Sneak Attack, Ranged Attacks, and Reach

[RigaMortus2]

This question never occured to me until now...

Normally, when a Rogue Sneak Attacks an opponent with a ranged attack, that opponent must be within 30 feet for the Sneak Attack damage to apply. This limitation seems to only apply to ranged attacks, not melee (because MOST melee attacks are done within 5 feet, sometimes 10 with a reach weapon, which brings up my question...) What happens if you somehow aquire a Reach of 35 feet (or longer)? Would Sneak Attack apply?

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

So long as it's a melee attack reach has no affect on sneak attack as far as I'm aware within the RAW. Now on a houserules level I've opened up sneak attack to one range increment of the ranged weapon used. This radically changes the feel of wilderness encounters which tend to become slower moving ranged skirmishes with lots of hiding and sneaking and use of cover.

 

[Unkabear]

So long as it's a melee attack reach has no affect on sneak attack as far as I'm aware within the RAW. Now on a houserules level I've opened up sneak attack to one range increment of the ranged weapon used. This radically changes the feel of wilderness encounters which tend to become slower moving ranged skirmishes with lots of hiding and sneaking and use of cover.

I want in on your house ruling!

Standard ranged SA is 30', but some feats & PrC's can extend that. The final level of Order of the Bow Initiate and crossbow sniper extend the 30' to 60'. As for somehow extending a reach weapon to 35'+ I would say that anyone struck by such a weapon would be surprised wouldn't you?

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

I want in on your house ruling!

Nice to know I'm appreciated
Right now in my spare time between classes and preparing academic journal papers I'm taking my concreted house rules and attempting to weld them into a coherent OGL system. It's slow going but once I'm done I think I'll release them for free along with the parts of my homebrew setting that I've gotten typed by then. Right now my homebrew resides inside four 3" binders full of notes and only one of them has even been updated to 3e yet.

As for somehow extending a reach weapon to 35'+ I would say that anyone struck by such a weapon would be surprised wouldn't you?

Let's say you're an advanced Gerivar(MM3) rogue size:Gargantuan wielding a longspear. That doubles your reach from 20 feet to 40 feet but in and of itself doesn't mean they'll be surprised. In order to provoke a sneak attack they'll need to be denied their dex bonus and without flankers or another set of conditions to create a flat-footed condition they'll probably spot the massive creature with a 40ft long spear and be aware enough to keep their dex bonus.

 

[Hypersmurf]

What happens if you somehow aquire a Reach of 35 feet (or longer)? Would Sneak Attack apply?

Absolutely, and now go read Spectral Hand carefully.

-Hyp.

 

[Rogue problem]

Don't opponents have to be flat footed to sneak with a range weapon?

You can't flank with a reach weapon right? so to get sneak from under 30ft away they have to be flat footed i think. Can anyone correct me on this?

 

[James McMurray]

You can flank with a reach weapon. You can't flank if you don't threaten, and some reach weapons don't threaten up close. Perhaps that's what you're thinking?

 

[SlagMortar]

You can flank with reach. The flanking rules talk only about threatening your opponent in melee, not about how far away you are.

 

[Rogue problem]

oops I meant to say "range weapon" not reach weapon

Can you only sneak attack with a range weapon if the target is flat-footed and within 30ft?

In other words I don't think you can flank with a bow so therefore you can't sneak attack with it, even if you are within 30 ft, unless the target is flatfooted. Does this sound right?

 

[hong]

Can you only sneak attack with a range weapon if the target is flat-footed and within 30ft?

In other words I don't think you can flank with a bow so therefore you can't sneak attack with it, even if you are within 30 ft, unless the target is flatfooted. Does this sound right?

Correct.