Sneak Attack and DR

[Taren Seeker]

I could have sworn there was a rule stating that in order to apply sneak attack to a creature with DR that you cannot bypass you need to exceed it's DR with your base weapon damage first?

Ex: lvl 1 rogue with 12 STR using a non-magical dagger sneak attacks a creature with DR 5/magic. Unless he crits his base weapon damage (d4+1) cannot exceed the DR therefore he cannot apply the extra 1d6 sneak.

I know there's the entry under DR that states that special effects like stunning and such do not apply if DR negates damage from an an attack, but I thought there was something that referenced extra dice of damage as being a special added effect.

Any help? Am I crazy?

 

[Rugger]

I could have sworn there was a rule stating that in order to apply sneak attack to a creature with DR that you cannot bypass you need to exceed it's DR with your base weapon damage first?

Ex: lvl 1 rogue with 12 STR using a non-magical dagger sneak attacks a creature with DR 5/magic. Unless he crits his base weapon damage (d4+1) cannot exceed the DR therefore he cannot apply the extra 1d6 sneak.

I know there's the entry under DR that states that special effects like stunning and such do not apply if DR negates damage from an an attack, but I thought there was something that referenced extra dice of damage as being a special added effect.

Any help? Am I crazy?

Yup. Yer crazy.

For all intents and purposes, the total of the weapon damage dice AND the sneak attack dice is the damage total, which is measured against DR.

- Rugger

 

[Taren Seeker]

Well here's what I've managed to dig up. I thought there was something stronger though...I guess you could view sneak attack as a special effect like those listed in the damage reduction entry, but I'm not sure that was intended. The only thing I could find that might support this is that sneak attacks are referred to as extra damage in the Rogue class description, while other modifiers like strength and specialization are referred to as normal damage in the critical hit description.

So if you look at sneak attack as special damage, then isn't that a special effect like a Monk's stunning?

Thoughts?

 

[Felix]

Ironically, you don't have to damage the target to apply SA dice. You just have to flank him, or get him without a Dex bonus. That is the condition that sets off the application of SA dice, and not wether or not the attack would have otherwise damaged the target.

So as soon as your 12 STR rogue flanks an enemy, or that enemy loses his Dex to AC, that rogue's dagger's damage changes from 1d4+1 into 1d4+1d6+1. Of course he must hit the target to apply damage, but then, he would have had to do that anyway.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Skip Williams addressed this in one of the Rules of the Game articles on the WotC website.

As Felix and Rugger note, you add up the damage of weapon and SA, and then apply DR to the total.

-Hyp.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

So if you look at sneak attack as special damage, then isn't that a special effect like a Monk's stunning?

That is exactly the right question to ask. The answer is "No".

Technically speaking, the Sneak Attack is extra damage that applies under strict circumstances and is never multiplied (PHB p.50). It is not a type of special damage.