Paladins, Lay On Hands & The Many Ways to Deal Divine Smite... (2024)

Divine Smite

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.

The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell-level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8.

The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.

(Pretty Much) Everything You’ll Need To Know About Divine Smite:

• Divine Smite is not considered a Spell, and you do not cast Divine Smite.
• Divine Smite Damage is doubled on a Critical Hit.
• You can declare a use of Divine Smite after the outcome of an attack roll is determined.
• Divine Smite can be used whenever you successfully hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, and Divine Smite can be used multiple times per turn.
• You can expend any Spell Slot, not just a Paladin Spell Slot, when using Divine Smite.
• A Paladin can use Divine Smite on the same weapon attack that benefits from a "Smite" Spell like Wrathful Smite.
• A Paladin can cast a Spell during the same turn they use Divine Smite.
• You cannot expend multiple Spell Slots to increase the Divine Smite damage of one attack.

Other Things You Might Need To Know About Divine Smite:

• Anti-magicField does affect Divine Smite.
• Divine Smite does work in an Area of Silence.
• Feats such as "Savage Attacker", which let you re-roll the damage dice of a weapon attack, are meant to apply to the weapon's damage dice only.
• The "Great Weapon Fighting" Fighting Style doesn’t let you re-roll a 1 or 2 that you roll for the damage of Divine Smite.

Divine Smite Damage Table

1st-level spell slot: 2d8 radiant damage

2nd-level spell slot: 3d8 radiant damage

3rd-level spell slot: 4d8 radiant damage

4th-level spell slot: 5d8 radiant damage

The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.