D&D 5E Sneak Attack question

[Todd Roybark]

Eh...not my thing. Too superhero

Calvary is too super hero for you? I've got a wonderful comic book for you, then.....
........it is called history.🛡
Sometimes, in this comic, thousands of Calvary super heroes are fighting against each other. .....its a pretty good read actually.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Calvary is too super hero for you? I've got a wonderful comic book for you, then.....
........it is called history.⚔🛡⚰
Sometimes, in this comic, thousands of Calvary super heroes are fighting against each other. .....its a pretty good read actually.

Not cavalry in general. Sneak attack cavalry.

 

[TwoSix]

Yeah. I prefer rogue as backstabbing thieves who steal from the party and cause undue chaos while avoiding combat and hiding in the shadows. Much more interesting than another combat class.

Yea, that's far too narrow for my tastes.

 

[Charlaquin]

Well, it's perhaps 1d6+DEX + 1d6+DEX, as you have to make both attack rolls to get it. Whereas yes, at range you are only a single 1d6+DEX, but as you are probably always attacking with advantage on that attack due to hiding with your BA (unless as has been mentioned your DM is exceedingly stingy with how you can hide during combat),

I wouldn’t say a DM needs to be particularly stingy for hiding in combat to be difficult. You can’t hide from a creature that can see you clearly, and it’s pretty difficult to target creatures with ranged attacks without making yourself seen. Wood elves and lightfoot halflings do have an easier time though, thanks to their racial features that allow them to hide in conditions most folks can’t,

 

[Oofta]

Yeah. I prefer rogue as backstabbing thieves who steal from the party and cause undue chaos while avoiding combat and hiding in the shadows. Much more interesting than another combat class.

Why in the world would the rest of the party put up with a disruptive a** who steals their stuff?

To each their own I guess, but I wouldn't want to play or DM a game with a player who ran their PC that way. It also doesn't really have anything to do with the rogue class.

 

[Todd Roybark]

Not cavalry in general. Sneak attack cavalry.

But them's the best kind! I get it, it even looks funny to read "sneak attack cavalry". It certainly makes me laugh.
Historically, it happened, though. A surprise attack by Calvary could be devasting.

Sneak Attack Calvary makes me think of Goblin and Warg. A Unit made up of wolves the size of horses is going to look very different then historical Calvary.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Why in the world would the rest of the party put up with a disruptive a** who steals their stuff?

To each their own I guess, but I wouldn't want to play or DM a game with a player who ran their PC that way. It also doesn't really have anything to do with the rogue class.

I like watching dysfunctional parties. Their antics amuse me. In my primary game world, every NPC is evil in alignment (though players can choose any alignment they desire) - so it's not like a thief would be anything out of the ordinary. In fact, it's expected.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

But them's the best kind! I get it, it even looks funny to read "sneak attack cavalry". It certainly makes me laugh.
Historically, it happened, though. A surprise attack by Calvary could be devasting.

Sneak Attack Calvary makes me think of Goblin and Warg. A Unit made up of wolves the size of horses is going to look very different then historical Calvary.

Well, I was referencing an ancient, half-dead three-legged draft horse. I'm not sure there were many of those used in real-life cavalry charges. Regardless, I'm not sure the sneak attack mechanic models a real like cavalry check very well. I would use the surprise mechanic, instead.

 

[Todd Roybark]

I'm not sure the sneak attack mechanic models a real like cavalry check very well.

It less about Modeling ones view of reality, and rather more about accepting what the system says and finding a way to have fun with it.

That is my mindset with 5e at least. Once I adopted this attitude, I grok'd 5e and have had fun with it.

5e is not designed to accurately model anything. It is designed to be stable at all levels of play, which it does remarkable well.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I wouldn’t say a DM needs to be particularly stingy for hiding in combat to be difficult. You can’t hide from a creature that can see you clearly, and it’s pretty difficult to target creatures with ranged attacks without making yourself seen. Wood elves and lightfoot halflings do have an easier time though, thanks to their racial features that allow them to hide in conditions most folks can’t,

For ranged creatures they just need to run behind trees, bushes, walls, anything providing heavy obscurement to qualify as being out of line of sight and to use their action or bonus action to Hide. Once they are have done so, they are allowed to use their action / next action to lean out and fire their ranged weapon while Hidden, and thus their attacks are with advantage.

If the group is outside you'd need to be on open plains or something to have nothing to hide behind. And in dungeons usually you have corridors, stalactites, giant rocks, or even just out at a far enough distance to get out of the darkvision's dim light radius to qualify being out of line of sight.

If a DM doesn't allow for PCs to do this... I'd say they were being stingy personally.