Question regarding Sneak Attack

[TheEvil]

2) You count up all the damage, sneak attack included. If that total is over 10, then he'll take the remainder in damage.

Though I don't have the citation handy, I thought that you didn't get SA if your non-SA damage didn't exceed DR.

 

[Dandu]

On the other hand, why shouldn't someone be able to sneak attack a skeleton? His anatomy is like totally obvious


I don't think the "encounter" would be more fun if the DM just said "no you totally get him by surprise but there is no vital spot there so you didn't even scratch him".

Also it wouldn't be fun if ppl had to roleplay how they use the healing kit for a specific injury they have no idea how to treat out-of-game or fail.

Or if they had to pronounce a long complicated phrase in order to cast a spell with verbal components or fail.

Or if they had to remember a different phrase for each spell they had prepared at the start of the session, and correctly pronounce it while someone is hitting them.

Or if they had to describe how their water skin was slung across their check or be unable to tumble for being off balance.

 

[Empirate]

So, two things to take away from this thread:

1) As I've said before, ALWAYS play a martial rogue and swap that SA for feats. Nice, solid, tangible feats. Not some damage crutch that 1/3 of the monster manual is immune to and even when you can legally use it your DM is out to find "realistic" reasons to screw you out of it.

2) Never fluff your attacks. Ever. Roleplaying as a martial is badwrongfun. If you're a caster, your magic missiles can be translucent fists, your grease can be viscous demon's blood, your blobs of conjurered acid can look and smell like vanilla pudding, and your summoned unicorns can be painted in rainbow. But, don't you dare try to get creative with describing how your martial rolls a d20 and then damage! If you pick "wrong," it's the DM's job to punish you. "Oh, you try and kick out his knee? It's actually an artifical leg. You fail to sneak attack. Sucks to be you. Better luck next time."

So true.

Reading large parts of this thread makes me sad. Screw over the Rogue of all classes, will you? "Vital" areas are fortunately left undefined in any and all official rules text, since D&D doesn't do called shots. Therefore, leave well enough alone already and let a player fluff his sneak attacks whichever way he wants. "But you didn't say you intended to be useful" is an incredibly lame way of going about DMing.

 

[kitcik]

So, two things to take away from this thread:

1) As I've said before, ALWAYS play a martial rogue and swap that SA for feats. Nice, solid, tangible feats. Not some damage crutch that 1/3 of the monster manual is immune to and even when you can legally use it your DM is out to find "realistic" reasons to screw you out of it.

2) Never fluff your attacks. Ever. Roleplaying as a martial is badwrongfun. If you're a caster, your magic missiles can be translucent fists, your grease can be viscous demon's blood, your blobs of conjurered acid can look and smell like vanilla pudding, and your summoned unicorns can be painted in rainbow. But, don't you dare try to get creative with describing how your martial rolls a d20 and then damage! If you pick "wrong," it's the DM's job to punish you. "Oh, you try and kick out his knee? It's actually an artifical leg. You fail to sneak attack. Sucks to be you. Better luck next time."

OK, you finally seem to get it. You can come back to the table now.

Oh wait, everyone else seems to have left...

 

[Olaf the Stout]

The real issue here is that the gnome PC seems like he's getting screwed over for no particular reason. It isn't about rules justification, it's about what is fair, fun and cool. Denying the gnome sneak attack because he described it as a kick to the shin feels really petty to me. If I was that player, and I was denied my cool moment to shine because I said "shin" instead of "knee" or "groin", I'd feel disappointed with the DM.

This goes back to the DMing theory of making "yes, but..." the default response instead of "no." Denying the PC sneak attack because he said "shin" just doesn't make the game more fun for me. And if that's the case, why insist upon it?

This.

Seriously, if my DM decided to deny me sneak attack because I actually went to the trouble of describing my attack and didn't select an area that he felt was vital enough for sneak attack damage I would not be a happy camper.

I would be similarly unhappy if my DM didn't give me sneak attack damage because I didn't announce before my attack that I was making a sneak attack.

All you're effectively doing is telling your players, "please don't try and roleplay in this RPG". I'd just switch to announcing all my attacks as "I sneak attack X" and use the time in between sessions to find another group.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olaf the Stout]

So, two things to take away from this thread:

1) As I've said before, ALWAYS play a martial rogue and swap that SA for feats. Nice, solid, tangible feats. Not some damage crutch that 1/3 of the monster manual is immune to and even when you can legally use it your DM is out to find "realistic" reasons to screw you out of it.

2) Never fluff your attacks. Ever. Roleplaying as a martial is badwrongfun. If you're a caster, your magic missiles can be translucent fists, your grease can be viscous demon's blood, your blobs of conjurered acid can look and smell like vanilla pudding, and your summoned unicorns can be painted in rainbow. But, don't you dare try to get creative with describing how your martial rolls a d20 and then damage! If you pick "wrong," it's the DM's job to punish you. "Oh, you try and kick out his knee? It's actually an artifical leg. You fail to sneak attack. Sucks to be you. Better luck next time."

You know what's even scarier? Backstab.

If people can argue against the 3E Sneak Attack rules (which I think are relatively clear), imagine what they would come up with regarding 2E's Backstab rules!

Olaf the Stout