Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Paladin Smite

Haven’t gotten to experience it yet. How did they handle it? I’ve heard it only activates on a crit. Is that true?

You can set it ...

Options are:
Auto / Off / Ask

And it can be set for Crit, and Regular attack.
So you can set it to ask every time (my preffered way) ...
Or ask only on hit, but cast on every Crit ...
Or cast on every hit ...
Or set it to never, and use active spell instead (just as you can with battlemaster manouvers) ...

I think they managed to cover all possibilities.

//Edit:
Here is how it looks:

Oh wow! Thanks for the heads up! I’m excited to try it now.

Divine smite in D&D 5e does not require an action of any sort (i.e. not an action, bonus action or reaction.) Additionally Divine Smite can only be used on a confirmed hit or crit (thus it cannot be used on an attack that misses). Also Smite spells are supposed to be bonus action casts that last up to 10 rounds (requiring concentration.) They do not initiate an attack when cast. Smite spells are also not consumed on missed hits and are only supposed to be consumed when an attack hits while the buff is active. This allows a paladin to cast a smite spell as a bonus action and then when an attack hits the paladin can then use divine smite on the same attack. This would cause the attack to deal: weapon damage + smite spell damage/effect + Divine Smite damage + ability modifier damage + additional damage based on items/class bonuses (if any.) This would use a total of one bonus action and one action. If the attack misses neither the smite spell or divine smite are consumed and the paladin is free to try again on his next attack without using additional resources.

Thus using an action, bonus action or reaction to use the divine smite ability is SEVERELY hurting the Paladins action economy in its currently implementation. The Smite spells being consumed even on missed attacks is also SEVERELY hurting the Paladins action economy in its currently implementation. This is hurting the paladins action economy even more when you consider that the smite spells initiate an attack when cast thus taking away a paladins ability to use what should be a bonus action after having used their action. Attacking a weakened enemy to slay them and then moving and then casting a bonus action smite spell to prepare for next turn is an extremely common tactic in 5th edition.

I sincerely urge you to correct this incorrect implementation of the smite mechanics. Failure to do so will leave the paladin far behind the other classes in terms of combat viability. When we look at a paladin it's easy to see that the class is basically a worse fighter + a worse cleric + multi-attribute dependent. Divine smite and smite spells and the entirety of smite mechanics is what allows the paladin to stay in step with other classes as levels progress, remember that smiting consumes spell slots so like the monk it is not infinitely sustainable so the fighters' multi attack outshines it in the long run and unlike clerics and other casters paladins do not get as many spell slots or higher spell levels nor does smite deal area of effect damage or effects and thus these casters will outshine the paladin as well with their increased number of spell slots and AOE damage/effects. Lets also not forget that 5th edition (like all other D&D editions) action economy is KEY and to hinder a class' action economy is by far the most devastating nerf possible.

The current implementation of paladin smite mechanics (the class' primary feature) has the paladin set on a path toward being the worst class in the game. My suggestions on how to correct this are as follows:

1.) Make Smite spells bonus action casts, with a duration of 10 rounds (requiring concentration), that do NOT initiate an attack on cast and that are consumed ONLY when an attack HITS an enemy while the buff is active.

2.) Make Divine Smite a toggle button (attached to the characters hot-bar/turn meter) and create the code to ONLY consume a spell slot when an attack HITS or CRITS.