Shurikens and Sneak Damage

[Caliban]

According to the FAQ:



So you only get one chance at a sneak attack.

*shrug* The FAQ is wrong.

 

[Caliban]

Re: Other bonus damage

Has there been any ruling on other types of precision-based bonus damage, such as Point Blank Shot, Weapon Specialization, or a ranger's favored enemy bonus? If these bonuses aren't limited like sneak attack is, shuriken are much more appealing, since each one could do 4 points of damage within 30'. A 4th level fighter with EWP: Shuriken, WF: Shuriken, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, and WS: Shuriken could throw 6/round, for up to 24 points of damage. Of course, the character wouldn't be good for much else, but a halfling with low Str could do quite well following this path, since the shuriken don't allow a Str bonus anyway, and they get a racial bonus with thrown weapons.

All precision based damage bonuses are limited like sneak attack damage. It's mentioned in Sword and Fist and also in the FAQ somewhere.

 

[Mr.Binx]

Shurikens are mainly nasty with enhancements and/or applied poison. Since monks are immune to poison once they gain Diamond Body this is an extremely popular choice for the lil' buggers. Get your local party spell-caster to cast Greater Magic Weapon on the lil' doodads for some extra help if you can. Shuriken really weren't made to be used by themselves for a priamry offensive capability. The Rapid shot feat combined with 50 +1 holy caustic shurikens of wounding for 5,000pp (2+1D6 acid damage+2D6 holy damage+1 bleeding wound every round till healed per shuriken hit or 6-21 + 1/round thereafter vs. evil creatures per shuriken), or equally nasty combination, can be pretty damaging. By themselves they're pretty lame. They do have a major benefit of being easy to hide on one's person as well.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

Sneak attack is based on the ability to put a spikey bit in the right spot to do the most damage, which is why you have to put that damage on the first weapon in the barage. The rest are just along for the ride. You can't concentrate on putting all three into the same location, but you can focus on one, and put the others in the same direction. It wouldn't be much of a house rule to say it's the first to hit, but by the rules printed, it is the first ROLL you make, just as if you were using any other weapon. If you miss with that, your SOL. With stars, at least you have two more chances for SOME damage.

As an aside, if you do intend to make them magical, I would suggest Sure Striking. It would bypass damage reduction, vital for such small weapons, and it would be fairly cheap. Permanant true strike or wounding would be good, also. I veiw these the same as magic arrows, hard to make cost effective.

 

[Mr.Binx]

As an aside, if you do intend to make them magical, I would suggest Sure Striking. It would bypass damage reduction, vital for such small weapons, and it would be fairly cheap. Permanant true strike or wounding would be good, also. I veiw these the same as magic arrows, hard to make cost effective.

Yeah, that's alot of money you're throwing around. Roughly 100pp per projectile in my previous example.

 

[Croaker]

Shuriken aren't ammunition, so unlike magical arrows, they survive to be used over and over again, as long as you can find them. Even more important than Sure Striking would be Returning, especially if you go with Flaming or some other energy damage, which isn't affected by damage reduction. This does raise the question of whether Greater Magic Weapon would affect 50 shuriken or only 1...

 

[Vaxalon]

It answers the question. Shuriken are not ammunition, so GMW only affects one of them.

 

[Stalker0]

Sounds like what you need then is a +1 shuriken of returning. That with a GMW, and you've got yourself a powerful little piece of metal.

 

[AGGEMAM]

Sounds like what you need then is a +1 shuriken of returning. That with a GMW, and you've got yourself a powerful little piece of metal.

Actually, you need at least three shurikens, since the returning ability makes it return on the next round.

 

[Roland Delacroix]

Shurikens are mainly nasty with enhancements and/or applied poison. Since monks are immune to poison once they gain Diamond Body this is an extremely popular choice for the lil' buggers.

This is true from a min/max perspective, but I think most DM's would quibble over how 'Lawful' poison use would be. Other than that, yah, poison rocks