Sneak attack inside a creature?

[TheEvil]

I certainly could see the argument that the sneak attack damage could not be applied to a rogue cutting their way out, but I don't think I would bother in my own campaign. If nothing else, I would probably rule that the creature coughed up the painful morsel.

 

[Festivus]

Ok, I guess it's possible to stun a purple worm somehow.

But...

Sneak attacks require a clear view of the target. Any degree of concealment -- even concealment from fog (a lousy 20% miss chance) foils sneak attacks.

Sneak attacks are possible only when the attacker can reach the target's vital spots. If you're limited to beating the foe about the ankles, you can't make sneak attacks against him.

I am wondering first, what sort of visibility you would have inside the worm. I envision being all goey and digestive muscles pushing against you, perhaps with some stomach acids. And second, if you are in the gut, can you tell where exactly you are in relation to a vital organ?

Just wondering aloud here, I don't see this particular situation arising for me for a long time, but interested in the discussion of the interpretation.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

What I want to know is how the rogue breathes in there. It's not exactly an oxygenated environment, and drowning in stomach acid doesn't improve matters.

 

[Infiniti2000]

A good answer, but incomplete. What if the creature that swallowed you becomes stunned, and loses dex bonus for reasons unrelated to the grapple?

It's immaterial if the swallower is stunned or otherwise loses his Dex bonus. "The Armor Class of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + ½ its natural armor bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity." Without any modifiers for Dexterity, it cannot lose it's Dex bonus. Whether it can be flanked is another one to debate, too.

Note that it's further debated where the damage is applied. For example, I don't apply the damage on the gizzard to the creature's overall hit points. But, others do.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

What I want to know is how the rogue breathes in there. It's not exactly an oxygenated environment, and drowning in stomach acid doesn't improve matters.

Well, I assume that everyone who gets swallowed whole immediately starts holding his or her breath, graning Con rounds to get out.

Of course, if you end up running out of air, you're likely already dead from acid / bludgeoning damage anyway, so it's almost always not worth keeping track.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Just because someone gets swallowed doesn't necessarily mean that sneak attack damage should apply. Saying that the swallowed creature is closer to vital organs is a judgement call and not reflective of the rules; it's just flavour. If there's a mechanical reason for sneak attacks to work, go for it. But I wouldn't rule that it applies just b/c someone is in a creature's stomach.

 

[irdeggman]

It's immaterial if the swallower is stunned or otherwise loses his Dex bonus. "The Armor Class of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + ½ its natural armor bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity." Without any modifiers for Dexterity, it cannot lose it's Dex bonus. Whether it can be flanked is another one to debate, too.

I actually don't think that matters since:

The rogue’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target.

 

[Vrecknidj]

Screw rules:

If it would be cool and cinematic, then yes. If it wouldn't be, and his buddies will probably save him, then no.

Dave

 

[Victim]

The rogue might not necessarily attempt to cut his way out, if he can do sneak attack from the inside. Compared to a creature's full attack damage, stomach damage is rather low especially with Resist Acid going. If the rogue can see in the dark, he might be quite happy shredding his foe from the inside. He could leave once it's dead.

 

[the Jester]

The rogue might not necessarily attempt to cut his way out, if he can do sneak attack from the inside. Compared to a creature's full attack damage, stomach damage is rather low especially with Resist Acid going. If the rogue can see in the dark, he might be quite happy shredding his foe from the inside. He could leave once it's dead.

Oh, a year or two ago I actually was this character- a dwarven ranger/rogue/fighter inside the belly of somethign or other (snow worm maybe?)... the dm ruled I could sneak attack from within, so I just took the acid damage and cut it up from within.