Feat: Elemental Adept: Thunder – What Spell Should You Choose?
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If you take the Elemental Adept feat from the 5e Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook you can choose the damage type of thunder. This will allow you to ignore your opponents’ resistance to thunder damage, and any thunder damage that you roll the 1s are changed to 2s. You can also take this feat multiple times to add more damage types such as acid, cold, fire, and lightning.
It is very important that the cantrips you pick up doll out thunder damage. Artificers, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards have access to both of the available cantrips.
My biggest problem with thunder damage is the noise. Not that I think a fireball is all that quiet, but it doesn’t say in the description “audible 300 feet away” like Thunderwave does. This is not a damage type that you unleash when you are trying to be stealthy.
Here is a list of spells that have the thunder damage type including the classes (and subclasses) that have access to the spell:
Cantrip:
Booming Blade (Artificer, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard)
Thunderclap (Artificer, Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard)
1st Level:
Absorb Elements (Artificer, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, and Wizard)
Chaos Bolt (Sorcerer)
Chromatic Orb (Sorcerer and Wizard)
Thunderous Smite (Paladin)
Thunderwave (Artificer (Armorer and Artillerist), Bard, Druid, Sorcerer Warlock (The Fathomless), and Wizard)
2nd Level:
Shatter (Artificer (Armorer and Artillerist), Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard)
3rd Level:
Elemental Weapon (Artificer, Cleric (Forge Domain), Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Warlock (Hexblade))
Thunder Step (Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard)
4th Level:
Elemental Bane (Artificer, Druid, Warlock, and Wizard)
5th Level:
Destructive Wave (Paladin)
Summon Draconic Spirit (Druid, Sorcerer, and Wizard)
9th Level:
Storm of Vengeance (Druid)
Artificers have access to five of the spells unless they are Armorers or Artillerists then they get seven. Bards can get three of the spells including the Thunderclap cantrip. Clerics have none of the spells unless they are Forge Domain then they can get one spell. Druids have seven spells with the Thunder damage type. Paladins have access to three spells and Rangers have only two. Sorcerers and Wizards have nine spells including both cantrips on their spell lists. Warlocks have five spells with the Hexblade and Fathomless each adding one spell from their expanded spell lists.
My opinion is just like for all the other damage types versions of this 5e feat. If this were a half-feat and your character also got a +1 to either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma then I could recommend this feat, but as written there are much better options. If you diversify your damage types when selecting spells then the target’s resistances do not matter.
So, what do you think? Have you ever made a character that took this feat? Did you feel like it was worth it? Let me know in the comments below.
