Going from the other thread on high damage outputs;
How many melee PCs are out there using Smite Heretic (spell) every second swing?

From all the stacking combo's discussed, it seems to be such a cheap way to double the damage output of a weapon compared to using weapon tricks or martial techniques.

I have 2 melee characters, one of which has 1 divine spell but that's not it.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul

If you're looking for increased max damage, it's a great spell.

If you are looking for the highest sustained damage output, check the math for your character (and likely do not use Smite Heretic). At least when I looked at Ss'kethis, the damage per tick goes down if I use Smite Heretic (both with the Tralian Hammer and with Tail Bracer so it's not about weapon speed). The +2 speed just isn't worth an added d6 on average.

On the other hand, with massive damage rules, it can be very handy to push the damage amount over the Fortitude of the target to cause a wound.

My mistake; I was thinking of Smite Infidel (ta).

Some of the discussion was confusing me.

It certainly makes it more challenging when there are 2 different things with virtually the same name, especially when they can be used together.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul

Smite Infidel is a great talent (which is why it is limited to once per scene). It will significantly boost both damage on the attack it is used and the average damage per tick. It also gives you a second attribute die to have a chance to explode (though only either Mi or Ch can explode - not both).

I use it every combat that I can. That said, I play a val'Virdan, and it would be silly for me NOT to