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The Player Handbook's entry on the sorcerer's Careful Spell metamagic option states that:

When you cast a spell that forces other creatures to make a saving throw, you can protect some of those creatures from the spell’s full force. To do so, you spend 1 sorcery point and choose a number o f those creatures up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one creature). A chosen creature automatically succeeds on its saving throw against the spell.

However, the description of thunderwave states:

Each creature in a 15-foot cube originating from you must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d8 thunder damage and is pushed 10 feet away from you. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed.

Would the creatures protected by Careful Spell still take half damage from the sorcerer's thunderwave spell? It seems to contradict the statement that "you can protect some of those creatures from the spell’s full force".

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    – V2Blast
    Nov 7, 2019 at 4:07

1 Answer 1

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Yes, they will still take half damage.

This doesn't contradict the text at all, because you have successfully protected them from the full force of the spell. You aren't able to protect them completely, but they haven't taken the full damage the spell would have otherwise inflicted.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Additionally, they're guaranteed to not be forcibly moved. \$\endgroup\$
    – minnmass
    Nov 6, 2019 at 22:44
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks Louis for clearing that up. Guess I'm not taking that Metamagic till I'm level 17. \$\endgroup\$
    – Emil T. M.
    Nov 6, 2019 at 23:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ @EmilT.M.: Actually, this is arguably one of the best metamagic for team play. Do not judge it with only one spell in mind; on many spells, a successful save means that nothing happens. Furthermore, even if your teammates still take half-damage, it can nonetheless be a good option: drop of Fireball that does 40 points of damage? Your Bear Barbarian teammate will take a measly 10 points of damage on their huge HP pool, while all foes around them are incinerated on the spot (providing they fail their save) => without Careful Spell, this may not be a tactical option. \$\endgroup\$ Nov 7, 2019 at 13:29
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    \$\begingroup\$ And keep in mind any rogues/monks with evasion will not take any damage on a successful Dex save, and you can force that success to happen. \$\endgroup\$
    – Phlarx
    Nov 7, 2019 at 17:21

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