HOLY CRAP! Please tell me I'm wrong.

[TheAuldGrump]

Make sure that you don't turn it into a useless ability - think about how you would feel if you had a nifty damage dealing ability, then never got to use it in game because the DM set up every situation so that it was useless. (Been there, done that, changed DMs.)

And rogues fold like a house of cards when they get hit, it ends up being a decent trade off.

As a DM, when I first saw the 3e rogue my thought wasn't that they were broken, it was 'gods, I want to play one!'

The Auld Grump

*EDIT* Saw an overly complicated house rule regarding 'counterflanking' once though...

 

[dcollins]

From the 3rd Edition FAQ under "Rogue":

I don’t see any limit on the number of sneak attacks a rogue
can make in a round. Suppose a high-level rogue is hiding.
Two villains walk within 5 feet of her. Can the rogue use an
attack of opportunity as a sneak attack and then, assuming
she gets initiative, make as many sneak attacks as she has
attacks? Can she sneak attack each of the villains? What if
the rogue has a bow? If she has Rapid Shot, does this
increase the number of sneak attacks she can make?

A rogue deals extra damage with a sneak attack anytime the
target is denied Dexterity bonus to Armor Class or anytime the
rogue flanks the target, no matter how many attacks the rogue
makes. These conditions are not likely to occur during an attack
of opportunity, but if they do (such as when the rogue is
unseen), the rogue gets her sneak attack bonus damage. The
same holds true for ranged weapons (but see the next question),
provided that the rogue is within 30 feet of her target. Note that
sneak attacks are never possible when the rogue cannot see her
target.

And the next entry after that:

Say a rogue attempts to perform a sneak attack on a
target and the target is flanked and engaged with another
character, but aware of the rogue. Does the rogue get the
extra damage dice for the sneak attack? My DM believes
that a foe that is aware of the rogue can protect itself and is
not subject to sneak attacks. I disagree.

Whenever a rogue attacks an opponent that the rogue flanks,
or who is denied a Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (such as
when caught flat-footed), the rogue’s attack is a sneak attack. It
makes no difference how many attacks the rogue makes or
whether the opponent is aware of the rogue or not. (Note that
opponents who are not subject to critical hits, such as
constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, and undead, are not
subject to sneak attacks.) Note that in earlier versions of the
game only the first attack a rogue made in a round could be a
sneak attack. That is no longer the case.

 

[Keoki]

Remember that barbarians/rogues, etc. with Uncanny Dodge can't be flanked!

 

[Bagpuss]

Am I remembering correctly does Concealment cancel sneak attacks as well?

 

[shilsen]

Am I remembering correctly does Concealment cancel sneak attacks as well?

Correct. It's stated in the last sentence of the Sneak Attack ability description on pg. 50 of the PHB.

 

[Mekabar]

Remember that barbarians/rogues, etc. with Uncanny Dodge can't be flanked!

That is not correct. Uncanny dodge prevents a character from being caught flat-footed, but he can still be flanked. There is a feat called 'Eyes in the Back of your Head' in Complete Warrior, which denies flanking attackers any flanking bonus, but it does not prevent sneak attacks either.

 

[shilsen]

That is not correct. Uncanny dodge prevents a character from being caught flat-footed, but he can still be flanked. There is a feat called 'Eyes in the Back of your Head' in Complete Warrior, which denies flanking attackers any flanking bonus, but it does not prevent sneak attacks either.

Right. Uncanny Dodge doesn't help. Improved Uncanny Dodge, however, does prevent one from being flanked except if it's by an enemy who has at least four more rogue levels than the target has barbarian levels.

 

[hong]

If the full-sneak-attack blender-o-dQQm thing sticks in your craw, you could try using the ninja from Complete Adv (reprinted from Dragon). It gets a "sudden strike" ability which is like sneak attack, but only usable against opponents who lose their Dex bonus (ie, no flanking). OTOH ninjae get funky ki powers like invisibility, so if you're determined to keep things mundane, they may not be fully suitable.

 

[sierzadon]

Sneakier sneak

In any event, that d6/level is going to come back to bite the Rogue in the behind if they try to engage foes in melee a lot. Remember, lots of things are immune to crits and/or sneak attacks, like Undead, Constructs, etc.

This is exactly why any rogue should have his DM consider

A: Construct-bane and undead-bane weapons (DMG does have rules for this) - sure, they cost GP, but hey - a Rogue is item intensive, right?

B: Multiclass to sorcerer/cleric and learn a few "swift" spells from complete adventurer. There is one spell that allows sneak attack with longer range than 30 (coolness) and one that allows sneak attack on constructs, another on undead and yet another on plants.


//Sierzadon

 

[Keoki]

That is not correct. Uncanny dodge prevents a character from being caught flat-footed, but he can still be flanked. There is a feat called 'Eyes in the Back of your Head' in Complete Warrior, which denies flanking attackers any flanking bonus, but it does not prevent sneak attacks either.

From the PH:

Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 5th level and higher, a barbarian can no longer be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the barbarian by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more levels of rogue than the target has barbarian levels.

It is correct.