Unearthed Arcana New UA: 43 D&D Class Feature Variants

The latest Unearthed Arcana is a big 13-page document! “Every character class in D&D has features, and every class gets one or more class feature variants in today’s Unearthed Arcana! These variants replace or enhance a class’s normal features, giving you new ways to enjoy your character’s class.”

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[Ashrym]

In my experience paladins don't tend to use smite spells anyway. They usually prefer to use the spell slots for their smite ability.

Indeed.

Giving them to clerics might actually allow for that much design work actually see some game play.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

In my experience paladins don't tend to use smite spells anyway. They usually prefer to use the spell slots for their smite ability.

I’ve never seen a Paladin in play that worried about saving their slots for Divine Smite, or that didn’t use the Smite Spells.

 

[Ashrym]

I’ve never seen a Paladin in play that worried about saving their slots for Divine Smite, or that didn’t use the Smite Spells.

I find they don't see play because of the concentration requirements on them. It's not that they need to save the slots so much as they don't need to drop bless or whatever by converting slots as opposed to using smite spells.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I’ve never seen a Paladin in play that worried about saving their slots for Divine Smite, or that didn’t use the Smite Spells.

Anecdotes aren't evidence, but I have been playing a paladin for a few years now.

I have rarely if ever used the Smite Spells. The one I used the most is Entangling Strike (I'm Ancients)

I often do worry about having enough slots for divine smiting, since our DM throws sooo much at us. For example, in a recent fight I burnt through 10 spell slots divine smiting. I only used one smite per turn (yes, it was ten rounds of combat). We have many more fights coming, and I could have also used all of those smites in any of those, since we are fighting multiple opponents with 250 to 300 hp who can dish out 75 or so points a damage a round.

People have different experiences.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

People have different experiences.

Yep. That’s the point of my reply.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Yep. That’s the point of my reply.

Ah, sorry, I misread the quote you were responding to

 

[CapnZapp]

Crawford said as much: he said the design assumption of the game is that the Rogue is engineering Advantage every round for Sneak Attack. This just means Sam Riegel will go through less silliness to get his Sneak Attack in every week.

From a minmax perspective:

Get two (chances at) sneak attack damage each round or be a failure...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

From a minmax perspective:

Get two (chances at) sneak attack damage each round or be a failure...

Nope.

 

[cbwjm]

I find they don't see play because of the concentration requirements on them. It's not that they need to save the slots so much as they don't need to drop bless or whatever by converting slots as opposed to using smite spells.

I think the concentration requirement might still prevent them from being used much by clerics.

 

[Ashrym]

I think the concentration requirement might still prevent them from being used much by clerics.

It would, but clerics also don't have the standard smites to fall back on, so I think they would see more use in the hands of clerics.