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<blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 5739400" data-attributes="member: 6681948">First off, I don't expect to get Sneak Attack every round.&nbsp; I do note that it is the rogue's main combat ability, so inflicting significant damage requires Flanking.&nbsp; Maybe I come from a different perspective, but IMO Flanking and other approaches to get Sneak Attack are vastly easier to achieve than Backstabbing prior to 3e.&nbsp;Why would my melee teammates be opposed to setting up a Flank?&nbsp; They get a bonus to hit, and they enhance - considerably - the team's damage output.&nbsp; Our first 3e game, we didn't analyze the changes, we just played the game.&nbsp; After a few sessions, probably about 5th level, we noticed two thing.&nbsp; First, Sneak Attack was pretty effective, and not hard to set up.&nbsp; Second, the Fighter working his way up to Whirlwind Attack was pretty mobile (so was the Monk), so setting the Rogue up to sneak attack was a very viable combat strategy.&nbsp;A Summoned Monster is another easy way to help the Rogue flank, but we had no summoner in that game.&nbsp;&quot;Beg the Arcanist&quot;?&nbsp; Isn't it the spellcaster's job (and the rest of the team's, for that matter) to work to making the team more effective?&nbsp; The Arcanist never has to beg the other PC's in our group to drop everything if he's engaged in melee - he's an eggshell, and we need his spells supporting the melee combatants.&nbsp;Our Rogue normally fired off an arrow (later a volley) with initiative, then moved in to flank (by which time the Fighter had normally Spring Attacked into a position that facilitated a sneak attack, often with full use of Combat Expertise so he was tough to hit - one attack at full BAB can suck up some hefty penalties and generally hit, and really the point was to get sneak attack damage, not to get one hit by the fighter).&nbsp;PC teams are powerful because they bring disparate abilities together and generate a whole which is much greater than the sum of its parts.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="N'raac, post: 5739400, member: 6681948"] First off, I don't expect to get Sneak Attack every round. I do note that it is the rogue's main combat ability, so inflicting significant damage requires Flanking. Maybe I come from a different perspective, but IMO Flanking and other approaches to get Sneak Attack are vastly easier to achieve than Backstabbing prior to 3e. Why would my melee teammates be opposed to setting up a Flank? They get a bonus to hit, and they enhance - considerably - the team's damage output. Our first 3e game, we didn't analyze the changes, we just played the game. After a few sessions, probably about 5th level, we noticed two thing. First, Sneak Attack was pretty effective, and not hard to set up. Second, the Fighter working his way up to Whirlwind Attack was pretty mobile (so was the Monk), so setting the Rogue up to sneak attack was a very viable combat strategy. A Summoned Monster is another easy way to help the Rogue flank, but we had no summoner in that game. "Beg the Arcanist"? Isn't it the spellcaster's job (and the rest of the team's, for that matter) to work to making the team more effective? The Arcanist never has to beg the other PC's in our group to drop everything if he's engaged in melee - he's an eggshell, and we need his spells supporting the melee combatants. Our Rogue normally fired off an arrow (later a volley) with initiative, then moved in to flank (by which time the Fighter had normally Spring Attacked into a position that facilitated a sneak attack, often with full use of Combat Expertise so he was tough to hit - one attack at full BAB can suck up some hefty penalties and generally hit, and really the point was to get sneak attack damage, not to get one hit by the fighter). PC teams are powerful because they bring disparate abilities together and generate a whole which is much greater than the sum of its parts. [/QUOTE]

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