Can You Divine Smite Twice?
The divine smite is a popular ability among paladins and barbarians in Dungeons & Dragons. It allows players to deal extra damage to enemies and is a valuable part of many character builds. However, with the rise of multiclass characters and more flexible class combinations, it’s natural to wonder: Can you divine smite twice? In this article, we’ll dive into the rules and limitations of divine smite and explore the answer to this question.
The Basics of Divine Smite
Before we can address the question of whether you can divine smite twice, it’s essential to understand how divine smite works. Divine smite is a feature that allows a character to deal additional damage to an enemy based on the character’s Wisdom modifier. It is not an attack itself, but rather a form of bonus damage that can be added to a character’s attacks.
Using Divine Smite
To use divine smite, a character must hit with their attack. This means that if their attack misses, they cannot use their divine smite. Additionally, divine smite can only be used once per turn.
Multiple Attacks and Divine Smite
Now that we understand the basics of divine smite, we can turn our attention to the question of whether it’s possible to divine smite twice in a single turn. The answer is yes. If a character has multiple attacks or abilities that allow them to attack more than once per turn, they can divine smite on each of those attacks as well.
Examples of Multi-Attacking and Divine Smite
- Attack with a bonus action and divine smite: If a paladin uses their bonus action to make an attack and then uses their action to divine smite, they have effectively divine smited twice in one turn.
- Make multiple melee attacks and divine smite on each: If a barbarian with martial versatility uses their extra attack to make a second melee attack, and then uses their action to divine smite, they have divine smited on both attacks.
- Use ability to attack multiple times: Some classes and features grant characters the ability to attack multiple times in a single turn. For example, the Paladin’s "Blessed Rage" ability allows them to make two bonus attacks per turn. If a paladin using this ability hits with both attacks and decides to divine smite, they have divine smited twice.
Challenges and Limitations
While it is technically possible to divine smite twice in a single turn, there are some important limitations and challenges to consider:
- Ability Score Limits: Only certain abilities and features can allow characters to make multiple attacks or use abilities more than once per turn.
- Class Restrictions: Each class has its own rules and limitations governing when and how they can use divine smite. Some classes may have strict restrictions on using divine smite, such as the cleric’s ability to divine smite only once per round.
- Feats and other abilities: Some feats or other abilities may limit or restrict when a character can use divine smite, or create new limitations around using it multiple times in a single turn.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you can divine smite twice, as long as you meet the requirements for making additional attacks or using abilities more than once per turn. However, there are important limitations and restrictions to consider, such as ability score limitations, class restrictions, and feats or abilities that may impact when and how divine smite can be used.
Remember to always review the specific rules for your character class, feat choices, and ability scores to ensure that you can use divine smite as many times as you want in a given turn.
References
- Monster Manual: 5th edition edition
- Player’s Handbook: 5th edition edition
- Divine Smite: Sage Advice blog
- Additional References: [list sources, such as blogs, YouTube videos, and forums, that helped inform the article]