Expanded-Paladin-Playtest

Oct 5, 2026

Upload by Aurelia

Expanded Paladin Playtest outlines the paladin’s role as a divine warrior combining martial prowess with cleric-like magical power, party protection, healing, and oath-bound smiting. It describes how this section’s additional class features and subclasses work outside automatic gains, requiring DM approval for selection. The text also specifies replacement effects, new fighting styles, modified smite mechanics, and paladin options incorporating psionic mantles such as aura, shroud, and powers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Paladin Overview

New Class Features and Selection Rules

Fighting Styles and Weapon Modifiers

Divine Smite Replacement

Psionic Mantles: Aura, Shroud, Powers

The paladin is the divine warrior, blending fighter with cleric. More than a crusader or myrmidon, the paladin combines divine magical power with an unmatched resolve and faith to become the blade of its oaths. Moreso than its class peers, the paladin is built for combat, relying on its high Charisma to manage social pillars and it spells and will to tackle exploration challenges. A paladin is a capable half spellcasting with a range of defensive and recovery spells along with utility spells, but it also a capable warrior able to face the strongest threats head-on with weapon in hand empowered by divine might. The paladin is the best class because it is its party shield and its sword. With powerful aura, useful spells, and the ability to stand in the front line, the paladin protects its allies. With a spell, or even a mere touch, the paladin restores its allies back to fighting form. When a powerful threatens that which the paladin cares for, the paladin summons divine force to smite its foes and drive them back to the shadows from wence they crawled. The paladin is the champion others can lean upon. The paladin class receives new features and subclasses in this section. You gain class features in the Player’s Handbook when you reach certain levels in your class. This section offers additional features you can gain as a paladin. Unlike features in the Player’s Handbook, you don’t gain the features here automatically. Consult with your DM on whether you gain a feature in this section if you meet the requirements. These features can be selected separately from one another; you can use some, all, or none of them. If you take a feature that replaces another feature, you gain no benefit from the replaced feature and don’t qualify for anything in the game that requires it. When you choose a new fighting style, the following styles are added to your list of options. After finishing a long rest, choose one weapon in which you are proficient. Until you choose a different weapon through this fighting style, when you attack with that weapon, you can use your Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (your choice), instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. When you make an attack with a weapon that has the versatile property with one hand, you have a +2 bonus on attack rolls with it, provided you aren’t holding a second weapon or a shield. When you make an attack with a weapon with the versatile property with two hands, you have a +2 bonus on damage rolls with it. 2nd-levelPaladin feature which replaces the Divine Smite feature Paladin smite spells (banishing smite, blinding smite, branding smite, disrupting smite, searing smite, staggering smite, and wrathful smite) no longer require concentration, but you can only have one of them in effect at a time. You can cast one of them without expending a spell slot, and can’t do so again until until you finish a long rest unless cast it using a spell slot normally. A spell cast through this feature is treated as if cast by a 1st-level spell slot. As you reach certain levels in this class, the slot level it is cast at increases at: 5th (2nd level spell slot), 9th (3rd level spell slot), 13th (4th level spell slot), and 17th level (5th level spell slot) . If you have access to psionic mantles, the following mantles are added to the list of options available to you. Mantles are available to paladins of the Oath of the Ardent from the Psychic and Spiritual Handbook. Aura. You and friendly creatures have advantage on Charisma checks made to deceive or coerce a creature. Shroud. Once each round, when a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see makes an attack roll or ability check, you can use your reaction to have it reroll the d20 and you choose which roll it keeps. Powers. You know the following powers: puppetry, suspension. Aura. You and friendly creatures have darkvision up to 90 feet. Shroud. You can see in ma

FAQs

How do additional paladin features in this playtest section differ from the Player’s Handbook?

Features here are not gained automatically. If you meet the requirements, you must consult your DM on whether you gain a feature from this section.

What happens if a new feature replaces an existing feature?

You gain no benefit from the replaced feature and do not qualify for anything in the game that requires it.

What changes to Divine Smite does the playtest replacement provide?

Smite spells no longer require concentration, but only one can be in effect at a time. You can cast one without expending a spell slot once, then must wait until a long rest unless using a spell slot normally.

Oct 5, 2026

Upload by Aurelia