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D&D 5E Rogue Sneak Attack frequency question

Clancey

First Post
Having read a few threads both here and on Wotc forums, I've seen discussions about Rogues being able to Sneak attack on their turn and then again if an AoO comes into play. The discussion always boils down to what a turn is vs what a round is.

Unfortunately for my DM and myself, the threads I've seen start in 2014 and/or end in early 2015, so I am trying to get a read on now, after 5E has had some significant play time. SO - I ask the question - can a Rogue successfully use Sneak Attacks more than once per round?
 

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Yeah, a turn is a set of actions - an action, a bonus action, and moving, with an object interaction thrown in. A ROUND is a collection of turns taken by multiple participants. So, rules as written, you can get sneak attacks multiple times per round, but only once per turn.

In play, this means you'll get at most two per round, unless there's a way to get multiple reactions.
 


It probably won't come up too often, unless you have commanding strike and a rogue who likes to stay in melee. (As opposed to dart in, strike, then disengage out.) Setting up an ambush for sneak attack AoA is rare enough that it definitely deserves the extra damage when you land it.
 
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High level thief subclass also gets 2 turns in the first round of combat for twice per round, plus possible use on a reaction during someone else's turn.
 

High level thief subclass also gets 2 turns in the first round of combat for twice per round, plus possible use on a reaction during someone else's turn.

Hunh. I never noticed that part of the class feature. Neat 17th level class ability - makes the thief slightly more interesting as a class choice. If initiative timed out right, the thief could get 4 sneak attacks (at 9d6 each!) in one round. Not bad at all.
 

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