D&D (2024) Playtest 6: Paladin ... Divine Smite is a Spell now

[Maxperson]

I don't see a thematical difference at all. And only a very minor mechanical one that you could go several levels without ever coming up.

Counterspell ends up being common as spit once you hit 5th level. Silence is more situational, but not rare and anti-magic is hardly ever encountered.

As a Bonus Action, which you take immediately after hitting a target with a melee weapon or an Unarmed Strike, you can expend a spell slot to use add one of the following extra effects to your attack. You gain additional options at higher level.

Divine: deal 1d8 extra radiant damage, plus 1d8 per spell slot level spent. If the target is a fiend or undead, increase it by another 1d8

Thunder: deal 1d6 extra thunder damage, plus 1d8 per spell slot level spent. And push the target 10'.

I'd love something like that, but tie it to the subclass or deity/ideal. Not all of the smite types fit all subclasses/gods.

 

[Stalker0]

I would agree that the effects of silence, anti-magic, and counterspell are probably niche in most games. They might come up, but its not going to be a bread and butter thing.

The bonus action is by far the biggest change here in terms of impact. Since paladin lay on hands is now a bonus action on themselves, those are two things you can't do together. You can't use TWF with smites now, unless you use nick. This affects certain multi-classing option that introduce other bonus actions.

So it is an important difference, its not a ribbon change. We can argue whether its a good change or not (I personally think its fine because I think the OG paladin is a bit crazy strong at the moment), but it certainly is a change worthy of discussion.

 

[Horwath]

So. A bonus action...

please don't add another free action usable once per round...

no, as bonus action can prevent many racial features and feats working.

 

[Shiroiken]

The move of making Divine Smite a spell, with the cost of a Bonus Action, is a well designed nerf to the paladin. The Paladin is pretty consistently considered one of, if not the strongest class, with smite as its primary reason. Reducing the paladin's ability to go nova in this way is an overall positive for the game.

 

[Sir Brennen]

no, as bonus action can prevent many racial features and feats working.

Such as?

Or do you mean features and feats that also require a Bonus Action? In that case, it doesn't stop them from working, it just creates a choice of which to use.

 

[Horwath]

Such as?

Or do you mean features and feats that also require a Bonus Action? In that case, it doesn't stop them from working, it just creates a choice of which to use.

if something was for free, and now it competes for action slot, then it is prevented from working.

P.S. I do not know what was wrong with current smite?

unless it was some unholy 20th level combo of assassinate, gloomstalker, action surge, battlemaster combo.

then it is not problem with smite, but with multiclassing.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

no, as bonus action can prevent many racial features and feats working.

Feature, not a bug.

In general at least.

 

[Stalker0]

P.S. I do not know what was wrong with current smite?

The number one issue is being able to smite on every attack, that just creates too much nova power.

Some would argue the smite on a crit is too good (its still debatable whether with this version you actually can crit with the smite or not).

 

[Chaosmancer]

Wrathful is frightened for up to a minute, requiring an action after a failed save to shake it off (or for the caster to drop concentration).

Well, that was changed to saving at the end of their turn. No action.

I guess I never noticed the original version took an action, since no one ever used it successfully. The enemy always made the save the few times they used it.

 

[Chaosmancer]

"As you hit the creature, your strike channels divine wrath. The target takes an extra 1d6 Necrotic damage from the attack, and it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the Frightened condition until the spell ends. At the end of each of its turns, the Frightened target
repeats the saving throw, ending the spell on itself on a success."

That is wrathful smite. If you think that is what they changed Divine Smite to, I can see the confusion. This is the text for Divine Smite

"As you hit the target, your strike glows with divine power. The target takes an extra 2d8 Radiant damage from the attack. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is a Fiend or an Undead.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st."

As you can see, no saving throw.