SCAG: Green-Flame Blade

[LadyLightning]

If I am fighting a single opponent by myself, can I opt out of the secondary effect of Green-Flame Blade, or am I forced to burn myself as the secondary target?

[DracoKnight]

If I am fighting a single opponent by myself, can I opt out of the secondary effect of Green-Flame Blade, or am I forced to burn myself as the secondary target?

My group rules that you don't damage yourself. I don't know if there's a SagevAsvice clarifying the intent or not.

[NewDM]

If I am fighting a single opponent by myself, can I opt out of the secondary effect of Green-Flame Blade, or am I forced to burn myself as the secondary target?

Depends. What's the exact wording? Enemy, creature, or what?
If its creature you do have to damage yourself.

[Gastronomie]

Even if wording implied you need to damage yourself, if a DM really forced you to take that damage, he's a really terrible DM who doesn't understand that RAW has nothing to do with entertainment. At least, in my opinion.

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. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects, and green fire leaps from the target to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it. The second creature takes fire damage equal to your spellcasting ability modifier. This is what it originally says. But really, ask your DM. Most DMs would say you could just have it leap to nowhere, but I dunno.

The best way to go, really, is to just take Booming Blade as well.

[EternalPrime]

from SCAG p143

"and green fire leaps from the target to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of it."

My first impression is that no spell, especially a cantrip, should be needlessly punitive.

[LadyLightning]

"Of your choice" seems to imply that it never hits a creature you do not choose for it to hit.

[Nod_Hero]

This may help?

http://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/11/09/green-flame-blade-no-target-creatures/

the caster chooses, so only if the caster chooses herself. IIRC, you can always choose nobody for an effect worded that way.

http://www.sageadvice.eu/2015/11/06/what-does-the-leap-effect-of-green-flame-blade-do-if-there-are-no-targets-nearby/

The intent is that you can choose no one. If you can't see, you can't choose anyway, and the flame halts.

[LadyLightning]

Thank you, Nod! That sort of exact reply from an official source is exactly what I needed.

[Nod_Hero]

You're welcome, glad I could help out.

[Rysto]

I'm curious: under what circumstances could it even happen that a PC would cast GFB but there winds up being no target for the extra fire damage? Why would they have cast GFB in the first place?

Edit: Never mind, I missed the 1d8 extra fire damage to the original target.

[The Shadowdove]

If no creature is available to choose, then the excess fire explodes into the space behind it in a cool green fire effect.

[ImperiousLeader]

If no creature is available to choose, then the excess fire explodes into the space behind it in a cool green fire effect.

Or it makes it look like the target of the initial attack farted.

[Arkhios]

Or, depending of the surroundings, burn a pestering insect near you. As good use as any, if you're fighting in a swamp full of mosquitoes!

[Temperjoke]

Or, depending of the surroundings, burn a pestering insect near you. As good use as any, if you're fighting in a swamp full of mosquitoes!

That raises an interesting thought, what if you're fighting a swarm? That's multiple creatures, but at the same time mechanically, it's often considered a single target.

[Arkhios]

That raises an interesting thought, what if you're fighting a swarm? That's multiple creatures, but at the same time mechanically, it's often considered a single target.

That's... a very good catch!

I'm going to guess and say you can scorch a swarm twice with a single Green-Flame Blade. It's one threat, but it's also multiple creatures to target, and I think the target is the key here. I would imagine that if your initial strike unleashes a burst of flame, that flame almost definitely hits something in that swarm, "again".

[NewDM]

That's... a very good catch!

I'm going to guess and say you can scorch a swarm twice with a single Green-Flame Blade. It's one threat, but it's also multiple creatures to target, and I think the target is the key here. I would imagine that if your initial strike unleashes a burst of flame, that flame almost definitely hits something in that swarm, "again".

If you go by that logic, then you only deal 2 damage. 1 to each insect.

[Safety Sword]

If no creature is available to choose, then the excess fire explodes into the space behind it in a cool green fire effect.

The target of course doesn't look.

Cool guys don't look at explosions.

[Safety Sword]

That's... a very good catch!

I'm going to guess and say you can scorch a swarm twice with a single Green-Flame Blade. It's one threat, but it's also multiple creatures to target, and I think the target is the key here. I would imagine that if your initial strike unleashes a burst of flame, that flame almost definitely hits something in that swarm, "again".

You can only really target a swarm as a whole, not individual elements of the swarm. The swarm IS the target, so you can't target the secondary effect onto the original swarm.