Question about sneak attack


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guardianfallenangel said:
Does sneak attack damage get applied to spells if your within 30 feet?

If the spell requires an attack roll and your opponent is in a situation that qualifies you for ranged sneak attack, then yes.
 


As the others said, yes if you need an attack roll, and if the spell deals hit point damage (so it doesn't work with ray of enfeeblement etc). Also, if the spell deals energy damage, the sneak attack damage is all of the same type as well (so ray of frost gives you cold damage s.a, scorching ray does fire s.a.... you get the gist).
 

pressedcat said:
As the others said, yes if you need an attack roll, and if the spell deals hit point damage (so it doesn't work with ray of enfeeblement etc).
Actually, from the Rules of the Game:
"Spells that inflict energy drains or ability damage deal extra negative energy damage in a sneak attack, not extra negative levels or ability damage. For example, a 10th-level rogue who makes a successful sneak attack with an enervation spell deals 1d4 negative levels plus an extra 5d6 points of negative energy damage."

This still means that it doesn't work with ray of enfeeblement, since that spell actually applies a penalty instead of doing damage.
 

Yep. And with a few ranks in UMD you can turn a 750 gp wand of MM into a damage machine that doesn't miss. Assuming you are within 30 feet and you meet the conditions of sneak attack - it's an auto score!

Of course, a wand of Ray of Frost (assuming your DM allows it) would deal just about the same amount of damage for less money, but you'd have to roll the attack.

In the end, both are good deals for the rogue. :D

EDIT: Or wait a minute. MM doesn't require an attack role. Does that mean that you can't sneak with a MM spell? That seems odd.
 

Nonlethal Force said:
EDIT: Or wait a minute. MM doesn't require an attack role. Does that mean that you can't sneak with a MM spell? That seems odd.

You can only SA with spells that require an attack roll to hit.
 

Yeah, that's what I just realized. I don't typically play rogues ... so this had never come up for me personally before. I think that's really odd. I understand why in terms of the auto-hit and thus game balance, but if you can sneak attack with a ranged spell that does damage, why not with MM?
 

Since Magic Missile doesn't require an attack roll, I'd assume there's not meant to be much precision to it. Sneak attack, on the other hand, is all about precision and hitting the enemy where they're vulnerable. A spell like Scorching Ray or Ray of Frost that you aim (make an attack roll) can be precise, so they can add SA dice, but Magic Missile is a lot more blunt, so SA isn't an option.

That's how I'd rationalize it, anyway.
 

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