D&D (2024) Rogues can now Sneak Attack with all thrown weapons - Tridents, Spears, Handaxes, they all work!

[ECMO3]

Yes. Not one. Several.

Not one definition provided as in 0, not as in several.

If you had evidence you would post it I am sure.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Not one definition provided as in 0, not as in several.

If you had evidence you would post it I am sure.

Happy gaming. Have fun in your self dug hole.

 

[Maxperson]

If 5E wanted to have Melee Thrown weapons count as ranged weapon when making ranged attack it would have said so in the Thrown property for example. Not only they never did, but they made an official ruling saying it's not:

Great find!

 

[ECMO3]

Happy gaming. Have fun in your self dug hole.

Not a hole. It is a game and nothing broke yesterday after the Rogue's player pointed it out.

 

[Horwath]

Nope.

why?
because of some 4E legacy that we must comply to?

 

[ECMO3]

Great find!

Yeah in 5E ... and they changed that in 2024 by tieing "Range Weapon" specifically to the Thrown property like they said they would.

In another words - If we wanted it to apply we would have done this ..... and in the new rules they did that!

 

[Maxperson]

There is no actual evidence this is broken other than people's feelings and now it is evident, this is in two places, not just one.

At best you have conflicting information on this in DDB. You can't reasonably say that one is RAW and the other isn't. The DM will have to make a ruling until such time as it is clarified.

 

[Mistwell]

This COULD explain the link and COULD explain using "Range". Using it to explain both of these would be one heck of a coincidence and if you do that you are still left with the other definition of "Ranged Weapons" that also includes thrown weapons.

Except another version of these same rules, run through the same DNDBeyond, doesn't link to that Range Weapon definition from Sneak Attack.

 

[Maxperson]

I have no idea what the likelihood of RAI in this scenario is and I don't think you do either. I'd have to go back through all the times in a video UA one of the designers talks about this and see if I can glean some intent from what they say.

I think it highly unlikely that they will forbid sneak attack from working with a greatsword or glaive, but allow it with a trident. That just doesn't make any sense to allow. Now, WotC has made some very questionable decisions with rules in the past, so I'm not certain that what I'm saying is RAI, but I think it more likely than not.

 

[Maxperson]

Regarding RAI, there is little I can think of in terms of thematics to explain why throwing a dagger would qualify for sneak attack and throwing a spear or hand axe wouldn't.

I can think of it. A dagger is looked it(rightly or wrongly) as being more of a precision weapon when thrown than an axe or spear. That said, I'd rule that the rogue could use an axe or spear if it came up in my game as I think they are accurate enough and why the hell not. I would not allow a trident to be used for ranged sneak attack, nor would I allow any of those weapons to get sneak attack in melee just because they have the range property.