Staggering Smite: Staggeringly Mediocre

Usable By: Paladin

Spell Level: 4

School: Evocation

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: Self

Duration: Concentration up to 1 minute

Components: V

The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during this spell’s duration, your weapon pierces both body and mind, and the attack deals an extra 4d6 psychic damage to the target. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and can’t take reactions, until the end of its next turn.

Review by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold

With a blinding flash the paladin brings its blade across the fire giant’s chest; radiant light erupts from the wound, leaving the flame-bearded behemoth struggling to keep their balance; this is fantasy of Staggering Smite. While it isn’t the best spell paladins could ask for, I will say of the smite spells, this is probably near the top of the list. To that point, it's still pretty awful.

The 4th level paladin spell options are slim pickings, especially by level thirteen. Aura of Purity and Aura of Life are both pretty bad, Death Ward serves a niche purpose you might desire from time to time, and Locate Creature is something you’ll prepare once in a blue moon. This leaves Banishment and Staggering Smite as the last spells you can prepare from the PHB. This puts Staggering Smite in this awkward space where its damage is worse than just using regular divine smite, and the status condition it offers is worse than Banishment in most cases. When then would you want to prepare Staggering Smite?

If you’re against a single enemy with no other enemies around, Staggering Smite can be worth casting. Downgrading to d6s is a cost, but the upside of potentially imposing disadvantage on attack rolls and disabling a reaction can change the tide of a fight. Disabling a reaction typically allows for quick and safe retreat, but if you just want to save a friend, Banishment has a WAY better effect than this. For this to be the go to option you’ll probably want you and the rest of the party to be healthy enough to take a couple of attacks still.

This still is a smite spell, and that comes with all the baggage the smite spells have. Divine smite can be used after knowing if you hit, meaning you’ll never waste the resource through missing. Divine smite can be done after knowing you crit, making it easier to double the effectiveness of. Staggering Smite will never be able to do those things. It costs your concentration, too, meaning you can’t be using concentration in your build if you want to weaponize this. Staggering Smite is only better sometimes because the imposed disadvantage can have a major impact should it occur.

Alternatives to this exist in a myriad of forms; anything that poisons an enemy is doing basically what this spell does.The damage drop makes it so the option isn’t an upgrade despite needing to be prepared while divine smite is just always available. If there were a few better 4th level spell options I’d probably recommend those, but with how tight the list is, Staggering Smite can squeak on to your character sheets. It's passable, but barely.

5e Spells

Staggering Smite: Staggeringly Mediocre