Actually, is the Paladin Nerf Too Much?

 The Paladin is one of the strongest classes in D&D - and I think probably the strongest "martial" class (though the Fighter probably gives it a run for its money, being far more customizable). The 6th One D&D playtest has seen a nerf to their biggest damage ability, Divine Smite.

To reiterate what has happened to it:

In the latest version, Divine Smite is now considered a spell. It, along with all the other smite spells, works the following way:

The spell's casting time is a bonus action, but you still get to wait until you see if you've hit (or crit) or not before you choose to cast it.

This is actually a buff to all the smite spells like Searing Smite or Wrathful Smite, as you no longer run the risk of missing with the attack and then losing concentration on them while trying to hit again, and you can also decide to blast one of these out when you land a crit.

But Divine Smite has suffered a pretty substantial nerf thanks to this change, in the following ways:

• Divine Smite can now only be used once per turn, because you have only one bonus action.
• It can't be used on an opportunity attack or other reaction-based attack (such as from a Battle Master's Commander's Strike)
• It has a Verbal component, which means that you cannot use it when silenced or gagged.
• A multiclassed Barbarian/Paladin cannot use it while Raging.
• It can be counterspelled
• It cannot be used on the same turn as any number of bonus-action features.

Now, this last point in the current version of the Paladin might not be so bad - in the PHB subclasses, the only feature I can think of off the top of my head that uses bonus actions is Vow of Enmity for Oath of Vengeance. Now, this would be a pain - to get advantage (and thus nearly double your crit chance) but be unable to Smite - but we need to take a look at how other features have been buffed by making them bonus actions:

Lay on Hands has become a bonus action. Divine Sense is a bonus action. Other Channel Divinity features like Devotion's Sacred Weapon is now a bonus action. The level 20 subclass "ult" features are now all bonus actions.

So, yes, your max-level Paladin can go full-on Avenging Angel, fly over to some otherworldly monstrosity, and be unable to smite until their next turn.

    So, what does this ultimately mean for the class and its ability to pump out damage?

It's always a little hard to calculate damage potential when resources need to be expended. After all, Paladins have never been able to Smite on every hit over the course of an adventuring day unless there's very little combat.

A 5th-level Paladin can Smite a total of 6 times over the course of a day - four at 1st level and two at 2nd level - if they aren't casting any other spells. But this hasn't changed that fact.

What it has changed instead is that the Paladin can't nova by going through all of those spell slots in three rounds (or two if they've got a consistent way to make reaction attacks).

And, to be fair, the competition for bonus actions doesn't really create a new problem - you can't currently Smite on a turn that you use Lay on Hands or Divine Sense because, well, you haven't used your action to attack anyway.

So, it might be that I'm seeing the potential of some of these buffs, and that the nerf to Divine Smite just makes them somewhat less amazing of a buff.