Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback How divine smite would work?

I feel like smiting only on crits is emergent optimal gameplay: not metagaming, but definitely powergaming. I imagine the 5e creators wanted people to be able to choose when to smite so that players didn't, for example, waste a smite on a low-hp enemy that the normal attack would already kill. It just so happens that the wording + limited spell slots + crit mechanics encourages smiting only on crits.

Or more realistically, at least in the games I've played, paladins still do smite on some normal attacks. It's just that they ALWAYS smite on crits, and those events are so much more memorable because of the high damage that it gives the impression of smiting only on crits.

And as always, -1 for a hotbar "smite" icon, unless it's a toggle that allows other abilities to be used simultaneously and/or can be left on for use with opportunity attacks. Or +1 to pop-ups, but again there should be a toggle "don't ask me about smiting when toggled off" to prevent continuous pop-ups.

I feel like smiting only on crits is emergent optimal gameplay: not metagaming, but definitely powergaming. I imagine the 5e creators wanted people to be able to choose when to smite so that players didn't, for example, waste a smite on a low-hp enemy that the normal attack would already kill. It just so happens that the wording + limited spell slots + crit mechanics encourages smiting only on crits.

Or more realistically, at least in the games I've played, paladins still do smite on some normal attacks. It's just that they ALWAYS smite on crits, and those events are so much more memorable because of the high damage that it gives the impression of smiting only on crits.

And as always, -1 for a hotbar "smite" icon, unless it's a toggle that allows other abilities to be used simultaneously and/or can be left on for use with opportunity attacks. Or +1 to pop-ups, but again there should be a toggle "don't ask me about smiting when toggled off" to prevent continuous pop-ups.

Personally, I use smites to weaken enemies. That said, when I’m attacking with advantage (and plan to smite anyway) I will wait for the results of the second roll just in case that one is a crit.

I can see the argument for power gaming, but the ability is written to allow it. I do agree that not using any smites until you crit is kinda silly (unless you are really lucky with your crit chances). When I play a Paladin I do tend to hold onto at least 1 higher slot for an ace card or big crit smite.

@mrfugi3
Ya I gotcha, interesting though that you would know if the enemy is low on hp.

If you've faced an enemy before then you should roughly know its health total. Also, if you're attacking a goblin then you know it always has low hp :P
Additionally, I usually play in games where you can make perception checks to tell roughly how wounded an enemy is, or the DM just flat out tells you when it reaches <half hp.

I can see the argument for power gaming, but the ability is written to allow it.

Pardon a little offtopic ...
But isnt every/any aspect of "power gaming" written to allow it?

I wanna see how Larian handles smites, since if I remember correctly you choose whether to smite or not once you know the attack is actually going to hit, correct? Which means that unless they do some kind of toggle thing where it always applies smites on hit or doesn't apply them at all, or go the Solasta route and ask whether you want to smite or not during the attack, we're going to have a smite icon on the already too crowded hot bar that we have to select which then gets wasted if we miss which is going to be incredibly stupid.

I found a light hammer with smite.