von_recklinghausen
Explorer
In the Zeitgeist 5e player's guide, grenades are described as follows:
"...
When you throw a grenade, choose a creature or an unoccupied 5-foot space. (If the creature occupies a space greater than 5 feet, choose one of the squares it occupies.) Make ranged weapon attack against AC 10. If the attack misses, the grenade veers off course, missing by 5 feet in a random direction, or 10 feet if the target area was at long range. Each creature in a 5-foot radius of where the grenade lands must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 damage on a failure. Half of this damage is bludgeoning, and half piercing.
If you targeted a creature and the attack roll is a critical hit, the grenade directly strikes that creature (or the creature of your choice, if there are multiple). The creature takes 6d6 damage split between bludgeoning and piercing and cannot attempt a saving throw for half damage. Other creatures in the area make saving throws and take damage as normal.
"
I have two questions, and I'm curious if anyone has encountered either of these and how you've ruled to deal with them:
(1) My read of this is that if one throws a grenade at a target, you only deny the target a saving throw on a critical hit (failing a critical hit, the target takes damage as normal and can roll a save to halve the damage). Is this correct?
(2) Can a rogue sneak attack with a grenade? In general, my understanding is that if a target gets a save against damage (as opposed to needing to be hit with an attack roll), then that isn't a permissible sneak attack. At the same time, in this case you do sort of get an attack roll against the target (if you target a creature as opposed to an attack roll). In general sneak attack with an AOE weapon seems strange to me and risks being unbalancing. But this is a pretty small AOE (5 ft), and there is an attack roll here...
"...
When you throw a grenade, choose a creature or an unoccupied 5-foot space. (If the creature occupies a space greater than 5 feet, choose one of the squares it occupies.) Make ranged weapon attack against AC 10. If the attack misses, the grenade veers off course, missing by 5 feet in a random direction, or 10 feet if the target area was at long range. Each creature in a 5-foot radius of where the grenade lands must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 damage on a failure. Half of this damage is bludgeoning, and half piercing.
If you targeted a creature and the attack roll is a critical hit, the grenade directly strikes that creature (or the creature of your choice, if there are multiple). The creature takes 6d6 damage split between bludgeoning and piercing and cannot attempt a saving throw for half damage. Other creatures in the area make saving throws and take damage as normal.
"
I have two questions, and I'm curious if anyone has encountered either of these and how you've ruled to deal with them:
(1) My read of this is that if one throws a grenade at a target, you only deny the target a saving throw on a critical hit (failing a critical hit, the target takes damage as normal and can roll a save to halve the damage). Is this correct?
(2) Can a rogue sneak attack with a grenade? In general, my understanding is that if a target gets a save against damage (as opposed to needing to be hit with an attack roll), then that isn't a permissible sneak attack. At the same time, in this case you do sort of get an attack roll against the target (if you target a creature as opposed to an attack roll). In general sneak attack with an AOE weapon seems strange to me and risks being unbalancing. But this is a pretty small AOE (5 ft), and there is an attack roll here...
