[RPG] Does Swashbuckler’s Fancy Footwork apply if the attack was made with Booming Blade

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The Roguish Archetype Swashbuckler (SCAG/XGtE) has the following feature:

Fancy Footwork

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn how to land a strike and then slip away without reprisal. During your turn, if you make a melee attack against a creature, that creature can't make opportunity attacks against you for the rest of your turn.

The cantrip Booming Blade (SCAG) says the following:

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.

First Question:

Does Fancy Footwork apply (no OA from the attacked creature) if you attacked it with Booming Blade (or Green Flame Blade)?

Second Question:

More generally, since it does not specify a weapon attack, does Fancy Footwork apply to melee spell attacks as well?

Best Answer

Yes, Fancy Footwork applies in these instances

Your reading is correct. To trigger Fancy Footwork all you need to do is:

make a melee attack against a creature

The cantrips Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade use identical wording when they say:

you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature

So both Booming Blade and Green-Flame Blade do trigger Fancy footwork. Making a melee attack does not require the Attack action to have been taken.

By the same reasoning, any melee spell attack (such as Thorn Whip) will also trigger Fancy Footwork - a melee spell attack is still a type of melee attack. It makes no difference for Fancy Footwork that that melee attack has been made via the Cast a Spell action rather than by an Attack action.