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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 5019243" data-attributes="member: 4937">I think it is just you.My problem with the ambush feats is that they are very hard to balance.Disembowling strike would be a case in point.  I wouldn't allow it in my game.  Are there better things to spend a feat on?  Probably not if you do 4d6 or more worth of sneak attack damage.  4d6 damage = average 14 hitpoints.1d4 Con damage is roughly average 1.25 hitpoints damage per HD of the target.  So it generally sucks vs. targets that are 10 HD or less, but after a certain point it is pretty much always better than regular sneak attack.  Killing CON is even better than doing HD damage.  It's harder to cure, and it leaves the target with weaker Fort saves.  By the time that the rogue has 4d6 sneak attack damage, 14 HD opponents aren't that unusual.  If you hit a 14 HD creature for 2 CON damage, you've broke even.  If you hit a 20 HD creature for 4 CON damage, that's better than doing 40 damage (for a loss of 14).  That's a net of +26 damage.  It's hard to think of another feat that can yield such a big upside in so many situations.  At the upper levels, the rogue would never not use Disembowling Strike except when they couldn't sneak attack at all.Inflicting at will condition damage is very powerful.  It's like spells only worse because it evades the normal defences against spells.  The general pattern for the 'ambush feats that I might consider is:Prequisite: [some dice of sneak attack], some featBenefit: If you sneak attack and score a critical hit, then the target must make a Fort save vs. DC 10 + # sneak attack dice + rogue's WIS bonus or [minor effect]. Where [minor effect] is something like dazed/dazzled/knocked down/shakened/staggered/1 Dex damage/1 Str damage/bleeding/deafened. So for example:Pounding StrikePrerequisite: +2d6 sneak attack, Str 13, Power AttackBenefit: If you make a sneak attack with a bludgeoning weapon and score a critical hit, then the target must make a fort save vs. DC 10 + sneak attack rank + your Wis bonus or be knocked prone.Bleeding StrikePrerequisite: +1d6 sneak attack, Dex 13, Weapon Finesse in an edged weaponBenefit: If you make a sneak attack with an edged weapon for which you have the Weapon Finesse feat and score a critical hit, then the target begins bleeding and loses 1 h.p. per round until it can stablize (Roll its Con or less on a d% dice). Blinding StrikePrerequisite: +2d6 sneak attack, Int 13, Combat ExpertiseBenefit: If you make a sneak attack and score a critical hit, then the target must make a fort save vs. DC 10 + sneak attack rank + your Wis bonus or be dazzled for one round.</blockquote>

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