Vampiric Touch

[Nvvyn]

I have several questions regarding the spell Vampiric Touch. A few things to take not of first however...
(1) It is a Touch spell
(2) Damage dealt is then added to the caster's hp

Questions...
(1) When using Vampiric Touch, am I able to get a sneak attack with the spell, if I am flanking the person and I have levels in rogue??

(2) If (1) is yes, Does the sneak attack give me additional life according to how much the sneak attack damage does?

(3) On a roll of a 20 for the touch, is Vampiric Touch's damage doubled? Do I gain the Hp for the doubled Damage?

thanks

 

[Lord Ben]

The way I understand it is that yes, you do get sneak attack, no you don't get it back as HP.

On crits I'm pretty sure you do double and get double back.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

If your familiar carries Vampiric Touch for you, who gets the hp? You, or the familiar?

 

[Wikkin23]

I would tend to argue that being a Touch Attack would mean that it doesn't deal Sneak Attack damage.

Touch Attacks do not require you to penetrate the armor of the defender, merely roll about his base AC, with Dex (if applicable).
Sneak Attacks require you to penetrate the armor of the defender.

This difference, to me, would indicate that they are different types of attacks, and thus would not benefit one another.

Wikkin

 

[Wikkin23]

If the familiar delivers the Vamipric touch, I would believe that the caster still gets the HP, as the familiar is merely a conduit through which the spell is being delivered, much like a Spectral Hand spell.

Now, you can target a familiar with a self only spell, such as Shield, but I would tend to believe that you are not granted such a choice with Vampiric Touch, as it is a targeted spell, with HP flowing to you being an additional effect.

Wikkin

 

[kreynolds]

I would tend to argue that being a Touch Attack would mean that it doesn't deal Sneak Attack damage.

Any spell that requires an attack roll to hit can deal critical hit damage or sneak attack damage.

 

[Uller]

Any spell that requires an attack roll to hit can deal critical hit damage or sneak attack damage.

Just to be clear...this is explained in Tome & Blood. It is not very clearly explained in the PHB or DMG, but it is the intention of the rules that any spell that requires an attack roll is considered a weapon and can be used to deal sneak attack and crit damage (if all other requirements for such are met).

For Vampiric Touch, the letter of the description states: "The character gains temporary hit points equal to the damage the character inflicts."

So if you deal sneak attack or crit damage, then you gain those as temporary hit points as well.

So a Rog5/Wiz5 could deal (on a crit) 2d6(normal) + 3d6(SA) + 2d6 (crit) for an average of 24.5 damage (17.5 without a crit and 7 without crit and sneak attack). A Wiz10 could deal 5d6(normal + 5d6 (crit) for 35 damage on a crit or 17.5 without. The pure wizard would never have to concern himself with meeting the criteria for a sneak attack. So all an all, it does not seem unbalanced to me(especially since we are talking 10th level characters here...while the wizard or wz/rogue is dealing a paltry 17.5 points of damage (and gaining the same in temp hitpoints), the fighter is probably dishing out 20+ points of damage each round...

 

[Wikkin23]

I just picked up Tome and Blood this afternoon.

Page 79 states it perfectly.

Any spell that requires an attack roll and deals damage functions as a weapon in certain respects. A spell's "damage" may be normal, subdual, ability, or energy drain. Such spells can inflict critical hits, can be used in sneak attacks, and allow rangers to use their favored enemy bonuses.

Since the answer to the original poster's question #1 is "Yes," I would now go by the wording of the spell, as stated above, which would indicate that the caster would in fact gain the HP for damage done with Sneat Attack dice.

I stand corrected.
Watch out for that crit with my Ray of Enfeeblement... hehe )

Wikkin

 

[Uller]

Watch out for that crit with my Ray of Enfeeblement... hehe )

Except Ray of Enfeeblement bestows an enhancement penalty to Str. Not ability damage. There's a difference.

 

[LordAO]

Are you trying to say that if someoen sneak attacks with energy drain, they take 2d4 +sneak attack negative levels?!! If so, that has to be the most ridiculous rule I have ever seen! A 20th level rogue with enervation (say froma wand) could kill any character instantly! (1d4 + 10d6 negative levels!!!)