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A player in our group is playing a level 1 rogue. Next level he plans on multi-classing and taking a level in wizard (universalist). His goal is to become an arcane trickster as soon as he can.
Here is the question:
Rogues can obviously Sneak Attack. The universalist wizard gets the Hand of the Apprentice ability at level 1. Can a multi-class rogue/wizard who is hidden within 30 feet of an enemy (i.e. meets all the necessary requirements for Sneak Attack) use Hand of the Apprentice to deliver the Sneak Attack?
I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work but I certainly might be missing something! :)
Hand of the Apprentice (Su): You cause your melee weapon to fly from your grasp and strike a foe before instantly returning to you. As a standard action, you can make a single attack using a melee weapon at a range of 30 feet. This attack is treated as a ranged attack with a thrown weapon, except that you add your Intelligence modifier on the attack roll instead of your Dexterity modifier (damage still relies on Strength). This ability cannot be used to perform a combat maneuver. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
That should work fine.
Provided the character meets all the conditions for getting sneak attack (precision) damage on a ranged attack with a thrown weapon (because that's what Hand of the Apprentice says the attack is treated as), then it qualifies.
He can also get sneak attack on any spells which require a ranged touch to deliver, provided they do hit point damage.
If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The rogue's attack deals extra damage (called "precision damage") anytime 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.
Sneak attack applies to every attack the rogue makes. Ranged touch attacks with spells are still attacks.
Here is one of the early threads on the subject. It comes up every so often. Here is another example, where it was FAQed, and got marked as "No reply required," implying that we have it right.
It's not a very intuitive rule, though.
Back in 3.5, I played an arcane trickster, and carried a wand of Acid Splash as a super-cheap way to deliver easy-to-hit Sneak Attacks. It was a blessing because your attack bonus with a weapon is laughable, even with weapon finesse. Super fun character, with lots of utility, but man, your BAB really gets screwed...
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The wand of Acid Splash works for pure rogues with Use Magic Device skill. There are a few problems though.
The rogue needs one hand to hold the wand, and another to cast the spell. (Some GMs houserule that away.)
Being a wand activation, the rogue only has one attack during the round.
The target must be denied Dex bonus to AC in some way.
The rogue has to put a lot of skill ranks into UMD to make it reliable. Even then, it will be level 12-14 before the tactic is really reliable.
On the plus side, it is cheap, it targets touch AC which is usually fairly easy for a rogue to hit with a ranged attack, and spell resistance doesn't apply because the spell is a conjuration.
Wait, WHAT?
Since when do you need 2 hands to use a wand?"Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a wand is usually a standard action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to cast the spell from a wand.) To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for nonhumanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole."
