I have a bard at our table, who she likes to call a sword bard. She heavily uses a sword in battles.
She does not have access to Cantrips that are bladed. Such as Booming Blade. She has asked if I would allow her to access those spell options. Has any DM ever allow their bards to do this as a house rule?
Likes to call a sword bard, or is the actual subclass, College of Swords?
To answer to question, the easy thing is to tell them to take the magic initiate:wizard feat, and choose booming blade as one of her spells, that would be the RAW way to get it, or multiclass into sorcerer.
If you want to just let her add it to her spell list, I don’t think it would be game breaking. Bard subclasses don’t generally add extra spells, but if she wanted that as one of her cantrips, it would probably be fine.
But, to the original question I had, if she is a swords bard, I’d work out with her how her powers would interact with the spell, which is to say, they don’t. For example, her blade flourishes — the big subclass feature — would not work with booming blade. The flourish happens when you take the attack action, and casting booming blade is a magic action (it was a different term under the ‘14 rules, but either way, it’s not an attack action.) Also, the 6th level extra attack would not work with booming blade, again, the extra attack happens on an attack action, which she’s not taking when she casts booming blade.
So, if she takes it, either by RAW, or you just letting her take it, the spell does not synergize well with the class. That’s really the main reason I’d let her, using it would actively nerf her abilities. And I don’t mean that in an evil DM way. It’s more I’d explain the trade offs she’d be making. And if she still wanted it to be able to make the tactical choice to use it sometimes, then have at it.
I assume a 2014 character, since there's no swords bard in the 2024 rules (and a valor bard can take true strike). A 2014 bard can learn blade cantrips via magical secrets at level 10.
I have a bard at our table, who she likes to call a sword bard. She heavily uses a sword in battles.
She does not have access to Cantrips that are bladed. Such as Booming Blade. She has asked if I would allow her to access those spell options. Has any DM ever allow their bards to do this as a house rule?
Likes to call a sword bard, or is the actual subclass, College of Swords?
To answer to question, the easy thing is to tell them to take the magic initiate:wizard feat, and choose booming blade as one of her spells, that would be the RAW way to get it, or multiclass into sorcerer.
If you want to just let her add it to her spell list, I don’t think it would be game breaking. Bard subclasses don’t generally add extra spells, but if she wanted that as one of her cantrips, it would probably be fine.
But, to the original question I had, if she is a swords bard, I’d work out with her how her powers would interact with the spell, which is to say, they don’t. For example, her blade flourishes — the big subclass feature — would not work with booming blade. The flourish happens when you take the attack action, and casting booming blade is a magic action (it was a different term under the ‘14 rules, but either way, it’s not an attack action.) Also, the 6th level extra attack would not work with booming blade, again, the extra attack happens on an attack action, which she’s not taking when she casts booming blade.
So, if she takes it, either by RAW, or you just letting her take it, the spell does not synergize well with the class. That’s really the main reason I’d let her, using it would actively nerf her abilities. And I don’t mean that in an evil DM way. It’s more I’d explain the trade offs she’d be making. And if she still wanted it to be able to make the tactical choice to use it sometimes, then have at it.
I assume a 2014 character, since there's no swords bard in the 2024 rules (and a valor bard can take true strike). A 2014 bard can learn blade cantrips via magical secrets at level 10.
I'd probably just allow it earlier, though.
Yes she is a sword bard with a flourish