Now we come to the Paladin, which is one of my favorite classes in the game. The Paladin is popular and generally considered powerful, so we saw a fairly simple approach to its previous revision. Let's check out the latest.
1st level:
Lay on Hands is now a bonus action, rather than an action, and no longer removes Diseases (but diseases are kind of being phased out mechanically in favor of the Poisoned condition, which this still can remove).
This is a solid buff. A paladin wants to be attacking with their action, and this lets you toss some healing around mid-combat while still killing the monsters (which is usually the best choice for survival).
Spellcasting now arrives at level 1. Like other prepared spellcasters, you now get a flat amount to prepare, which starts at 2 and goes up to 15. Unlike Clerics, for example, this actually keeps pace with the old version, and might even be better given that you might not max out your Charisma by 20.
However, you can now only swap out one spell per long rest. Also, unlike the previous playtest, you once again do not get cantrips.
So, I don't think this is going to be profoundly impactful, getting spells one level earlier, but it will make you feel a bit more magic from the get-go. I don't know that the limit on switching spells prepared is really necessary - though granted I think Paladins don't swap them all that often thanks to Smites (and we'll look at those soon).
Paladins also get access to Weapon Mastery, getting two at a time, with the option to swap which masteries are chosen on a long rest. (I wonder if Fighters and Barbarians will still get more as they level up in the next playtest).
2nd level:
Paladin's Smite is the new version of Divine Smite, but it is a bit different.
First up, Divine Smite is now a spell, and uses the same format as the other smite spells. You now always have most Smite spells prepared, and these are paladin-exclusive rather than Divine spells. The full list is:
2nd level: Divine Smite, Thunderous Smite
5th level: Shining Smite (a new name for Glimmering Smite)
9th level: Blinding Smite
13th level: Staggering Smite
17th level: Banishing Smite
You also get one free casting of one of these Smite spells per long rest.
Now, the way that these spells work has also been redesigned. They still take a bonus action (and that includes Divine Smite) but the bonus action can be made at the moment you connect with a weapon attack, so you still get to see if you hit or crit before spending the spell slot.
Some of the spells have gotten tweaks as well - Searing Smite (which is not on this list, but still on the Divine list) will now always do its initial 1d6 fire and the first periodic 1d6 before the target gets to make a save.
So, all in all I think this is a nerf, but there are some positives to it. Or rather, it's a nerf to Divine Smite and a buff to all other smite spells. This will prevent you from smiting multiple times a turn as well as when you make opportunity attacks or other off-turn attacks. Likewise, if you use a Channel Divinity option like Sacred Weapon or Vow of Enmity, or one of your level 20 ultimates, you won't be able to smite on that turn.
Now, are Paladins powerful enough that they deserved a nerf? I think you could argue that (though some would say that anyone who isn't a full spellcaster needs a buff). What this feature will certainly do is get Paladins to try out the other smites in certain situations - Divine Smite will be the best damage option (at least until Banishing Smite) but you'll get a lot of utility out of the others, and you can now crit-smite with them.
The free smite is also nice, especially at low levels when you only have a couple spell slots.
Oh, and as a note, unlike the previous playtest, you can't smite on ranged attacks, so gun paladins are out. Unarmed strikes are still valid, though.
Paladins also get Fighting Style at level 2, as before.
Paladins are still limited in their choices - you can't pick two-weapon fighting.
3rd level:
Channel Divinity comes in at level 3. Like with Clerics, you now recharge all of these on a Long Rest and get a single one back on a short rest. Paladins start with two uses and get a third when they hit level 11.
This is a buff any way you slice it - previously, Paladins only got one use of Channel Divinity, so they were only ever getting back one use on a short rest anyway - now they can "bank" a second one.
The universal use for Channel Divinity (before subclass features) is Divine Sense.
Divine Sense now acts as a bonus action, and lasts for 10 minutes (or until you're incapacitated), letting you know the location of any Celestials, Fiends, or Undead within 60 feet, and sense if places or objects have been consecrated or desecrated as with the Hallow spell.
So, this is a "berf," in the sense that Divine Sense will now eat into your Channel Divinity uses, rather than being its own separate resource. However, lasting 10 minutes and being able to do it as a bonus action make it better - you can ping this in the middle of combat. And if you're searching for some hidden vampire, for example, you'll stand a better chance of finding them with this.
I do think most Paladins are going to feel a lot more hesitant to use this when it's eating up chances to use their subclass Channel Divinity options.
And of course, at 3 you get your first subclass features.
4th level:
ASI/Feat
5th level:
Extra Attack of course is unchanged.
Faithful Steed is a new feature. You always have the Find Steed spell prepared. You can also cast the spell for free once per long rest. Find Steed is now a paladin-exclusive spell, rather than a Divine spell.
Find Steed has also been redesigned. The spell now uses a template stat block, and scales up with the spell level you cast it with. The spell incorporates aspects of Find Greater Steed, giving the steed a fly speed if you cast it at 4th level or higher. Also, the spell now takes only an action to cast. The steed acts as a controlled mount in combat (so you basically just get its movement) unless you're incapacitated, in which case it takes a turn immediately after yours and can use its other actions.
You choose between a Celestial, Fey, or Fiend mount when you summon it, and each gets a different special bonus action (all of which can help you if you've gone unconscious in the saddle). If you are healed with a spell of 1st level or higher, the Steed is also healed that amount if they're within 5 feet of you.
So, this is great - it keeps Clerics from having better steeds than Paladins. I also like that, by using a template, you can be creative with what kind of creature the steed is. I want to play a paladin who rides a giant celestial wolf.
The Steed no longer gets to share all spells with you - you can't put Aid on yourself and thereby the Steed. But I suspect that in most ways this will be an upgrade over the Warhorse you're usually taking.
The oddity here, of course, like the new Find Familiar (not in this playtest) is that I think the goal here is to find an opportunity to spend your highest spell slot on this to get the best version of your Steed, but probably waiting until the end of a relatively uneventful day to do so. If your 4th-level steed goes down, you might have to summon a less powerful version of it until you have some downtime.
6th level:
Aura of Protection works nearly the same way, but with some restrictions. Allies don't benefit from this if you're separated by total cover. Also, the auras of multiple paladins don't overlap anymore - the creature in both auras chooses which one applies. Finally, the aura doesn't apply if you're incapacitated - you don't have to be fully unconscious.
So, this is a nerf, but probably only in rare circumstances. I think this is going to play the way it already does in the vast majority of cases.
7th level:
Subclass feature.
8th level:
ASI/Feat
9th level:
Abjure Foes is a new universal feature that replaces a lot of subclass-specific "turn" features. As an action (a "Magic" action) you expend a Channel Divinity and present your Holy Symbol or weapon and target a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) that you can see within 60 feet.
Each creature makes a Wisdom save, and is Dazed and Frightened for one minute if they fail (ending early if they take any damage).
So, initially I wondered why this came so late, but unlike Turn Undead or other "turn" abilities, this targets any kind of creature. Now, this isn't going to be full crowd control - the creatures can still do some things, but Dazed and Frightened is a pretty big restriction. This isn't going to send a giant crowd running, but you can potentially take a couple foes out of a fight for a minute. I think this is probably good.
10th level:
Aura of Courage is basically the same but now simply uses your Aura of Protection, rather than having a separate aura with the same radius - which practically means no difference. It does make it clearer, though, that an ally who is frightened and enters the aura doesn't lose the condition, but only gets to ignore it while they're near you.
11th level:
Radiant Strikes is the new name for Improved Divine Smite, which is fantastic (Improved Divine Smite never actually had anything to do with Divine Smite). Like Smite spells, this now applies to unarmed strikes as well.
Now, as a note, grappling and shoving now count as unarmed strikes. (Something I probably should have looked at with the Monk,) but this requires you to land an attack roll on the target, and those instead impose saving throws, so this will only work when you're just punching them (or kicking, head-butting, etc.)
12th level:
ASI/Feat
13th level:
Just 4th level spells (but hey, flying steed!)
14th level:
Restoring Touch is a redesigned Cleansing Touch. This now uses your Lay on Hands pool. You can expend 5 points of LOH to end one or more of the following conditions from the target: Blinded, Charmed, Dazed, Deafened, Frightened, Paralyzed, or Stunned.
So, the old version let you end the effects of a spell on the target. Here's why I think this version might be better - a lot of spellcaster NPCs are going to be doing a lot of effects that aren't techncially spells anymore (they still have some). This, of course, also lets you do this as a bonus action, which is great. Now, it does eat into your Lay on Hands pool, rather than being a separate resource to track, so your mileage may vary.
15th level:
Subclass feature.
16th level:
ASI/Feat
17th level:
Just 5th level spells. Welcome to tier 4!
18th level:
Aura Improvement is now Aura Expansion, but works the same (well, it expands your Aura of Protection, but all other auras are now just enhancements to your Aura of Protection, so it comes around to the same thing).
19th level:
ASI/Feat
20th level:
Subclass feature - your big Paladin Ults.
So, what do we think? I think you could argue that of all the features, most come out looking like buffs. The downside, though, is that Divine Smite has been nerfed, and Divine Smite is kind of the defining, biggest part of the Paladin, so the weight of that nerf is felt harder.
Now, is it a huge nerf? Well, you weren't ever smiting on every single hit - there will be a bit of forced discipline now. A Paladin can no longer burn through all their spell slots in one or two turns (at least at higher levels). I think the fact that Divine Smite was a no-action-required feature that also got around the "one spell per turn" thing was powerful.
In Curse of Strahd, when our party raided the Wochter house in the interest of settling the political situation in Vallaki, my Paladin had cast Thunderous Smite, landed a crit, and then used Divine Smite, dealing an insane amount of damage - I think 4d6+5 bludgeoning with my maul, 4d8 with Divine Smite, and 4d6 thunder with thunderous smite. I don't remember what I rolled, but the average would be 51 damage - against some goon who probably had 40-something max HP. Now, with the new system, I would have been able to choose one or the other smite - the goon was up against a wall, so thunderous smite's pushback effect didn't do anything, so I'd have saved one spell slot and done a mere 4d6+5+4d8, or 37 average damage.
I think the satisfaction of smiting is still going to be there, but you'll be very sad if you A: crit on an opportunity attack, B: crit after using your bonus action for something like Vow of Enmity, or C: crit after smiting on a regular hit with your first attack that turn or D: had cast some bonus action spell or used Lay on Hands when you crit.
All this being said, I think the class is still going to be a good and powerful one. Aura of Protection remains an amazing feature. And the little quality-of-life things like Lay on Hands as a bonus action and more uses of Channel Divinity are going to be very welcome. Paladins are still looking like arguably the best martial class in the game. If there are buffs that need to be handed out, let's give some to the Monk before we revisit the Paladin.
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