The standard 5e
flame blade comes from a long history of flame blades being cool druid spells.
https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:flame-bladeDruids get a ton of mileage out of concentration, and in 5e concentration is a pretty limiting thing. While at 3rd level this spell is useful, it quickly becomes not a great use of concentration (eventually you have enough medium level spell slots, and the spell doesn't scale great). Sorcerer's get it too, but for them it's even worse- a druid will have an easier time standing around in melee, and by the time a sorcerer can do that, they have way better uses for 2nd level spell slots and concentration. Additionally a druid can stop memorizing flame blade the moment they think it's no longer great for them, but the sorcerer has to spend some kind of resource (usually the "level up and swap one spell known" resource) to get out from under this spell.
Xanathar's introduced
shadow blade, granting it to sorcerers, wizards and warlocks.
https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:shadow-bladeSo these spells have entirely different mechanics.
Stock flame blade lets you use your action to take an attack:
"You can use your action to make a melee spell attack with the fiery blade. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 fire damage."This means if you have the ability to attack multiple times, you can't. If you are hasted, you can't use that attack action to use this either. It doesn't replace or interact with anything, and the only way to use it twice would be something that grants you an extra action, such as action surge. It isn't a weapon and doesn't interact with any rules that work with them. I think this is a poor spell in stock 5e, and I also feel that it shouldn't be- this is based thematically on real world stuff, plus it is legitimately cool, plus it has a great spell name and concept.
Stock shadow blade doesn't give you a special action, it makes a weapon.
...it counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. It deals 2d8 psychic damage on a hit...Shadow blade is generally considered a good spell, because it does interact with weapon rules. An eldritch knight with shadow blade at 20th level can attack four times with it, eight if he action surges, and each one is 3d8 base. A bladesinger would only attack twice with it at that level, but each one could have 5d8 for weapon dice. You can make an opportunity attack with it, etc. It's quite good.
But it lacks something flame blade has- if you aren't actually good with a weapon, it's totally trash, because it only uses strength or dexterity.
So I decided I would create a common template for both of these- you can use it as a weapon, or you can use it as a spell attack.
Here's my text for flame blade:
Quote:
You evoke a fiery blade in your free hand. The blade is similar in size and shape to a scimitar, and it lasts for the duration. If you let go of the blade, it disappears, but you can evoke the blade again as a bonus action. It counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. It deals 3d6 fire damage on a hit and has the finesse and light properties.
If the flame blade is in your hand, you can take the following action on your turn.
Flamescythe
• Make one melee spell attack with the flame blade. For this attack, the damage dice are d8s instead of d6s, so for example instead of rolling 3d6 fire damage you would roll 3d8 fire damage.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd- or 4th-level, the damage increases to 4d6. When you cast it with a 5th- through 7th- level spell slot, the damage increases to a number of d6s equal to the spell slot’s level.
So lets say you are a druid with a wisdom modifier of +4 and a dexterity modifier of +2. You cast flame blade. On your turn, you can choose to make a melee weapon attack with it (you don't have extra attack), which will be at +2 from your dexterity, and deal 3d6+2. You could also use the Flamescythe action to make a melee spell attack with it, which will be at +4 from your wisdom and deal 3d8. Clearly, the second one is better, and is also better than the stock one. Then someone provokes an opportunity attack- the stock flame blade would give you nothing here, but this one is a 3d6 finesse weapon, so you can make that attack with +2 from your dexerity and deal 3d6+2.
Basically each of these gives you two options, and if you know how
spell attacks work (you add your casting modifier to hit, and the damage is what is listed) versus
weapon attacks (you add the appropriate modifier, strength or dexterity in this case, to both hit and damage), then you're good to go. Is there a way to write it so that it is clearer as regards the action? I feel that the technical reading aspect of these was actually kinda high before I dicked with them.
Here's the four blade spells as I have them:
https://drive.proton.me/urls/BXNABMF39G#jrgYZLPFRrm6Additionally, I changed the cantrips with "blade" in the name to have "strike" in then name, because they neither require nor create blades, unlike these spells. I also changed those cantrips to function with these spells (the default material component of the cantrip prevents this under the stock rules).
Note: Version 1.0 of spells (the document you all have) erroneously leaves out druid in the Iridescent Ice Blade's "spell lists" section. It is correctly in the druid list, however, at the top of the document. Flame Blade doesn't have a "modified for" line either. Version 1.1 won't share these flaws (1.1 will just be a few page replacements).
