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When casting a spell as a bonus action, you can't cast another spell on the same turn except a 1-action cantrip - can the order be "reversed"? Can you cast a cantrip first as a bonus action, then any other spell? If not, would it be broken to allow it?
I'm thinking a Sorcerer casting a Quickened true strike, then casting a leveled spell requiring a touch attack. Seems like a great use of the cantrip + Metamagic feature, but it seems like it is not allowed.
No, the order doesn't matter
You cannot cast another leveled spell if you've cast a bonus action spell, and you can't cast a bonus action spell if you've already cast a leveled spell with your action.
"You can't cast another spell during the same turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of one action" (PHB 202)
That precludes both before or after the action spell.
The rule on bonus-action spells states:
You must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn. You can’t cast another spell during the same turn, except for a cantrip with a casting time of 1 action.
No matter when the bonus action spell is cast, you cannot have cast another spell except for a cantrip with a casting time of one action for the entire turn. This turn-based stipulation does indeed mean the restriction applies retroactively. It doesn't matter what order - as long as the two spells are cast (or attempted to be cast) on the same turn, the restriction applies.
Jeremy Crawford has also clarified and agrees with this:
Q: How do bonus action spell rules go when a noncantrip is cast as a single action then a bonus action spell?
JC: If you cast a spell of 1st-level or higher with 1 action, you can't then cast a bonus action spell.
Note that things can get confusing when applying this rule and this question has a nice table showing all the legal and illegal combinations.
