Is Oath of Heroism OP?

The Oath of Heroism Paladin subclass is the latest playtest release featured in Wizards of the Coast’s September 18, 2019 Unearthed Arcana.

This class calls to mythological figures of the past, such as Hercules, Gilgamesh, or Cú Chulainn. Like these icons, the Oath of Heroism subclass combines amazing athleticism with supernatural might.

While the flavor is incredible, it gets some goodies that are concerning in terms of power creep. Specifically, the subclass gains access to some tricks which historically were only possible by relying on allies or by multiclassing into a new class.

The Crit-Fisher

One classic Paladin multiclass build is the “crit-fisher.” Paladins can make incredibly effective use out of critical hits. That’s because Paladins get an ability called Divine Smite that allows them to spend spell slots to deal extra damage. Since a Paladin’s smite is declared after an effective hit, and critical hits deal double damage…