Smite Evil Question

[Lysander]

Question: Can smite evil be used with any attack whatsoever? For example, could a slap that deals a single point of non-lethal damage also deal lots of lethal damage to an evil creature? What if the paladin just pokes them for no damage, so that's it's almost like a magical touch attack? It's still technically melee.

[Starbuck_II]

Question: Can smite evil be used with any attack whatsoever? For example, could a slap that deals a single point of non-lethal damage also deal lots of lethal damage to an evil creature? What if the paladin just pokes them for no damage, so that's it's almost like a magical touch attack? It's still technically melee.

Just any one normal melee attack. Smite Evil/Bumping uglies works on any one normal melee attack.

All normal melee attacks do a minimum of 1 damage. So no, if you poke for no damage you can't count it as a an attack and add Smite evil/Bumping uglies.

[Ganurath]

I'm pretty sure that if the attack being empowered with the Smite is nonlethal, the smite damage is also nonlethal since it's additional damage rather than a seperate damage type.

[sadi]

Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack.

With a normal melee weapon, you can strike any opponent within 5 feet. (definition of melee attack)

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/paladin.htm#smiteEvil

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/act...bat.htm#attack

That to me pretty much states you need to use a weapon to smite. No poking for a touch attack to smite.

[Optimystik]

That to me pretty much states you need to use a weapon to smite.

Nope

(I do agree wholeheartedly with Starbuck's post, however.)

[Lysander]

Perhaps a normal unarmed attack wouldn't work, but it seems that someone with unarmed strike could apply smite evil to their fists:

A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

[Cieyrin]

Once per day, a paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack.

With a normal melee weapon, you can strike any opponent within 5 feet. (definition of melee attack)

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/paladin.htm#smiteEvil

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/act...bat.htm#attack

That to me pretty much states you need to use a weapon to smite. No poking for a touch attack to smite.

The rules don't say you need a weapon to, just that you need to use a melee attack. Touching or poking someone isn't a melee attack but hitting them with your fist certainly can be, even without Improved Unarmed Strike, it just means you provoke when you do it against an armed opponent. While I would suggest not using a weapon that your not really proficient with, sometimes that's what you have to deal with.