Flame Blade: Discount Light Saber
Usable By: Druid
Spell Level: 2
School: Evocation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Components: V, S, M (leaf of sumac)
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.
You can use your action to make a melee spell attack with the fiery blade. On a hit, the target takes 3d6 fire damage.
The flaming blade sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for every two slot levels above 2nd.
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
Prior to the release of the three major spell expansions in 5e (the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything) druid’s had it ROUGH in the damage department. For all of the 1st and 2nd level spell options outside your Circle of the Land expanded spells, you got Flaming Sphere, Moonbeam, Heat Metal, Spike Growth, and… that’s about it. Flaming Blade technically fit alongside this roster of mediocrity, but of the options available was routinely the worst choice you could make for getting some damage on your druid.
Flame Blade’s problems are two-fold: it's a frontline concentration effect that doesn’t defend you at all, and it's roughly the same as a greatsword. Fighters, barbarians, and paladins can just start with a greatsword, they can swing it around all day with no issues, getting their 2d6+mod to damage against your 3d6. Having to spend a spell slot to get what will feel like a temporary martial weapon proficiency isn’t where you want to be, especially in a class that’s other supporting spell roster highly encourages battlefield control through effects like Entangle.
The play pattern that comes out of this feels like you spend a 2nd or 3rd level slot to get this melee weapon attack, make one attack with it, then proceed to get your ass beat by the other frontline monsters, dropping your concentration. Barkskin, one of the few defensive druid spells that could protect you in melee combat, also eats your concentration. You’re left in this awkward spot rocking an AC of 14 with a mediocre weapon making one attack a turn; that’s not where any character wants to be. It doesn’t help attack in wild shape for Circle of the Moon druids, and seeing as there aren’t other ways to easily get Extra Attack on druid, you’re stuck with this horrendous effect with awful upper tier scaling that leaves you wondering who ever play tested this and felt it felt good to use.
Flame Blade evokes a cool fantasy, a classic magical weapon look, the flame coated sword. Mechanically, this fails to deliver on that fantasy in a powerful way, and often will strand your druid somewhere they don’t want to be to get a mediocre attack that other classes just get for free.
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