Alternative to Bladesinger's 'Extra Attack' feature

[Draco4472]

I love the Bladesinger presented in the SCAG. I have a level 8 I play in AL games and it is awesome. However, the extra attack feature the archetype gains at 6th level is useless when the cantrips 'Green-Flame Blade' and 'Booming Blade' are available. As a DM, I want to replace this feature with something usable, but equally thematic to a sword-wielding caster, for Homebrew campaigns. My initial thought was another feature that focuses on the defense of the PC, such as how Bladesong increases AC and Song of Defense at level 10 reduces damage by spending spell-slots, perhaps by modifying a feature of the Abjuration Arcane Tradition for Bladesinger's use.

What does the Playground think?

[Sicarius Victis]

Personally, I feel like they should have a reason (or even a way) to combine both magical and martial attacks. They already have a lot for defense, I'd figure they're better off getting something that they already should have but don't.

Right now, there isn't any point for them to use standard melee attacks unless they're in a really small space and they're only fighting a single enemy. I'd suggest something more along the lines of either War Magic or the 3.5 Duskblade's Arcane Channeling so that they're never sticking with just magic or just martial attacks.

The trick is figuring out how to make them balanced for the Wizard as opposed to the classes those abilities came from.

[Calen]

Well it seems that the idea behind the extra attack was to keep damage inline with expected values. So buffing the melee cantrips at 6th level seems appropriate.

[DracoKnight]

What I did was take away Extra Attack and give them War Magic from the Eldritch Knight. Now they can green-flame blade or booming blade the hell out of something and take a second swing.

[Llama513]

I really like that idea, I'm gonna use that