Does Ray of Frost + Piercing Cold + Sneak Attack = A decent option?

Three_Haligonians · May 5, 2005

Hey all,

Let me use an example to clarify what I mean:

Character A has both the rogues sneak attack ability and the wizards ability to cast arcane spells; the only detail needed is that one of these spells is Ray of Frost. The other detail needed is that Character A usually memorizes it with the Piercing Cold metamagic feat (from Frostburn in case you don't know).

My question is if Character A manages to use Ray of Frost in a manner so that sneak attack applies: does the sneak attack damage, which is also cold damage according to the rules, also benefit from the Piercing Cold feat?

(Also just in case you don't know, which is probably likely if you don't know the feat in the first place: Piercing Cold causes the cold damage to ignore any cold damage resistance the target might have and even does half damage to those immune to cold damage.)

Thanks

J from Three Haligonians

Bront · May 5, 2005

You can only sneak attack with a weapon.

apesamongus · May 5, 2005

If that's how the feat reads, then it should work. Cold damage is cold damage.

Thanee · May 5, 2005

Bront said:
You can only sneak attack with a weapon.

Yes. But, Ray of Frost *is* a weapon.

Please re-read the rules about weapon-like spells in Complete Arcane.

Bye
Thanee

Diirk · May 5, 2005

Dunno, I like Acid Splash for the handy no SR aspect

You don't get any ignore acid resistance feats tho, so its all situational I guess (At least til 'Acidburn' comes out. Or something)

Patryn of Elvenshae · May 5, 2005

Looks good to me.

Three_Haligonians · May 5, 2005

Here we go with the add-ons...

Just to follow up,

If the target of said Ray of Frost was a fire creature, would the sneak attack damage also double? (as does the cold damage from a Piercing cold spell). Or does the "precision once" rule apply here as well?

Again, Thanks

J from Three Haligonians

VorpalStare · May 5, 2005

Three_Haligonians said:
Just to follow up,

If the target of said Ray of Frost was a fire creature, would the sneak attack damage also double? (as does the cold damage from a Penetrating cold spell). Or does the "precision once" rule apply here as well?

Again, Thanks

J from Three Haligonians

First, fire creatures take + 50% damage from cold attacks rather than double.

Second, since the sneak attack damage is the same type as the base damage, per the Weaponlike Spells section on pp. 85-86 of Complete Arcane, I would assume that it is modified by the creature's resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities just as any other cold damage would be.

So, for example, someone with 2 sneak attack dice scoring a critical hit on a fire creature with Ray of Frost would do (2d3 + 2d6)x1.5 points of damage.

Does anyone else have a reference that addresses this, or changes this analysis?

mikebr99 · May 5, 2005

Three_Haligonians said:
Just to follow up,

If the target of said Ray of Frost was a fire creature, would the sneak attack damage also double? (as does the cold damage from a Penetrating cold spell). Or does the "precision once" rule apply here as well?

Again, Thanks

J from Three Haligonians

The bonus damage from a sneak attack is expressed as extra dice and it is not multiplied with a successful critical hit, or when an attack otherwise gets a damage multiplier.

Mike

Three_Haligonians · May 5, 2005

Hmm..

VorpalStare said:
First, fire creatures take + 50% damage from cold attacks rather than double.

Spells affected by the Piercing Cold Feat increase this to double damage.

mikebr99 said:
The bonus damage from a sneak attack is expressed as extra dice and it is not multiplied with a successful critical hit, or when an attack otherwise gets a damage multiplier. Mike

pg. 86 of the Complete Arcane explains that sneak attack damage is not multiplied, as is normal. It makes no mention of other damage multipliers. If the sneak attack damage added to a Ray of Frost is cold damage.. and fire creatures take extra damage from cold damage.. should this not apply?

J from Three Haligonians