Wrathful Smite in particular can be useful when going up against big brutes with bad wisdom saves (think ogres or hill giants), and Thunderous Smite is worth preparing if one or more of your party members likes to cast spells with ongoing area effects like Web, Wall of Fire, or Black Tentacles.īut 'situational' really is the best word to use, and several of the smite spells don't even clear that low bar. That said, some of the secondary effects of some of the smite spells are, situationally, useful enough to justify them. Divine smite does more damage, usually of a better damage type, without burning a bonus action or concentration, without allowing any saving throw, and is used after you already know you hit. Most smite spells are, most of the time, worse than divine smite. You need to maintain concentration after the hit lands if the smite has any ongoing effects. You need to concentrate before the hit lands, which ends concentration on other spells even if the smite has no ongoing effect. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional. Whenever a target makes an attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw. I know the damage happens but the effects wont happen if the enemy makes their save, so the examples assume they don’t. You bless up to three creatures of your choice within range. Wrathful smite: 1d6 psychic damage on the hit & maintain concentration to maintain the frightened status Thunderous smite: 2d6 thunder damage on the hit and they are thrown back and fall prone, then spell ends, no concentration needed. Searing smite: 1d6 fire damage on the hit & maintain concentration so they continue to take (the same? Or the 1d6 rolled every turn?) fire damage due to being on fire I spend the slot to cast a smite as a bonus action then attack with my action. I miss, so I must maintain concentration on the spell to allow my next turn to have the possibility of the smite damage/effect. Further, when you look at spell save DCs, monster save DCs, or ACs, this seems like an extremely powerful spell effect, perhaps more so than most 1st level spells. I have over the last couple of sessions started using my smites due to the enemies getting stronger and am wondering if I am understanding the concentration correct. The reason we were concerned about the wording is that it makes Bless, a 1st Level spell. That thread got me thinking about the paladin I play, I have just turned level 4, but due to the small amount of spell slots available to me, I have been reluctant to use them just in case I need them for a later fight. I was reading another thread about someone asking if they could maintain a concentration spell and cast another concentration spell that does instant damage, which I already knew they couldn’t, and the thread confirmed this.

Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Dnd beyond bless