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.

 

[Kurotowa]

As long as it has the same 1 minute duration as the other Smites.

Most Smites have no duration because the order of operation has changed. Instead of being applied ahead of the attack and triggering on the next hit, they get a special timing where they're cast in response to landing a hit (but still costing a Bonus Action). So now most of the Smite spells work like Divine Smite always did, not the other way around.

This, notably, frees up the Paladin's Concentration slot. Even most of the Smite spells with an ongoing duration due to lingering effects, like Blinding Smite and Searing Smite, don't require Concentration. The only one in UA6 that did was Banishing Smite. And that's because it's Banishment on a stick. Edit: And Shining Smite, but again that one is Faerie Fire on a stick.

 

[Undrave]

Most Smites have no duration because the order of operation has changed. Instead of being applied ahead of the attack and triggering on the next hit, they get a special timing where they're cast in response to landing a hit (but still costing a Bonus Action). So now most of the Smite spells work like Divine Smite always did, not the other way around.

This, notably, frees up the Paladin's Concentration slot. Even most of the Smite spells with an ongoing duration due to lingering effects, like Blinding Smite and Searing Smite, don't require Concentration. The only one in UA6 that did was Banishing Smite. And that's because it's Banishment on a stick.

So they all break the action economy equally. Swell.

That said, I don't think anybody was using the old Smite Spells? Like... ever?

 

[Zaukrie]

All the Aura on the 5E Paladins were just passive, always on, effects... why would the new guy have auras you need to turn on?!

I'm just reacting to what I heard on the video, so maybe I heard it wrong?

 

[Kurotowa]

That said, I don't think anybody was using the old Smite Spells? Like... ever?

No, they were terrible. That's why they all work like Divine Smite now and are used in response to landing a hit. It means the Paladin has a real tactical choice between the pure damage of Divine Smite or a bit less damage and a special effect from all the rest. And Paladins get most (not all) of the Smite Spells prepared for free.

Functionally, it's actually rather similar to the new Rogue Cunning Strike. In both cases you're choosing between straight damage or a bit less damage and a rider effect. It's just a Paladin's Smites are a limited use resource that doesn't trigger for every hit.

 

[Shardstone]

GOD KICK

 

[mellored]

1) With the BA, it's simply because it's weaker and less flexible. If you use your BA before you start to attack, you've lost the ability to smite, even if you get a crit.

It's BA after the attack. You can still activate on a crit.

It's just once per round.

And in return all the smite spells now actually work. So you just pick your effect.
Blind, push, fear, more damage, ect...

As far as counterspell, that's weaker casting shield and negating your whole attack, or using it on the Wizard's fireball. You only spent a bonus action to remove one of their spell slots.

 

[Charlaquin]

I feel like people want to have it both ways.

They want to say "Oh D&D should be beginner-friendly and easy to play" and then they want to advocate for stuff that's obviously and inarguably going to repeatedly GOTCHA! newer players or even long-time less technical players.

I really don’t think it’s at all confusing that if you want to use your bonus action for something, you shouldn’t use it for something else first.

The comparison to TWF is nonsensical, particularly as in 2024, it does not require a BA, where other similar stuff does.

It still requires a bonus action unless you use a Nick weapon you have Mastery with.

Plus it's automatic - it's triggered by making an attack - with this though, if you for example use LOH to heal someone, congrats you just played yourself because now you rolled on a Crit on attack and can't Smite so now the baddy gets to live an extra round and do more damage than you just healed.

View attachment 368236
(Both of the people here are the Paladin!)

And if you use your bonus action to drink a potion, congrats you just played yourself because you can’t use it to attack with your off-hand shortsword. The only difference here is that smite gets stronger if you crit. So either attack first then heal, or accept that you might have to suffer the terrible fate of “just” landing a critical hit and not getting to smite on top of it.

It forces you to think about your turn order in a way other classes do not have to think about, and it's just another example of how this isn't good or sensible design. It's lazy and thoughtless design, just the lazy and thoughtless change they made to Rogues and had to walk back (1 SA/round). All they had to do was say "Smite spells are Free Actions but you can only use 1 Smite spell per turn" (or 1/round even would be better than this mess!).

I just don’t see how “if you use this limited resource now, you won’t have it later, even if something else happens that would have made using that resource later better” is such a difficult thing to wrap one’s head around, nor an exclusive thing to paladins.

 

[Scribe]

I just don’t see how “if you use this limited resource now, you won’t have it later, even if something else happens that would have made using that resource later better” is such a difficult thing to wrap one’s head around, nor an exclusive thing to paladins.

It isnt difficult, but its a feelsbad. Its clunky. Its not elegantly designed, and its a clear downgrade from a decade old design.

Combined with a bunch of other things at this point. Its just not great.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

GOD KICK

You know, I've never been a G Gundam guy, but now that martial arts paladin is properly on the table...

Future Warforged Paladin: "This hand of mine glows with an awesome power!"

 

[Xamnam]

That said, I don't think anybody was using the old Smite Spells? Like... ever?

I've used Wrathful Smite probably 10x as much as I have Divine.

Huge fan of anything that makes waiting on a crit to use your slots as a Paladin less of a 'default option'. So, bonus action timing gets a thumbs up from me.