Fist of the Heavens is the last skill in the Paladin's Combat Skill tree, and it differs from the others. It is more similar to A sorceress spell rather than the Paladin's other melee-oriented attacks.
When using this skill on a monster, a lightning comes down from the sky and causes direct lightning damage to the target monster. The impact releases several Holy Bolts that fly outward. As Holy Bolts only damage Undead, the magic damage only applies if the monsters the Paladin is fighting are undead. If the bolts hit a party member or minion, the will be healed as usual though. so long as they are not undead (like Skeletons).
The skill has situational use against undead groups in regular play, but it can be quite powerful in PvP, as Fist of the Heavens always hits its target. Therefore, players often build Paladins with this skill in mind to fight other players.
Lore
This spell allows the Paladin to summon the power of holy vengeance, manifest as lightning from the heavens. These bolts rain down from the sky, exploding into a thousand shafts of light that radiate outwards to banish the evil from the battlefield.[1]
References
↑Diablo II Manual, page 80. Blizzard Entertainment, 2000.