My Idea for Smite (Evil)

[Hawken]

I came up with this because Smite Evil has always seemed like a cool power but its execution is pretty pathetic (wasted if attack is a miss, low bonus to attack and damage for a 1/day/5 levels ability).

I came up with 3 changes, everything else about it stays the same.

1) The "use" is not expended if the attack misses and a natural 1 is not an automatic miss.

2) The attack bonus, instead of +1 per point of Charisma modifier, is +1 per point of Wisdom modifier PER LEVEL--up to a maximum amount equal to 1/2 the character's Wisdom score.

3) The damage bonus, instead of +1/(paladin) level is +1 per point of Charisma modifier PER LEVEL--up to a maximum amount equal to the character's Charisma score.

Example:
Arthur (3rd Pal, Wis 14, Cha 16) makes a Smite Evil attack. He gains a +6 (+2 Wis mod X 3 levels) bonus to his attack roll for the Smite attack and +9 (+3 Cha mod X 3 levels) damage. At 10th level (and beyond), Arthur's Smite provides a +7 to attack and +16 to damage.

 

[Sadrik]

These numbers are out of hand. I think it is too good at that point. CHA to hit and paladin level to damage seems fine to me. If you reall wanted to go crazy you could do CHA + paladin level to damage.

 

[Hawken]

Could you explain to me how the numbers are out of hand?

I'm just not seeing it for a 1/day ability at lower levels and maybe 5 per day as you get close to epic.

 

[Sadrik]

Could you explain to me how the numbers are out of hand?

I'm just not seeing it for a 1/day ability at lower levels and maybe 5 per day as you get close to epic.

20th level paladin with 22 CH deals +120 damage

 

[Hawken]

Sadrik, you apparently misread what I wrote. The bonus to attack is +1 per Wisdom modifier per level, up to a MAXIMUM of 1/2 the character's Wisdom score. So, a paladin with a 20 Wis would still get a maximum of +10 to his attack roll.

For damage, +1 per point of Charisma modiifier per level, up to a MAXIMUM of the character's Charisma score. So your 20th level paladin with a Cha 22 would do only +22 damage with his Smite, not +120.

If you were thinking of uncapped bonuses, yeah, I could see your point, but I stated specifically in my original post about capping damage at their Cha score.

 

[Sadrik]

Sadrik, you apparently misread what I wrote. The bonus to attack is +1 per Wisdom modifier per level, up to a MAXIMUM of 1/2 the character's Wisdom score. So, a paladin with a 20 Wis would still get a maximum of +10 to his attack roll.

For damage, +1 per point of Charisma modiifier per level, up to a MAXIMUM of the character's Charisma score. So your 20th level paladin with a Cha 22 would do only +22 damage with his Smite, not +120.

If you were thinking of uncapped bonuses, yeah, I could see your point, but I stated specifically in my original post about capping damage at their Cha score.

4th level paladin with 18 CHA deals +16 damage and maxs out at +18 damage at 5th level. Not much to look forward to...

 

[Hawken]

Not much to look forward to...

except increase Cha and/or Wis, additional uses per day through feats, additional uses through levels.

That's a pretty good start, it seems to me, for an ability that is awfully weak as it stands now. Nothing in the paladin class scales with every level except Lay on Hands. A paladin's cha and wis will increase, slowly, but they will increase and as paladin levels rise, the frequency will too.

Now: 5th level Pal (18 Cha); +4 to hit, +5 damage; 2/day.
Now: 20th level Pal (24 Cha); +7 to hit, +20 damage; 5/day.

My Idea: 5th level Pal (16 Wis, 18 Cha); +8 to hit, +18 damage; 2/day.
My Idea: 20th level Pal (20 Wis, 24 Cha); +10 to hit, +24 damage; 5/day.

That's a pretty decent difference and it is something to look forward to.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I think Smite's mostly fine as-is, though I did houserule any smite attack to gain the appropriate alignment type added to the damage. In other words, any Smite Evil attack is made as if using a "good" aligned weapon.

Charging Smite variant and the Tactical feat in Complete Champion can also help add some more kick to it.

 

[Hawken]

Why exactly do you think Smite is "mostly fine as-is"? It doesn't even compare to Weapon Focus/Weapon Specialization or Favored Enemy or Rage or Flurry of Blows. For a fighting class, the paladin is pretty weak sauce and their Smite Evil is more like Tickle Evil for all it does.

Fighters get their thing against all enemies as long as they have the right weapon. Rangers get serious damage and skill bonuses against certain enemies. Barbarians get darn good Str/Con and Will bonuses against all enemies several times a day. And Monks get silly numbers of attacks and potential damage against all enemies all the time. While the paladin gets a moderate bonus to hit, a proportionately tiny amount of damage but only against some enemies, and only if they hit, and if they miss, its a waste.

How exactly is that "mostly fine as-is" for a melee fighting class, either standing on its own or compared to other classes.

Smite can sure as heck stand for some improvements. Just from the name alone, it should indicate some bad guy about to get bitch slapped upside the head! No one in the Bible that was on the receiving end of a smite got up and walked away from it! And any other books with divine characters that were able to smite or call a smiting down on someone, they walloped the heck out of whoever was getting the smite. 1hp damage per paladin level is pretty pathetic for a Smite (anything).

 

[El Mahdi]

I like it, but it's not perfect (at least IMO and for my purposes).

I might want to figure out a way to spread out the bonuses a bit, to last over the full range of levels. But overall, very nice.