D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook Reveal #3: "New Paladin"

"The paladin who, if they were in a movie, would ... have impossibly white teeth.”

"the paladin who, if they were in a movie, would ... have impossibly white teeth".


New Paladin preview: here are some notes, focusing on what's new and changes from the playtest materials. Last time we saw the Paladin was in Playtest 6 [=PT6 below].
See also this comparison at D&D Beyond (by someone who saw the video before it was streamed!)

OVERVIEW
  • spellcasting starts at level 1, specifically called out as an advantage for multiclassing. (Same for Rangers).
  • Lay on Hands and Weapon mastery at 1
  • Paladin's smite at 2, along with fighting style.
  • NEW: Paladin fighting style restriction is removed (all are available). You may forego fighting style to learn cantrips. [The option to get cantrips was given in Tasha's. They're letting us have it, but it's not called a "fighting style". I suspect this ties to the decision that fighting styles are feats now, and this would be weaker than magic initiate (which also gives a level 1 spell).]
  • Paladin's smite gives you the spell Divine smite, with one free casting.
  • channel divinity [CD]: uses increase: start with 2, plus 1 on a short rest.
  • divine sense in CD option (as in PT6). duration lasts 10 minutes.
  • Find steed spell at level 5, cast 1/day with no slot. Redesigned so that spell can be upcast, with a unique steed statblock. [This strongly implies that it's a class-specific spell, not on others' lists. Awesome. (Will a Lore Bard be able to select it? I hope so, and the discussion of spell lists (see below) makes me think they might, since identifying class-specific spells is harder.)]
  • Abjure Foes a CD option (given at 9 in PT6)
  • Auras are single things, with a single radius, that gain abilities/functionality (not separate auras as in 2014).
SUBCLASSES

Oath of Devotion.
  • NEW: Sacred Weapon is part of the attack action. (PT required a Bonus action).
  • Smite of Protection (level 15 in PT6)
  • Holy Nimbus (level 20) is a bonus action (as in PT6).
Oath of Glory ("...this for me is the paladin who, if they were in a movie, would look at the camera, have impossibly white teeth, with a little sparkle on them as they smile")
  • Peerless athlete lasts an hour (as in PT6)
  • NEW: Aura of Alacrity affects allies if they enter your aura on their turn (they no longer need to start there)
  • Oath of Glory has a new spell at level 17: Yolan's Regal Presence. Created by the Queen of the Elves, and makes others kneel before you and take psychic damage. [It's said that others can cast this spell too -- if right, then it's a 5th level spell and Clerics (likely) will be getting this at level 9. Perhaps he misspoke, and it's a class-specific spell.]
Oath of the Ancients
  • Nature's wrath range "has been extended"
  • Aura of Warding as in PT6 (resistance to Necrotic, Psychic, and Radiant)
  • Undying Sentinel at 15 as in PT6 (you don't return with 1hp, but [?] 3x class level.
Oath of Vengeance
  • NEW: Vow of Enmity part of attack action (not Bonus action); can transfer (as in PT6)
  • NEW: Level 20 Avenging Angel activated as a Bonus Action, and lasts an hour (not 10 min as in PT6)

NEW RULES
  • new area of effect: it's been there since 2014, but hasn't been named. It's for AOE that emanate from a character or monster -- the Emanation.
  • new approach to spell lists. Spell list is part of the class description (as we saw with the Artificer). Entries give the school, whether it needs concentration, and required components. [I presume spell descriptions will still be at the back of the book: this is referring to the lists currently on PHB 207-11.]
  • oath spell lists, patron spell lists, etc. have all been vetted and updated throughout.
 

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Stalker0

Legend
Yes, against two specific creatures in the game, the paladin is nerfed.

Tune in next week when we discuss what happens when you fireball a red dragon.
Yeah this part I really don't mind, at the end of the day those kinds of encounters are supposed to highlight mundane martials and diminish casters (just as other encounters let casters shine and diminish mundane martials).

The paladin can kick butt in nova's, but the fighter is always going no matter the fight, and this is one example where the fighter steps forward and paladin takes a step back. Nothing wrong with that as long as its not all the time, and for a very select group of monsters like this, its perfectly fine.
 

Yeah this part I really don't mind, at the end of the day those kinds of encounters are supposed to highlight mundane martials and diminish casters (just as other encounters let casters shine and diminish mundane martials).

The paladin can kick butt in nova's, but the fighter is always going no matter the fight, and this is one example where the fighter steps forward and paladin takes a step back. Nothing wrong with that as long as its not all the time, and for a very select group of monsters like this, its perfectly fine.
And don't forget, the paladin has the ability to convert a smite usage in a spell slot of up to 5th level, which can be used to buff the entire party.
 

Marandahir

Crown-Forester (he/him)
Any ideas if Divine Health and Cleansing Touch are still gone or if they're unchanged because unmentioned?
Both were removed as of the most recent playtests, and are not mentioned here.
 


Marandahir

Crown-Forester (he/him)
All the "disease" stuff seems to be gone.

Lay on hands can cure poison from level 1. No longer a separate feature.
Cleansing Touch didn't actually do anything with poison – it ended spell effects on a target Cha Mod/Long Rest. It seems to be replaced with Restoring Touch (Use Lay on Hands HP Pool to end certain conditions on a target), but they didn't mention anything regarding it in the table.

I noticed that the Lay on Hands no longer cures Diseases, but they didn't say if Divine Health making you immune to diseases was gone…
 

WotC took all the complaints about how Eldritch Blast and Hunter's Mark should be class features, not spells, because them being spells makes them poachable for other classes, and said "nope. In fact, we're going in the opposite direction".

Also, now any full caster who gets this Divine Smite spell in any way is effectively better at smiting than Paladin.

And fun Paladin/Barbarian builds no longer work.

Yeah by this alone I'm not a fan of this, it feels like a huge nerf for the sake of buffing full casters.
There was no "going in the opposite direction". They stayed true to their original direction, and determined that the detour wasn't worth it.

I know that I and others provided feedback to lean into spells when they could, especially when an action or bonus action was necessary, and a spell slot was being spent. Heck, multiple races have inherent spells now. It's a magical fantasy world.

They listened to my feedback that they were on the right track, so I'm happy.

Also, it also looks like the Bard's Magical Secrets and Magical Discovery, as well as the Magic Initiate feat, can no longer snipe class spells outside of the bard, cleric, druid, or wizard spell lists. That is GREAT. Someone has to actually multiclass into a specialized class to get that class' spells. Sure, a multiclass Paladin1/Bard10 or Sorcerer10 can go into melee and use the level 1 Divine Smite spell (not the higher level smites) if they want to use their Bonus Actions on that. But they gotta take that 1-level hit to unlock what is effectively yet another Bonus Action option that contends with their other Bonus Actions.
 

Gorck

Prince of Dorkness
Cleansing Touch didn't actually do anything with poison – it ended spell effects on a target Cha Mod/Long Rest. It seems to be replaced with Restoring Touch (Use Lay on Hands HP Pool to end certain conditions on a target), but they didn't mention anything regarding it in the table.

I noticed that the Lay on Hands no longer cures Diseases, but they didn't say if Divine Health making you immune to diseases was gone…
I have a vague recollection that they said they were doing away with these Disease mechanics because diseases were virtually nonexistent in 5e. The only 2 diseases I can think of a vampirism and lycanthropy.
 

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