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Discussion Prompt: This week I’m taking a look at the 5.5e Paladin class.

The Paladin is generally a solid melee character who can channel divine magic through their devotion to a sacred oath. Though typically thought of as a ‘holy warrior,’ a particular deity is not required, as it’s the Paladin’s strength of will and belief in their own oath that is the source of their magic.

Paladins gain access to both Spellcasting and Weapon Mastery at 1st level. Their spell list draws heavily on the Cleric list, but also includes a handful of Paladin-exclusive spells like Divine Smite, Searing Smite, Wrathful Smite, etc. Yes, you read that correctly–Divine Smite is now an actual spell, rather than just a class feature that happens to use spell slots. This does lead into one of the more controversial changes made in the entire new PHB–the Divine Smite spell requires you to use your bonus action to cast, which means that you can now only use Divine Smite once on each of your turns, and you can’t use it for an attack of opportunity or other reaction-based attack.

But its not all bad news for the Paladin. Most of the Smite spells, and a handful of other Paladin spells (such as Divine Favor) have lost their concentration requirements. Lay on Hands, which also comes on line at 1st level is now a bonus action to use instead of a whole action, so you can heal an ally and still make your attack on the same turn. At level 2, you’ll get Divine Smite automatically prepared every day, and you can cast it without using a spell slot once a day. At 5th level you also get Find Steed automatically prepared and the ability to cast it once per day for free.

The Paladin also still gets their Aura of Protection at level 6, allowing you and nearby allies to add your CHA modifier to all saving throws. And they can use Channel Divinity to sense the presence of Celestials, Fiends, or Undead, and at higher levels to Abjure Foes, giving them the Frightened condition and severely limiting their actions. However, Paladin subclasses that used to provide two new Channel Divinity options mostly now only provide one (pretty much always the more powerful option has been retained).

Speaking of Paladin subclasses, the four Oaths printed in the new PHB include the Oath of Devotion (for the quintessential holy knight archetype), the Oath of Glory (which focuses on making you and your allies faster and heartier), Oath of the Ancients (for a more nature-based green knight); and the Oath of Vengeance (to focus on destroying your enemies above all else). Each Oath gives you a list of Oath Spells that are automatically prepared, an enhancement to your Aura of Protection of some kind, and a level 20 capstone ability that gives you multiple buffs and is only a bonus action to activate.

Share your thoughts about Paladins in any edition of D&D, or similar characters from other games, in the comments!

If you would like to suggest a prompt or contribute a write-up or discussion topic of your own, let me know in the comments!