D&D 5E Do I get sneak attack if I throw a Rapier or whack someone with my heavy crossbow

[auburn2]

Assuming I meet the other criteria.

The rules are pretty clear that a thrown rapier has a 20/60 range and does 1d4. A heavy crossbow you swing at someone likewise does 1d4 (and so does a hand crossbow which makes no sense). The rules for sneak attack say .... "The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon" The rapier is technically a finesse weapon, and the crossbow is technically a ranged weapon so I think RAW I get SA (assuming I meet the other criteria).

While I am at it, if I throw a Goblin at someone do I use dexterity on the attack roll?

 

[Maxperson]

Assuming I meet the other criteria.

The rules are pretty clear that a thrown rapier has a 20/60 range and does 1d4. A heavy crossbow you swing at someone likewise does 1d4 (and so does a hand crossbow which makes no sense). The rules for sneak attack say .... "The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon" The rapier is technically a finesse weapon, and the crossbow is technically a ranged weapon so I think RAW I get SA (assuming I meet the other criteria).

While I am at it, if I throw a Goblin at someone do I use dexterity on the attack roll?

No. A rapier is not a thrown weapon, even if you throw it. Throw weapons are given the label, "thrown." And if you are swinging a crossbow, it is no longer a ranged weapon, it is an improvised melee weapon.

 

[Tonguez]

The thrown rapier and the melee crossbow are both Improvised Weapons, because they are being put to non-standard use they lose their standard properties (finesse and ranged) and are treated only as Improvised Weapons And thus do not get Sneak Attack.

The exception is if the DM decides the Improvised Weapon are sufficiently similar to a real weapon eg a branch used as a club or a metal shiv used as a dagger. (I dont think a Rapier looks like any kind of real ranged weapon.)

I’d consider a goblin to be an Improvised Melee Weapon and thus use Strength even when it is thrown.

 

[DEFCON 1]

It doesn't matter what any of us say. Your DM will make a ruling if you attempt the action. Our responses here will have no impact.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

It doesn't matter what any of us say. Your DM will make a ruling if you attempt the action. Our responses here will have no impact.

I assume when a player asks a question like this it is so that they can know if there is an obvious RAW answer or so that they can have some context from which to suggest a ruling to their DM. Hopefully they do not ask so that they can go to their table and insist "you must rule thus, for so hath the allknowing sages of Enworld decreed it!".

That said, I can't think of any rules basis or general logical basis to support any ruling other than what Tonguez wrote above. I'll only add that if weapons retained their normal properties when used as improvised throwing weapons, then the "thrown" property essentially has no meaning because all weapons are effectively throwing weapons.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Assuming I meet the other criteria.

The rules are pretty clear that a thrown rapier has a 20/60 range and does 1d4. A heavy crossbow you swing at someone likewise does 1d4 (and so does a hand crossbow which makes no sense). The rules for sneak attack say .... "The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon" The rapier is technically a finesse weapon, and the crossbow is technically a ranged weapon so I think RAW I get SA (assuming I meet the other criteria).

While I am at it, if I throw a Goblin at someone do I use dexterity on the attack roll?

The thrown rapier? Yes. It is now an improvised thrown weapon with a range of 20/60.

The heavy crossbow? No. It is now a melee (improvised) weapon. It lacks the finesse property and is not an improvised thrown weapon so has no range.

That would be my take, anyway. shrug

 

[Oofta]

It would work in my campaign because I don't care what weapon you use. But normally to qualify for sneak attack it needs to be " The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon."

So here's the thing. Daggers and darts are both finesse and thrown. Do they qualify for sneak attack even when thrown? Can you get a sneak attack with a thrown dagger? I always assumed yes, but I could see ruling it differently.

A rapier can be used as an improvised thrown weapon, but it's also a finesse weapon. Therefore I would go with the same ruling as the dagger.

Hitting someone with an improvised club (the crossbow example) would not qualify because clubs cannot be used for sneak attack.

EDIT: just to reiterate what others have said, having the "thrown" property does not qualify for sneak attack, i.e. you cannot sneak attack with a hand axe.

 

[Hriston]

Assuming I meet the other criteria.

The rules are pretty clear that a thrown rapier has a 20/60 range and does 1d4. A heavy crossbow you swing at someone likewise does 1d4 (and so does a hand crossbow which makes no sense). The rules for sneak attack say .... "The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon" The rapier is technically a finesse weapon, and the crossbow is technically a ranged weapon so I think RAW I get SA (assuming I meet the other criteria).

While I am at it, if I throw a Goblin at someone do I use dexterity on the attack roll?

An improvised weapon is not technically a weapon for the purposes of the attack therefore you are not using a finesse or ranged weapon.

Making a ranged weapon attack with an improvised weapon (including a dead goblin) uses Dexterity.

 

[Maxperson]

EDIT: just to reiterate what others have said, having the "thrown" property does not qualify for sneak attack, i.e. you cannot sneak attack with a hand axe.

I don't agree with that. Below is what it takes to qualify for sneak attack.

"Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon."

And below defines what a ranged weapon is.

"Range. A weapon that can be used to make a ranged attack has a range in parentheses after the ammunition or thrown property. The range lists two numbers. The first is the weapon's normal range in feet, and the second indicates the weapon's long range. When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can't attack a target beyond the weapon's long range."

As you can see, the axe is a ranged weapon just by virtue of having the thrown property, so if a Rogue throws the handaxe, by RAW he gets sneak attack. He would not get it if he used the handaxe as a melee weapon, because it does not have finesse.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Making a ranged weapon attack with an improvised weapon (including a dead goblin) uses Dexterity.

Why would it be DEX?

It is a thrown weapon, which use STR unless they are also Finesse, such as a dagger.

So, I think hurling a goblin at someone would be a STR attack, personally.