D&D 5E (2014) Divine Smite CRITITAL HIT

[Halivar]

Yeah, my favorite move for my fighter-paladin multi is to wait until I crit on a Feinting Strike to smite with great weapon goodies. Nothing like rolling 4d6+8d8+18, re-rolling 1's and 2's for damage at the close of the fight.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Yeah, my favorite move for my fighter-paladin multi is to wait until I crit on a Feinting Strike to smite with great weapon goodies. Nothing like rolling 4d6+8d8+18, re-rolling 1's and 2's for damage at the close of the fight.

I'm going Champion with the Fighter/Paladin MC. This lets me Vow of Emnity as a bonus action against a BBG to gain advantage, invoke Action Surge to double my number of attacks and critting on a 19-20. Everything (number of attacks, number of attack dice rolled and my crit range) is doubled from normal, then I toss in GWF to reroll 1's and 2's. It is truly a nuclear option!

 

[Halivar]

Yeah, I have to say, the 5E fighter and paladin have some of the best burst damage I've seen in any edition. The Fighter/Paladin MC is just plain beastly. Multi-Attack + Action Surge + Smite means I can drop pretty much any one foe at the start of combat. It's a combo I like to save for the big boss fights, for cinematic purposes.

 

[PnPgamer]

Better yet, multiclass into 3 levels of rogue, take the assassin path, then sneak up on the enemy and let the crits roll.

 

[Arcshot]

It is only recently that I made a Paladin of Vengeance NPC to assist my players that I first realized the damage potential of a smite, especially on a crit. I'm curious, for those of you with experience in using these Paladins, do you see the smite breaking the game? (Say, the DM unleashed a powerful boss at the end story but only being brought down quickly with Paladin's smite.)

 

[Halivar]

I'm curious, for those of you with experience in using these Paladins, do you see the smite breaking the game?

As a player and a GM, I see the paladin Smite as offering good round-by-round burst potential that puts it, over the course of the entire fight, on par with the damage throughput of a well-optimized cleric or wizard. Currently in my party, there is a cleric 3 levels above my paladin that pretty much brings the house down. If I beat him on initiative, I can get some very good, impressive licks in before he shuts the enemies completely down.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

It's very powerful but really only so as long as the Paladin has spell slots to burn and is getting good crits to double the available dice. A fighter with 3 attacks is probably a little better in the overall DPS category. The build I have is meant to maximize Divine Smiting potential by the time it's maxed its' level, but the PC I'm running is a Judge Dredd-type LN Half Orc who is in to obliterating lawbreakers.

 

[The Human Target]

It is only recently that I made a Paladin of Vengeance NPC to assist my players that I first realized the damage potential of a smite, especially on a crit. I'm curious, for those of you with experience in using these Paladins, do you see the smite breaking the game? (Say, the DM unleashed a powerful boss at the end story but only being brought down quickly with Paladin's smite.)

Break the game, no.

Poorly designed, yes.

It's such a powerful ability a lot of the time your spells are never going to get used.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Break the game, no.

Poorly designed, yes.

It's such a powerful ability a lot of the time your spells are never going to get used.

Good point. My Paladin only has a 13 Cha because he doesn't really intend to cast spells (and hence need to boost DC or MAB), but use slots to Smite. In fact he is MCing to Sorcerer at 10th level for that purpose, as well as RP given his parentage, for even more spell slots.

 

[AwakenedShrub420]

i rule that a smiting is like a bunt in baseball and must be decided on before the attack. why would paladins get a free double damage crit prize when no one else can?