[RPG] If Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade are counterspelled, does the attack still go through

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Booming Blade says:

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.

Counterspell reads:

You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell. If the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect.

Does Counterspell interrupt the attack made in conjunction with casting Booming Blade?

Best Answer

RAW supports both interpretations

Rules for spellcasting (emphasis mine):

Each spell description in Chapter 11 begins with a block of information, including the spell's name, level, school of magic, casting time, range, components, and duration. The rest of a spell entry describes the spell's effect.

I will use the standard form of propositional logic to pick the last sentence apart. Predicate logic shouldn't be used because RAW predicates nothing in the last sentence. Logicians enjoy, the terms I use and my rhetoric are for you.

The rest of the spell entry describes the spell's effect; or, if it is the rest of the spell entry, then it describes the spell's effect. The rest of the spell entry is a sufficient condition, the rest of the spell entry sufficiently describes the spell's effect. The spell's effect is a necessary condition, the spells effect is necessarily described by the rest of the spell entry. Being described by the rest of the spell entry does not sufficiently mean or imply that it is the spell's effect. It is left open whether things that are not the spell's effect can also be described within "the rest of the spell entry."

This means that while the rest of the spell entry describes the spell's effect, it doesn't necessarily disinclude the description of any other thing or occurrence. This is what concretes the argument Peter Cordez made in his answer, and a pillar which he used (he just didn't use philosophy of logic rhetoric).

This means that regarding RAW, there is absolutely no say whether any specific part contained within "the rest of a spell entry" is describing the spell's effect. It is only conclusive that the spell's effect is contained in that portion of the spell entry.


Booming blade:

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.

The text in booming blade is open ended too, it says that the attack is made as part of the same action used to cast the spell, but it does not suggest that the attack is made as part of the spell. It also does not say that the attack is not part of the spell. If one were to use the same standard form of (propositional) logic they would find that booming blade makes no conclusion to whether the attack made is part of the spell, or spell's effect, or not.


Counterspell:

You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell. If the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect.

Counterspell causes a spell to fail and have no effect. But neither the rules for spellcasting, nor the description of booming blade, make any conclusion whether the attack made as part of casting booming blade is considered to be a part of the spell or its effect. Therefore, whether counterspell stops the attack from going through or not has no RAW ruling.


JC's ruling

An answer is most complete when in includes as much relevant material as possible. Although Jeremy Crawford's rulings are no longer considered official rulings, they were considered as such at one point. His rulings are quite relevant. Here is JC's tweet.

JC ruled that the attack is part of the spell's effect.