Slaying Action (Feat)

[Atreides]

Hey Everyone,

I am having a bit of trouble understanding the nuances (if there are any) of the feat Slaying Action.

If you spend an action point to take an extra action and have already dealt Sneak Attack damage during this round, you can deal the extra damage a second time during this turn.


Does the bonus SA damage only apply if you hit with the action that was 'bought' with the Action point?

Do you have to use SA before you spend the action point to get the 2nd use of SA?

 

[FrozenChrono]

Is that how it's written in the entry? If so as long as you've already done sneak attack damage before using your action point you're fine. I believe Rogues have one or two minor action attacks that would allow you to benefit from this feat as well.

 

[Caliban]

Normally, you can only apply your sneak attack damage to one attack per turn.

Benefit: If you spend an action point to take an extra action and have already dealt Sneak Attack damage during this round, you can deal the extra damage a second time during this turn.

This allows you a chance to do it a second time after you spend an action point to make an attack.

So, from the way the feat is worded, you have to have already dealt your sneak attack damage once on your turn before spending the action point.

Once you have spent the action point, you can deal your sneak attack damage again on any attack you hit with (assuming you have Combat Advantage) after that.

So if you miss with your Action Point attack, you could still do sneak attack damage if you hit with a minor action attack like Low Slash.

If you miss with that, you could still do sneak attack damage if you hit on an opportunity attack (with combat advantage).

If you miss that, you could still do sneak attack damage if another character (such as a warlord or bard) grants you an attack while you have combat advantage.

Basically, if you have the Slaying Action feat spending an action point "refreshes" your Sneak Attack dice if they have already been spent.

 

[eriktheguy]

I suppose that if you spend the action point before you have used your sneak attack, it won't grant you an additional one. So if you have the human action surge your can't get the +3 to both attacks.

 

[Atreides]

Another issue is how Slaying Action (Feat) works (or doesn't) with Slaying action (PP trait from Death Death Dealer).

Slaying Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you gain a +2 bonus to each damage die until the start of your next turn.

It looks like Slaying Action the PP trait is designed to trigger as your first action (use the bonus action, and then follow up with your normal actions).

Whereas Slaying Action the feat seems to require the opposite order.

Does that seem to be the case? By design perhaps?

 

[Klaus]

Let's say you're a Rogue/Death Dealer with the Slaying Action feat. You make an attack, hit and deal +3d6 SA damage. Then you spend an action point and you hit. You deal 1d6 damage (from your short sword), +3d6 damage (from SA again) +8 (from the Death Dealer power that adds +2 to each die of damage).

 

[SabreCat]

If you miss with that, you could still do sneak attack damage if you hit on an opportunity attack (with combat advantage).

If you miss that, you could still do sneak attack damage if another character (such as a warlord or bard) grants you an attack while you have combat advantage.

If the feat is worded as quoted, these two don't work, alas--the Slaying Action effect only works for the turn, not the round. (Unless, I suppose, you have means of making opportunity actions during your own turn or your buddy can grant you extra attacks during your turn.)

 

[Caliban]

If the feat is worded as quoted, these two don't work, alas--the Slaying Action effect only works for the turn, not the round. (Unless, I suppose, you have means of making opportunity actions during your own turn or your buddy can grant you extra attacks during your turn.)

You are correct, I somehow read that as next turn.

 

[Atreides]

Which is basically where I am coming from on all this - as far as I can tell, the two do not function with each other. Needless to say, the Rogue saw a natural combination in extra sneak attack dice with an ability which ups the damage per die.

I am curious if the items were written deliberately to exclude the other, or if it simple happenstance of the wording.

 

[SabreCat]

Hm? No, I think Klaus's analysis is correct on that one. The two Slaying Actions do work in concert, from what I can tell. ("these two" in my post referred to the quoted strategies in Caliban's post.)