Thunderwave 5e – Spelling Disaster for Swarms

The Book of Spells and Magic Effects 5e

Bottom Line Up Front: The Wizards of the Coast have made Thunderwave 5e s a good, solid low level Area of Effect Damage and Battlefield Control Spell. It’s a ‘save for half as much damage’ spell so at first level, a creature that fails their Saving Throw takes 2d8 Thunder Damage. You can use a spell slot of 2nd level or higher to improve the damage but not enough to make it worthwhile. I doubt you’ll use this much after fourth level or so.

In Point Form

First Level Evocation Spell

Casting Time – One Action

Components – V & S

Range Self 15 foot cube originating on the caster

Duration Instantaneous

Constitution Save

On a failed save a creature takes 2d8 Thunder Damage and is Pushed 10 feet away from you

On a successful save the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t Pushed

Breaking Down the Thunderwave in 5e

This is a good damage spell at low levels. The Battlefield Control caused by the wave of thunderous force makes it even better.

A Wave of Thunderous Force

First off, it’s right there in the name and, second, it’s also in the description: “spell emits a thunderous boom audible to 300ft”. This is going to be loud. Loud can be good or bad depending on your circumstances but it’s never going to be stealthy. Unless, you stick it under a silence spell or use silence to prevent the sound from travelling to your enemies. Tricky but possible.

The next thing to think about is positioning. Where is that range self 15 foot cube going to be? This can be a conversation with your DM but, because the rules don’t specify, I always push for maximum flexibility. In my mind, “a 15 foot cube originating from you” means that the caster can be in any of the nine effected squares. Alternatively, you can be in any square adjacent to those nine squares inside the Area of Effect (AoE).

Think of it this way. You can be in the center and push everyone away from you. If you are in the door of a 15’x15′ room, you can fill that room with thunder while you stand outside the door. You could cast it to the left and ahead of you so that you’re at the corner of the AoE. That works to cast it in any direction around you.

Constitution Saving Throw

A creature in the Area of Effect must make a Constitution saving throw to take half damage and avoid being pushed.

This spell works best on lots of low Con mobs like Kobolds, or any other small but numerous foes, who like to swarm a target. Even one of them takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed 10 feet away, you might kill them anyway. At least they’ll be easy meat for the meat eaters in your group.

Sculpt Spells

If you’re an Evoker Wizard, you can sculpt this around some of your party members. Then, they don’t have to make a constitution saving throw. You don’t hurt your friends but the swarm that’s all over them gets hit hard with damage and is pushed clear.

Creature takes 2d8 Thunder Damage

With a first level spell, you can deal 2d8 Thunder Damage. You don’t get to add any modifiers to it but that’s more damage than any melee weapon on the market.

You can cast this spell using a slot of 2nd level or higher and you get to add 1d8 for each slot level above 1st. An extra 1d8 per level usually isn’t worth using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher.

Pushed 10 feet Away

There are two aspects of the Thunderwave in 5e to consider. First, you can push your opponents out of position. This can break up their formation, slam them into a wall for some more damage (DM agreeing of course) or push them over a cliff.

Second, unsecured objects that are completely within the Area of Effect are pushed 10 feet away as well. This is awesome for disrupting an evil priest reading the ritual sacrifice rites or blowing away the candles around a demon summoning pentacle. You can really use your imagination to have some fun. How about throwing out a bunch of caltrops and thunder-waving them into your rushing enemies?

Sell your DM on something great to add to your table’s fun. The Beholder doesn’t get pushed but perhaps she gets pelted by stones and blinks all of her eyes giving you and your lowbie buddies a chance to run away.

Who is this spell for in 5e?

Although the spell is effective for anyone at low levels, primary casters use Thunderwave the most in 5e play. It’s not especially good for melee characters unless they have a free hand. Even then, I might not advise using a spell slot for Thunderwave. Characters with their hands full need Warcaster to use this easily and by the time you have that feat, you won’t be using this spell.