Destructive Wave: Wave of Mutilation

Usable By: Paladin

Spell Level: 5

School: Evocation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Self (30-foot radius)

Duration: Instantaneous

Components: V

You strike the ground, creating a burst of divine energy that ripples outward from you. Each creature you choose within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 5d6 thunder damage, as well as 5d6 radiant or necrotic damage (your choice), and be knocked prone. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn’t knocked prone.

Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

The life of a high level half caster is a hard one. You just now, at 17th level, are getting the toys your cleric and wizard friends have been wielding for over half the game. In real person time, we’re talking months to years of play time. If you’re leveling up together, or just excited to talk about the new stuff you get, it can be demoralizing to compare your newest spell to theirs. You got Destructive Wave! How cool, you emit a blast around you that damages and knocks people prone, awesome! Your druid friend got a spell that transforms them into basically anything and breaks all the rules of the game, your cleric companion can create an interdimensional gate to cross the realms of existence, and your backline wizard bro can literally stop time. Oh, and since 11th level, each of them has had better options for area effect damage than your little outward burst.

10d6 damage attached to knocking creatures prone is fine; your ability to select creatures to affect is critical in making the spell function, and does bring a bit of bonus utility not to be understated. Comparing this damage to effects like Animate Objects is pretty pitiful. Comparing its utility against Compulsion and other area of effect lower level options is fairly apt, as being knocked prone is really only useful if you have people that can take advantage of the condition before the prone creature’s next turn. Combining the damage of an up-cast Fireball with the prone gives you something that can be fine, but isn’t doing anything new or amazing when you’re comparing it to even 6th level spells out there. In a party consisting of mainly martial characters, this is an exceptional tool to unlock, and can empower you and your rogue, monk, and fighter allies while simultaneously dispatching weaker minions engaging you. If your group consists of ranged characters and full casters, this effect just isn’t really new or cool or exciting; you’ve been seeing likely more powerful spells come out of them for weeks now.

Like all the upper level half caster exclusive spells, Destructive Wave suffers from a poorly scaled spellcasting system. Spell levels at a fixed rate regardless of class leads to what should be powerful, impactful effects earned at the highest tiers of play feeling lackluster as you have to compare them against tools your other party members are getting, and universally those tools are outperforming yours by the nature of the system. If you’re a high level paladin, this is something you’ll want to have. How awesome you’ll feel unfortunately is tied to how everyone else is doing; if you’re in a low magic group, it’ll be a sweet area control upgrade that deals great damage. If you’re with a group consisting of full casters, it’ll be a toy they’ve been playing with since you all started this final arch two months ago.

5e Spells

Destructive Wave: Wave of Mutilation