Thunderwave is a 1st-level evocation spell. Each creature in a 15-foot cube extending from you makes a Constitution saving throw. On a fail it takes 2d8 thunder damage and is pushed 10 feet away from you. On a success it takes half damage and is not pushed. The spell makes a boom audible out to 300 feet. It deals 1d8 more per slot level above 1st.
Thunderwave is a 1st-level evocation spell that hits everything in front of you and shoves it away. Bards, Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards can take it at 1st level. It deals 2d8 thunder damage, 9 on average, and pushes creatures that fail the save 10 feet.
It is one of the best answers a low-level caster has when enemies reach melee. The damage alone kills many weak creatures, and the push breaks grapples and opens room to retreat. It can also push enemies off ledges or into hazards. The trade-offs are the short reach, the risk of catching allies in the cube, and the loud boom, which ends any attempt at stealth.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Level | 1 |
| School | Evocation |
| Casting Time | 1 action |
| Range | Self (15-foot cube) |
| Components | V, S |
| Material | None |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| Concentration | No |
| Ritual | No |
| Save/Attack | CON |
| Classes | Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard |
| Metric | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Slot Efficiency | Strong at levels 1–4, especially against groups of weak melee enemies. |
| Action Economy | One action for damage, a push, and possibly a free escape. |
| Opportunity Cost | Competes with Shield and Sleep for 1st-level slots. Upcasting adds only 1d8 per level. |
When worth the slot: Two or more enemies adjacent to you, a grapple you need to break, or a ledge or hazard next to enemies.
When NOT worth the slot: Stealth missions, single targets, or crowded melee where allies would be hit.
Why it works: The Grappled condition ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the grappler's reach. The SRD uses Thunderwave as its example. Push the grappler 10 feet and you are free.
This avoids the mistake of: Spending your action on an Athletics or Acrobatics check you might lose.
Why it works: A failed save pushes the creature 10 feet. Falling deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage per 10 feet fallen. A hazard such as a Moonbeam or a fire may also trigger if the creature is pushed into it, depending on how your DM rules forced movement into an area.
This avoids the mistake of: Treating the push as a minor bonus when it can be the main effect.
Why it works: Pushed creatures end up 10 feet away, out of a 5-foot reach. Cast the spell before you move, then use your movement on the same turn to back off. Creatures that were pushed out of reach cannot make opportunity attacks as you leave.
This avoids the mistake of: Moving first and casting second, which gives adjacent enemies their opportunity attacks.
Why it works: The cube's point of origin can be anywhere on one face of the cube, and you are that origin. You can shift the cube to the left or right of you to catch enemies and leave allies out.
This avoids the mistake of: Assuming the cube must be centered in front of you.
Why it's bad: The cube extends from you, and a cube's point of origin is not in its area unless the caster chooses otherwise. You do not hit yourself.
Do this instead: Stand so that enemies are in the 15-foot cube and allies are behind or beside you.
Why it's bad: Only creatures that fail the save are pushed. A creature that succeeds takes half damage and stays put.
Do this instead: Plan for some enemies to stay adjacent, and have an escape plan that does not depend on every push.
Why it's bad: The spell makes a thunderous boom audible out to 300 feet. Nearby guards and monsters may come to investigate.
Do this instead: Use it when stealth is already broken, or accept that reinforcements may come.
Why it's bad: Unsecured objects completely inside the cube are pushed 10 feet away from you. That can scatter loot, knock over lanterns, or move an item you wanted.
Do this instead: Remember the push before casting near something fragile or important.
Thunderwave is almost unchanged in the 2024 rules. It still deals 2d8 thunder damage in a 15-foot cube originating from you, pushes creatures that fail 10 feet, pushes unsecured objects, and makes a boom audible within 300 feet. The upcast bonus is still 1d8 per slot level. The range entry is written as "Self," and the class list stays Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, and Wizard. The 2024 rules also restate that a Cube's point of origin is not included in its area unless the creator decides otherwise.
A 15-foot cube extends from you. Each creature in it makes a Constitution save. On a fail it takes 2d8 thunder damage and is pushed 10 feet away from you, and on a success it takes half damage and is not pushed.
No. The cube originates from you, and a cube's point of origin is not part of its area unless you choose otherwise. Allies inside the cube are hit, though.
10 feet away from you, but only creatures that fail the save. Upcasting increases the damage, not the push distance.
No. Being pushed is forced movement, and forced movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. If you cast it before moving, enemies pushed out of reach cannot make opportunity attacks against you as you walk away on the same turn.
The spell makes a thunderous boom audible out to 300 feet. That is enough to alert most of a dungeon level or a nearby camp.
Yes. If the grappler fails its save and is pushed 10 feet, the grappled creature is no longer in its reach, so the condition ends. The SRD's Grappled condition uses Thunderwave as its example.
Yes, especially at low levels. It hits several adjacent enemies, pushes them away, and needs no concentration. Its drawbacks are the short reach, the risk to nearby allies, and the noise.
A 15-foot cube, which covers nine 5-foot squares on a grid. You are on one face of the cube, so it extends 15 feet out from you.
Citations: api:spells/thunderwave; SRD 5.1; SRD 5.2.1
Includes SRD content per CC BY 4.0. Sources: dnd5eapi.co, System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1.
Melf's Acid Arrow (Acid Arrow) in D&D 5e: 4d4 acid plus 2d4 later, half on a miss. Damage math, upcasting, and how it compares to Scorching Ray.
Acid Splash (D&D 5e): conjuration cantrip (1 action, 60 feet) for Sorcerer, Wizard. How it works, best uses and mistakes to avoid.
Aid (D&D 5e): 2nd-level abjuration spell (1 action, 30 feet) for Cleric, Paladin. How it works, best uses and mistakes to avoid.
Alarm (D&D 5e): 1st-level abjuration spell (1 minute, 30 feet) for Ranger, Wizard. How it works, best uses and mistakes to avoid.
Shatter 5e: 3d8 thunder in a 10-foot-radius sphere, Constitution save for half. Who gets disadvantage, object damage, save odds, and 2024 changes.
Charm Person (D&D 5e): 1st-level enchantment spell (1 action, 30 feet). How it works, best uses and mistakes to avoid.
Detect Magic (D&D 5e): 1st-level divination spell (1 action, Self, concentration). How it works, best uses and mistakes to avoid.
Burning Hands (D&D 5e): 1st-level evocation spell (1 action, Self) for Sorcerer, Wizard. How it works, best uses and mistakes to avoid.