A Proper "Spellsword" Feel

[WaggleDagger]

I'm slightly disappointed in the feel of the spellsword classes available in D&D 5e. They have a feel of "oh here's my sword and now here's my spell". They aren't very combined as much as they are just sitting next to each other. I was DM'ing a game were our bard was playing the College of Valor and wanted his spell to come out of his sword whenever he made his bonus action attack. I let him do this, as it looked cool, but the actual mechanics didn't change at all. So I propose a Feat to fix this, not only for the College of Valor Bard, but also the less-Smity Paladin, Pact of the Blade Warlock, and the Eldritch Knight. (And maybe Bladesinger?) Tell me what you think. I may allow players to use this feat, so please point out balancing issues or ways to make it more flavorful.


Spellweapon
Prerequisite: The ability to cast spells.
You master the art of using your weapon in perfect harmony with your magic. Choose a weapon you are proficient with, as well as a damaging 1st level spell and a damaging 2nd level spell that you know. The chosen weapon becomes a Spellweapon, and the chosen spells are your Weapon Spells. You gain the following benefits:

*You may use your Spellweapon as a spellcasting focus for your Weapon Spells.
*The Spellweapon's damage type is now magical.
*When making an attack roll with your Spellweapon, you may use your bonus action to cast a Weapon Spell in tandem with the attack. If the Weapon Spell would require one or more attack rolls, instead add your spellcasting modifier to the Spellweapon attack roll and activate the effects of a single attack of the spell along with the Spellweapon damage. If the Weapon Spell would allow a saving throw, instead activate the effect of the spell if the Spellweapon attack hits. The enemy rolls with Disadvantage and is the only one effected by the spell. You may activate this feature only once per turn.



A note: the way the feat is worded, it cannot be stacked with Booming Blade or Greenflame Blade, and only stacks with a Smite spell if the Smite was cast on the previous turn, or the Smite was chosen as the Weapon spell. (Which still has a purpose, as it would add the spellcasting modifier to the attack) Also, the College of Valor Bard and Eldritch Knight would not be able to activate their bonus action attack, as you use up your bonus action in the feat. I did this so Duel Wielding would not have any advantage when using this feat.

[djreynolds]

So I could smack you with a club and charm you?

Or I could slice with a sword and perhaps I begin to blur?

The idea seems plausible. You could give just access to the smite spells like they did with hexblade

[Luccan]

So I could smack you with a club and charm you?

Or I could slice with a sword and perhaps I begin to blur?

The idea seems plausible. You could give just access to the smite spells like they did with hexblade

I don't think that's the case, based on what I read, but maybe it's been edited since then. Now, at least, they have to be already damaging spells. So Blur and charm spells are out

[djreynolds]

I don't think that's the case, based on what I read, but maybe it's been edited since then. Now, at least, they have to be already damaging spells. So Blur and charm spells are out

But see a paladin gets smites and smite spells and magic weapon and elemental weapon and can grab BB/GFB with race or feat.

Its all damage.

It would be cool if you could smack some, and the identify spell would light up to tell you if they had magic gear.

[Biggstick]

Slap Heat Metal for your second level slot every time. Being able to make an attack roll and apply Heat Metal's effect against a target in one turn without having to concentrate on it is just too good to pass up.

Also, way to take something that's a primary class feature for some classes (EK and Valor Bard) and just give it to everyone.

I know I'm exaggerating a bit, but c'mon. Valor Bards wait till pretty high level to ever see their cast and swing ability. It kinda blows you just giving that to anyone who can sling a spell.

[Arkhios]

Yeah, well, Martial Adept is straight up copied out of Battle Master's Class feature, so I dunno, why couldn't there be others as well? Don't know if this Spellweapon is balanced, but it's flavorful, and there could be a way to make it balanced, instead of just stomping it down without a further thought.

[djreynolds]

The concept is good, why not just allow something simpler

You just cast a spell through your weapon... could be a bow.

Perhaps along the lines of lightning arrow where it is your attack stat to hit and spell casting stat to save.

In the end there are plenty of things like smite spells that do damage and have rider effects

Now we shake things up.

Lets say we you use burning hands, when you cast the spell through your sword use can perhaps use as an AoE and instead of 15ft cone you twirl your sword in a 360 degree fashion

[Solunaris]

I've a much better fix for you.

Feat: Spellsword

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack you may expend a spell slot to cast a single touch range spell you know through the weapon adding it's effects to the weapon attack. If the spell requires a saving throw the creature affected makes the roll with disadvantage.

It's a port of the class ability Duskblades got in 3.5. You could remove the touch range restriction, but that might make it too powerful comparative to other feats.

[Sianthus]

I've a much better fix for you.

Feat: Spellsword

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack you may expend a spell slot to cast a single touch range spell you know through the weapon adding it's effects to the weapon attack. If the spell requires a saving throw the creature affected makes the roll with disadvantage.

It's a port of the class ability Duskblades got in 3.5. You could remove the touch range restriction, but that might make it too powerful comparative to other feats.

This sounds good. OP's one is a little over complicated. Maybe you can remove the later portion about making saving throws with disadv. part to make it more in line.

[Deadandamnation]

The 'Cast and Attack' move it's a cool strategy imho.
Many archetipes revolve around that (Bard, EK, Bladesinger, Bladelock, Elemental Monk)
Even Paladin and Cleric can be called 'gish' as they mesh sword and Magic.

But, in the end, only the sorcerer it's able to do what should be the basic of that strategy:

Cast a Fireball and Slash with a dagger in the same turn or stab with a dagger and become invisible. That's achievable by Quick-casting any spell and than Attack.

When instead It become just a way to deal more damage, the answer is simple to me:
Smite

Smite should be usable just once each round, like Sneak Attack.

So a talent version:

Elemental Strike

Able to cast 1st level arcane spell.
Competent with martial weapons.

When you hit with an Attack you can expend a 1st level spell slot to imbue your weapon with arcane forces, when you do choose an element between (Fire,acid,cold,electricity), deal 2d8 bonus damage of the chosen element. +1d8 for a second level and so on up to max of 6d8 for a 5th lvl slot. You Can use that ability Just once per turn.

That is now usable by archers that's a good thing but Can be combined with Smite and SA.. that is a nasty thing.

[Steampunkette]

Allow me to take a crack at it.

Spellweapon
Prerequisite: The ability to cast Booming Blade, Green Flame Blade, or a spell with Smite in it's name.
You master the art of using your weapon in perfect harmony with your magic. Choose a weapon you are proficient with. The chosen weapon becomes a Spellweapon. You gain the following benefits:

*You may use your Spellweapon as a spellcasting focus for your Spells.
*The Spellweapon's damage type is now magical.
*When making an attack roll with your Spellweapon, you may use your bonus action to cast a Spell in tandem with the attack. Choose one of the prerequisite spells for this feat and apply it's benefits to an attack you've just made, ignoring the melee weapon requirements of the spell. When you use a Cantrip in this fashion, it is treated as though you cast it as a level 1 character.

This allows a character to retroactively apply a Smite Spell (I hit with that attack? Well. I'll expend my bonus action to make it a Wrathful Smite), or use a Cantrip as part of a regular attack action, but lowers the damage output of it to the minimum level (+stat to a secondary target, or 1d8 if the target moves, but no additional initial damage). It also allows a player to use these spells at range, since the spellweapon can be any weapon your are proficient with, and it explicitly removes the "Melee Weapon Attack" requirement of the spell. The feat could be expanded at a later date to allow for other cantrips or spellstrikes.

However it still wouldn't give Warlocks or Paladins the ability to actually smite at range.

[djreynolds]

You funnel any AoE spell into a single strike using your attack to land the spell and as your spell's DC if the spell has a save.

So an EK, could cast fireball and all the damage is centered on 1 creature, 8d8.

[WaggleDagger]

I've a much better fix for you.

Feat: Spellsword

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack you may expend a spell slot to cast a single touch range spell you know through the weapon adding it's effects to the weapon attack. If the spell requires a saving throw the creature affected makes the roll with disadvantage.

It's a port of the class ability Duskblades got in 3.5. You could remove the touch range restriction, but that might make it too powerful comparative to other feats.

Thank you for the advice! This is a much simpler way to get across what I was trying to do.

My intent was to get a more "all in" feel where you miss both the spell and the attack at the same time. I'll see what I can do with this wording.

[WaggleDagger]

Here is the feat I'm allowing my players to use.

Spellweapon
Prerequisite: The ability to cast 3rd level spells.
You master the art of using your weapon in perfect harmony with your magic. Choose a weapon you are proficient with. The chosen weapon becomes your Spellweapon. You gain the following benefits:

*The Spellweapon's damage type is now magical.
*Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack you may expend a spell slot to cast a single touch-range spell you know through the weapon adding it's effects to the weapon attack. If the spell requires a saving throw the creature affected makes the roll with disadvantage.


Now the Valor Bard and Eldritch Knight can keep their "Cast and Stab" for spells that don't meet the criteria of single target touch-range, and Cantrips. It also doesn't use a bonus action, which is nice for dual wielders. It's still a tad OP, but should be fine as none of my current players are interested in Min-Maxing. Maybe I'll post a final more well balanced version later.

[Biggstick]

Inflict Wounds is a pretty powerful spell to "add" into a weapon. This feat would allow any class with access to Inflict Wounds a pretty powerful ability. If a class like Paladin with access to the standard Divine Smite were to have access to Inflict Wounds, they could essentially burn two first level spell slots and be doing (2d8+3d10) in damage for two first level spell slots, only costing the PC's bonus action (depending on which version of the feat you are proposing gets accepted), and only costing anything once the PC has determined they've hit the target.

Who's to say in combat that you aren't doing this Spellsword thing already when you're casting your magic? Just because you've spent your turn casting Burning Hands doesn't mean that you weren't also swinging your sword thematically. 5E just doesn't have you make the attack rolls or do any damage for that turn per se, but you can absolutely describe your character's combat as involving both. You have to keep in mind, these rounds are 6 seconds a piece. As a gish, or Spellsword, you can absolutely spend a turn attacking with your weapon, and then a turn casting a cantrip/spell, and be just as much a Spellsword as an Eldritch Knight or Valor Bard. Just because you're not doing it all on one turn doesn't make you any less of a Spellsword.

TLDR; Spellsword feel is a mindset. Just because your actions in combat situations are slightly limited to maintain a sense of Action balance, it doesn't make you the PC any less of a Spellsword.

[Bahamut7]

It sounds to me like you would want the Bladespells of the 4e Bladesinger. They were rider effects with Dex mod damage that triggered after a successful hit on the same or different target. I modified the text to better match 5e (Combat Advantage becomes Advantage for example).

Dancing Fire: Dex mod fire damage, target grants advantage until the end of your next turn.

Dazzling Sunray: Dex mod Radiant damage, the target takes a -2 penalty to attacks rolls until the end of your next turn.

Frost Bite: Dex mod Cold damage, target is slowed (moves half speed) until the end of your next turn.

Lightning Ring: Dex mod Lightning damage, the first time the target moves before the end of your next turn, it takes the lightning damage again.

Shadow Sever: Dex mod Necrotic damage, target falls prone if it is size Larger or smaller.

Unseen Hand: Dex mod Force damage, Target is pushed or pulled 15 ft.

Unfortunately, these were the only spells released as the Bladesinger was released near the end of 4e. I would also treat these like Cantrips but obviously no stacking damage (unless you want to) as they are a lot of soft control.

[Hrugner]

I'd do this slightly differently.

Spellblade: You can use a specially crafted martial weapon as a spell focus. The special materials and skills required increase the cost of the weapon by 30gp. Any magic weapon is already prepared.

Spellstrike: When casting a damaging spell against a single target, you can strike through your weapon. The spells range is set to the range of the spellblade. You can use strength or dexterity in place of the casting stat for to hit, damage and save DC. This is considered a melee weapon attack with the spellblade and a spell attack for determining use of other abilities.

Infused Blade: For one minute after using spell strike, you can use your casting stat for weapon attacks made with the weapon used for spell strike. During this time remaining spell power transforms the blade changing it's damage type to mach the spell used.

This lets you always have a bit of magical martial mixture without feeling like a waste for, or stepping on the toes of, the classes that get the spell and weapon attack combo. I want to include a damaging cantrip as well, but I feel like that would be a bit much.