One D&D’s New Paladin Playtest Takes Some Bite Out of Smite
The Paladin’s ability to Smite the table out of existence gets a big nerf in the latest playtest. Check out the new Paladin.
Paladins see some fairly substantive changes in the latest playtest packet. A big nerf to Smite might make some players sad. But does it change the core of the latest new Paladin rules? Or is the class still able to be the main character without even trying?
Well, the surest way is to play. But in lieu of that, let’s take a look at everything the new Paladin gets in One D&D Playtest 6.
New Paladin, New Smite – Sorta
Paladins do actually get a fair number of changes in the latest playtest outing. But, the two most immediately noticeable changes are to the Paladin’s Smite ability. For one, now Smite as an ability is gone. It is no longer a free rider you can slap on a melee attack for the cost of a spell level.
Rather, WotC seems determined to keep making every single cool class feature a spell, which they’ve certainly done so here. Divine Smite is now a Paladin spell that joins the ranks of other spells like Searing Smite and Wrathful Smite. And while it still does 2d8 damage plus 1d8 per spell level above 1st, the fact is, it’s now a bonus action spell. Which means that it can be countered. And because it’s a bonus action spell, which, in its defense, no longer takes concentration, it can’t double up with one of the classic Smite spells.
It’s one of those changes that you’ll mostly feel once you start having other options that you’d like to do with your bonus action. But, by and large, the Paladin no longer being to sacrifice concentration for smite spells is pretty good, even if everything is kind of weirdly crammed into spellcasting. The other Smite spells are mostly Paladin exclusives, as is Find Steed. Though the Divine list still has Searing Smite and Wrathful Smite.
It’s not all nerfs, though. Lay on Hands is now a bonus action, which is honestly how it should have been from the outset. Most of the other changes are putting Paladins back the way they were before all the Classes were standardized. Most of the other, small changes are in the Subclasses.
Oathsworn Changes in Subclasses
The new Paladin Subclasses, or Oaths, have seen some slight changes. Oath of Devotion is mostly the way it was, with Smite of Protection giving your allies Half-Cover working off of any Smite spell. There’s a revised spell list too, which mostly just loses the Smite spells (as they’re now always-prepared bonus spells).
Oath of Glory make the leap from Mythic Odysseys of Theros to the Player’s Handbook and works much better with the new Smite rules. Now, Inspiring Smite lets you hand out Temporary Hit points when you land a hit with a Smite spell. And Peerless Athlete lasts an hour instead of 10 minutes. Which makes it much more playable.
Oath of the Ancients gets a fairly sizable buff in the form of an improvement to Nature’s Wrath – now the Channel Divinity ability ensnares multiple creatures with a single action, meaning you’ll actually want to use it and remember that you have it.
Finally, Oath of Vengeance, the fourth Subclass in the 2024 PHB, loses Hunter’s Mark but gains Compelled Duel as a Bonus Action spell, which costs some damage, but Vow of Enmity now works like Hunter’s Mark, so you can have perma-advantage for a whole fight.
Even with the nerfs, Paladins still feel like they’re in pretty good shape.
