How much smiting do you like?

[Particle_Man]

Mods, feel free to move this if this is in the wrong section -- I was ambivalent between here and Rules.

Anyhow, I noticed that with the "Extra Smiting" feat from Complete Warrior, a paladin could by level 20 be smiting 15 times a day (this is because the feat is one of the few that can be taken multiple times, stacking with itself). This made me wonder how many smites per day would be "enough" for a paladin.

What do you guys think?

 

[kolikeos]

there are lots of evil guys out there, and there are these big evil guys that need lots and lots of smiting.

 

[Crothian]

While I've never had anyone take the feat, the character with smite in my party uses it all the time. I know she's looked at the feat and while she wants it, there are just so many others out there.

 

[Telperion]

Smite is nice, although the number of times I have seen it used effectively are few and far between. From where I'm standing the paladin has too choices:

1. Go in and bash the guy who acts evil, and hope he isn't just having a bad day.

2. Spend a few rounds verifying the fact that he really is evil and risk the possibility that he might cause irrevocable damage/harm/trouble/etc. in the meanwhile...

EDIT: there are also such things as mercy, law and moral. For example: If you are in a situation where someone has just slid over to Evil is it your responsibility to destroy the "newly born Evil" or save the person from Evil and drag him back to Good?

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I think that most paladins have to make do with the standard amount of smiting. There are too many combat-effective feats out there, and also too many character-molding feats out there. Extra Smiting just doesn't seem to be worth the feat slot, in either arena.

 

[Darklone]

Remember to use smite next time... RttoEE

Smite is only bad when used in Conjunction with Power attack, Spirited Charges, Divine Might and a huge heap of buff spells. But I like it.

 

[hero4hire]

Divine Feats just seem to be a whole lot more useful choices when I play a Paladin

 

[Mouseferatu]

Remember to use smite next time... RttoEE

Smite is only bad when used in Conjunction with Power attack, Spirited Charges, Divine Might and a huge heap of buff spells. But I like it.

Indeedy. Bad as in good. (Says the guy playing a belt of giant strength +4-wearing, large holy greatsword-weilding power-attacking minotaur paladin in a Dawnforge campaign.)

I love smite, and I like the fact that it's limited to a few times per day. It gives you that extra edge when you need it against monstrous evil, something I think paladins should have, but you simply don't have enough of them to use them without serious consideration. I've had quite a few fights where they would've come in handy, but I've held off because I felt I'd need them more later.

 

[Plane Sailing]

If extra smiting gave three extra smites a day I'd take it. Any less than that and it isn't worth as much as other alternative feats to me.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

As others have mentioned, paladins are feat-starved. To make good use of the Special Mount, they need Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack and if at all possible, Spirited Charge. To make use of their high cha and turning attempts (which will rarely be useful for actual turning, starting out at cleric level -3), they need Divine Might (which requires Power Attack) and Divine Shield. Plus there are any number of other attractive feats for a melee combatant in general. (Oh, Improved Critical, how I want thee!) With all of these feats on a paladin's wish-list, it's hard to justify spending one on two extra smites. Yes, smiting is very nice, but spending a feat on the ability seems wasteful, and more than one feat quite mad.

Even so, though, if you were to start up a level 20 game, I can see a Paladin/Fist of Raziel with 15 smites being...impressive. At least, against evil. Far less so against Slaadi, or Iron Golems, or...

Now if there were a magic item that granted the feat, it might be worth taking a look at...