Elemental Adept Feat 5e

As afternoon slides into dusk, you approach a steep valley. The party knows going into the valley is a bad idea. You scan the horizon for an exit but don’t see one. You’ll have to fight your way through.

As the party descends into the valley, lightning crackles across the sky. Storm clouds collect. Out of the fog comes a blue Slaad.

The thunder mage’s eyes light up as they prepare the lightning bolt spell. “I’ve got this one,” she exclaims. Fully charged, the thunder mage charges into battle.

What is Elemental Adept feat 5e?

Players can get new Feats in 5e every few levels instead of an ability score increase. They can provide you with traits and abilities. 

The Elemental Adept feat allows you to specialize in a specific element-based damage type. Can Elemental Adept help you to craft a fantastic character? Let’s find out!

How does Elemental Adept work?

Elemental Adept allows magic users to concentrate their magic into one element. To gain this feat, you must have the ability to cast at least one spell. Players who choose this feat pick an element, acid, cold, fire, lighting, or thunder.

Once players choose an element, they ignore a creature’s resistance. Why would you want to ignore elemental resistance? With Elemental Adept, the beast of your choice is vulnerable to attacks. You can cast a Fire Bolt at a Cambion and ignore its resistance to fire!

Elemental Adept Feat Description

Source: Player’s Handbook

• Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell.

• When you gain this feat, choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.
• Spells you cast ignore resistance to damage of the chosen type. In addition, when you roll damage for a spell you cast that deals damage of that type, you can treat any 1 on a damage die as a 2.
• You can select this feat multiple times. Each time you do so, you must choose a different damage type.

Elemental Adept also allows you to change a roll of 1 to a 2 on one of your damage dice. Your character doesn’t have to worry about anticlimatic damage roles. You cast a Fire Bolt at level 5, roll a 1 and a 3 with your d10, the 1 becomes a 2 for a total damage of 5. That is pretty handy. 

You can also choose Elemental Adept feat more than once. So you can shift to a different element as your character develops. Just remember to change elements every time you chose Elemental Adept.

Is Elemental Adept good?

Elemental Adept is a solidly average feat. It has a cool name but adds minimal damage and only negates resistance to one element. 

With the Elemental Adept feat, the spellcaster can only gain one point of additional damage. The extra damage is only applied if the magic user rolls a 1. There is no additional damage if their damage die shows a 2 or higher. 

Another drawback is that the Elemental Adept feat only negates resistance and not immunity. So you can hit a fire Genasi with a Fire Bolt but not a Fire Dragon.

Why would you take Elemental Adept feat?

Well, it lends itself to unique character creation. The biggest draw is you can ignore the damage resistance a creature has. Most magic users have access to various spells. Specializing in one type of element isn’t necessary.

But what if you’re not like most magic users? Elemental Adept is a good choice if you want to build a character that uses one element exclusively, like a fire bender. Elemental Adept will not drastically improve your character. 

Which classes can best use Elemental Adept?

This feat is only suitable for magic users. Martial classes should avoid Elemental Adept. This feat can be good for Way of Four Elements Monks. This feat would allow them to create a backstory around controlling a specific element. 

Can Druids use Elemental Adept?

The best users of elemental magic are Druids. If you align your Druid with one element, Elemental Adept would be a great option. Elemental Adept feat is ideal for Circle of Wildfire Druids, for example, because they exclusively use fire. It also doesn’t hurt that fire resistance is one of the most common resistances in DnD 5e. 

Should you choose Elemental Adept feat?

Only a few character-builds will be aided by Elemental Adept, like some Monks and Druids. Fire Resistance is common so it would get some use.

Overall, Elemental Adept could be a lot better feat. This feat offers little utility.  

Most characters have a variety of spells and attacks that deal many kinds of damage. Elemental Adept isn’t necessary for most scenarios. There may have a future for Elemental Adept as more subclasses and races are released. For the time being, you might want to choose another feat.

Check out our full Feats 5e guide.