It could easily be modified.
I'd like to Smite Evil be altered to Smite Foe, or Smite Heretic, or something like that. Gives bonus to target, but it does even more vs Evil.
I think smite is no less "filling" its its "smite anything" as the paladin is the one doing the judging. Smite "good/evil" sounds cool, but like "turn undead" its only kind, maybe useful. I would rather them have more useful ability
And flavor, is up to the player. Not the mechanics
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I think smite is no less "filling" its its "smite anything" as the paladin is the one doing the judging. Smite "good/evil" sounds cool, but like "turn undead" its only kind, maybe useful. I would rather them have more useful ability
And flavor, is up to the player. Not the mechanics
More than half of the enemies a party fights are likely to be evil, depending on the campaign. You're right, though, it does limit the ability's power. I don't see this as inherently bad.
Mechanics are meant to facilitate role-play, and part of that is being able to give characters abilities that suit them as characters. The more specifically they suit them, the more flavorful the ability is. Sure, I could add all of the flavor myself. I could also build a game from the ground up. I don't have the time or skill to do it well, so I give Paizo money to do it for me.
I think smite is no less "filling" its its "smite anything" as the paladin is the one doing the judging. Smite "good/evil" sounds cool, but like "turn undead" its only kind, maybe useful. I would rather them have more useful ability
And flavor, is up to the player. Not the mechanics
More than half of the enemies a party fights are likely to be evil, depending on the campaign. You're right, though, it does limit the ability's power. I don't see this as inherently bad.
Mechanics are meant to facilitate role-play, and part of that is being able to give characters abilities that suit them as characters. The more specifically they suit them, the more flavorful the ability is. Sure, I could add all of the flavor myself. I could also build a game from the ground up. I don't have the time or skill to do it well, so I give Paizo money to do it for me.
Just "Smite" works on everything. No need to guess or second guess, its limited ability you can only use a few times. Its already got a limit, dding another is pointless IMO. The BBEG is LN and wants to kill children and burn the city for this master plan, and you can't smite HIm? Really?
Here you re this big champion of the gods or good or Larry the Almighty and you can't use core ability to stop evil because its LN plan? Clearly you are not a champion of anything, your god does not trust you with power.
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I think smite is no less "filling" its its "smite anything" as the paladin is the one doing the judging. Smite "good/evil" sounds cool, but like "turn undead" its only kind, maybe useful. I would rather them have more useful ability
And flavor, is up to the player. Not the mechanics
More than half of the enemies a party fights are likely to be evil, depending on the campaign. You're right, though, it does limit the ability's power. I don't see this as inherently bad.
Mechanics are meant to facilitate role-play, and part of that is being able to give characters abilities that suit them as characters. The more specifically they suit them, the more flavorful the ability is. Sure, I could add all of the flavor myself. I could also build a game from the ground up. I don't have the time or skill to do it well, so I give Paizo money to do it for me.
Just "Smite" works on everything. No need to guess or second guess, its limited ability you can only use a few times. Its already got a limit, dding another is pointless IMO. The BBEG is LN and wants to kill children and burn the city for this master plan, and you can't smite HIm? Really?
Here you re this big champion of the gods or good or Larry the Almighty and you can't use core ability to stop evil because its LN plan? Clearly you are not a champion of anything, your god does not trust you with power.
If someone wants to kill children and burn the city for their master plan, they are almost certainly not Lawful Neutral.
If someone wants to kill children and burn the city for their master plan, they are almost certainly not Lawful Neutral.
But they can be. Its just part of the plan, nothing personnel. Its just needs to be done. People can do vile things and not be evil, some my not even understand the very concept. Just as an evil person can do good things.
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But they can be. Its just part of the plan, nothing personnel. Its just needs to be done. People can do vile things and not be evil, some my not even understand the very concept. Just as an evil person can do good things.If someone wants to kill children and burn the city for their master plan, they are almost certainly not Lawful Neutral.
It's crazy unlikely though. In any case, I don't think removing the flavor from this ability is the answer. There should be some sense that it's for people the paladin is judging worthy of destruction, not just a self-buff to use when it's useful.
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It's crazy unlikely though. In any case, I don't think removing the flavor from this ability is the answer. There should be some sense that it's for people the paladin is judging worthy of destruction, not just a self-buff to use when it's useful.But they can be. Its just part of the plan, nothing personnel. Its just needs to be done. People can do vile things and not be evil, some my not even understand the very concept. Just as an evil person can do good things.If someone wants to kill children and burn the city for their master plan, they are almost certainly not Lawful Neutral.
I don't see it s removing flavor, its taking way weakness and making core ability more useful. What would be cool though is smite getting second powers based off the type of paladin you are or your code.
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I don't see it s removing flavor, its taking way weakness and making core ability more useful. What would be cool though is smite getting second powers based off the type of paladin you are or your code.It's crazy unlikely though. In any case, I don't think removing the flavor from this ability is the answer. There should be some sense that it's for people the paladin is judging worthy of destruction, not just a self-buff to use when it's useful.But they can be. Its just part of the plan, nothing personnel. Its just needs to be done. People can do vile things and not be evil, some my not even understand the very concept. Just as an evil person can do good things.If someone wants to kill children and burn the city for their master plan, they are almost certainly not Lawful Neutral.
That could be an alternate way of adding flavor to the ability.
But should a paladin really have just as easy a time calling down the wrath of Iomedae on a Dire Boar as they do on an arch-lich?
That could be an alternate way of adding flavor to the ability.But should a paladin really have just as easy a time calling down the wrath of Iomedae on a Dire Boar as they do on an arch-lich?
Why not her clergy do, all the time. She gave her paladin power to use in her name. Why should it be held back when she lets simple clerics have it unrestricted? Honestly, if someone is gonna abuse their power, that god is not gonna keep em around long.
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If a rabid dire wolf is about to eat some screaming children, I really don't think the paladin's god(dess) would stop their divine champion from Smiting said rabid dire wolf just because it's technically not "evil." Just call the ability Smite and be done with it.
If it's worth attacking with deadly force, it's worth smiting.
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If it's worth attacking with deadly force, it's worth smiting.
Yeah, but some enemies are special. There's the arch-lich, who has vexed the PC for years, perhaps even generations, who has rained devastation on the land, enacted genocide on a world too young to know the word... and then there's the wood golem guarding his lair. It's sort of lame to have that guy be the target of the same level of divine wrath.
On the other hand, when I think about the idea of paladins having to choose who to smite judiciously, without always knowing who deserves wrath and who does not, the idea of it grows on me. But then there's that golem, and I get the sense that people will be more inclined to use it in the optimal cases rather than on the most deserving foes (though admittedly BBEGs are likely to be bosses, who one tends to save their smites for.)