Yes you can. Spell slots are spell slots.
This will be up to your DM. The rule specifically says "Paladin Spell Slot" (and it is the only time in the entire book where it calls out slots by a specific class).
While Jeremy Crawford has clarifiied in a tweet that any spell slot can be used to smite (such as Warlock slots) I believe this breaks the balance intended by the specific exception in the book, as a Bard with 2 levels of Paladin will always smite better and more often than a pure Paladin (8th level Paladin - 2d8 Smites. 6 Bard/2 Palladin - 5d8 Smites - huge difference). as well as having almost full spell progression and access to whatever Paladin-only spells they want (or any class's really) thanks to their specific features.
Thus, until it actually goes into a FAQ or an Errata - at my table Jeremy Crawford is wrong on this issue and we go by the Rule As Written. His off-the-cuff tweet was clearly made without looking at the rule and considering why it was written the way it was.
shivafang wrote:
AndrewJO wrote:
shivafang wrote:
I kind of agree with Arial here. The paladin smites seem pretty well balanced with a spell of the equivalent level. So if the Bard 6/Pal 2 has a choice to cast a real level 3 spell or to use a "level 3" smite, that doesn't seem like a balance problem. Is it that you think a level 3 smite actually is significantly better than a level 3 bard spell?
But I guess the real issue is that the bard/pally can smite better than a straight pally, because the bard gives more spell slots. I can see why that seems kind of weird. But I guess if the bard/pal does that regularly then they cast spells much worse than a straight bard, and also do all the other paladin things much worse than a straight paladin. So it basically lets a character hyperfocus on that one aspect of the class if they want, but since I don't think that aspect is particularly overpowered, I don't think it is a problem.
/pretty much what mello said
A 4th level slot could potentially be used for a Blight spell (8d8, although half on a save), or 6d8 from Chromatic Orb, or an area of 2d8+4d6 (half on save) with Ice Storm, or 4d8 in an aura with Spirit Guardians, so I'm not sure 5d8 smites against a single target (which is where it caps out) is too much of a concern for the same slot.
And just to compair smite to a spell...
magic missile = 3d6 + 1d6 per level (effectivly), 100' and possibly split between targets.
vs
smite = weapon + 2d6 + 1d6 per level, melee.
The issue you run into is how do you separate which class all your spell slots belong to? If you are a Wizard 3/Paladin 6, you don't have 4 level 1 Wizard spell slots and 4 level 1 Paladin spell slots. You just have 4 level 1 spell slots. The same character has level 3 spell slots. Which class do those spell slots belong to? Wizard? Paladin? Neither? All these questions go away if you just disregard what class spell slots are coming from. Besides, at level 11 Paladins get Improved Divine Smite and eventually can smite harder than a multiclass Paladin. Not to mention they basically get a half smite for free every attack.
AndrewJO wrote:
jonathonhawke wrote:
Everything in a multiclass build is as if the classes were taken in isolation, except for the specific exceptions, including the level of your spell slots.
Divine Smite doesn't give damage on its own; it converts a spell slot into damage. The level of the slot provides the value.
So, yes, a multiclass Pal 2 / Bard X will have more frequent smites and possibly higher-level smites than a straight paladin 20.
...as long as you're only looking at Divine Smite.
The paladin spell list contains several a-priori smites that pair together well with Divine Smite (Divine Smite, triggered after you see if you hit, is a post-hoc smite). Pal2 / Bard X will only have two of them (Searing and Thundering), and won't have the more sophisticated ones (which can often do much more than damage, locking a target out of the fight for a while or punishing foes who would seek to fight unfairly). Furthermore, the other class' lists weren't designed to handle the smites - for instance, although they're not long-term buffs, the Smite spells still require Concentration. Pal 2 / Bard X whose concentration slot is spoken for is going to have problems - either he leaves it free for Smiting, in which case he's leaving out the good buffs and enchantments he's expected to bring as a bard in favor of only being able to smite, or he focuses on those buffs and enchantments, and winds up only having Divine Smite.
And vis-a-vis that Divine Smite, as levels increase, a paladin will pick up Improved Divine Smite (which is effectively increasing all his spell levels by 1 when he smites, and giving him some baseline effect that doesn't cost a spell slot) and a host of other spells which aid in its delivery, none of which show up on the bard.
And all this sets aside how paladin and valor bard are natural thematic links - call their mixture a marshal or warlord. I'd be fine giving smites to that. I'd not look twice if I saw a few bard levels in a paladin build. Why should I look twice when I see the reverse?
Also paladin smites are restricted to +5d8 damage from spell slots.
that means you can only burn 4th level slot for your +5d8 damage. you could burn 6th level slot but you would only gain +5d8 bonus damage.
So this is multiclass balance.
shivafang wrote:
cowleymen wrote:
cowleymen wrote:
jonathonhawke wrote:
Patron1972 wrote: