HotSauceAssassin's page

Yeah, I don't really see a situation where someone builds to sneak attack with HotA and no other spells. Especially since rogues don't get focus points by default.

Most likely. I was just curious about the ruling.

The wording for this interaction is pretty weird for me, and it kind of falls into the "too good to be true" ruling, but I wanted to get another opinion.

Hand of the Apprentice(HOTA) deals the weapon's damage as if you had hit with a melee strike, and Draw the lightning says your first strike with the weapon deals an additional 1d12 damage.

At first is was pretty clear, HOTA isn't a Strike so it doesn't get the extra damage. But then I started to look at other spells and abilities with similar wording.

There was a combo floating around the forums a couple years ago for Invoke the Crimson Oath and Sneak Attack. A rogue would take Dread Striker, archetype into Bard for Dirge of Doom, and then take Knight Reclaimant for Invoke the Crimson Oath. The fear from Dirge of Doom would make all enemies flat-footed to the rogue and therefor take the additional precision damage from sneak attack.

Invoke the Crimson Oath mentions dealing "normal melee damage for your weapon." Though this spell's description specifically includes language for bonuses and penalties. And sneak attack states that the extra damage is for Strikes.

So, is the title combo "Too good to be true?"

Does the extra wording in Invoke the Crimson Oath separate it from HOTA?

Were the forums wrong about the Rogue combo?

Does HOTA work with Sneak Attack(Without the need to take Magical Trickster)?

In the Build 2-A section, you mention not taking crane stance or mountain stance because the lock you out of spell attacks. Crane stance and mountain stance only prevent you from making other Strikes. Most spell attacks aren't tied to the Strike action, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Keep in mind that it is a circumstance bonus, and doesn't stack with flat footed or allow flatfooted effects to proc off of it.

I don't think this is right. The penalty that is applied from being flatfooted affects the targets AC, while aid gives a bonus to the attack roll. It's not considered stacking since they are being applied to two different statistics.

The bard focus spell inspire competence counts as taking sufficient actions for the aid reaction. If I were to use lingering composition to extend the duration, would that allow me to use the reaction more than once? Or would the first use of aid end inspire competence?

At 8th level, a staff would have 3 base charges (max 3rd level casting)

Shouldn't you have 4 charges? Since cantrips and focus spells heighten automatically.