D&D (2024) Paladins can Smite on Ranged attacks (with thrown melee weapons) now!

[ECMO3]

One thing I did not catch is the wording on Divine Smite and Wrathful Smite allows for smiting on a Ranged Attack.

Bonus Action, which you take immediately after hitting a creature with a Melee weapon or an Unarmed Strike

One of my players pointed this out. Since it is melee "weapon" and not a melee "attack", RAW you can throw a javelin or dagger or whatever and that will be a trigger for a smite. This is a significant boost to Divine Smite and a HUGE boost to Wrathful Smite, which is already an extremely powerful spell.

It also makes Shadow Touched (with Wrathful Smite) probably the best feat for a full caster Gish.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Same goes for all smites. I think that was intentional.

 

[Mistwell]

So what would a build look like centered on a thrown weapon Paladin?

 

[ECMO3]

So what would a build look like centered on a thrown weapon Paladin?

You don't have to center it on thrown weapons, but toss a dagger or javelin and Wrathful smite it to keep an enemy at distance until they can save while you concentrate on another enemy, or use it to smite on that pesky flying dragon. The main thing against doing a thrown weapon centric build is finding enough magic thrown weapons to make it work.

That said if it is a campaign where that is not an issue; a Paladin build with Vex-nick using hand axes and daggers would be pretty darn good, with a Javelin as a longer range option. You could go either Thrown Weapon Fighting or Two Weapon Fighting for fighting style. Thrown Weapon fighting would probably be better if you were going to concentrate on Wrathful Smite/Frightened with the nick-dagger being the one you use against the guy you want to frighten and the Handaxes with Vex against the guy you want to damage.

At higher levels nick really starts to pay off with Radiant Strike by giving you a third opportunity for 1d8 Radiant. This also would work really well with dual wielder once you had Radient Strikes (although that would not stack with smite).

 

[Worrgrendel]

I hate to burst your bubble but you are incorrect on thrown weapons and Paladin Smites.

Melee or Ranged. A weapon is classified as either Melee or Ranged. A Melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet, whereas a Ranged weapon is used to attack at a greater distance.

The Thrown property turns a melee weapon into a ranged attack with a different available attack stat:

Thrown​

If a weapon has the Thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack, and you can draw that weapon as part of the attack. If the weapon is a Melee weapon, use the same ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls that you use for a melee attack with that weapon.

Basically it is no longer a melee weapon if you throw it or the target is farther than 5 feet from you.

 

[ECMO3]

I hate to burst your bubble but you are incorrect on thrown weapons and Paladin Smites.

Melee or Ranged. A weapon is classified as either Melee or Ranged. A Melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet, whereas a Ranged weapon is used to attack at a greater distance.

The Thrown property turns a melee weapon into a ranged attack with a different available attack stat:

Thrown​

If a weapon has the Thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack, and you can draw that weapon as part of the attack. If the weapon is a Melee weapon, use the same ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls that you use for a melee attack with that weapon.

Basically it is no longer a melee weapon if you throw it or the target is farther than 5 feet from you.

I don't read it that way, I don't think most people do either. Also the reverse of this is why you have disadvantage when you throw a melee weapon with an enemy within 5 feet when you have sharpshooter, the reason is that throwing a melee weapon does not make it a Ranged weapon.

Thrown on a melee weapon just lets you make a Ranged attack and note in the verbiage on Thrown it even says "if the weapon is a melee weapon" ...... which you argue it can't be if you are throwing it.

Also if I am to accept this interpretation, then a spear, hand axe or javelin would not be a Monk weapon if you throw it as Monk weapons are only "Simple Melee Weapons". This would mean you would lose all martial arts benefits if you threw one of those weapons, including your unarmored defense and the ability to use dexterity for attack and damage.

Finally, what if I fire a Longbow at an enemy 5 feet away? That is using a weapon to attack "to attack a target within 5 feet" and not a "greater distance" so does that make it a melee weapon for that attack when I do that?

 

[DrJawaPhD]

I hate to burst your bubble but you are incorrect on thrown weapons and Paladin Smites.

Melee or Ranged. A weapon is classified as either Melee or Ranged. A Melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet, whereas a Ranged weapon is used to attack at a greater distance.

The Thrown property turns a melee weapon into a ranged attack with a different available attack stat:

Thrown​

If a weapon has the Thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack, and you can draw that weapon as part of the attack. If the weapon is a Melee weapon, use the same ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls that you use for a melee attack with that weapon.

Basically it is no longer a melee weapon if you throw it or the target is farther than 5 feet from you.

None of that text states that the melee weapon stops being a melee weapon when you use it for a ranged attack using its thrown property. You can use divine smite because it is still a melee weapon despite being used in a ranged attack

 

[Mistwell]

I hate to burst your bubble but you are incorrect on thrown weapons and Paladin Smites.

Melee or Ranged. A weapon is classified as either Melee or Ranged. A Melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet, whereas a Ranged weapon is used to attack at a greater distance.

The Thrown property turns a melee weapon into a ranged attack with a different available attack stat:

Thrown​

If a weapon has the Thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack, and you can draw that weapon as part of the attack. If the weapon is a Melee weapon, use the same ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls that you use for a melee attack with that weapon.

Basically it is no longer a melee weapon if you throw it or the target is farther than 5 feet from you.

It's a melee weapon being used to make a ranged attack. A melee attack and a ranged attack is not the same as a melee weapon and a ranged weapon. As the thrown description you posted says, it's still a melee weapon even if it is thrown.

 

[Dax Doomslayer]

Doesn't the PHB catagorize weapons as "Simple Melee Weapons"/"Simple Ranged Weapons"/"Martial Melee Weapons" and "Martial Ranged Weapons"? I would rule anything showing up under "Melee Weapons" is fair game.

 

[ezo]

Doesn't the PHB catagorize weapons as "Simple Melee Weapons"/"Simple Ranged Weapons"/"Martial Melee Weapons" and "Martial Ranged Weapons"? I would rule anything showing up under "Melee Weapons" is fair game.

This is the simplest way to do it.