming blade. Go ahead, come closer (to the 6th level variant human Eldritch Knight. That's a lot of investment for a Reaction trick).

[RickAllison]

Polearm Master, Spell Sniper, War Caster, booming blade. Go ahead, come closer (to the 6th level variant human Eldritch Knight. That's a lot of investment for a Reaction trick).

Yes, but War Caster is something he might pick up anyway and SpellSniper could also give him EB (I think, AFB). Certainly not wasted.

[Corran]

Spell Sniper modifies only the range of the spell (Range: 5ft in the case of GFB), and not other attendant effects like the distance which the GFB can jump, or the AoE effect of Ice Knife.

Spell Sniper does allow you to hit somebody from 10ft away with a GFB'ed polearm or some other reach weapon though. The flames will still only jump to a creature within 5 ft of your target, and not 10 ft.
What he said.


This could still be useful if you need to move away from a creature (who only has 5 ft reach) after GFB'ing it without triggering OA.
Why?


The value jumps up tremendously if your DM is the anal-retentive sort who would insist you take damage from GFB if there aren't any other targets within 5 ft of the guy you hit (the RAW argument goes that GFB "leaps from the target to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 ft", and that you don't get to choose NOT TO make that choice, but that is subject to debate).
Lol.... who does that?!!!!!!


The more useful application is to use it with Booming Blade, to prevent your opponent from chasing you. Mobile is generally far more useful for this purpose though (since its other effects are usually more useful), but some character builds may prefer Spell Sniper's other effects instead of Mobile's, particularly if long ranges and/or cover come up often.
To add to that, the best possible application is Polearm master + Spell sniper + warcaster + mobile +BB. Mobile is a bit of exhaggeration and could be ommited, or even be replaced by sth like cunnning action, though imo it is worth its money. You can bring this combo alive with a vhuman EK, though imo it works best with a vhuman OoA paladin, and it is actually one of the most optimal OoA paladin builds.