Can you use Bladesong while you’re Wildshaped and Vice-Versa?

Question

Looking over the Bladesinging wizard subclass, I came to realize that the Bladesong feature (SCAG, p. 142) doesn’t list any requirements outside of a Bonus Action.

Starting at 2nd level, you can invoke a secret elven magic called the Bladesong, provided that you aren’t wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield. It graces you with supernatural speed, agility, and focus. You can use a bonus action to start the Bladesong, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated, if you don medium or heavy armor or a shield, or if you use two hands to make an attack with a weapon. You can also dismiss the Bladesong at any time you choose (no action required).

While your Bladesong is active, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).
• Your walking speed increases by 10 feet.
• You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
• You gain a bonus to any Constitution saving throw you make to maintain your concentration on a spell. The bonus equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).

You can use this feature twice. You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.

To my knowledge there’s nothing here or within Wildshape that prevents you from using this ability.

I can see that it would be significantly advantageous to use this in a Moon Druid Build, especially considering it only requires a two level dip.

Is there something I don’t know preventing this from actually working and allowing me to use both abilities at the same time outside of the need of 2 bonus actions? Please use RAW, ERRATA, or a clarification from the designers of 5E to explain why you couldn’t use these abilities one after another.

Answer 1

RAW: You can use Bladesong while in Wild Shape, and vice versa

You can enter a Bladesong either before entering Wild Shape or while in Wild Shape, as the Wild Shape feature states (emphasis mine):

You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.

Jeremy Crawford states in an unofficial tweet that:

Bladesong doesn't require a weapon in hand. Its description would say if it did.

And that a Bladesinger does not need to have his or her weapon in hand in order to utilize the Bladesong ability.

One thing to keep in mind is that you cannot maintain Bladesong if (per SCAG, p. 142):

you don medium or heavy armor or a shield, or if you use two hands to make an attack with a weapon

So keep that in mind when considering what to Wild Shape into.

You can use Bladesong while wildshaped, or can use it prior to wildshaping and still maintain its effect as long as you pick a shape that fits with the rules of using Bladesong.

Answer 2

Maybe, but it would be a hard sell to a DM

Nothing in the actual description of how Bladesong works specifically would discount being able to use both at the same time. It's elven magic, but so long as you invoke it before changing shape, you can maintain spells so I see no conflict there. However there is a passing passage that I would say may disqualify the combo:

Depends on your shape

Bladesingers are elves who bravely defend their people and lands. They are elf wizards who master a school of sword fighting grounded in a tradition of arcane magic. In combat, a bladesinger uses a series of intricate, elegant maneuvers that fend off harm and allow the bladesinger to channel magic into devastating attacks and a cunning defense.

So it really depends on what you change into.

Specifically...

• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so.

and

• You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form.

It is these qualifiers that makes this combo a DM choice:

What are a series of intricate, elegant maneuvers and can the new shape perform them?

In my opinion as a DM, I'd be very critical at to what you change into and what qualifies as intricate. So if you turn in to T-Rex, I don't think you can be that intricate or elegant. Giant Snake, maybe. But that would knock out a number of beasts.

Answer 3

It's up to the GM

The Wild Shape feature states:

You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so.

The feature you wish to retain is Bladesong which is described as:

a secret elven magic [that] graces you with supernatural speed, agility, and focus.

It is unclear whether beast forms can tap into this secret elven magic since the mechanism for doing so is not described. As such, you'll have to ask your GM whether or not it is possible. Note, that Bladesong is not a spell, so this limitation on Wild Shape is not relevant:

You can’t cast spells