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I just finished building a new character for a possible level 15 campaign. The class levels are 7 Rogue, 2 Sorcerer, 3 Arcane Archer, 3 Arcane Trickster. I'm assuming that when I imbue a spell onto an arrow and fire it, as per the Arcane Archer ability, I can target an enemy and roll the attack as normal, adding sneak attack if they are flat footed. I noticed the Arcane Trickster's final ability Surprise Spells. Pretending this character reaches level 22, if I fire an arrow with an imbued fire ball, for example, and hit a flat footed enemy, would the arrow and the spell both deal sneak attack damage or would I have to choose one or the other?
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Both do sneak attack damage (but read on). All spells by the 10th level Arcane Trickster does sneak attack damage to flat footed targets. But the question in disguise is:
Is the target flat footed for the fireball?
The first hit does sneak attack damage. The fireball, then, hits the target, but he's no longer subject to sneak attack from the arcane trickster/arcane archer. So...
You only get sneak attack damage once, from the arrow, as precision damage. At least it won't be halved or worse if the target makes its reflex save.
You would get SA on both.
If the target is flat-footed, he is flat-footed until his next turn, being hit with an attack won't cause him to stop being flat-footed.
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I believe that one can only get a sneak attack against an unaware target only once. I tried to get the source from it earlier, but I'm having trouble finding this rule. Perhaps someone can find it?
Pretty sure its that rule that prohibits a rogue from making multiple sneak attacks in a turn with ranged weapons.
I believe that one can only get a sneak attack against an unaware target only once. I tried to get the source from it earlier, but I'm having trouble finding this rule. Perhaps someone can find it?
Pretty sure its that rule that prohibits a rogue from making multiple sneak attacks in a turn with ranged weapons.
You won't find such a rule. You are getting hung up on the regular invisibility spell which will get you a sneak attack on your first attack but not your second since the spell ends when you attack.
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Thanks for replying! That was my guess. I had found a quote specifying that all attacks while the enemy is flat footed gain sneak attack. The balance is once an attack hits the target is aware of you and is no longer flat footed. For example, a rogue throws 3 daggers in succession. The first dagger gets SA but makes the target aware thus the other two daggers do not. In my scenario, however, the spell is attached to the arrow and are launched at once, presumably hitting the enemy at the same time. My cousin argued that the volley rules of 3.5 would apply but they seem to not exist on pathfinder.
please elaborate on how you have 53 stealth? and yes sniping is a viable option but remember you take a -20 (but if you really have 53 stealth then no biggie)
I forgot about the "shadow" enchant...I don't usually come across it too much in loot and never remember it when I have had the money on a stealthy character lol
just so you know the shadow isn't untyped its "competence" but the others are I believe...anyways was just wondering where the extra 15 came from since I had assumed with it that high you had all the feats you listed lol...again just forgot about the shadow
I hope you have that at +1 at least right?
Thanks for replying! That was my guess. I had found a quote specifying that all attacks while the enemy is flat footed gain sneak attack. The balance is once an attack hits the target is aware of you and is no longer flat footed. For example, a rogue throws 3 daggers in succession. The first dagger gets SA but makes the target aware thus the other two daggers do not. In my scenario, however, the spell is attached to the arrow and are launched at once, presumably hitting the enemy at the same time. My cousin argued that the volley rules of 3.5 would apply but they seem to not exist on pathfinder.
See what I'm missing is the part where it says that once you make an attack the target is no longer flat footed.
Because said attack should happen in the surprise round, and you are flat footed until your first action in combat.
So say the rogue in question attacks in the surprise round and get sneak attack: All good.
Next round the rogue has the highest initiative and attacks again, he still gets sneak attack since no one else has acted yet and therefore are still flat footed.
There are of course exceptions to this: Uncanny dodge springs to mind, but those exceptions generally would prevent sneak attack anyways.
See what I'm missing is the part where it says that once you make an attack the target is no longer flat footed.
I think when people are thinking of 'awareness' they're not thinking surprise round, they're thinking stealth.
If a rogue is hiding and the enemies don't know he's there, but they're fighting the rest of the party, they're not flat-footed. If, on round 3 of combat, the rogue attacks someone, his first attack could get sneak attack, because the enemy was not aware of him. His second attack, however, does not, because he enemy is now aware of him.
(That's assuming a casual ruling on stealth and making it work like invisibility or whatever, causing the target to lose dex to AC while unaware. This may not work RAW, as people say stealth doesn't work RAW, so YMMV.)
Ah, this is that 'denied dex bonus' and 'flat footed' thing raising its head again.
In the case of stealth I see where we are now.
Realize however that in the case of stealth and invisibility you don't get surprise spell -- the enemy is simply denied their dex bonus, they aren't flat footed.
There was another thread on that topic around here recently.