Today I wasted like two hours getting wrecked with Paladin smites until I figured this stuff out. Seriously, some giant dude kept stomping my face in. Here’s exactly what I messed up and how I finally got smites working right.
The Messy Learning Curve
At first, I just kinda slapped Divine Smite onto every single hit. Used my bonus action? Smite! Standard attack? Smite! Reaction? Bigger Smite! Ran outta spell slots faster than a rogue vanishes. Boom, useless lump swinging a sword next turn. Game over, man. Needed strategy, not just smashy-smashy.
Figuring Out the Five Rules
After getting my paladin flattened a few times, I actually paid attention. Made some ground rules:
- No Smite Before Crit: Burned slots like crazy until I stopped smiting every hit. Now I smite AFTER seeing that sweet critical hit notification. Way more damage for one slot.
- Get Comfy & Close: Kept wasting movement and getting smacked. Now I make sure my positioning is solid before attacking. Find a good spot, then unleash the holy power. Less awkward shuffling around.
- Big Enemy = Big Smite: Totally wasted level 1 smites on little guys. Big mistake. Save the higher spell slots (like level 2 or 3) for the tough customers. Hit the boss hard.
- Plan That Action Economy: Blew my bonus action on a smite and couldn’t use Shield Bash or anything else useful. Felt dumb. Now I think: “Do I NEED to smite as a bonus action this turn, or can I do something else?” Saved my bacon a few times.
- Check Resistances BEFORE Swinging: OOF. Unleashed a max level Divine Smite on some fiend… only to see “Resisted” pop up. Gut punch. Check those enemy types now. Fiends and Undead usually hate smites. Other stuff? Meh.
How It Actually Works Now
My turn usually goes: Move into position. Look at enemy type. Basic attack first. If I see that juicy “CRITICAL HIT” flash? THEN I trigger Divine Smite, picking the highest slot I dare spend on that enemy. If it’s a massive boss, I might even save my Bonus Action for after the smite to do something else cool. Way smoother.
Sticking to these made my Paladin feel powerful instead of clunky. Still mess up sometimes, sure, but way less face-stomping happening now. You gotta be a little patient with it.