Paladins are the quintessential knights in shining armor in bothDungeons and DragonsandPathfinder. They are typically seen wearing heavy armor and wielding a sword and shield, but they are ideal on the frontlines. However, since 2009, Paizo has been nudging Paladins to be more than just shining defenders. The divergence came from reworking Smite Evil - the previous iteration ofD&D’s Divine Smite - to trigger at any range. Compared toD&D, manyPathfinderPaladins rely on archery, hyper-focus on spell casting, or stop a fight from even breaking out.
Wizards of The Cost has made some recent changes to giveD&Dmore options, including updating the 2024 rules to let Paladins take the archery fighting style. However, this is a small step over the course of nearly 50 years of identical Paladin tropes. It is also far too late for D&D content that was previously released, including the Paladin class inBaldur’s Gate 3and the characterXenk Yender fromDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Dungeon’s & Dragon’s Melee Divine Smite Keeps Archery Useless For Paladins
You Can Wield A Bow, But A Sword Is Better
Thanks toDungeon & Dragons’ open gaming license, Paizo made thefirst addition ofPathfinderusingD&D3e rulesas a basis. Many features were the same, like class and spell names, but many features were greatly altered inPathfinder. The classic melee Smite Evil was one of the most drastic:
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. 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.
Several big departures took place with this description. First, the Smite remains in effect until the target is defeated, making it last much longer. But more importantly, the restriction on melee was removed. This meant Smite Evil now worked with bows, crossbows, slings, guns, and anything else a Paladin could shoot.
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Going intoD&D5e, the two versions of Smite became even more distant.D&Dstill retained the melee attack requirementbut now consumes spell slots to trigger. This meant that the Paladin would have to decide to be a spell caster or save their magic for more radiant melee damage.
While the 2024 ruleset allows Archery Fighting Style,it does not mesh with the Paladin’s core mechanic, Divine Smite. Countless times, players have min-maxedPaladin with classes like Warlockand Sorcerer to make the most powerful Smite build, even if the character has no other function. By restricting Divine Smite to melee only, Wizards of the Coast is still apprehensive about making full Paladin archers and casters.
Even With The New 2024 Rules, It Will Be Hard To Change Class Stereotypes
Players Will Replicate Mostly What They’ve Seen
In 2024, Wizards of the Coast gives very slight hints about using Paladins as non-melee characters. However, Paizo has been ahead of the curve for a decade. Even two years intoPathfinder’s life,they introduced the Divine Hunter, a Paladin that specialized in accurate ranged attacks, seeking arrows, and ranged Lay on Hands.
There are even more pushes by Paizo to inform you of the many Paladin options. Among thePathfinderrecommended generic NPCs is the Holy Archer, a Paladin that uses Smite Evil with a bow and prefers to hide behind cover. The former leader of the Silver Crusade faction, Ollysta Zadrain, preferred long swordsbut wasn’t against using a bow to Smite Evil. Most publicly, Smite was included inPathfinder: KingmakerandPathfinder: Wraith of the Righteous.
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Contrast those examples withD&Dmedia for the last 40 years. One of the most recognizable Paladins is Piergeiron Paladinson of Waterdeep,who always fought gallantly with a sword and heavy armor. TheBaldur’s Gateseries has presented Paladins like Keldorn Firecam and Minthara Baenre, who, if recruited, only use bows as a secondary weapon.
Even theDungeons & Dragonscartoon party lacks a Paladin representative. The party makes acameo inScions of Elemental Evil, but only a new Cleric hero was added. Eric is officially a Fighter despite being known for just using a magical shield. Hank is a Ranger and leads the team without the stereotypical knightly garb.
Until Wizards of the Coast makes an iconic Paladin Archer, very few players will have the inspiration and investment to make their own for aDungeons & DragonsPen & Paper campaign. And it can’t be an obscure one-off character hidden in a single rulebook. This Paladin must be obvious in a video game, film, show, or played by high-profile talent, such as the cast ofCritical Roleor a celebrity like Vin Diesel or Anderson Cooper.
