All Paladin Smiths in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, ranked

While paladins are spellcasters in Dungeons & DragonsMost players would probably consider them to be martial characters focused on weapon damage, as they mainly tend to use their magic on “smites.” Paladins can apply smiths to their attacks from the moment they get their first spell slotsAdding extra radiant damage to their heat. While the basic “divine smile” has been the main target for many paladins, there are other smite variants that deal different kinds of damage and apply additional effects.

In past versions of D&DThe Other strike spells are considered much less powerful than divine strikeBut these 2024 Player’s Handbook Has made some huge changes to the powers that even the playing field. Now, each hit requires a bonus action to use, But can be used after an attack hit. Plus, only a few of the hit spells in the new book require concentration.

8

Shining Smith fails to impress, in damage or effect

All that glitters is not gold

Shining Smith is a reworked version of a previously-existing spell, called Branding hit

. It’s a 2d-level paladin spell that adds 2d6 radiant damage to an attack and causes the target to take on a bright glow. The targets emit light from their body, cannot turn invisible, and All attacks against them are made with advantage for the duration of the spell. This sounds like a good spell; And honestly, it is. All of the hit spells in the 2024 Player’s Handbook Can be good in certain scenarios.

What it comes down to is whether the Smith is worth the slot used to throw it, or if another option is just plain better. And in the case of Shining Smith, it can’t do anything that the other options can’t outperform. The damage is tied for the lowest out of any paladin hit for the spell slot it takes, even when upcast, and while radiant damage is a good type to trade, it’s a better alternative for players who just want it.

The secondary effects of this spell seem strong, and giving advantage for up to one minute is pretty powerful. But This spell suffers from being one of the two smiths that still requires concentrationMeaning it cannot be used alongside anything like haste or bless. And while the fact that this effect doesn’t require a saving throw to work is very nice, there are other ways to gain advantage on attack rolls that use resources more efficiently, especially for paladins.

7

Wrath Smith has potential, but lacks the power to reclaim it

Horribly bad damage output for one hit

Wrath Smith functions almost exactly the same as beforeWith one key change that makes it worse. Even this is not a bad option for paladins looking to repel their enemies. The spell deals 1d6 necrotic damage at 1st level and forces the target to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, that target is afraid of the paladin, a powerful condition that Gives them disadvantage on attack rolls and skill checks while they can see the paladin and keeps them from moving closer.

Fear is good for making an enemy attacker less dangerous, and while The damage from this hit is terrible (tied with Shining Smith in terms of spell slot cost), the main reason to use it is to shut down powerful enemies. As I said, many of the jokes in the new book have gotten better, and besides not needing more concentration, the angry jokes have only gotten worse.

The old version of the spell said that enemies could use an action on their turn to try and make a save to stop the dreaded condition. This way, even if an enemy manages to snap out of it immediately, they still lose at least one fight if they fail the initial save. now, The affected creature can simply make another save at the end of each of their turns To stop the effect, which means the wrath hit is easier to get rid of without much effort on the part of the enemy.

6

Searing Smith gets a glow, but still burns out

Good damage in specific situations

Searing Smith gets the biggest improvement of the spells from its weak previous version. The Smith is useful for churning out sheer damage over time rather than all at once, though Despite its effect seemingly as one that would require concentration, it does not. Searing Smith deals 1d6 fire damage on the initial hit, and 1d6 more at the start of each of the target’s subsequent turns. In a perfect scenario, this spell can deal up to around 36 fire damage over one minute from one first-level spell slot.

But anyone who has used this spell knows that it will rarely last that long. This is because The target also makes a Constitution saving throw at the start of each turn, shutting down the spell on a success. Monsters often have high con saves, and will succeed after three or four turns at the longest. This new version of the spell does more damage than the previous iteration, though, since The target makes the can save after taking the damage each turn rather than before.

In addition, this is one hit worth upcasting. The fire damage from both the initial hit and on each subsequent turn increases by 1d6 per level, meaning a 5th-level casting would deal at least 10d6 fire damage in one round. Fire damage is a bit more risky to use than radiant, as many creatures are resistant or immune to it, but others are vulnerable, and This spell can melt the right enemies.

5

Staggering smile sounds better than it is

Strong, but not enough to justify the staggering cost

Staggering Smile is one of the more expensive hit spells, being 4th level, and one would think that its damage would reflect that. unfortunately, The 4d6 psychic damage it deals on a hit is just enough to tie it for the lowest damage output With shine and fury strike. But much like Wrath, this spell is more useful for its secondary effects than its damage. The target must succeed on a Wisdom save when hit or be stunned until the end of the paladin’s next turn.

Stun is a great effect for players to inflict, A heavy foe may rob their whole three, Taking their reaction, and gaining advantage on attack rolls against them. It only lasts for one turn, unlike the effects of other paladin spells, but it doesn’t take concentration like the previous version. However, taking one turn away from one enemy is not worth the 4th level slot cost in many cases.

When paladins get 4th level slots, they can use them to cast banishment, death ward, and many other powerful spells that are beneficial for longer periods than staggering hit. Stunning is good, but potentially stunning one creature for one round isn’t worth that much magic. This, plus the fact that Many monsters are immune to being stunned, Decreases the usefulness of this beat well below what one would expect it to be for its price.

4

Banishing Smith is great if you can meet its requirements

A powerful move for high-level players

Banishing Smith is the highest-level Smith spell available in the 2024 Player’s HandbookAnd it comes with one of the most powerful effects. The hit itself adds 5d10 force damage to a hit, a sizable amount of ​​a rarely-resisted damage type, and on top of that, has an additional effect if the target is left with 50 or fewer hit points. If a target is left with health that low, They must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be banned for the duration of the spell.

The spell lasts up to a minute and requires concentration, making it very similar to spell 4. Ban

Only with added damage that is guaranteed once the paladin hits with an attack. Plus, this effect requires a Charisma saving throw, a type of save that is often pretty low for a lot of monsters. The effect has a good chance of working every time it is usedAs long as players can be relatively sure that the enemy will end up in the proper health bracket.

But this brings a pretty big problem with the spell. Paladins get 5th level spells at level 17, when they and most of the party will have enough damage output per turn to easily decimate anything left standing with less than 50 hit points. There may be niche opportunities when banishment comes in handy, but often, It would be better to just parry a more damaging hit And finished them off. This spell is powerful, but the factor and the fact that it requires concentration pulls down its strength quite a bit.

3

Thunderous Smith brings the lightning

Subpar damage held up by a fantastic secondary effect

Thunderous Smith was one of the best non-divine Smith options in previous versions of D&DAnd it continues to perform very well. Its damage, 2d6 thunder on a hit, is mediocre at best and doesn’t scale well when upcast. But This hit is great due to the secondary effects it has if the target fails a Strength saving throw.

On a failure, creatures that are large or smaller are knocked back 10 feet and are prone, a condition that gives melee attacks against them advantage. Pushing creatures around the map is powerful on its own. But adding knocking them prone gives This hit spell has a lot of uses and reasons to use it beyond dealing damage.

There are only a few things that hold back a thunderous blow. For one, it specifies that It makes a loud sound audible for 300 feet around its starting point, Which can be detrimental in certain dungeons as it will attract attention. For another thing, although constitution and dexterity are the saving throws, most monsters are very good at, many of them are also not bad at strength saves. Still, with the concentration requirement raised, this beat is better than ever before.

2

Divine Smith remains strong

This iconic moment cannot be undone

Despite now costing a bonus action and having little else changed about it, Divine Smith remains one of the best ways to use a paladin’s spell slots. This is because it has the highest direct damage output of all the hit spells at a given spell slot level, especially if the enemy is undead or infernal. Divine Smith deals 2d8 radiant damage on a hit, plus one extra if the target is undead or injured.

Unlike many of the Smith options, which scale poorly and are mostly useful for their secondary effects, Divine Smith is all about instant damage. It balances well with higher-level slots, and No longer a cap on how much damage is allowed to be done. It can be cast with a 5th-level slot to deal 7d8 radiant damage against its specialized enemies, and even more with certain multiclass builds.

Paladins can no longer divine hit multiple times a turn, which reduces their damage output. But the fact that it remains so high on the list is perhaps an indicator that it was too strong before. Paladins have more to offer than extremely high radiant damageAnd now they are more incentivized to experiment with their other abilities. And if they will still strike with the power of the sun what is in front of them, the divine strike is still a tool in their shed.

1

Blinding Smith finds the balance between damage and debuffs

All a paladin can request in one move

More than any of the others, Blinding Smith finds the perfect match of high damage and a powerful ability. It’s a 3rd-level spell, meaning it comes online in the mid-game for many campaigns, and works similar to Divine Strike with an added bonus. It deals a base amount of ​​3d8 radiant damage on a hit, one less than divine hit, but If the target fails a Constitution saving throw, they are blinded.

Blindness is a powerful debuff, giving attacks against a blinded creature advantage, their attack disadvantage, and Causing them to automatically fail any check that requires sight. The exact interpretation of the last point is something to debate, but the fact remains that blinding an enemy can be just as, if not more useful than terrifying or banishing them. Being able to do this while still churning out pretty sizable radiant damage is very powerful.

The weak point of blinding strike is that It uses a Constitution saving throw, for which many monsters will have good bonuses. Plus, they get a chance to try to end the effect with another save. However, they make this save at the end of their next turn, not the beginning, meaning Players will get at least one round of them blind As long as they fail the initial save. Blinding Smith sits squarely in the middle of the Smith spells, both in terms of slot requirement and damage, and has become one of the Paladin’s best Smith options.