Critical Hit + Sneak Attack?

godfear · Jun 7, 2008

Simple question. Does Sneak Attack damage get maximized on a critical hit? Sneak Attack was not listed under "Extra Damage" within the description of "Critical Hit Damage" on page 278 of the PHB, so I think the answer is "Yes."

Thanks,
-g

Surgoshan · Jun 7, 2008

The PHB doesn't do the best job of it, does it? You decide to add sneak attack, curse, and hunter's quarry damage after you make your damage roll (or multiple attacks). I would take that to mean that a critical hit, which maximizes your damage roll, does not maximize the damage of SA, curse, or HQ.

godfear · Jun 7, 2008

A valid point. Whee, uncertainty!

Yaezakura · Jun 7, 2008

Edit: Trumped by poor memory. Ignore this post.

greyscale1 · Jun 7, 2008

I believe that sneak attacks (and hunter's quarry) are maximized on crits. From what I have read in the books, all damage from an attack OTHER than special critical hit only things are treated as maximum.

Though both of you bring up valid points, on a second read-through I maintain that these 'bonus dice' are intended to be maximized.

thewok · Jun 7, 2008

greyscale1 said:
I believe that sneak attacks (and hunter's quarry) are maximized on crits. From what I have read in the books, all damage from an attack OTHER than special critical hit only things are treated as maximum.

Though both of you bring up valid points, on a second read-through I maintain that these 'bonus dice' are intended to be maximized.

This seems to be the case. The wording of the book seems to be pointing only at the bonus dice from crits.

Is there really a reason why the striker features shouldn't be maximized? I can't think of one. I also don't understand the "decide whether or not to apply the damage after the attack hits" mentality. Why wouldn't I apply it? I can make only one attack per round (unless I spend an AP for another standard). Why would I hold back my sneak attack if I had advantage?

dervish · Jun 7, 2008

"Maximum Damage: Rather than roll damage, determine the maximum damage you can roll with your attack. This is your critical damage. (Attacks that don’t deal damage still don't deal damage on a critical hit.)"

Extra Damage: Magiv weapons and implements, as well as high crit weapons, can increase the damage you deal when you score a critical hit. If this extra damage is a die roll, it’s not automatically maximum damage; you add the result of the roll."

From the PHB. It seems that only in the case of extra damage on critical hits effects do you not maximize the damage.

Another intresting thing about the striker abilities is that Hunter's Quarry is applied after making all your attacks. The other striker abilities are appied after you roll damage with a single attack.

Fredrik Svanberg · Jun 7, 2008

thewok said:
Why wouldn't I apply it? I can make only one attack per round (unless I spend an AP for another standard). Why would I hold back my sneak attack if I had advantage?

Sometimes you can make more than one attack per turn but you are only allowed to add your bonus damage to one of them (quarry and sneak but not curses I think). You might discover that your regular damage is enough to kill the enemy so you decide to not add your bonus damage to that attack but save it for your next one in the round, or for an opportunity attack.

TheLordWinter · Jun 7, 2008

Based upon my reading and the fact there's an "extra damage" caveat, I'd say you do your maximum weapon damage and then roll for any additional damage sources you have (high crit, magical weapon bonuses, hunter's quarry, etc.)

Xorn · Jun 7, 2008

This is confirmed in one of the mailbag podcasts on the D&D website:

A critical hit maximizes all dice that were not granted because of the critical hit. So if you would have rolled the dice without critting (sneak attack, hunter's quarry, etc) then you maximize it. If the dice is only being rolled because you critted (magic weapon, high crit, etc) then you do not maximize those dice.