D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal #3: "New Paladin"

"the paladin who, if they were in a movie, would ... have impossibly white teeth".


New Paladin preview: here are some notes, focusing on what's new and changes from the playtest materials. Last time we saw the Paladin was in Playtest 6 [=PT6 below].
See also this comparison at D&D Beyond (by someone who saw the video before it was streamed!)

OVERVIEW

• spellcasting starts at level 1, specifically called out as an advantage for multiclassing. (Same for Rangers).
• Lay on Hands and Weapon mastery at 1
• Paladin's smite at 2, along with fighting style.
• NEW: Paladin fighting style restriction is removed (all are available). You may forego fighting style to learn cantrips. [The option to get cantrips was given in Tasha's. They're letting us have it, but it's not called a "fighting style". I suspect this ties to the decision that fighting styles are feats now, and this would be weaker than magic initiate (which also gives a level 1 spell).]
• Paladin's smite gives you the spell Divine smite, with one free casting.
• channel divinity [CD]: uses increase: start with 2, plus 1 on a short rest.
• divine sense in CD option (as in PT6). duration lasts 10 minutes.
• Find steed spell at level 5, cast 1/day with no slot. Redesigned so that spell can be upcast, with a unique steed statblock. [This strongly implies that it's a class-specific spell, not on others' lists. Awesome. (Will a Lore Bard be able to select it? I hope so, and the discussion of spell lists (see below) makes me think they might, since identifying class-specific spells is harder.)]
• Abjure Foes a CD option (given at 9 in PT6)
• Auras are single things, with a single radius, that gain abilities/functionality (not separate auras as in 2014).

SUBCLASSES

Oath of Devotion.

• NEW: Sacred Weapon is part of the attack action. (PT required a Bonus action).
• Smite of Protection (level 15 in PT6)
• Holy Nimbus (level 20) is a bonus action (as in PT6).

Oath of Glory ("...this for me is the paladin who, if they were in a movie, would look at the camera, have impossibly white teeth, with a little sparkle on them as they smile")

• Peerless athlete lasts an hour (as in PT6)
• NEW: Aura of Alacrity affects allies if they enter your aura on their turn (they no longer need to start there)
• Oath of Glory has a new spell at level 17: Yolan's Regal Presence. Created by the Queen of the Elves, and makes others kneel before you and take psychic damage. [It's said that others can cast this spell too -- if right, then it's a 5th level spell and Clerics (likely) will be getting this at level 9. Perhaps he misspoke, and it's a class-specific spell.]

Oath of the Ancients

• Nature's wrath range "has been extended"
• Aura of Warding as in PT6 (resistance to Necrotic, Psychic, and Radiant)
• Undying Sentinel at 15 as in PT6 (you don't return with 1hp, but [?] 3x class level.

Oath of Vengeance

• NEW: Vow of Enmity part of attack action (not Bonus action); can transfer (as in PT6)
• NEW: Level 20 Avenging Angel activated as a Bonus Action, and lasts an hour (not 10 min as in PT6)

NEW RULES

• new area of effect: it's been there since 2014, but hasn't been named. It's for AOE that emanate from a character or monster -- the Emanation.
• new approach to spell lists. Spell list is part of the class description (as we saw with the Artificer). Entries give the school, whether it needs concentration, and required components. [I presume spell descriptions will still be at the back of the book: this is referring to the lists currently on PHB 207-11.]
• oath spell lists, patron spell lists, etc. have all been vetted and updated throughout.

 

[Horwath]

Yeah if it was up to me the Paladin would NOT have spell slots, but have daily smite dice and could then convert those dice into spells (call 'em 'Miracles'?) with small bespoke lists of those baked into the subclasses.

my spell-less paladin:

increased Lay on hands pool.

smite costs 5 pts of LoH for every d8 damage of smites.

paladin only has 2 speeds:
smite and heal.

 

[Parmandur]

Given the online reaction here and on the subreddit, I would certainly not believe that passed the 70% test without seeing the actual figures. It was incredibly divisive, to put it mildly.

There isn't a strong relation between what is controversial here and on Reddit and those playtest results. Thisnis just another example of that. Honestly, most people probavly reacted by those here questioning what the biggie is.

 

[Remathilis]

A whole bunch of smug "too bad you cannot minmax" which really misses the mark on why for me, this is just the straw that breaks this whole "totally not a new edition".

I've deleted pages of text already, but for a dozen reasons already, I'll be waiting for the SRD and making my own, I won't pay Wizards for this.

For years we wanted WotC to fix bugs and loopholes in the game. That meant buffs but also nerfs. How many threads complained about GWM/SS being OP, banned or necessary tech and when WotC finally gets around to fixing it, people cry how "WotC iz nerfing mah martials!"

Did we want WotC to fix things or did we want 2014 with new art?

 

[Horwath]

I can't wait when the final twin spell metamagic comes out.

twin metamagic was one thing that sorcerers could say: I'm better than wizard.

 

[Nikosandros]

Keep in mind though, this is a preview video. Not an exhaustive change log. Just like they didn't specifically mention the new restriction on Action Surge yesterday, but it's probably still there, they may just not have wanted to spend time on a single minor adjustment to an otherwise unchanged feature.

Yes, I realize that. I was just curious to know if that change had been confirmed.

 

[Parmandur]

For years we wanted WotC to fix bugs and loopholes in the game. That meant buffs but also nerfs. How many threads complained about GWM/SS being OP, banned or necessary tech and when WotC finally gets around to fixing it, people cry how "WotC iz nerfing mah martials!"

Did we want WotC to fix things or did we want 2014 with new art?

This "play wirh the mistakes for a decade and consider solutions carefully" approach has resulted in a better take than "quick, it's been two weeks, issue sweeping errata".

 

[Zaukrie]

I like more uses for channel divinity. I like that a lot. I hope there are more and more.....

 

[Horwath]

For years we wanted WotC to fix bugs and loopholes in the game. That meant buffs but also nerfs. How many threads complained about GWM/SS being OP, banned or necessary tech and when WotC finally gets around to fixing it, people cry how "WotC iz nerfing mah martials!"

Did we want WotC to fix things or did we want 2014 with new art?

didn't saw much if any whining about axing -5/+10 part of GMW/SS, in fact it was welcomed.

same as 1/round limitation of divine smite.

 

[Undrave]

paladin only has 2 speeds:
smite and heal.

I like that philosophy!

For years we wanted WotC to fix bugs and loopholes in the game. That meant buffs but also nerfs. How many threads complained about GWM/SS being OP, banned or necessary tech and when WotC finally gets around to fixing it, people cry how "WotC iz nerfing mah martials!"

Did we want WotC to fix things or did we want 2014 with new art?

Only DMs complained about GWM/SS. I never saw issue with it. Did they also nerf spellcasters or just the Martial?

Smite just needed a once per turn clause, needing a bonus action just makes for really flat turns for the Paladin.

 

[Charlaquin]

Oh man people are going to love Divine Smite turning into a spell; we love turning class features into spells in these parts

Weirdly I, a rather vocal opponent of spells over class features, don’t mind it here. It brings the way divine smite works in line with all the other smites. While I prefer magical abilities to not be spells when reasonable, I think insuring consistency between effects that seem like they should function the same way is more important in this case.