I do agree that, while thunder damage mentions sound, I still contend if a spell doesn't say how much, then it would be a ruling.
I think this sums it up well for me. If a spell doesn't tell you how much sound it makes, the DM decides. If a spell doesn't tell you how much light it makes, the DM decides. I'm not a big fan of the idea that if a feature doesn't tell you EXACTLY how much of a descriptive thing it does, then it does none at all.
Well, sure as long as you consider that "none at all" is still a valid ruling as long as the spell doesn't tell you how much. I wouldn't be happy saying that booming blade is any louder than firebolt.
Except that the very definition of Thunder damage is that it is "a concussive burst of sound", which I would suggest does NOT allow for the spell effect to be silent.
Nor does it require it to be any louder than any other spell. So there.
Nor are “concussive bursts of sound” loud/audible at all.
Considering that the area of a Silence spell specifically gives immunity to thunder damage, it'd be reasonable to assume that thunder damage is going to make noise.
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I feel like you have not read my original post whatsoever…. LRAD systems cause damage due to the sound they create, not force produced as they physically produce no force. They produce sound contained within an open space and when outside of its radius is nearly silent unless within a few feet. However, inside that radius is excruciatingly loud…
I feel like you have not read my original post whatsoever…. LRAD systems cause damage due to the sound they create, not force produced as they physically produce no force. They produce sound contained within an open space and when outside of its radius is nearly silent unless within a few feet. However, inside that radius is excruciatingly loud…
That's not normal behaviour for sound though, and D&D's rules never describe anything like that. When discussing Rules As Written it's best to keep a ruling as simple as possible, because every added step is taking you further away from what is written, and I definitely don't think that adding modern day technology into the mix is keeping it simple. 😝
Thunder damage is explicitly described as "a concussive burst of sound" so anywhere that thunder damage is being caused at least some amount of noise is definitely being created, and that noise will be as audible as any other noise might be, if not more so; where a spell doesn't give you a range or explicit guidance though it's up to your DM. Personally I'm inclined to say that thunder damage is noisier than other types (assuming all else is equal), on the basis that it's more sound on top of whatever sound is already being made. For example, let's say you use the Transmuted Spell Metamagic to change the damage type of fireball, I would say the original produces a hotter and brighter explosion, but that the "thunderball" transmuted variant would produce a louder explosion; what the impact of either of these though is for the DM to decide (one may alert nearby guards while the other doesn't, depending upon the environment).
There is a question mark around the "sheathe of booming energy" part, but this is only relevant before 5th-level when the cantrip does no initial damage, as there will be a point during which a target is only sheathed in the energy and no thunder damage has occurred (yet). However the fact that it's described as "booming energy" at the very least heavily implies that there is still a loud noise being produced, as there's no reason to believe the target would be unaware that it is "sheathed in booming energy". However once you hit 5th-level and start doing the additional up-front damage on a hit, then the spell is definitely making a sound, and it's going to be louder than if you'd simply made a plain weapon attack with the same weapon (because you're doing thunderous damage in addition to the weapon's normal impact noise).
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Nor are “concussive bursts of sound” loud/audible at all.
Off topic, but I miss the 3e Bard spell "Sculpt Sound" which is useful for situations like this.
If it's a concussive burst of inaudible sound, it may as well be force damage.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Considering that the area of a Silence spell specifically gives immunity to thunder damage, it'd be reasonable to assume that thunder damage is going to make noise.
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
I feel like you have not read my original post whatsoever…. LRAD systems cause damage due to the sound they create, not force produced as they physically produce no force. They produce sound contained within an open space and when outside of its radius is nearly silent unless within a few feet. However, inside that radius is excruciatingly loud…
You mean the post where you said you were curious what other people's thoughts were? Well now you know mine.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
That's not normal behaviour for sound though, and D&D's rules never describe anything like that. When discussing Rules As Written it's best to keep a ruling as simple as possible, because every added step is taking you further away from what is written, and I definitely don't think that adding modern day technology into the mix is keeping it simple. 😝
Thunder damage is explicitly described as "a concussive burst of sound" so anywhere that thunder damage is being caused at least some amount of noise is definitely being created, and that noise will be as audible as any other noise might be, if not more so; where a spell doesn't give you a range or explicit guidance though it's up to your DM. Personally I'm inclined to say that thunder damage is noisier than other types (assuming all else is equal), on the basis that it's more sound on top of whatever sound is already being made. For example, let's say you use the Transmuted Spell Metamagic to change the damage type of fireball, I would say the original produces a hotter and brighter explosion, but that the "thunderball" transmuted variant would produce a louder explosion; what the impact of either of these though is for the DM to decide (one may alert nearby guards while the other doesn't, depending upon the environment).
There is a question mark around the "sheathe of booming energy" part, but this is only relevant before 5th-level when the cantrip does no initial damage, as there will be a point during which a target is only sheathed in the energy and no thunder damage has occurred (yet). However the fact that it's described as "booming energy" at the very least heavily implies that there is still a loud noise being produced, as there's no reason to believe the target would be unaware that it is "sheathed in booming energy". However once you hit 5th-level and start doing the additional up-front damage on a hit, then the spell is definitely making a sound, and it's going to be louder than if you'd simply made a plain weapon attack with the same weapon (because you're doing thunderous damage in addition to the weapon's normal impact noise).
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
O, to be sheathed in booming energy. I hate this spell so much.