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Nerdarchy > Dungeons & Dragons  > Character Builds  > Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Boom Boom Wizard

Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as a Boom Boom Wizard

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Over at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted put their faith in an Awakened Spellbook to suss out a special kind of spellcaster for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. The Order of Scribes Arcane Tradition in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything charges up this wizard’s spells with lightning and thunder damage to pay homage to the meteorological forces they devote themselves to. This Boom Boom Wizard mixes and matches 5E D&D class features to assault enemies with the raw power of the tempest. So let’s get into it.

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Behind the CBG — Boom Boom Wizard

Every CBG we create considers the journey as much as the final outcome. We aim to present a guide suitable for any level of 5E D&D play whether you’re pursuing an epic campaign from start to finish, starting beyond 1st level or choosing a character for a one shot. Then we take those concepts and develop an NPC or creature version of the character build for DMs to incorporate into their games. All of this gets packaged up and laid out in a PDF you can find over at Dungeon Master’s Guild. We’ve got dozens of pay what you want products at DMG, many of them best sellers so if you want to check those out start with the Boom Boom Wizard here.

All about the character story

Each CBG starts with a character concept sticking to a particular schtick, from the Mind Breaker’s psyche crushing smites to the Boom Boom Wizards hyper-specialized offense. Sometimes puns and pop culture references instigate the creation of a CBG too. This one came about simply after seeing a new character option and looking for ways to lean heavily into it both mechanically and narratively. The goal was creating a character who devotes themselves 100% to the power and majesty of the tempest, which guides their decisions and choices from 1st to 20th level. Multiclass combinations arise from this by default and as DM’s Guild Brand Manager and longtime Nerdarchy friend Lysa Penrose puts it they’re each like their own unique class for 5E D&D.

The cool thing about this Boom Boom Wizard is while the combination of class features allows them to bring their chosen energy attacks to bear in spectacular fashion they’re also extremely flexible when lightning and thunder just won’t do plus their faith in the storm is rewarded with a whole bunch of interesting features not to mention a tremendous spell selection. As always we find a narrative thread to follow through the level progression and we really enjoyed exploring how the Boom Boom Wizard’s unusual race and background choices informed so much of this character and the choices we made along the way.

One special thing to note with this CBG is while we always aim to make the journey to 20th level as practical as possible — none of these characters “come online” after an awkward slog through many levels — the Boom Boom Wizard really peaks as a powerhouse at 11th level. This is worth mentioning because so many campaigns tend to end around this level it’s narratively (and creatively!) satisfying to hit this point at just the right time. But don’t worry! In general our CBGs hit their stride very early and continue to grow from there.

Storm Chaser NPC for 5E D&D

Full disclosure — the NPCs and creatures we make in CBGs are some of my favorite bits of 5E D&D content to create. We step back and look at the character build to find the standout features that feel like signature abilities. The juice! From there we consider what sort of person or people would possess or gain these abilities and build a stat block around them. More often than not the section of a CBG For Dungeon Masters presents a generic creature. Unlike the majority of CBG creatures the Storm Chaser emerges more as an individual than a generic creature stat block (but you can certainly use it however you see fit in your games).

Weather Wizard. Witnessing the unfolding of great storms drives these individuals onward. Anywhere severe lightning and thunder roils a storm chaser seeks out such meteorological events to study, adore and draw power from. For such daring folk the desire to feel part of the storm may appear to others as dangerous, reckless or distressing. A storm chaser plunges into the heart of storms, which may lead those unfamiliar with their devotion to believe they’re in need of help.

“Magnified Boom (Recharge 6). Ranged Spell Attack: automatic hit, range 10 ft., one target. Hit: 50 lightning damage and next attack roll made against this target before the end of the storm chaser’s next turn has advantage or 50 thunder damage and the target is pushed 20 feet away (storm chaser’s choice).”

If your next 5E D&D game needs a character with who reveres the quintessential power of the storm — whether you’re the DM or a player — check out the Boom Boom Wizard here.

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Doug Vehovec

Nerditor-in-Chief Doug Vehovec is a proud native of Cleveland, Ohio, with D&D in his blood since the early 80s. Fast forward to today and he’s still rolling those polyhedral dice. When he’s not DMing, worldbuilding or working on endeavors for Nerdarchy he enjoys cryptozoology trips and eating awesome food.

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