Elemental Expansions

Thunder Spells

Spells that do thunder damage are very rare in 5e, save for a few low-level classics like Thunderwave and Shatter. In terms of theme, thunder damage often shows up alongside lightning damage; storm clerics in particular exemplify this connection. However, thunder represents the power of sound, pressure and shock waves. It turns out that when the weave is at your fingertips, you CAN have thunder without lightning.

Key concepts regarding the identity of thunder damage in 5e:

It is related to sound, pressure waves, vibration, and the like.
It pushes things.
It can cause the deafened condition.
It is good at destroying solid objects.

Spell list by level

Level	Spells
Cantrip	Noisome Peal
1	Intercepting Burst
2	Tremorsense
3	Whelm
4	Amplify Voice
5	Booming Burst
6	Vacuum Slash
7	Know My Name
8	Ruinous Vibration
9	Resonant Wave

Art by Titus Lunter

Spell Descriptions

Noisome Peal

Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You create a loud, distracting ringing sound in the ears of a creature you can see within range. The target must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 thunder damage. Additionally, any save the target makes to maintain concentration on a spell or effect as a result of this damage is made with disadvantage. A creature that cannot hear automatically succeeds its save against this spell.

At higher levels. This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Intercepting Burst

1st-level abjuration

Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 30 feet make an attack.
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Artificer, Bard, Druid, Warlock

You strike a creature with a whirling sphere of sound just as it is about to attack, potentially throwing its aim off. Make a ranged spell attack against the attacking creature. On a hit, the target takes 2d8 thunder damage and has disadvantage on the triggering attack.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the thunder damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.

Tremorsense

2nd-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a dried earthworm)
Duration: 1 hour
Classes: Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard

You touch a willing creature, enhancing its ability to perceive vibrations. For the duration, that creature has tremorsense out to a range of 30 feet. This allows the creature to perceive creatures and moving objects provided that the creature or object is in contact with the same ground or substance. This sense works through walls and around corners as long as the other limitations are fulfilled. Creatures that are hiding are not automatically found, but they have disadvantage on their stealth check against the affected creature if they move while within the radius of the tremorsense.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 2nd.

Art by Tommy Arnold

Whelm

3rd-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 150 feet
Components: V, S, M (A piece of bull horn)
Duration: 1 round
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard

A violent shockwave crashes into a creature you can see within range. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 5d8 thunder damage, is pushed 15 feet toward or away from you, and falls prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and does not fall prone, but is still pushed 5 feet toward or away from you unless it took no damage from this spell.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the thunder damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.

Amplify Voice

4th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a drop of water and lemon juice)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You amplify your voice to a degree loud enough to cause physical damage. For the duration:

When you speak, you can make your voice audible and intelligible perfectly at long distances. The distance varies depending on the location and background noise, as determined by the DM, from 1 mile in heated combat up to 5 miles in the dead of night.
As an action, you can focus your voice into a damaging shockwave. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d10 thunder damage and is deafened until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not deafened.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the thunder damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 4th.

Art by Bryan Sola

Booming Burst

5th-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 150 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
Classes: Artificer, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard

A whirling ball of thunderous energy launches from you to a point within range, then bursts into a 30-foot radius sphere. Each creature in the radius must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 6d8 thunder damage and become sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn. If a sheathed creature willingly moves 5 feet or more before then, the target takes 4d8 thunder damage, and the spell ends for that creature. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and is not sheathed in energy.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the initial and secondary thunder damage both increase by 1d8 for each slot level above 5th.

Vacuum Slash

6th-level conjuration

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 100 feet
Components: V, S, M (A platinum sowing needle, worth 100 gp)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 round
Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

A razor-thin portal to a plane of emptiness removes the air from a line, causing those nearby to be pulled closer. Choose two points that you can see within range and are at most 60 feet apart. The portal stretches between these two points in a 5-foot wide line, but is too thin for solid objects or creatures to pass through.

When a creature comes within 15 feet of the line or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or take 5d8 thunder damage, be pulled into the closest space occupied by the portal and become restrained until the spell ends. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not pulled or restrained. Any creature that ends its turn in the area of the portal takes 5d6 slashing damage due to the pressure difference. Against a creature made of amorphous material, such as an ooze or air elemental, this slashing damage is maximised.

The spell functions in the same way when cast in a liquid, except that the fluid drained may change the surface level in closed containers at DM discretion.

At the beginning of your next turn after you cast this spell, the portal closes and any restrained creatures are released.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the thunder and slashing damage each increase by 1d8 and 1d6 respectively. for each slot level above 6th.

Art by Josh Hass

Know My Name

7th-level divination

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Classes: Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

This spell grants you the ability to hear any speech, vocalization or the like within 100 feet of you. You automatically learn the vocalizing creature's location, hear what it says with perfect clarity and have advantage on Charisma (Insight) checks concerning the contents of its speech. Even if there are many creatures in the radius speaking, the spell grants you the capacity to process all of their speech and selectively tune it out if you wish. This does not by itself grant you the ability to understand languages you normally do not know, or to hear sounds that are not produced by a creature speaking. Creatures that are warded against divination are immune to the effects of this spell.

When a creature says your name, referring to you, they can instead be heard by you at a distance of 1 mile and continue to be heard by you until the start of their next turn.

As a reaction, triggered when someone you hear with this spell speaks, you can momentarily transform yourself into the sound of their voice, emerging from their mouth in a space next to them and transforming back. If you wish, you can then have the creature then make a Constitution saving throw or take 8d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the creature said your name, the damage is instead 12d8.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 8th level or higher, the thunder damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 7th.

Ruinous Vibration

8th-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a tuning fork)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Classes: Sorcerer, Wizard

A target that you can see within 100 feet begins to shake itself apart as your magic resonates with it. The target may be a creature, an object or part of an object as long as the object or section is non-magical and no larger than a 20-foot cube. The target must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 10d10 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. It fails automatically if it is an object.

On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to select another target, but can’t target a creature again if it has succeeded on a saving throw against this casting of this spell.

An object (or part of one) destroyed by this spell shatters into pieces, and can usually be bypassed if it was blocking passage, but its space becomes difficult terrain until cleared.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 9th level or higher, the thunder damage increases by 1d10.

Art by Stephen Tappin

Resonant Wave

9th-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Classes: Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard

You imbue a burst of roaring energy with the ability to only affect those you see fit to destroy. A shockwave emanates from you out to a radius of 300 feet, spreading around corners. When you cast the spell, you can choose to have it affect all other creatures within range or to specify your targets. If you choose to specify your targets, you can have the spell affect only creatures of a specific creature type, or only creatures that fit a short description that is up to 5 words long. For example, you could make it so the shockwave affects only undead, or only "humanoids wearing red hats". If you choose to give a description, it must be based on physical characteristics or position and not on intangibles like character class or alignment. Regardless, every creature other than you within range that fits the conditions is affected.

Each affected creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 18d10 thunder damage and is pushed 15 feet away from you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed. Creatures that do not fit the target requirements set by you feel only a light breeze pass over them, and suffer no ill effects.

Art by Ryan Alexander Lee