Describing Sneak Attack damage

[Three_Haligonians]

In order to visualize sneak attack with a big ol' weapon, you have to first look at the ways in which you can acheive sneak attack.

1. You can flank your opponent. This makes sense with a big weapon as well as with a light weapon. One guy is engaged in melee combat face to face with the opponent, while the rogue is standing behind the opponent. The opponent doesn't have the ability to effectively defend themselves against the rogue with the greataxe behind him. I'm sure you can imagine how this looks (The orc is so busy fending off Kira's flurry of blows, he almost doesn't see Thrund raising his greataxe behind him. Desperatly, the orc tries to bring his broadsword behind him to block the blow, but Thrund reverses the angle of the greataxe and swings in low, cutting deap into the orc's ribs.)

2. You can catch your opponent flatfooted. Whether you win the initiative at the beginning of the fight and manage to clock your opponent before they have a chance to draw their weapon, or use the bluff skill catch them flatfooted:

Player (pointing behind the opponent's shoulder): My God! Is that a kobold?
Opponent (looking): Whaaa?
WHAM!

Either way, its easy to see how the character is acheiving thier sneak.

Probably the best thing to bear in mind is: sneak doesn't equal precision. Its a way of gaining an advantage over your opponent that allows you to deal more damage than you normally would. In describing sneak, therefore, I suggest you concentrate more on HOW the rogue draws the opponents defenses away, rather than WHAT his weapon does.

Cheers,

T from Three Haligonians

 

[FireLance]

As a number of posters have mentioned, a sneak attack is just one that hits a particularly tender and vulnerable area. You can use a rapier, a dagger or a sap, and you can use a greatsword, a longspear or a warhammer. If the concern is that a big weapon can't be as precise as a lighter one, consider that a big weapons doesn't have to be as precise as a lighter one to inflict the same amount of damage. It just has to be precise *enough*.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

D&D is not really suited to a blow-by-blow analysis since there is no mechanical difference between having 1 hp and 250 hps. For instance if my PC has 30 hp's and I get sneak attacked for 29 hp's of damage, I am near being killed or at least out of combat - but mechanically my PC is no different than he was before the strike. The seriousness of the sneak attack is all predicated on what happens next - an event that of course has not occurred yet. The only thing that's changed is his propensity to being killed.

You can't really describe realistically the sneak attack as bone breaking, organ piercing, sinew cutting etc, because if my PC runs away (which he can at full strength), he can recover to full hp's in just a few days of rest - no serious injury was done.

My advice is that unless the hit puts the target down, not to describe it in any special way. The reaction of the target to the hit, we'll give the necessary feedback.

I agree. Very little in the way of bonecrushing, stomach bursting or the like should happen until the target goes into negatives. Otherwise the target might have a flesh wound or a small bruise.

P.S. What is RAW? I heard the term used yesterday for the first time and now I've seen it again so I'm just a tad curious.

 

[FireLance]

P.S. What is RAW? I heard the term used yesterday for the first time and now I've seen it again so I'm just a tad curious.

Rules As Written. Typically includes the SRD and the bits of the core books that are not in the SRD and official errata, but excludes other rules clarifications such as the FAQ, Sage Advice, WotC website articles, etc.