Sensational Smiting
It’s no secret that paladin is my favorite class; ask anyone, and they’ll quickly inform you that I make it a habit to remind them as often as possible. There’s a lot to like about paladins, but this isn’t Best in Class, so we’ll have to save the long discussion for another time. Why are we talking about them at all? Because this week’s Extraordinary Feats focuses on ways to improve smite evil. You might be thinking that smite evil’s pretty good already, and you would be right, but why stop at pretty good when you can be extraordinary?
Avenging Smite
You call upon the wrath and fury of the divine in order to punish those who would dare stand against you.
Prerequisite: Smite evil or smite good class feature.
Benefit: Whenever you are the target of a successful critical hit made by a creature that you could target with your smite ability, you may immediately activate that ability, targeting that character. If you do, the bonuses granted by the smite to attack and damage are increased by +2. If you are the target of a successful critical hit made by a creature that you are already smiting, the bonuses granted by the smite to attack and damage are increased by +2 for the remainder of the smite effect.
Commanding Smite
You can speak a righteous command to those who would stand against your faith.
Prerequisite: Smite evil or smite good class feature.
Benefit: When you first target a character with your smite good or smite evil ability, you may issue a single command, as the spell command, against that character. The target is allowed a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your paladin or antipaladin level + your Charisma modifier) to resist the effect. The caster level for this ability is equal to your character level, and you add your Charisma modifier as a bonus to overcome the target’s spell resistance against this ability. This ability can affect intelligent undead as though they were living creatures, and their immunity to mind-affecting effects does not apply.
Condemning Smite
You can condemn enemies of your beliefs to suffer your righteous wrath.
Prerequisite: Smite evil or smite good class feature.
Benefit: You may condemn a creature of any alignment as a foe who stands for all you fight against, making an appeal to the divine. As a full-round action, you may make a special Charisma check with a bonus equal to your paladin or antipaladin level in order to condemn a single creature within 30 feet. The DC for this check is equal to the 10 + the target’s CR + the target’s Wisdom modifier. If the check is successful, then you may target the character with your smite good or smite evil, ability regardless of their alignment. This effect lasts for one hour. The use of this ability may be infeasible with certain characters, such as those that are favored by your deity, at the GM’s discretion.
Slaying Smite
You are a master of punishing your most hated foes.
Prerequisites: Favored enemy class feature, smite evil or smite good class feature.
Benefit: Whenever you use your smite ability against a creature who is also your favored enemy, the first attack deals twice the normal amount of smite damage against that target. If the damage would already be doubled, then you deal 3 times the normal amount of damage, instead.
Smiting Proclamation
You can proclaim your divine wrath against a group of creatures.
Prerequisite: Smite evil or smite good class feature.
Benefit: Whenever you activate your smite ability against a creature, you may expend an additional use of your smite ability in order to gain the benefits of your smite against all applicable targets of the same CR and creature type within 30 feet of the original target.