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.

 

[TwoSix]

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

Yes, but you have to forgo using your BA until you take your attack. That's a nerf. There are plenty of good BAs you might want to use before attacking.

 

[Weiley31]

Yes, but you have to forgo using your BA until you take your attack. That's a nerf. There are plenty of good BAs you might want to use before attacking.

Or if you have to drink a potion.

 

[Undrave]

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's not the same because it hinges on an unknown. You don't know the roll you're going to get later in the turn. You don't have all the information you would need, unlike choosing between two different bonus actions NOW.

 

[Charlaquin]

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

Right, that’s what this change aims to fix. Now they all function the same way and carry the same action economy and opportunity costs, instead of the “just do more damage” smite being free to do in response to a crit and all the other smites requiring you to spend a bonus action in advance and give up your concentration slot, and hope you hit an attack before the duration runs out or you get hit and fail your con save. It’s a slight nerf to divine smite (costs a bonus action now and can be counterspelled) and a huge buff to all the other smites (no concentration, and can be cast in response to a hit or a crit just like divine smite always could.) So now, they should all be pretty viable, and there’s a meaningful decision to be made when you land a hit or a crit, between maximizing damage with divine smite, or giving up some number of damage dice to apply a secondary effect on hit. Basically like the rogue’s new cunning strike feature, but for smites instead of sneak attacks.

 

[mellored]

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

Paladin needed a bit of a nerf. Using polarm master to smite 3+ times in a turn was too much.

Once per round doesn't make them suck.

 

[Scribe]

Paladin needed a bit of a nerf. Using polarm master to smite 3+ times in a turn was too much.

Once per round doesn't make them suck.

So put a once per round on it. Not BA.

 

[mellored]

Yes, but you have to forgo using your BA until you take your attack. That's a nerf. There are plenty of good BAs you might want to use before attacking.

I imagine that's why Devotion and Vengeance doesn't take an action now.

 

[TwoSix]

Paladin needed a bit of a nerf. Using polarm master to smite 3+ times in a turn was too much.

Once per round doesn't make them suck.

Once per turn would have been fine. It just didn't need a conditional bonus action on top.

 

[Oofta]

And this (plus the counterspell) pretty much seals it.

Yuck.

Kind of depends on the implementation, or at least how I will rule it. If it has no verbal or somatic components then much like the sorcerer's subtle spell it can't be countered because there's no way to know a spell is being cast until after the fact.

 

[mellored]

Or if you have to drink a potion.

You couldn't smite and drink a potion in 2014 either.