Spell Sniper extends the range of Green Flame Blade but it doesn't increase your weapon's reach. However, it does let you use Green Flame Blade with a reach weapon like a whip or halberd from 10 feet away.
RAW for my understanding green flame blade requires you only to make a melee attack with a weapon using your normal melee stats.
Spell Sniper calls for spells that require you to make an attack roll aka a ranged or melee spell attack.
So, in my way of reading the rules, green flame blade is not compatible with the range increase of spell sniper.
The 1st benefit of spell sniper (doubled range) specifies spells "that require you to make an attack roll." No specification is made on whether that is a spell attack roll or a weapon attack roll. The 2nd benefit (ignore 1/2 and 3/4 cover) applies specifically to ranged spell attacks.
The fact that the first benefit doesn't specify and the second one does seems to imply that RAW the first benefit also applies to spells that require you to make a weapon attack roll.
Spell Sniper is needed to use GFB and BB at 10-foot range. However, Spell Sniper does not change the reach of your weapon, so you need a Reach weapon to make an attack at 10-feet, or some other feature that lets you make melee weapon attacks that far away like Bugbear racial or Battlemaster Lunging Strike.
RAW for my understanding green flame blade requires you only to make a melee attack with a weapon using your normal melee stats.
Spell Sniper calls for spells that require you to make an attack roll aka a ranged or melee spell attack.
So, in my way of reading the rules, green flame blade is not compatible with the range increase of spell sniper.
The 1st benefit of spell sniper (doubled range) specifies spells "that require you to make an attack roll." No specification is made on whether that is a spell attack roll or a weapon attack roll. The 2nd benefit (ignore 1/2 and 3/4 cover) applies specifically to ranged spell attacks.
The fact that the first benefit doesn't specify and the second one does seems to imply that RAW the first benefit also applies to spells that require you to make a weapon attack roll.
Whether or not it's RAI, I can't say.
I read a difference into the description "the spell requires an attack roll" and "the spell requires a melee weapon attack", so this is only an indirect requirement of an attack roll initiated by the melee weapon attack.
Therefore, green flame blade does not directly require an (spell) attack roll and thus has no increased range due to the feat.
Spell sniper doesn’t require a spell attack roll. Your position requires that you insert that parenthetical (spell), which is nowhere in the actual feat.
The range of the SCAG spells is 5ft; the spells themselves, not the weapons used. Spell Sniper extends the range of the SCAG spells to 10ft, and that allows you to use a reach weapon to cast the spell at 10ft.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Spell sniper doesn’t require a spell attack roll. Your position requires that you insert that parenthetical (spell), which is nowhere in the actual feat.
When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled.
That is the feat's wording.
and requiring to make a melee weapon attack is not requiring an attack roll, directly. The parenthesis was added by my interpretation of the difference of a spell that requires an attack roll and a spell that requires to make a melee weapon attack.
I actually added my reasoning for my interpretation directly above my final statement. ;) :)
Spell sniper doesn’t require a spell attack roll. Your position requires that you insert that parenthetical (spell), which is nowhere in the actual feat.
When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled.
Spell sniper doesn’t require a spell attack roll. Your position requires that you insert that parenthetical (spell), which is nowhere in the actual feat.
When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled.
That is the feat's wording.
Exactly. “An attack roll.” A weapon attack roll is an attack roll.
Is GFB a spell? Yes. Does it require an attack roll? Yes. Therefore, the range is doubled.
Spell sniper doesn’t require a spell attack roll. Your position requires that you insert that parenthetical (spell), which is nowhere in the actual feat.
When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled.
That is the feat's wording.
Exactly. “An attack roll.” A weapon attack roll is an attack roll.
Is GFB a spell? Yes. Does it require an attack roll? Yes. Therefore, the range is doubled.
Like I said above. I do make a distinction between direct requirement and cause.
Green flame blade requires to make a melee weapon attack. Making a melee weapon attack requires an attack roll. Not the spell itself.
Yes, that seems to be nitpicking, but I see that as a logical string of actions.
When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses.
An attack roll is what happens when you are making an attack.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses.
An attack roll is what happens when you are making an attack.
But that is the second layer of the spell, not the spell requires the attack roll, the melee weapon attack caused by the spell requires the attack roll.
When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses.
An attack roll is what happens when you are making an attack.
But that is the second layer of the spell, not the spell requires the attack roll, the melee weapon attack caused by the spell requires the attack roll.
I'm sorry, but WTF do you mean by that? There is no "second layer"; the spell requires you make an attack roll. Everything that a spell tells you to do is part of the spell. You're trying to insert a mechanic that does not exist.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Yeah, I do realize now, that I had a completely different wording for spells like firebolt and shocking grasp in mind that just says, the spell is a spell attack, I reread and I confirm, that the wording is the same.
Mea culpa. My bad for mixing this up.
So yeah, RAW totally works... even though Mr. Crawford disagrees on melee spells... (see above)
Yeah, I do realize now, that I had a completely different wording for spells like firebolt and shocking grasp in mind that just says, the spell is a spell attack, I reread and I confirm, that the wording is the same.
Mea culpa. My bad for mixing this up.
So yeah, RAW totally works... even though Mr. Crawford disagrees on melee spells... (see above)
Mr Crawford contradicts himself at least half of the time....
Yeah, I do realize now, that I had a completely different wording for spells like firebolt and shocking grasp in mind that just says, the spell is a spell attack, I reread and I confirm, that the wording is the same.
Mea culpa. My bad for mixing this up.
So yeah, RAW totally works... even though Mr. Crawford disagrees on melee spells... (see above)
Crawford does not disagree. If you're referring to the Sage Advice tweet linked above (and here), then you're still not grasping the context. He is talking about touch spells, not "melee spells".
Shocking Grasp is a touch spell; the range is literally "touch". Spell Sniper does not apply to this because it does not have a range increment. It's a very specific type.
Booming Blade (and the other SCAG cantrips, which are the focus of this thread) have a range of 5 feet. This is a discrete range increment that can and does benefit from Spell Sniper.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
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If you spell sniper green flame blade does it make it extend out to 10ft even if your weapon is only 5ft
Spell Sniper extends the range of Green Flame Blade but it doesn't increase your weapon's reach.
However, it does let you use Green Flame Blade with a reach weapon like a whip or halberd from 10 feet away.
RAW for my understanding green flame blade requires you only to make a melee attack with a weapon using your normal melee stats.
Spell Sniper calls for spells that require you to make an attack roll aka a ranged or melee spell attack.
So, in my way of reading the rules, green flame blade is not compatible with the range increase of spell sniper.
The 1st benefit of spell sniper (doubled range) specifies spells "that require you to make an attack roll." No specification is made on whether that is a spell attack roll or a weapon attack roll.
The 2nd benefit (ignore 1/2 and 3/4 cover) applies specifically to ranged spell attacks.
The fact that the first benefit doesn't specify and the second one does seems to imply that RAW the first benefit also applies to spells that require you to make a weapon attack roll.
Whether or not it's RAI, I can't say.
Word of Crawford on the matter:
https://www.sageadvice.eu/2016/01/10/does-spell-sniper-feat-grant-10-ft-range-to-touch-spells/
Spell Sniper is needed to use GFB and BB at 10-foot range. However, Spell Sniper does not change the reach of your weapon, so you need a Reach weapon to make an attack at 10-feet, or some other feature that lets you make melee weapon attacks that far away like Bugbear racial or Battlemaster Lunging Strike.
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I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
I read a difference into the description "the spell requires an attack roll" and "the spell requires a melee weapon attack", so this is only an indirect requirement of an attack roll initiated by the melee weapon attack.
Therefore, green flame blade does not directly require an (spell) attack roll and thus has no increased range due to the feat.
Spell sniper doesn’t require a spell attack roll. Your position requires that you insert that parenthetical (spell), which is nowhere in the actual feat.
The range of the SCAG spells is 5ft; the spells themselves, not the weapons used. Spell Sniper extends the range of the SCAG spells to 10ft, and that allows you to use a reach weapon to cast the spell at 10ft.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
That is the feat's wording.
and requiring to make a melee weapon attack is not requiring an attack roll, directly. The parenthesis was added by my interpretation of the difference of a spell that requires an attack roll and a spell that requires to make a melee weapon attack.
I actually added my reasoning for my interpretation directly above my final statement. ;) :)
But it doesn’t require a “spell attack roll.”
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Exactly. “An attack roll.” A weapon attack roll is an attack roll.
Is GFB a spell? Yes. Does it require an attack roll? Yes. Therefore, the range is doubled.
Like I said above. I do make a distinction between direct requirement and cause.
Green flame blade requires to make a melee weapon attack. Making a melee weapon attack requires an attack roll. Not the spell itself.
Yes, that seems to be nitpicking, but I see that as a logical string of actions.
100% wrong.
An attack roll is what happens when you are making an attack.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
But that is the second layer of the spell, not the spell requires the attack roll, the melee weapon attack caused by the spell requires the attack roll.
An attack roll is not a result of an attack. It is the attack.
I'm sorry, but WTF do you mean by that? There is no "second layer"; the spell requires you make an attack roll. Everything that a spell tells you to do is part of the spell. You're trying to insert a mechanic that does not exist.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Yeah, I do realize now, that I had a completely different wording for spells like firebolt and shocking grasp in mind that just says, the spell is a spell attack, I reread and I confirm, that the wording is the same.
Mea culpa. My bad for mixing this up.
So yeah, RAW totally works... even though Mr. Crawford disagrees on melee spells... (see above)
Mr Crawford contradicts himself at least half of the time....
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Crawford does not disagree. If you're referring to the Sage Advice tweet linked above (and here), then you're still not grasping the context. He is talking about touch spells, not "melee spells".
Shocking Grasp is a touch spell; the range is literally "touch". Spell Sniper does not apply to this because it does not have a range increment. It's a very specific type.
Booming Blade (and the other SCAG cantrips, which are the focus of this thread) have a range of 5 feet. This is a discrete range increment that can and does benefit from Spell Sniper.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.