Interaction between casting spells and the Attack action

Question

For spells like flame arrows, lightning arrow or absorb elements, the spells are cast before making an attack, yet they deal damage when an attack hits.

Flame arrows would deal 1d6 fire damage, lightning arrow 4d8 lighting damage, or absorb elements dealing 1d6 of the absorbed elemental damage on the turn after absorb elements has been used as a reaction, from a melee attack.

When the attack charged with the spell hits, does this count as a spell for other mechanical purposes?

For example:
I had the Elemental Adept feat for fire or lightning, and make an attack charged with one of these spells. I then roll a 1 on the damage die made for the attack. If Elemental Adept applies this damage roll now counts as a 2 and undercuts resistance to its element.

I'm unsure; this seemt be an edge case where it's unclear whether ongoing spells cast historically confer their status of being a spell when taking the Attack action.

Furthermore, do magic damage rolls made due to magic items count?

Answer 1

Damage sources are what they are

Mechanically the elemental damage you roll from using Absorb Elements remains derived from it, thus originating from a spell.

Assume you are an Elemental Adept aligned to acid. You get hit by an acid-type attack. You cast Absorb Elements to charge your next melee with 1d6 Acid.

Elemental Adept states:

[...] For a spell you cast that deals damage of [your aligned] type, you can treat any 1 on a damage die as a 2.

It doesn't state that the damage has to be the immediate result of casting the spell.

Answer 2

Elemental adept reads:

In addition, when you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals damage of that type [acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder], you can treat any 1 on a damage die as a 2.

It doesn't state at the time of cast or have any temporal constraints. It simply states that to gain the effect you meet two conditions:

1. A spell has been cast by you.

2. That spell deals damage of the specified type.

For magic items, it depends on the wording.

If the wording is "you spend an action to cast a spell..." then yes.

If the wording indicates the damage is done via a spell-like effect, then no.