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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 9243034" data-attributes="member: 87792">The paladin is an absolutely top tier class and in terms of "naive effectiveness" - that is the effectiveness of the class in the hands of someone who isn't burrowing deep into the rules and mechanics it is probably the best class in the game, with a skill floor around that of the champion fighter or totem warrior barbarian and a peak effectiveness probably exceeding the war cleric outside tier 4. Smite is an excellent mechanic to enable people who don't want to have to memorise a ridiculous spell list still be effective as a caster.And if you want to play a holy caster who can hang on the front lines then the cleric is better. Meanwhile the Paladin is a holy warrior who can cast- and gets things like a second attack at level 5 and one of the two best saving throws in the game (behind only the level 14 monk) thanks to their aura, making them arguably the toughest class in the game.They absolutely do. At tier 1 the warriors are probably ahead; the casters aren't yet getting the advantage of their versatility and cantrip damage is pretty bad. Lay on hands is almost 1 use per level of Cure Wounds. And Fighting Style gives them a higher consistent damage than the cleric, while Divine Smite gives them some of the highest burst damage; the cleric is the one that struggles to shine. At low Tier 2 Extra Attack is one of the strongest abilities in the game, and the second level spells are a huge boost to both utility and burst damage from smites. And then the Aura of Protection is also one of the strongest abilities in the game.The average Eldritch Knight would give their left arm to be as good at being a multiclass fighter/wizard as the paladin is at being a fighter/cleric.And thematically the paladin isn't just a multiclass fighter/cleric. It basically was until about 2010, but Oaths explore different territory to (and in a far more interesting way than) domains.</blockquote>

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