Undefined term: "Precision-based damage"

[hogarth]

There are numerous places that mention "precision-based damage" (Vital Strike feat, Devastating Blow feat, splash weapons), but it's never defined in the Beta rules (other than saying "precision-based damage, like sneak attack" in some places).

Please make it more clear what qualifies as "precision-based damage". Is an insight bonus to damage "precision-based"?

[Kamai]

hogarth wrote:

There are numerous places that mention "precision-based damage" (Vital Strike feat, Devastating Blow feat, splash weapons), but it's never defined in the Beta rules (other than saying "precision-based damage, like sneak attack" in some places).

Please make it more clear what qualifies as "precision-based damage". Is an insight bonus to damage "precision-based"?

From what I understand, precision-based damage would be like sneak attack, Precise strike (the duelist ability), sudden strike, and the such. Basically, if a 3.5 construct would be immune to that extra damage (other than the fact crits are not precision-based), it's precision damage. An insight bonus to damage usually isn't precision based.

[hogarth]

Kamai wrote:

From what I understand, precision-based damage would be like sneak attack, Precise strike (the duelist ability), sudden strike, and the such. Basically, if a 3.5 construct would be immune to that extra damage (other than the fact crits are not precision-based), it's precision damage. An insight bonus to damage usually isn't precision based.

What about a ranger's favoured enemy bonus? Or the damage bonus given from the feat Deadly Aim?

The point is that I could make educated guesses about all of those, but I'd prefer to have some specific guidance.

EDIT: This came up because I was wondering whether a character could use the Deadly Aim feat with splash weapons.

[Quandary]

Yes. There's currently a side-bar (hidden in some non-obvious place)
explaining the changes to Sneak Attack, but it isn 't clear if it applies to ALL "Precision Damage".

This would be better explained in the Combat Section, and make sure to define what is Precision Damage (i.e Sneak Attack, Crits, Favored Enemies...)

[Robert Brambley]

Quandary wrote:

Yes. There's currently a side-bar (hidden in some non-obvious place)

explaining the changes to Sneak Attack, but it isn 't clear if it applies to ALL "Precision Damage".

This would be better explained in the Combat Section, and make sure to define what is Precision Damage (i.e Sneak Attack, Crits, Favored Enemies...)

Exactly.

And the use of the term "Precision-based" damage is to help with the backwards compatibility should someone use a Scout class with Skirmish Damgage for instance.

They're all like sneak attack - sometimes with subtle differences, but usually their restrictions (such as on those feats, or with creatures that are immune to critical hits) are congruent with each of them.

So by simply stating "precision-based" as opposed to "sneak attack" the designers can cover all those bases for all those fancy extra dice damage that have been developed over the years.

Robert

[Jason Bulmahn]

Precision-based is a catch-all term for the bonus damage applied by a number of class features (sneak attack, skirmish, and sudden strike). This will be more clearly defined in the final rule set.

Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing

[hogarth]

So I can use Deadly Aim and a ranger's favoured enemy bonus when throwing vials of acid, but not sneak attack?

[Vigil]

And if foes are vulnerable to some precision-based damage (such as sneak attack), should they be vulnerable or immune to other precision based damage (such as critical hits)?