Do You Have To Call Divine Smite Before Attacking? A Comprehensive Guide
No, you do not have to declare that you are using Divine Smite before you roll your attack. The ability is triggered “when you hit” a creature with a melee weapon attack, meaning that the decision to expend a spell slot and add the extra radiant damage happens after a successful hit. This crucial timing mechanic gives Paladins the tactical advantage of not wasting resources on missed attacks. The ability is described in the Player’s Handbook, stating it is triggered “when you hit.” So, you know if you hit and THEN declare if adding Divine Smite.
Understanding Divine Smite
Divine Smite is a core ability for Paladins in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It allows a Paladin to imbue their melee weapon attacks with radiant energy, significantly increasing their damage output. Unlike many spells or abilities that require a pre-emptive activation, Divine Smite operates reactively, making it a very efficient and versatile tool in a Paladin’s arsenal. Let’s dive deeper into the specifics to understand why this timing is so important.
The Mechanics of Divine Smite
The wording of the Divine Smite ability is key. It reads: “Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage.” This explicitly states that the activation point is after a successful hit. This means you roll your attack, and if it is a success, you then decide to use a spell slot and add the extra damage. This “after-the-hit” trigger avoids wasting spell slots on missed attacks, a significant advantage that provides strategic flexibility to Paladins.
Strategic Advantages
The “after-the-hit” nature of Divine Smite presents several tactical benefits:
- Resource Efficiency: Paladins can save valuable spell slots for critical hits or situations where the extra damage is most needed, avoiding wasting resources on attacks that miss or do minimal damage.
- Flexibility in Combat: Paladins can choose when to apply extra damage, adapting to the ebb and flow of battle. They can choose to use it on a normal hit or save it for a more opportune moment.
- Critical Hit Synergy: This is particularly powerful with critical hits. Because critical hits double damage dice, a crit-fueled Divine Smite can become devastating, especially when combined with the ability to use a higher-level spell slot. The game also helpfully shows you the potential damage range.
- Managing Spell Slots: Paladins can manage their spell slots more effectively by strategically choosing when to use Divine Smite, based on the needs of the situation, rather than blindly smiting every attack they make.
Frequently Asked Questions About Divine Smite
To further clarify the intricacies of Divine Smite, let’s address some common questions.
Does Divine Smite Require an Action?
No. Divine Smite in D&D 5e does not require an action of any sort. It is not an action, bonus action, or reaction. It simply adds to your damage, if desired, when you land a hit.
Does Divine Smite Require Verbal Components?
No. Divine Smite is not a spell and requires no verbal spell components. The only requirement is a successful hit with a melee weapon attack and the expenditure of a spell slot.
Can You Use Divine Smite on Fists?
No. Divine Smite is designed to work with a melee weapon attack, and while an unarmed strike can be used to make such an attack, the ability refers to the “weapon’s damage,” which an unarmed strike lacks.
Does Rage Prevent Divine Smite?
No. While a Barbarian’s Rage prevents spellcasting, Divine Smite is not a spell. It’s a class ability fueled by spell slots. Therefore, a multi-classed Barbarian/Paladin can indeed use Divine Smite while raging.
Is Divine Smite Affected by a Crit?
Yes. Critical hits double your damage dice, meaning if you use Divine Smite on a crit, the damage dice for the Smite are doubled. There is a cap though: a Divine Smite can deal a maximum of 5d8 damage (6d8 if the target is undead or a fiend) on a regular hit. When you get a critical hit, this becomes a maximum of 10d8 (12d8 for undead or fiends).
Is Divine Smite Unlimited?
No, but mostly yes. You are limited by the number of spell slots you have, and by the fact that you are limited to one Divine Smite per hit. However, there is no limit to the number of times per round you can use it. You can use Divine Smite every time you land a successful melee weapon attack, if you are willing to expend a spell slot.
Can You Use Branding Smite and Divine Smite at the Same Time?
Yes. You can have the Branding Smite spell active when you hit a creature and expend a spell slot to use Divine Smite on the same attack.
Can You Use Divine Smite and Searing Smite at the Same Time?
Yes, but not in the way you might initially think. You can’t stack Smite Spells because they all use the bonus action and concentration. However, you can stack a Divine Smite with a Smite Spell. Divine Smite is a free action when you hit with a melee attack, allowing it to combine with a Smite Spell as long as only one Smite Spell is active.
Can You Divine Smite with a Thrown Weapon?
No. Divine Smite requires a melee weapon attack, and thrown weapons trigger a ranged attack.
How Long Does Divine Smite Last?
The duration of Divine Smite is instantaneous, it is only the additional radiant damage. If you are referring to a Smite Spell like Searing Smite, that can last up to 1 minute, and you get the +1d4 Radiant on every hit. The Smite Spell requires Concentration.
Can I Use Divine Smite on a Reaction?
Yes. Unlike other Smite Spells, Divine Smite can also be configured to trigger automatically on a hit or critical hit via the Reactions menu in digital D&D platforms or games. When triggered in this way, the only additional resource consumed is the selected level of spell slot.
Does Divine Smite Work with Great Weapon Fighting?
No. The Great Weapon Fighting style allows you to reroll 1s and 2s on your weapon damage dice. However, it does not apply to the damage dice of Divine Smite.
Does Divine Smite Trigger Wild Magic?
No. While the option to use Divine Smite with a sorcerer’s spell slots might be tempting, it does not trigger Wild Magic, as Divine Smite itself is not a spell.
Does Divine Smite Stack with Eldritch Smite?
Yes. You can use both a Divine Smite and an Eldritch Smite on the same attack. Divine Smite can be used once per attack, and Eldritch Smite can only be used once per turn.
Does Charisma Affect Divine Smite?
No. Charisma does not affect the damage of Divine Smite. Charisma does affect a Paladin’s spells, skill checks, and Aura of Protection.
Conclusion
In summary, you do not need to declare a Divine Smite before attacking. This makes it a resource-efficient and strategically valuable ability for Paladins. The ability’s reactive nature makes it a very effective damage-dealing tool and its synergy with critical hits enhances the Paladin’s capabilities in combat. By understanding its mechanics and frequently asked questions, you can utilize this ability to its fullest extent, making your Paladin a formidable force on the battlefield.