D&D 3E/3.5 Paladin Smite Question 3.5

[Sal]

I had a quick question about the Paladin Smite ability. If you smite something that is not evil, do you get the bonus to hit or not?

I know you don't get the damage. The smite description seems ambiguous, but I just might not be looking at it right.

Thanks for the Help sincerely.

Sal P

 

[irdeggman]

No benefit at all if the target is not evil.

From SRD

Smite Evil (Su): Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per paladin level. If the paladin accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.

Both the attack and damage benefits are part of the smit evil ability.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I've always read "the smite has no effect" as applying to the damage, and you get charisma to the attack roll regardless of what you're smiting. I mean, it says if she accidentally smites a creature that isn't evil, it has no effect. To me, you don't accidentally smite someone if you miss them, you have to have actually landed a hit for the "creature that isn't evil" clause to take effect.

 

[udalrich]

The "accidentally" bit in the wording is also strange. You could argue that, if the paladin knows that someone is not evil, they could smite them and get all of the bonuses. They are intentionally smiting someone who is not evil, so the accidentally clause does not matter. (Prepares to be smited)

 

[coyote6]

I'd say they don't get the attack or damage bonus.

 

[irdeggman]

To me the the text is actually pretty clear if you consider "smite" to be the name of the ability and not the action being done.

The "smite" ability adds the paladin's char bonus to attacks and 1 pt of damage per paladin level.

You must declare that you are using the smite before making the attack if it turns out the creature isn't evil the ability is wasted.

If you don't declare first then the entire thing makes no sense at all.

Rules Compendium (pg 119)

A supernatural ability takes a standard action to use unless otherwise noted in the ability description.

The paladin's smite ability is supernatural and contains not text stating it requires anything other than a standard action to use.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Yeah, I've seen that interpretation (standard action to use) as well but almost every DM I know allows a paladin to use a smite as part of their normal attack action.

 

[irdeggman]

Yeah, I've seen that interpretation (standard action to use) as well but almost every DM I know allows a paladin to use a smite as part of their normal attack action.

Technically it looks like that shouldn't be allowed, but IMO it is not too far fetched to allow the attack as part of the standard action - since you can't full attack this way. I would allow it to work as the smite includes the normal attack.

I was just calling attention to the fact that as a standard action you would have to declare using it before making the attack and then it would be easy for the DM to ejudicate whether or not the smite "worked" or not.

 

[Vegepygmy]

Technically it looks like that shouldn't be allowed...

I disagree. The very first sentence of the ability description is: "Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack."

That seems quite explicit to me.

 

[irdeggman]

I disagree. The very first sentence of the ability description is: "Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack."

That seems quite explicit to me.

Correct, but it doesn't state that the normal melee attack must occur at the same time.

It could have stated that

"Once per day while making a normal melee attack a paladin may attempt to smite evil."

Which would unequivacally work the way you read it. Other abilities are wording similary to this so the applicability is very clear.

But it didn't, instead in order to follow the RAW technically one is left with invoking a supernatural ability (smite evil) - a standard action

and then making a normal attack with it applied.

It also doesn't state how long the smite may be held - so the pattern of holding a charge would seem to apply due to the heavy similarities.