Melee Cantrips
Herein you shall find a series of several cantrips in the theme of Booming Blade and Greenflame Blade, to appease the (fairly common) desire for an effective "Gish" Sword and Sorcery character.
Eldritch Strike
Evocation Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: S,M (a melee weapon)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Artificer, Bard, Warlock
When you cast this spell, a melee weapon you are holding becomes energized with eldritch energy. You may make a melee spell attack with that weapon and deal the weapon's damage against a target within your reach with that weapon. You do not add your spellcasting ability modifier (or your Strength or Dexterity ability modifier) to the damage roll.
The spell allows for more than one attack when you reach higher levels: two attacks at 5th level, three attacks at 11th level, and four attacks at 17th level. You can direct the attacks at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each attack.
An obvious play on Eldritch Blast, this cantrip allows you to mimic one of the most commonly used and abused attack cantrips - but with a melee weapon.
It would make sense to allow the invocations for EB to apply to this cantrip as well...or to mirror at least a few of them and make new invocations specific to this spell. But that is outside of the scope/goal of this document.
Note that this is a melee spell attack, so you are attacking with your spellcasting modifier. And that you do not get any ability modifier added to damage by default (which is typical of cantrips).
While not entirely spun from whole cloth, this next new cantrip has been inspired by many attempts I have seen online, to replicate or modify those two existing melee weapon cantrips, BB and GFB. It is not a direct copy/ port/mod of any existing spell - but it will likely feel like it is to many of you reading this.
Elemental Attack
Evocation Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 5 feet
- Components: V,M (a melee weapon)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
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 takes an extra 1d8 elemental damage, and the spell ends. Each time you cast this spell you may choose the additional damage type from acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.
This elemental damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Spellblade
Transmutation Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 bonus action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V,S,M (a melee weapon)
- Duration: 1 minute
- Classes: Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
The wood or metal of a melee weapon you are holding is imbued with arcane or divine power. For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon's damage changes to your choice of acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage. The weapon also becomes magical, if it isn't already. The spell ends if you cast it again or if you let go of the weapon.
At 5th level, the weapon gains an enhancement bonus of +1 to attack and damage rolls, and that enhancement increases at 11th level (+2) and 17th level (+3).
Another twist to a commonly used melee attack spell, here we turn the Shillelagh cantrip up to 11. Well, maybe just to 8 or 9. This is hardly overpowered.
But it addresses one of the most common complaints / weaknesses of the druid-only spell...which is a complete lack of scaling.
Rather than amping up the damage die of a club or quarterstaff to 1d8, since we don't know exactly which melee weapon the spellcaster will be using, we allow them to alter the damage type instead.
Radiant Assault
Evocation Cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 5 feet
- Components: S,M (a melee weapon)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid
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 radiant damage equal to the weapon's damage dice, and the spell ends.
The spell allows for more than one attack when you reach higher levels: two attacks at 5th level, three attacks at 11th level, and four attacks at 17th level. You can direct the attacks at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each attack.