The New Vengeance Paladin: D&D Ep.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Check out Faerie: A Realm Wanderer's Guide here! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/the-dragons-vault/faerie-a-realm-wanderer-s-guide?ref=D4DD - SMALL ERRATA: Chef is a General Feat :). I think I was thinking Crafter? /shrug ALSO! I say that we get Compulsion and Freedom of Movement for free at 13, but those are the Oath of Glory spells - not sure how I screwed *that* up - Vengeance gets the (much better imo) Banishment and Dimension Door spells.

[@smiegto]

me: no sorry i cant back this time. theres a witch and some cool faerie shit. me: well you got me there.

[@burntcustard]

Chef would make more sense than any other feat to be an origin feat rather than a general feat, so it's an easy mistake to make!

[@ArturoSanabriaVasquez]

5.5!! 5.5!! 5.5!! 5.5!!

[@Lmwpitt]

Hola - Can anyone confirm whether GWM applies to Smites and HuntersMark....? Since they increase the attack's damage with extra dice. GWM's RAW implies the entire attack's damage dice treat any 1s & 2s as 3s... not just the weapon's dmg for the attack.

[@TreantmonksTemple]

My proposed name for this build: "Anyone got a spare bonus action?" - if ever there was a build you wished you had more than one bonus action!

[@theresnoracelikegnome]

Just multiclass with Thief…from Baldur’s Gate. 😜

[@okayhellohihowyadoin]

I love Colby but more than anything this just showed me how bonus-action clogged and unrealistic the set up for this is. I think Palis are fantastic even if they didn’t have smite at all, but there are just sooo many things especially the vengeance paladin wants to do with their bonus action already. I think it’s safe to say smiting is pretty much only something you should do on a crit or if it’ll kill (if your bonus action wouldn’t already do it otherwise AND if it’s a target you want dead immediately AND your allies turns won’t kill then after) which is pretty niche. I think nerfing the aura would’ve been the better route and making smite once per round with no BA cost.

[@NoNameBoi9987]

Still waiting for the Pally Valor Bard build you promised us in a throwaway comment like a month ago

[@lankarddkl8722]

@@okayhellohihowyadoin Lol it is exactly the change I have already decided to make. Lvl 4-5 can cast Smite Spell without bonus action (this way you have to multiclass a lot to get as good as paladin on smites), level 6-8 ANY smite spell without using bonus action, but Smite spell restricted for once per turn (but like sneak attack available on opportunity attacks). Aura of Protection bonus is fixed (since now all feats gives an ability increase it isn't broken) gives +3 at lvl 6, and becomes +4 at lvl 9 and +5 at lvl 12. I will gladly accept suggestion or critics.

[@tiradegrandmarshal]

@@okayhellohihowyadoin Is the action economy really any worse than before, though? Smiting now takes a bonus action, but activating Vow of Enmity no longer does. So that cancels out. And then the other stuff costs the same as always. At least now you can Vow + dual wield attacks on the same turn, or Vow + Divine Favor, or Vow + Hunter's Mark, which you couldn't do before.

[@LeonLJ]

Suggestion: Make a full build for each new class where you don't multiclass. So now you have an assassin rogue, pact of the blade warlock and now the vengance paladin. I think it would be great to see what Wotc has done to reward sticking with 1 class. Great video as always, Colby

[@odhinnfist]

100% agree with Colby on the smite changes. It would have been much more elegant and far less punitive to just add language like "A paladin can only smite once per round" or something similar. No need to cut out possibilities for bonus actions, multiclassed paladin/barbs or paladin/monks.

[@artilerath3]

No need to even have that language. Since it's a spell now, that restricts you to once a round by itself, would have been rather elegant. But instead we have this mess.

[@Klausbro]

I fully intend on advocating for this in my play group as a homebrew

[@odhinnfist]

@@artilerath3 I meant rather than having it as a spell. I don't like it being a spell at all.

[@RevocerGM]

Or, hot-take ... make it a reaction. Yes, it'll steal away opportunity attacks, etc - but I think it makes more sense the 'bonus action you spend on a hit'

[@goji253]

@@RevocerGM Yeah it at least feels more in line with how other spells work.

[@Pyromanemac]

I like that Monty came straight out and said that he talked Jeremy Crawford XD

[@DnDDeepDive]

I didn't want to out him or steal his thunder :)

[@nickm9102]

​​@@DnDDeepDivethe sad thing is that this means that Paladin is a Better Fighter at lvl 5 than the fighter is at 20 (or wherever they get the 4th attack now) unless they are also dual wielding light weapons with the feat Edit: I almost feel that it is a must for anyone that can get a fighting style even casters.

[@LuxTheSlav]

​@@nickm9102What are you talking about, a level 20 fighter with the TWF/DW setup gets 6 attacks per round, 11 (!!!) with Action Surge. Fighters are _fine._ As for casters, if they spend a few ASIs or delay their spell progression with a dip to get the necessary proficiencies and masteries, maybe. The only full casters that will realistically dual-wield will be Valor Bards and bladelocks, and both will need to get weapon mastery and fighting style from elsewhere. Just because dual-wielding is finally a viable build doesn't mean it's suddenly the new meta.

[@nickm9102]

@@LuxTheSlav If Fighter doesn't have that fighting style and feat they are being matched by a lvl 5 Paladin. You proved my point the GEM/SD build has been replaced by TWF/DW. BUT THEY FIXED THE GAME, they told us so. The only thing that is worse is if you can get a fighting style on a Druid then it is the same thing but with conjure elementals on top

[@nickm9102]

@@LuxTheSlav this also begs for high lvl play as Ranger3/Druid15 for 9th lvl slots, double Epic Boon Feats, the fighting style. You might not have a 9th lvl spell but you don't need it in the end.

[@apjapki]

Fellow Paladins we are now merely only very powerful.

[@StriderZessei]

Still top 2 damage of all subclasses across all classes.

[@AndrewThoesen]

Colby - it was some mysterious benefactor Monty - JEREMY SAID DUAL WIELD GOES HARD

[@Bacon_and_Busch]

Any Dex pally build has my undivided attention. Dual wielding Dex Pally? You're my hero!

[@Zoddlander]

I agree! slice and dice!

[@pheralanpathfinder4897]

In 5.0 paladin 2 Sword Bard 15 and Psi Warrior 3 was nice DPS when burning Simulacrum spell slots.

[@carlosmarroquin3019]

Wait that what MM said was the Rangers thing.. your telling me everyone else can... wow.. who new.. lmao

[@crazybattlegoose8872]

I'm using the help action to boost engagement. Thanks for another fun and powerful build!

[@ninnusridhar]

I completely agree with the sneak attack idea for smites. A class feature you can use once per turn, does so many d8s per spell slot, and you can sacrifice a number of d8s to add the searing effect or the banishing effect. It could've been so flavourful and special.

[@keeganmbg6999]

Same train of thought here. I’d even be ok with it sacrificing a die to have a rider effect like they did with SA and then just getting by flat damage boosts throughout the levels at much smaller intervals without their being a spell cost.

[@twinlamp]

It really feels like they made the changes to paladin before they figured out the (genius) changes to sneak attack and didn't want to re-open paladin and use the same framework.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

That would be fun, though for me I see no reason to limit it to once a turn, the ability to go really nova really adds to the flavour and impact - for just a moment the wrath of your god flows through you to big effect. And as Paladin get very few spell slots so being able to go nova burns them out really quickly - they can feel powerful, impactful, but never outshine everyone else as they are only able to bring that much punch in a tiny number of rounds a day. To deal with multi classing simply limit the size of the smite so it is related to Paladin levels - you can still smite with that 5th level slot you got for being mostly a pure caster, but being only a little bit paladin your smites are effectively capped at level 1 smite power...

[@ninnusridhar]

@@foldionepapyrus3441 that ends up feeling like you're punishing multiclassing. Remember that when multiclassing while you can't pick up higher level spells from other spellcasting classes you can upcast your usual spells like always. So best not to mess with the base logic for the old divine smite The disadvantage of not going more levels in paladin is not getting auras, the smite spells, etc. So let's not mess with my baby divine smite.

[@maxtionhero1169]

Why would they make a feature for one class and then just give it to another? Paladins are still cracked. Using your Bonus Action to do things is a choice. Just like it is for Rangers, Monks, etc.

[@IFailAtUsernames19]

"Hunter's Mark is a better spell than Haste." - Colby, 2024

[@StriderZessei]

Totally not taken out of context at all, btw! 😂

[@WTH13SERIOUSLY]

I personally think that the shift from burst to sustained will be good for my games anyway. I am a DM and burst is often very frustrating and more difficult for me to deal with or balance for. Thats just my take.

[@AwesomeWookiee]

I heard the Elden Ring intro music during the freakout. Ain't sneaking that past me. ...a duel wielding build... bathed in rays of Gold!

[@christophertherians2243]

2 straight classes in a row? Is this the true Colby or a doppelganger? Yove us the epic boon of true sight and we will find out.

[@James-kv3ll]

Can’t wait for a Rogue or Barbarian build. Your videos are so well made.

[@manandshark]

When you reach level 9, you can actually use Spirit Shroud for your concentration instead of Hunters Mark. It will give you a d8 instead of d6 extra damage, it uses your bonus action once and won't require it again after downing enemies, and it adds a slow effect on the hits as well. 😁

[@DnDDeepDive]

Ha ha - I totally forgot that SS was available to Pallies! It wouldn't be a huge bump at level 9, but at 17 when you could upcast to 2d8, it would likely overshadow haste by just a bit.

[@Tylerjstratton]

As a life long Paladin main my self I’m glad that “save your slots for smite” has been opened up! Great videos. Loved your stormlight one too.

[@christophertherians2243]

We know how.much you love monks and how much they buffed them, and bow you told Chris that in your opinion now sorcerer is the strongest class I completely agree that earlobe was the correct choice for the first 2024 video, but thought 2nd and 2rd would have been monk and sorcerer, when are you planning those? Always great to see you, thanks for all the fun you share with us!

[@DnDDeepDive]

So much to do! I'll probably start working on Monk next week, and might do a sorc after that?

[@dominicdwk]

You nailed it, completely agree. Reducing Nova raises the bar for players. They’ll need to work together more than in 5e.

[@WTH13SERIOUSLY]

Awesome build, Homelander! I personally want to see more builds like this that are more reliable and don't rely on kind of cheesy or unreliable things. Love the concept and the build. Super excited for the updates and all the builds to come.

[@ryanscanlon2151]

It's time for Divine Favor to shine! Divine Favor is gonna be a very commonly picked spell now and I for one am glad, it was so underappreciated before

[@tiradegrandmarshal]

It was underappreciated before because it wasn't that good before. Removing concentration from it was a very welcome change that makes it worth using now.

[@pheralanpathfinder4897]

Enlarge has similar benefits. My friend's monk loved the extra 1d4 on flurry of blows at level three.

[@ryanscanlon2151]

@@tiradegrandmarshal in a lot of combats with multiple enemies not having to pay your bonus action for move hunters mark makes a big difference. Concentration free is just icing on the cake

[@clarkside4493]

What a Paladin/Barbarian loses in smiting, he can sort of make up for in durability since Lay on Hands is not a spell and now a Bonus Action. Paladin/Monks will benefit most from _Divine Favor_ and the +1d8 Radiant damage on each hit feature. You can save smiting for when you're out of Points for Flurry of Blows.

[@ducky36F]

Smiting is more fun than laying on hands. Worst trade deal in the history of trade deals 😂 I’m a Paladin I’m here to smite evil. Let the clerics handle the healing :P

[@TarninTheGreat]

It was wonderful meeting you at Gencon! For anyone at home wondering: apparently Colby's Paladin Aura IRL has "All characters are under the effect of the Bless spell while in this emanation".

[@ValuelessPond22]

Glad to see you do a dual wielding paladin! I did a fun dual wielding sorcadin build for my last campaign, and was so crushed to hear the bonus action requirement for the new smite! Excited to hear you work your magic on this one!

[@JudeCranberry]

Finally at a point where I can Justify some monthly subscriptions, and I’m super glad to be a part of this community!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Hey thanks! Welcome!

[@seerozymandias7616]

I love that the first Paladin you have built for 2024 rules is dex-based. Such a cool character idea that was hard to pull off under 2014 rules.

[@Wightwind]

First time ever supporting a youtube channel by joining as a member, and its absolutely worth it. Only recently discovered the channel, and was sold when I saw how much of a Sanderson fan you are as well! Keep the epic content coming!

[@DnDDeepDive]

Cheers!

[@VoxRatio]

I love using your videos to get me in the D&D mindset while prepping. Every now and then I have to pause because I'll go off on a tangent due to your brilliance. lol.

[@gemmaanderson6881]

I like the idea of adding a couple of levels of rogue into this. As a swashbuckler you get to add your charisma to initiative. Which means you add charisma to saving throws and initiative and could put your expertise in face skills

[@robertpower8374]

Love the build. I also realised you can grab Hunter's Mark with Fey Touched, so you can do the dual wield stacking damage spells with other Paladin subclasses as well.

[@mossblomma]

Wood elf vengeance paladin: "they cut down MY tree! their blood will nourish the soil!"

[@ARSP33LS]

Taking this build for a spin in a couple weeks. First time playing essentially. This was perfect as I planned to be wood elf paladin. Dual wielding seems more thematic too

[@DrenosNDragons]

Love this. I was working on an Eladrin Paladin8/ Warlock12 with elven Accuracy that was a SAD Dual Wielder. You would use a club with Shileleagh in your main hand (pact of the tome or Magic Initaite Druid) and have a blade pact Scimitar in your off hand. Both attack with Charisma for 4 attacks per round. The only problem was at Warlock 12 Devouring blade only works with your pact weapon, so no SAD 5 attack build. You can also get 2 epic boons and a 22 charisma if you plan your levels right.

[@Notsogoodguitarguy]

Paladins are still definitely one of the best classes in 5e. They were never because of smite or anything like that. It's the Aura of Protection. It's always been the Aura of Protection. Saves are just so extremely important, and a paladin just makes it so, so much easier. Until they rework the aura to be less powerful, paladins are still gonna be strong and they'll have to work really hard to make them suck.

[@kaemonbonet4931]

No, stop this slander! We're all friends here but to be clear: Smite is really good and the goal of nerfing it was clear. Aura is also really good but as someone who has played paladins from older editions it just doesn't work without the aura. Both are necessary to the fantasy and good for the mechanics of game. 🎉🎉🎉

[@apollosungod6673]

Paladins were strong because of their defensive utilities *and* their front loaded offensive capabilities through class features as a pairing. One without the other makes the class feel disjointed.

[@ducky36F]

But smiting is the fun part. They nerfed the fun part.

[@Notsogoodguitarguy]

@@ducky36F true, true. But we were talking about what made them strong, not fun xD

[@oof6267]

9:48 you can't take a +1 charisma with the criminal background as it only allows score increases on dex, con, and int. A charlatan, entertainer, or wayfarer would allow that but you'll also get different origin feats. i just noticed this as i was trying to make this build on dndbeyond lol

[@BLynn]

The New Vengeance Paladin: D&D Ep. #179 Level 01 (see above) [paladin 1, background & race] Level 02 (see above) [paladin 2 & fighting-style] Level 03 (@18:44) [paladin 3 & subclass] Level 04 (@21:59) [paladin 4 & feat] Level 05 (@25:04) [paladin 5] Level 06 (@28:41) [paladin 6] Level 07 (see above) [paladin 7] Level 08 (@33:16) [paladin 8 & feat] Level 09 (@33:53) [paladin 9] Level 10 (see above) [paladin 10] Level 11 (@38:33) [paladin 11] {Colby says level 10, but the screen gets it right.} Level 12 (@39:17) [paladin 12 & feat] Level 13 (@41:06) [paladin 13] Level 14 (@44:41) [paladin 14] {14-17 in the description jumps into combat calculations} Level 15 (@45:14) [paladin 15] Level 16 (@46:26) [paladin 16 & feat] Level 17 (@48:26) [paladin 17]

[@SomeRandomDude161]

I love your videos. Even if I don't get to try out any of your builds at my table, since I'm the DM. Also your outtakes always crack me up.

[@justaguyperson]

I was surprised about how much I liked the new devotion paladin. I really want to try to play one! (And eldritch knight getting the bladesinger multi attack is very enticing)

[@Valaris312]

I've never been so early! All of the bots are still here! xD Love the builds Colby, can't wait to enjoy this one!

[@DnDDeepDive]

The bots are increasing in both size *and* aptitude. I'm getting nervous.

[@kel8923]

This is a bot comment if I ever heard one.

[@dogglesnake]

This was a fun listen! Excited to hear more ideas using the new system

[@flamefyr]

I think what I like most on the new rules for Pally is Smite is now what it should have always been: The Finisher. You always have it in your back pocket to finish off the boss or something that is giving your party trouble and it's no longer the answer to everything. Ita a fair change and one that doesn't make using smite outside of a crit unimpressive. I wait on baited breath for the Berzerker build, a build I hope has some burst to but can also just 'Do this all day' vibe. ❤❤❤

[@BunkinBranding]

Thank you Colby. I appreciate all the effort you go through to make awesome and entertaining videos. You are the bomb! Maple waffle fan club!

[@Bman6464]

Glad to see you still making builds brother! I dont know anyone that plays where im living, so im living vicariously through you 😂

[@wizzzjer]

That's hell of an opening! I'm hitting the like button and now proceeding to watch :D

[@sebastiendubois6876]

really like your voice. its soothing and i could listen to you all day. Great content!

[@Aidscapade71]

This is giving me so much hope for my dual handaxe build that I've wanted to make for so long!!

[@chillycharizard5985]

55:20 "Definitely gonna have a hard time singing with this cold." *Proceeds to sing absolutely beautifully*

[@Wanderingsage7]

'WOTC hates Paladin!' deadpans in Artificer.

[@Hatscatsandwaffles]

Always here for a dual wielding build! I am so excited to see your take on the new Valor Bard and Eldritch Knight

[@Qaos]

I feel like you'd enjoy making a build out of the new Archfey Warlock. All of those free Misty Steps, plus the invisibility at level 6, sounds like it would make for a very interesting build!

[@PiroMiru]

Here's a Fun idea: Take Tavern Brawler, use a shield as an improvised weapon and use it with a scimitar. Use dual wielding feat + style with a shield. Improv weps are only a 1d4 unless they take 2 hands, but this should work! It costs you using a 1d4 vs a 1d6, and you lose the vex mastery, but you gain a shields full AC in tradeoff! You do have to be strength though, unless you can figure a way around that! I think I remember a rule somewhere of small inprov weapons counting as a club? But maybe I am not remembering correctly. If it does though, that also grants you the Slow mastery, so that's neat.

[@DnDDeepDive]

Got this on the to do list!

[@andrewmcmillan229]

Let’s go! been refreshing all morning at work

[@joshuaclendenon]

Came for the build, stayed for the Deadpool & Wolverine talk. Hilarious movie! 2024 PHB seems to be shaping up pretty decently...

[@Zoddlander]

I like this build and there is also a back up in that the character can be go with ranged weapons if the enemy becomes air born because of the Dex focus! Nice build!

[@christophercox1630]

Was discussing this idea with a friend, glad to see we weren’t alone.

[@mirandathomas9004]

I'm soooooo excited to rebuild my vengeance pally 🤩 We'll see, but I think making smites less of an obvious use for spell slots might make combat more interesting.

[@tiradegrandmarshal]

I feel like the action economy improvements for Devotion and Vengeance went a long way toward making the smite changes a lot more tolerable than they would have been. I was extremely pissed about the Playtest 6 version of the Paladin, precisely because of the bonus-action congestion that appeared headed for, but the CDs for Devotion and Vengeance getting moved to no action cost for the final product really helped with that.

[@Rufio6814]

I made this build with the double bladed scimitar and revenant blade instead of dual wielder. With great weapon fighter style, you get 3s on the d4 instead of 1s or 2s, basically always getting a 6 or better on a d8. I was able to get Nick on it since it's a "scimitar." My Scimitar is a flame tongue as well, so 2d6 on each.

[@donaldcrankshaw1627]

I do think Searing Smite might be better than people give it credit for, at least if I understand the new version correctly. Since it scales both initial and repeated damage as you upcast it, and it does damage at the start of the target's turn before the target rolls their save, you essentially increase damage by 2d6 each spell level, meaning that it outpaces normal Divine Smite by level 2 (4d6 vs 3d8). And that's assuming the target makes their save.

[@tiradegrandmarshal]

Yeah, Searing Smite got a nice buff. It's better damage than Divine Smite except on crits or against fiends and undead.

[@bluesaysnope6289]

Can't wait to see what your new take on the bladesinger is gonna be

[@umpatte0]

Duel wielding paladin is neat. Ever consider a 2h strength ranger? Hunter subclass with horde breaker, halberd with cleave property, polearm mastery. At level 5 you can 5 times in a round (multi target) PLUS a possible opportunty attack from polearm master which can cleave too

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@umpatte0 got it on the to do list!

[@umpatte0]

@DnDDeepDive senpai noticed me!

[@umpatte0]

@DnDDeepDive bugbear with their extra reach goes well with the reach weapons. And it isnt a gloomstalker ranger assassin rogue!

[@iammattis1479]

SO glad that Colby’s talking points on smite were the same as mine. 100% agree! I’ve always been of the opinion that making it cost a bonus action was the big design misstep; everything else was fine in my opinion (well - except for the fact that I think Paladin’s Smite is kind of a lame name for the feature 😅). I’m glad I’m not the only one, because it definitely felt like I was for a while 😆

[@thesouthernfire2112]

I wasn't expecting to hear Gregory Alan Isakov at the end! Absolutely incredible songwriter!

[@heathmorris6100]

One thing i havent seen people mention is smite can now be counterspelled. Now the bbeg's tiny little wizard minion can just completely cancel out your paladin's main trick even when they already hit with their weapon

[@nodiggityindeed]

As a Nick, the nick mastery almost got me in trouble early in the playtest because my DM just thought I was giving myself a free attack and yelling out my name like an anime protagonist and now whenever anyone does it we say it just like that.

[@forcepike]

I played an elven accuracy vengeance paladin and it was really fun! Looking forward to dual wielding being more viable in the new rules, although I will miss the multiple smites per round. Great video!

[@zebesttfd]

We were discussing something with a friend of mine, and the more interesting part of the Dual Wielder feat is actually Quick Draw. The wording of it is kind of weird, saying that you can draw or stow two weapons, no specifics about whether you draw one and stow another, because otherwise that ability is just completely useless and something that most tables would've allowed anyways. BUT, if you can do that, that means that one or two of your attacks can be done with a d8 weapon instead of a light weapon. This is no significant increase as you said, but it's still something to consider.

[@AkselGAL]

In regards of "Find Steed", it easily replaces the "vanguard" for a party. It has one mile telepathic communication with the paladin. Lets say you use a "cow" as a horse, you can easily scout the area rather unsuspiciously. With a bit creativity, having a controlled, guided "steed" with a control range of one mile... from "caltrop layer", "guided-alchemist-fire-drone" to "inner-city-post-service"....

[@Wintermute909]

Whether its deliberate, or just serendipity, I'm loving the synergy of d4 & the DD analysing the new Paladin at the same time! Imo it makes both videos more interesting! (Which I didn't think possible......but now I'm wondering if Treantmonk could join and make it a trifecta of happiness?!)

[@novarren]

I've heard "5.24e" bandied about and it seems like a mouthful. I have also heard that with the release of the PHB, the version of the SRD is moving to "5.2", so I've taken to calling it 5.2e.

[@MatthewDragonHammer]

Give it time. In 6 months everything on D&D beyond will just be the 2024 version. In 6-12 months after that, 95% of players will just be calling the new stuff “5e” and the 2014 “old”.

[@James-kv3ll]

I was literally just trying to make a dagger wielding Dragon Sorcerer + Dex Paladin work.

[@WTH13SERIOUSLY]

This dual wielding thing is going to make bladesingers and stuff like that amazing. The multiclasses are going to be wild. So excited

[@Corvid_Games]

Should also mention at level 4 you could switch to studded leather to drop scale mail’s disadvantage on stealth checks.

[@mikecarson7769]

nice build! i was thinking similar DEX vengeance paladin wood elf, but with single-hand finesse weapon, light armour, shield, and defensive duelist

[@BinxyBrown]

This sounds great too, I think there is a shield bash feat, I don't remember if it used your bonus action but if it doesn't that lets you smite more often and also gain 2ac which is pretty good

[@TheAusar]

You had me at "dual wielding"

[@typoko]

It is good to take note that this build scales extremely well with magical weapons that increase damage by dice, such as flametongue.

[@c_l_a_d_d_i_x]

It’s just SO funny how Eldritch smite doesn’t require a bonus action, nor is it considered a spell so it can’t be counterspelled. And it already can only be used once per turn anyhow.

[@vincentvalashu]

Counter point, you can Divine smite more times than a Warlock?

[@c_l_a_d_d_i_x]

@@vincentvalashu yes but why would you need to? You shouldn’t expel a smite unless you crit. You aren’t critting so often that you’re burning through all of your spell slots. Plus at level 9, warlocks are doing 6d8 with their smites while at that point a paladin is only doing 4d8 with only 2 level 3 spell slots to boot. So who really is expelling “high” level smites more often? Certainly not the paladin.

[@Odisseia-hh2td]

Branding Smite 🔥🗡 now does its full scaling damage *at least* twice *without concentration*. Would the damage over time also scale with critical? 🤔

[@DnDDeepDive]

Seems unlikely, though I can see the first application scaling.

[@Odisseia-hh2td]

@@DnDDeepDive in any case, the full scaling means double spell slot damage guaranteed (triple on a crit) with the possibility of more damage on failed saves. That looks good imo.

[@GreaterGoodPrevails]

How are you using branding smite?

[@Yabbamann]

Unless I read it wrong, the dual-wielder feat says that the bonus action attack does NOT add your ability score modifier, unless it's negative. This significantly reduces the damage on those bonus action attacks since you're not getting the +3/4/5 extra damage from your Dex. This makes Hunter's Mark and Divine Smite more appealing to use, slightly. The wording on the dual-wielder feat also means that (I believe) you can use the Nick attack of the scimitar as the trigger for the Enhanced Dual Wielding feature. This means you can Shortsword (Vex), advantage on Scimitar attack (for free with Nick), Enhanced Dual Wielder Shortsword attack using bonus action (Vex), advantage second regular Shortsword attack (Vex until next turn). Therefore, there's an argument to be made that Vow of Enmity isn't really required since 2 attacks on your turn will already have advantage from the Vex property of Shortswords. If you do want to use Vow of Enmity, you could debatably choose your 2 weapon masteries to be Nick and Slow (from a Longbow). Also, since you're making 3 shortsword attacks, the benefit of the Magic Weapon feature or just a magic +1 weapon in general are intensified.

[@mistformsquirrel]

Oooh... Dual wield dex paladin is something I've occassionally tried to do since 3.0... *I will be taking notes on this one*

[@bjpaljug]

Thanks for this! As you point out, it's not just about the nova nerf, it's the stifling of build and gameplay diversity that's so disappointing (especially since the blade lock is right there with its third attack and Eldritch Smite). I think it's bad when you're often better off not using a core class ability.

[@charliebrooks1474]

You 100% would be a fan of Gregory Allan Isakov. If you haven't had a chance, definitely go see him live.

[@sinisterplank3113]

I think, if you cast hunters mark at round 1 and Divine Favor at round 2, rather than the other way around, you gain an additional 3 points damage average on the first round. Small, but counts.

[@deanstavru7138]

Great video as always!! my only objection with he new build videos is that in new books whatever is reprinted going forward (like species, backrounds, feats etc) will make the new builds void from that point on... Maybe just staying with only the new rules would be better for the survivability of the builds and their videos.. Plus it will cover the people not using both old and new rules, which I think will be the majority at the end..

[@tannermason4315]

The 49:49 will ferrel clip is perfect.

[@sinisterplank3113]

I had a thought, I think there's a good argument for choosing Magic Initiate (wizard) for this build, and picking up the blade ward cantrip for some extra spell slot free defense, and the shield spell. It's a solid pick for those wanting to shore up some of the lack of defense for a shield less Frontline. Pairing blade ward and divine strikes will certainly bump you up a notch in tier 1

[@Yoda.langüetiao]

This build look awesome

[@wizzzjer]

To whom it may concern: I took some time to calculate and compare flat damage from 4 light weapon attacks as Colby suggests here, common (?) dual wielding combo 2 versatile + 1 light attacks, and good old 2 heavy + 1 butt polearm master attacks. 4 attacks deals the highest damage, followed closely by polearm master, with the versatile+light combo being the last one. But the difference is VERY insignificant! By 10th - TENTH - round of combat cumulative damage of 4 light attacks will be only 3-4% higher than polearm master's damage. Don't stress too much about it, fellow pals. Go ahead, use your favorite weapon and be the frontliner beast you deserve and love to be!

[@taurvanath]

Paladin smites are spells now. Spells can be written down on scrolls. Paladin covered in 10+ scrolls wrapped around their armor, smiting every round without giving a damn.

[@Kimbrell]

I don't mind the Paladin changes overall, this build is a f un one! I'm sure my buddy who plays nothing but Paladin will enjoy this. I have a dual-wielding pact of the blade Archfey Warlock ready to go once they release this book. One-level fighter dip for weapon mastery. 5 attacks at level 12 vs an enemy with hex? I'm in. A couple options for your main weapon to give you advantage on other attacks as well. May not be the most optimized but a full Nightcrawler type of build sounds like so much fun.

[@zSavageWolves]

I’m working on a video comparing different martial fighting styles from the 2014 rules to the 2024 rules, and with my initial math done, I can say that damage is up, across the board. Weapon masteries and origin feats (magic initiate: wizard in particular for a familiar) go a long way, and largely offset changes to feats and the loss of things like variant human. The crown has changed hands, but everyone does more damage (yes, even the hand crossbow guy; vex is a hell of a drug). I’m using a generic no subclass fighter for my comparisons, using variant human for the 2014 versions and either custom background or human species to start with MI:W for the 2024 versions.

[@deadku6150]

you should check out a 1) elf (elven accuracy - recc shadar kai) 2) Champion Fighter (Great Buff) 3) Shortsword + Rapier (plus dual wield feat) recc piercer feat at level 8 the build comes online as early as level 4, gets better at 6 and 8. great all around fun slapping

[@chrisminerd5752]

Hey Colby! Love this and I'm a huge fan of the channel. If I can make one suggestion going forward it would be to run damage numbers with and without 2014 content. I'm curious what the DPR looks like without EA and maybe something like slasher instead. Again love your channel and appreciate what you do for the community!

[@Abyzdecannes]

Dual Wielding dex based Paladin is how I most often play the class on BG3, I go Bard 6 Paladin 2 and it's triple smite per turn time

[@Odisseia-hh2td]

The bonus action attack (30:11) doesn't add the ability modifier to damage (as per 22:29), right? Or does Two-Weapon fighting (15:24) also works for that bonus action (of 30:11)?

[@sideshowmo653]

Wonder how many homebrews are gonna ignore the smite requires bonus action?

[@tjstyles1171]

Sorry if it has already been said (I did a search and didn't see it come up), but a quick note on if you wanted to use Dual Wielder with a non-light weapon. If you have a Longsword and a Shortsword, you only need to make a single attack with the Shortsword to allow a bonus attack with the Longsword. Meaning if you are a fighter with Extra Extra attack, you could take the attack action and attack twice with your Longsword, then attack with your Shortsword for the Extra, Extra attack. That attack would trigger the DW game text allowing you to attack again with your Longsword with your BA. So, when you compare it to the 2014 version, you are really only having to downgrade one attack to a light weapon. Still a debuff, but not as severe as it may seem at first.

[@TeamofLouie]

Okay so last night I simulated 4 rounds of combat with my old level 8 pally 2 hexblade build and then this build at level 10. The dual wielding dex paladin cleared damage all 4 rounds, even with a critical level 3 smite. This build is gonna life up my DM.

[@jurrejannuman7704]

Question: How do you get the +1 in charisma? Crimal only alows dex con and int abilty score increase

[@DnDDeepDive]

@@jurrejannuman7704 yeah, if we can’t go old background or custom, we’d have to take con instead, or pick a different background, maybe entertainer.

[@PanSak01]

Thank you for presenting some straight builds for the purists like me. Yeap no multiclassing in my games :).