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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Eldritch_Lord" data-source="post: 5019925" data-attributes="member: 52073">Well, SA dice represent dealing damage to some vulnerable part of the body.  Giving up some damage potential to do something else makes sense if you consider that to be simply aiming for another part--if regular SA is "I'm going to get him in the back, then when he turns I'll duck and aim for the knee...." then Disemboweling Strike is "I'm going to keep aiming right for his stomach until I get in a solid hit."  Instead of striking opportunistically and getting constant damage in, you're getting less damage but potentially getting better payoff by ignoring all but one spot and consistently attacking that.Frankly, I see your objection to this as a manifestation of Non-Casters Don't Get Nice Things[sup]TM[/sup].  To be dealing 10 Con damage, you need to be a 19th-level rogue giving up all your SA dice.  First off, by 19th level other characters can do more hit point or ability damage and do it more consistently than 1/encounter.Secondly, let's compare.  Ray of Enfeeblement does 1d6+CL/2 Str damage as a 1st level spell, and can be metamagicked for more--and even without metamagic, as a plain ol' spell, it can do 10 ability damage at least 9 levels earlier than the rogue, and more often than 1/encounter.  The poison spell does 1d10 Con on a touch, then 1d10 1 minute later, as a 3rd level spell.  It allows a save, of course, but then again it's dealing 2d10 Con at 5th level, potentially more if you metamagic it--and I'd say 10 Con now, 10 Con later is worth it.  If you look at the trend (1st level slot, 10th level, 6-11 Str damage, no save; 3rd level slot, 5th level, 2d10 Con damage, save) then a 19th level rogue should be just fine dealing 10 Con damage, no save.D&D has been dealing with verisimilitude issues from its <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CriticalExistenceFailure" target="_blank">Critical Existence Failure</a> paradigm since 1e.  Anything involving hit points is an abstraction at some level.</blockquote>

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