Overchannel and Shadowblade?

[Mortis_Elrod]

Could you Cast Shadowblade with 5th level slot and Overchannel as a wizard ? Sure yes, but do you ALWAYS do maximum damage? or is it only that turn?

[OvisCaedo]

Nothing about the feature's description seems to restrict it to a single damage roll, as the errata to empowered evocation did.

edit: This is actually the first time I even noticed that it's not restricted TO evocation spells

[Blood of Gaea]

The spell Shadow Blade deals no damage, it creates a weapon that you can attack with. Because of that, I would rule that no, it wouldn't work.

Honestly though, it would pretty much just vary DM-to-DM.

[Belier]

The spell Shadow Blade deals no damage, it creates a weapon that you can attack with. Because of that, I would rule that no, it wouldn't work.

Honestly though, it would pretty much just vary DM-to-DM.

I'd say RAI is a no-no. Per raw, shadow blade doesn't do damage when you cast it so it is also a no-no.

[Quoz]

I would say no, but I think there is argument for it. Does overchannel work with other non-instant effects like a wall of fire or spirit guardians? I believe a tempest clerics divinity does work on call lightning for the whole duration.

I'm particularly thinking of the official rulings on the dragon's breath spell where you can't twin it because it can eventually target more than one creature for damage, even though the 'target' is a beneficial buff. It's the closest thing I can think of.

[PhantomSoul]

I believe a tempest clerics divinity does work on call lightning for the whole duration.


C h a n n e l D i v i n i t y : D e s t r u c t iv e W r a t h
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity
to wield the power o f the storm with unchecked ferocity.
When you roll lightning or thunder damage, you can
use your Channel Divinity to deal maximum damage,
instead o f rolling.

Destructive Wrath does work on Call Lightning, but on one roll per use of Channel Divinity. But that's an easy case because you specifically affect a roll and not a spell's casting.

[Foxhound438]

Honestly wouldn't be too hard against that, since there's a lot of opportunity cost here:

1) it's concentration, so no wall of force. Moreover, being even close enough to huck it will put you in danger of getting hit, so you have opportunity to lose the spell.
2) you're now an evocation wizard 14, which means you don't have extra attack unless you take 5 levels in fighter, and at that point you're a 19th level character using concentration and a 5th level slot to do what, like 32 damage per hit with only 2 attacks?
3) you're taking a wizard subclass that has less utility. Not that evoker is bad, but divination, abjuration, and even transmutation bring a lot of good stuff while still being able to blast nearly as well

[Ivor_The_Mad]

At my table i would rule that it would always do full damage. Its not like you are casting it over and over every hit.

[xyianth]

This is basically the same as the life cleric's healing bonus being applied to goodberry. However you handle one should apply to the other.

[Maxilian]

Not really, as shadow blade does not damage a target.

[rbstr]

It doesn't do any damage when cast so I wouldn't let overchannel apply to it.

[OvisCaedo]

It doesn't do any damage when cast so I wouldn't let overchannel apply to it.

I'm having a hard time reading the feature's language as being picky about that timing. Though if you DO read it like that, would you also preclude things like Cloud of Daggers or Sickening Radiance, since they don't actually deal damage when cast and have to wait until an enemy starts their turn? What about the following turns of ANY persistent spell, if it also had an instant first damage portion, like Wall of Fire? The feature notably just says you deal maximum damage with "the spell", even after Empowered Evocation got itself errata'd specifically to call out only a single damage roll. (which i still think is dumb, especially since JC later suggested on twitter that by rules it would still apply to every hit of magic missile, just not scorching ray)

I'll admit I can see the sketchy line as far as it counting as a damage dealing spell versus a weapon goes. On this I'd personally rule in favor of it still being a spell, being a big bundle of raw spellmagick that you're hurting them with, but I can see how the absurd end of generosity could lead to really bizarre questions about it in regards to things like Animated Objects or summoning spells, which I'd be leaning against myself... Though really maximizing a bunch of tiny objects is probably a terrible use of the feature.