Breaking Down the Priest Group Part 1
After a hiatus, the One D&D Unearthed Arcana is back. This time we are looking at the Priest group, which comprises the Paladin and the Druid. Along with this are some minor changes, both to the UA process itself and how they format the document. As before, I will dive into what this UA brings to the table, and giving my thoughts on each of the changes. Like last time, I am breaking up the review into multiple pieces, although this time it is to focus on each class a bit more closely. This week I will start with the Paladin.
Part 1
Paladin has been an iconic class since the beginning of the game, and that stays true now. The stereotypical lawful good character who adheres to the rules, and uses their oath to smite down those that deserve justice. In the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons, I see the Paladin as a front-line fighter. Their builds favor heavy armor and weapons, giving them the ability to dish out damage and take it in return. These abilities are further augmented by their arcane abilities granted by their oaths.
Core Class
In this most recent UA, they make some minor changes to the class. I was curious to see if the Paladin would remain in its role, or if this would cause any vast changes. As before, I will go down the class in increasing level, followed by the subclass. I will give minor thoughts after every feature and give my ultimate opinion at the very end of the class.
Level 1: Spellcasting
The developers moved the Paladin’s spell-casting ability to the first level and granted them the ability to pick up cantrips. Previously, the class would have to wait until second level, and would never get access to cantrips. The cantrips they get access to are Spare the Dying, Guidance, Resistance, Sacred Flame, and Thaumaturgy. The total spell slots do not change for the Paladin, just that they get access earlier on.
I like this change, especially since Paladins now get access to cantrips. None of their options feel like they will drastically change how they play. Guidance and Resistance, if they follow the new format and take a reaction, will make sure any Paladin player feels like they can fully use their turn. Spare the Dying aligns with my theory that One D&D is trying to make sure all classes have multiple ways to revive allies. Even Sacred Flame gives a melee-focused fighter the ability to do some damage at range, and magical radiant damage at that. I do not know if these will get a lot of use past the first tier of gameplay, but I like them.
Level 2: Divine Smite
Divine Smite is where we first see big changes for the class. The big addition here is that Paladins can now smite with unarmed strikes and ranged weapon attacks when previously it only worked on melee weapons. Now you can have a Paladin who wields holy fists, or strikes enemies down with a faith-infused longbow. Jeremy Crawford stated in the Paladin discussion video that this has been something that the game developers have seen requested for a while, and they are happy to add it onto the character.
The Smite action itself has had some large changes as well. Notably, players can only do one Divine Smite per round, and cannot at all if they cast a turn that round. Divine Smite is effectively a first-level Paladin spell now and has the same limitations as casting magic. According to the video, this was to reduce the amount of times a paladin can “go nova” and eliminate an enemy in one turn.
These changes feel like they fall in line with the overall theme of de-powering classes for the new system, and making it so damage output is a little more regular. Reducing down the Divine Smite count means that it will be steadier damage instead of a tremendous burst. I have not seen that to be a huge issue, since it drains the paladin entirely, but I can see how it can come up. Especially in undead centric encounters, a paladin could easily negate an entire fight with a few well placed smites. This also makes Paladin a candidate for combos that originally were reserved for the Rogue, such as using the Battlemaster’s Commander’s Strike to get another chance to smite.
I do like the overall increase in versatility of how a paladin fights. Previously, these characters had little options in where they stood on the battlefield. If a Paladin wanted to smite, they would take the role of heavy front-line fighter. Now I could easily see a Monk/Paladin build being workable, or an Archer/Paladin that works at range. I think this will allow more people to try out different combinations. It may even make sense to dip two levels of Paladin to grab that ability to turn spell slots into damage.
Level 3: Channel Divinity
In level 3, we see the Channel Divinity ability. Paladins get several uses per rest equal to their proficiency bonus, starting at two. The first option we see for Channel Divinity is the Divine Sense ability. This allows characters to detect fey, fiends, or undead within 60 feet for 10 minutes. This is a big change from the previous version, which used to be available at the 1st level, number of casts was based on the Charisma stat, and lasted a turn. So big changes overall.
I feel mixed with this change. Overall, I like they are trying to merge and keyword a lot in these rebuilds. Instead of having to track Divine Sense, you just incorporate it into your Channel Divinity uses. You get fewer uses, but Divine Sense has always been a very situational ability. I think having 10 minutes of the spell up is nice, although I feel like Dungeon’s & Dragons makes it difficult to track anything outside of combat, especially any action that is longer than a minute but shorter than a day. So overall I would say it is a net positive change for the class.
Level 5: Faithful Steed
At level 5, Paladins now get access to the Find Steed spell as a class feature. The spell is always prepared, and they get one free casting of it per Long Rest. Players can make subsequent castings with spell slots. The developers have also changed the spell a bit too, summoning a creature with the Otherworldly Steed stat block. When cast, the caster chooses Celestial, Fey, or Fiend. Based on their choice, the steed gets one of three bonus actions. They can teleport, frighten, or heal once per long rest.
I absolutely love this addition to the Paladin core class. Find Steed has always felt like something core to the class. Whenever I played a paladin, or built a paladin character, I would also try to come up with the details on their mount and how it would interact with the paladin. But the spell always felt like a bit of a tax to have at the ready, and to cast. Getting a single use a day for free feels right.
This also shows the stat block change we have seen since Tasha’s, and that has been coming back in the new play-test. Instead of having a player have to pick from the Monster Manual, or a list of creatures from all the books, the stat block is right with the spell itself. It is leaner than most of the monster stat blocks, but I think this allows for players to rely on flavor a bit more, and is eased by the choices given (something that will come up in part 2 of this review when I go over the Druid). I think for most summons and spells, having a simple stat block with limited choices works best.
Level 7: Aura of Protection
At 7th level, we see the Aura of Protection feature. Originally given at 6th level, this feature gives protection to any allies within 10 feet of the Paladin, granting them a bonus to saving throws equal to the Paladin’s Charisma Modifier. The radius used to be 10 feet, that would increase to 30 at Level 18, so this is a reduction to the power of the ability. Otherwise, the ability remains the same.
The changes here do not seem to overwhelm in any way. One thing that was noted on the video was that the new plan for auras is to have any changes to them happen in the subclass, not the core class. I think that is a good idea, and a solid way to make it easy to differentiate the subclasses moving forwards.
Level 9: Abjure Foes
At this level, we see a new ability for the core class, Abjure Foes. This ability affects several creatures equal to the Paladin’s Charisma Modifier within 60 feet. Creatures must make a Wisdom saving throw. Failure makes them gain the Dazed and Frightened conditions for a minute, while success just makes them Dazed them for a minute or the creature takes any damage.
This new ability feels decidedly potent. I like the Paladin gets a powerful defensive feature, one that could easily protect both the Paladin and any of their allies. This is also an agreeable change up in the format of abilities. Creatures affected will always be Dazed, but have the chance to be Frightened as well. I like that, and feeling like this makes the ability appropriately potent. The only thing I wonder, however, is how this would interact with Legendary Resistances for some sort of Boss Monster. I would almost want that to negate the effect entirely, otherwise a Paladin will have a way to lock down even the strongest of foes.
Level 11: Radiant Strike
At this level, we see the Radiant Strike feature, which replaces the Improved Divine Smite Feature. Looking at this, the only big change was to bring it in line with the Divine Smite changes, opening it up from Melee Weapons to Simple or Martial Weapons, meaning that Paladins get the damage boost to any sort of weapon attacks. This does not allow for unarmed strikes to get extra damage, however.
Slight change to this, and it makes sense. I would love to see a bonus for Unarmed Strikes, but that could get overpowered really fast if a character multi-classes into monk. But a good rewrite.
Level 13: Aura of Courage
This feature replaces the level 10 feature from the original class and provides immunity to being Frightened. They changed the wording of this new version, however. Where the old wording implied that this removed the Frightened condition upon entering the Aura, this one merely suppresses the condition. So if a character who is frightened leaves the Aura, they feel its effects again.
I like the minor change in the wording here. It reduces ways you might game the ability. If there is a creature that can push out a Frightened effect, like a Dragon, affected party members would need to stay close to the Paladin to avoid any negative effects.This change feels like it does a lot.
Level 15: Restoring Touch
At level 15, we see another new (or partially new) feature for the Paladin that affects their Lay on Hands ability. Now paladins can spend 5 hit points to remove one or more of a list of conditions from a character. These conditions include Blinded, Charmed, Dazed, Deafened, Frightened, Paralyzed, and Stunned. This basically allows for a Lesser Restoration that they might do 15 times.
This replaces Cleansing Touch, an ability originally at 14th level which ended a spell. It could be used several times, equal to the Paladin’s Charisma modifier.
At this point in character progression, I like the idea of giving a Paladin some more restorative abilities. This effectively gives them Lesser Restoration available, and can slowly chip away at their Lay on Hands pool. It also gives the Paladin more actions to interact with other party members, which I like. The ability it replaces, Cleansing Touch, felt a bit too vague and overpowered. Even at 15th level, ending a spell effect with no sort of contested check or anything felt a bit overpowered.
Level 18: Divine Conduit
At level 18, Paladins get the ability to regain a use of Channel Divinity whenever Initiative is rolled. Paladins will have 4 uses per rest at this point in their level, so this effectively pushes that to 5 per rest. This replaces the feature that increased all Paladin auras to 30 feet.
Short and simple, and I like that. In every combat, you will have at least one use of your inherent Paladin powers. It feels in line with a high tier character, representing them always having that magic on hand.
Level 20: Epic Boons
At level 20 we finish with the Epic Boons, like all the classes will now. We also have some adjustments to the specific Epic Boon feats as well. They increased the power, but the effects still feel random to me. I am not even sure what I want out of an Epic Boon Feat. They have thrown a few options here, but they just feel too interchangeable to match what I would want in a level 20 feature.
Overall Thoughts
These changes feel like a win for the Paladin class. We see a reduction in potential damage output by limiting smites per turn, but get an increase in abilities that can help the party. The class still feels strong, and like it will defensively support a party nicely. I also like that Divine Smite works with just about every type of weapon now, as well as unarmed strikes. I feel like Paladins would struggle to maintain their damage output against aerial enemies, but now they at least have the option to keep that up. It will also open up the possibility for more types of builds being viable as well, which I like.
Subclass: Oath of Devotion
Now that we have looked at the core class, we can move onto the subclasses. We get the Oath of Devotion, which is a pretty iconic subclass. This encompasses your stereotypical knight in shining armor, and felt perfect to focus on today.
Breaking an Oath
Prior to the actual subclass, the play test material talks about how to handle a Paladin breaking their oaths. The section covers what a Paladin who is repentant can do to regain their abilities, such as seeking absolution from a priest or prove their faith through some act. It also talks about when oaths are broken and the Paladin shows no regret about the decision. Here, it suggests having the character take a more appropriate subclass or even abandoning the Paladin class entirely.
Notably absent here is the Oathbreaker subclass that has a lot of popularity in 5E. I do not know if someone did not intentionally mention this, or is being left out entirely. I know Oathbreaker was an interesting subclass option in 5E, but it was more tuned for NPCs than PCs.
Level 3: Oath Spells and Sacred Weapon
Starting off with the Oath Spells, we get a new list for this version of the Oath of Devotion. There are some changes in this list that read:
3rd: Shield of Faith replaces Sanctuary
5th: Lesser Restoration replaced by Aid
9th: Beacon of Hope and Dispel Magic replaced by Aura of Vitality and Blinding Smite
13th: Staggering Smite replaces Freedom of Movement
17th remains the same
Paladins also get to cast one of these spells without a spell slot once per long rest.
The changes made to spell-casting here feel like they try to do two things. First, it looks to focus these spells more to the core of the class. Dispel Magic being swapped for Blinding Smite feels thematically appropriate. The other change feels like it upgrades the spell choice. Sanctuary is useful for defensive situations, but limits what a character can do. Shield of Faith, on the other hand, is a very straight-forward benefit.
Sacred Weapon
We also get the Sacred Weapon Channel Divinity option, which gives you an offensive boost. As a Bonus Action, the Paladin gets a bonus to attack rolls equal to their Charisma modifier. That damage can either be the normal damage type or radiant. The weapon also emits 20 feet of bright light, and an additional 20 feet of dim light beyond that.
This has a few changes from the current version. First, Sacred Weapon takes a Bonus Action instead of an Action to activate. This means that a Paladin can use it and attack the same turn, saving them a bit of time. The weapon now also specifies Simple or Martial instead of being any weapon. The current version also makes the weapon magical for overcoming damage resistances, while the new version just relies on switching the damage to do that instead.
I have mixed thoughts on this ability as it would interact in the current game. Having it happen on a Bonus Action reduces the amount of dead turns a Paladin might have when entering combat, and can keep battles moving a bit more quickly. I am not sure that I like you can switch the entire weapon’s damage to Radiant. Radiant damage has always been powerful in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, and can decimate encounters that are undead centric (cough cough Curse of Strahd). I would rather see bonus radiant damage on the attack, but that is my only dislike.
Level 6: Smite of Protection
At level 6 we see an added effect for the Paladin Divine Smite feature. This gives a nearby ally or yourself 1d8 Temporary HP per Spell Slot level used for the smite. So now Oath of Devotion Paladins can grant a small amount of defense while they attack.
How Wizards of the Coast is structuring the Paladin class feels perfect to me. You have the core class, with its basic features. It maintains that core design of the Paladin, but does not get too specific. The Subclasses, in this case the Oaths, are what bring the flavor. If classes go this route, I think we will have a solid system to build on in the future.
Level 10: Aura of Devotion
At level 10, we have the Aura of Devotion upgrade for the Paladin, originally at 7th level. This stays pretty close to the original Aura of Devotion, just making similar changes that the core class did, specifically that it suppresses Charm Effects, but does not cancel them out.
I like this and think this ability is powerful. I do not mind moving it up to 10th level, since Charm Immunity can change a lot of interactions. This also is one of the two core ability upgrades that we see from the subclass, and I like that.
Level 14: Holy Nimbus
The last feature at level 14 is the Holy Nimbus ability, originally the 20th level ability of the core class. This ability lasts for one minute and supercharges the Paladin aura. Enemies take Radiant damage equal to Proficiency plus Charisma modifier, and it fills the aura with sunlight.
The original ability did a flat 10 Radiant damage. Now it looks like it will scale. If we assume a Paladin has a modifier of 3 in Charisma, that means they would start with 8 damage and end with 9 damage. It might go higher as well. The original ability also gave advantage on Saving Throws against spells from fiends or undead.
This ability has an overall strength reduction from its original form, but that makes sense considering it no longer caps the Paladin class and instead gets gained at 14th level. It feels very defensive and protection based, and feels right at home with the Oath of Devotion.
Overall Thoughts
It feels like they are focusing the Oath of Devotion on the defensive side of the Paladin, which I like. We get a ton of flavor from the subclass, which feels right to me. Hopefully, in the future it stays this way. I am curious to see some of the other oaths, such as the Oath of Vengeance, to see how they handle it.
Miscellaneous Items
There were some changes to how the play test material will be laid out in this one in the Change Log. Many people, myself included, have been asking for this to reference any of the smaller changes made in this guide, and it looks like this will do the trick. This one includes new, revised, and removed glossy entries. Looking at the new entries, we have the following.
Dying as a Condition
Dying is now a condition separate of Unconscious. It triggers some other conditions and effects. Dying characters are Unconscious and at 0 hit points. The Death Saving Throw mechanic stays the same, unless getting three successes. At this point, now a character regains one hit point, stays Unconscious, and starts a Short Rest. Once a character regains any more hit points or received a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check, the effect ends.
Seems short and simple, and a cleanup. The biggest change here is that once you are alive, you gain 1 hit point, but remain Unconscious. Defaulting to a Short Rest is a delightful addition, and can clarify what happens in situations where a PC stabilizes but cannot be healed.
Rules for Knocking Out a Creature
Knocking out a creature can only be done with a Melee Attack. The rules here share some of the wording of the Dying condition, specifically skipping the Death Saving Throws and putting the creature at 1 HP, Unconscious, and starting a Short Rest.
The only addition I would want is a definite point where a player should show that they want to knock out an enemy instead of dealing a killing blow. I like the idea of a player needing to specify before the roll, or even if bringing a creature to 0 with a Melee attack triggers the choice, almost like a pseudo-reaction. Just if we have a definite place in the order of operations in combat, it would do well to clean up the system.
Short Rests
Previously we had rules for a Long Rest, and now we have Short Rests. This looks pretty straightforward, with some fresh changes included. You need to have 1 Hit Point to gain any benefits of a Short Rest, which makes sure that dead players do not think they can come back after a brief nap. The Hit Dice spending and special feature recharge remains. We see some defined interruptions which will negate a short rest, such as Rolling Initiative, Casting a Spell, or Taking Any Damage. I found it interesting that they specified the triggers this way instead of saying combat, but I am sure they have a reason for this. Short Rests that are interrupted give no benefit and need to be restarted. Straightforward, and in line with the wording we see on the Long Rest.
Telepathy
We have some definitions for Telepathy now, specifying what is required to receive and comprehend telepathic speech. The contacted creature needs to:
Understand at least one language or be telepathic
Be within range of the Telepathy
Not be affected by the Incapacitated Condition
Creatures without Telepathy can only receive messages, not start a conversation of their own. They can respond to a telepathic message. This seems straightforward, and I have no complaints.
Unconscious as a Condition
Now being Unconscious as a Condition comes with some specific definitions. Unconscious grants the Incapacitated condition, puts a creature prone, and drops whatever they are holding. Their speed becomes 0, Attack rolls have advantage against them, and they fail all Strength and Dexterity based Saving throws. You also cannot perceive your surroundings.
I like we are slowly but surely getting more conditions added as keywords to be built off. At some point soon I want to look at what we have given all the play tests, and see how they add together.
Conclusion
This marks the halfway point through giving my thoughts on the newest play test material. I think the Paladin changes were a success. They took a powerful class and focused its theme down. Per the overall themes for One Dungeons & Dragons, we see the class’s power reduced slightly overall and made a bit more regular by reducing the amount of times a Paladin can use their Divine Smite in a turn. In return, we see a bit more utility and abilities to help the party. Paladins can now summon a mount at will and at higher levels they can turn their Lay on Hands into Lesser Restoration. It feels like the Oath of Devotion Subclass needed to be cleaned up, and they did just that. The developers refined the spell choices to be better and more on theme. The abilities also give a more defensive angle. Overall, the play test has looked good so far. Next week we dive into the Druid, and look at the changes in there.
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