Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per paladin level. If the paladin accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.
Upon reaching 5th level, a paladin gains the service of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade against evil. This mount is usually a heavy warhorse (for a Medium paladin) or a warpony (for a Small paladin).
The Smite Evil
While she may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, a paladin will never knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.
Through a select, worthy few shines the power of the divine. Called paladins, these noble souls dedicate their swords and lives to the battle against evil. Knights, crusaders, and law-bringers, paladins seek not just to spread divine justice but to embody the teachings of the virtuous deities they serve. In pursuit of their lofty goals, they adhere to ironclad laws of morality and discipline. As reward for their righteousness, these holy champions are blessed with boons to aid them in their quests: powers to banish evil, heal the innocent, and inspire the faithful. Although their convictions might lead them into conflict with the very souls they would save, paladins weather endless challenges of faith and dark temptations, risking their lives to do right and fighting to bring about a brighter future.
Role: Paladins serve as beacons for their allies within the chaos of battle. While deadly opponents of evil, they can also empower goodly souls to aid in their crusades. Their magic and martial skills also make them well suited to defending others and blessing the fallen with the strength to continue fighting.
At will, a paladin can use detect evil, as the spell. A paladin can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is evil, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds. While focusing on one individual or object, the paladin does not detect evil in any other object or individual within range.
Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.
In addition, while smite evil is in effect, the paladin gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the paladin targets a creature that is not evil, the smite is wasted with no effect.
The smite evil effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the paladin rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the paladin may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: Paladin, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.
Angelic Bond: As a standard action, the paladin can call forth an angel spirit that bonds to her, causing her to manifest a resplendent halo. This bond allows the paladin to shine light as per continual flame for 1 minute per paladin level. Additionally, while the halo shines, all allies within 20 feet gain the benefits of protection from evil, except the deflection and resistance bonuses are +3. For every 3 levels she has beyond 5th, the deflection bonus and resistance bonus provided by this effect increases by 1, up to a maximum of +8 at 20th level. The paladin can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every 4 levels beyond 5th, up to a total of four times per day at 17th level.
At 17th level, a paladin gains DR 5/evil and immunity to compulsion spells and spell-like abilities. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects.
At 20th level, a paladin becomes a conduit for the power of her god. Her DR increases to 10/evil. Whenever she uses smite evil and successfully strikes an evil outsider, the outsider is also subject to a banishment, using her paladin level as the caster level (her weapon and holy symbol automatically count as objects that the subject hates). After the banishment effect and the damage from the attack is resolved, the smite immediately ends. In addition, whenever she channels positive energy or uses lay on hands to heal a creature, she heals the maximum possible amount.
Associates: While she may adventure with good or neutral allies, a paladin avoids working with evil characters or with anyone who consistently offends her moral code. Under exceptional circumstances, a paladin can ally with evil associates, but only to defeat what she believes to be a greater evil. A paladin should seek an atonement spell periodically during such an unusual alliance, and should end the alliance immediately should she feel it is doing more harm than good. A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.
A character can take more than one archetype and garner additional alternate class features, but none of the alternate class features can replace or alter the same class feature from the core class as another alternate class feature. For example, a paladin could not be both a hospitaler and an undead scourge since they both modify the smite evil class feature and both replace the aura of justice class feature. A paladin could, however, be both an undead scourge and a warrior of the holy light, since none of their new class features replace the same core class feature.
Holy warriors and defenders of the faith, paladins know that the only thing more abhorrent than an evil creature is a fundamentally good creature too timid to strive against the forces of darkness. Paladins are divine champions, gladly giving their lives in the service of light and justice, asking only that they may protect the innocent and cleanse the world to the best of their ability. Theirs is a hard path, requiring great sacrifice and ultimate devotion to a moral code, yet with her last breath a paladin can take comfort in a life of absolute righteousness.
I went back to my book (2nd printing) and read the smite evil section it begins by using the label "target" but later uses the label "creatures". The rules also state that smite lasts until the target is dead. This leads me to think that objects are not suitable targets for smite evil.
Has there been an errata that allows paladins to use smite evil against objects and bypass hardness, similar to creatures and bypassing DR? Smite says evil "creatures" and it says it overcomes "DR". DR is not hardness and objects are not creatures. An object that is evil with hardness 2000000 can not have that hardness overcome by a +5 aligned weapon, smite, holy weapons, or anything that specifically calls out DR. Your player is wrong. AUC.register('auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay'); AjaxBusy.register('masked', 'busy', 'auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay', null, null) Claxon Feb 9, 2014, 05:13 pm Smite Evil wrote: Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.
The smite evil effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the paladin rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the paladin may smite evil one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: Paladin, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.So, based on the description it appears that an object could be a valid target. But, the object would need to be an evil object to be affected at all. If the object is evil (unlikely) the paladin could get the damage bonus against it and would bypass any DR it has, of course objects don't normally have DR they have hardness instead. Which Smite doesn't bypass.Of course, a sensible person is aware that Smite Evil is intended to apply to creatures only.
That reminds me, when I attack an object with my +1 Holy Adamantine Stinging Whip I keep asking the GM if it is evil, thus giving me the +2d6 Holy damage to it. For some strange reason, the object never seem to be evil. (But I still bypass it's hardness due to the Adamantine.) 2ff7e9595c
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