Not true. Two-weapon fighting style isn't available to Paladins, and his Bardic Inspiration gives him an AC bonus along with bonus damage. Dude frequently was sitting there with 25 AC after a flurry of attacks.
A paladin can MC for TWF just as easily as a bard can MC for smites. It's a minor point though because TWF is a small amount when improved smiting already does similar damage and the paladin can just take the AC bonus instead. It's the action surge the paladin picks up along with TWF that matters in that MC option.
The defensive flourish eats through bardic inspiration that I would prefer be used for saving throws the party needs. AC should be 22 or 23 on average barring magic items. The issue is the bard needs to attack in order to maintain it.
Smites are even less sustainable for a full paladin. Fact is the MC'd bard smites harder and more often. And since he rolls more attacks, he gets more critical hits. From watching them in play:
P2/B6: Smites more, smites harder, crits more often, better AC, has some good 3rd and 4th level spells if needed
P8: More hp, save bonus aura, much better LoH, can prepare paladin spells above 1st level (no cleric so this is important)
That's not the bard, however. That's because the paladin ability is being backed by the standard MC spell caster progression. A sorcerer MC does that too but also adds more slots from sorc point conversion.
3 attacks + BI + smite 3 > fireball on a single target, especially if that target is a demon. They've been fighting a lot of demons. Besides, there's an evoker wizard in the party, and only Lore bards can have fireball before 10th level.
3 smites equals 3 spell slots gone. It's inefficient.
BI damage is applied once. 4.5 avg. 3 attacks with short swords 25.5 with 20 DEX so 30 damage before accuracy plus smites and possible crits.
- Round 1: 5d8+4d8+4d8+30 = lots, yes, against a single target using 2 3rd level and 1 4th level spell. ~88 damage with aside from crits and accuracy.
- Round 2: 4d8+3d8+3d8+30 = lots still. ~75 damage same assumptions
- Round 3: 3d8+2d8+2d8+30 = ~66 damage.
That's what the smiting does. Single target attacks that leaves the build tapped out quickly.
There's no doubt there's some number porn there. The difference is the fireball cost a 3rd level slot and the smiting cost a 4th level slot and 2 3rd level slots that first round. The damage comes out fast but the guy who cast fireball still has a lot more slots.
Alternatively, the straight up bard can cast
compulsion once with that fourth level spell your build doesn't have and use it to trigger opportunity attacks for the party every round while also attacking or casting more spells subsequent rounds. A party that knows how to work together can get a lot of damage out of
compulsion for something that takes a bonus action to continue using.
Or just make the encounter a lot easier with
hypnotic pattern.
The
fireball example does work with a lore bard, yes. We both get to use a subclass but I left it out for the follow up above. The main points were better use of spell slots that can create or reduce damage, and still have more slots to use as needed. I'd rather get
animate objects levels earlier.
It's also a fast splash.
