How does the sorcerer's Careful Spell Metamagic option work with the Thunderwave spell?

Question

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".

Answer 1

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.