In theory yes, things in theory tend to be. However by that point you'd be at least level 16, so many things would have ways to defeat your sneak attack, and you can only Improptu Sneak attack a certain amount of times a day.
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I'm pretty sure the sneak attack damage will only be added once per attack, not once per source of damage. The Surprise Spell cap on arcane trickster is a waste for most magus. Surprise Spell is actually a waste when combined with any spell that doesn't cover an area. The idea is to fire off sneak attack fireballs and such.
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On the one hand, you can see the melee attack and the spell as being two separate attacks which happen to ride the same attack roll, and thus sneak attack would add to both. On the other hand, Spellstrike reads "If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell" and sneak attack certainly isn't normal damage, so only adds to the spell part. I'm leaning toward the other hand.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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On the one hand, you can see the melee attack and the spell as being two separate attacks which happen to ride the same attack roll, and thus sneak attack would add to both. On the other hand, Spellstrike reads "If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell" and sneak attack certainly isn't normal damage, so only adds to the spell part. I'm leaning toward the other hand.
If they use the same attack roll, then you can only add sneak damage once. The exception to adding sneak only one time IS the surprise spells ability, but that's only when using an area of effect spell like fireball, because all the creatures in the area take sneak damage.
But this pc should be able to cast a area spell using spell combat and a quickened cantrip with a trait to lower the metamagic level increase.
He would use spellstrike to deliver the cantrip and it would add sneak damage, then he'd cast the area spell adding sneak from surprise spell an then he's do all his normal attacks as usual.
Or am I getting something wrong?
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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But this pc should be able to cast a area spell using spell combat and a quickened cantrip with a trait to lower the metamagic level increase.
He would use spellstrike to deliver the cantrip and it would add sneak damage, then he'd cast the area spell adding sneak from surprise spell an then he's do all his normal attacks as usual.Or am I getting something wrong?
Let me make sure I'm reading this right quickly:
At the beginning of the round, the magus casts a quickened arcane mark (which would normally be a level 4 spell, but the magus has a trait to lower the total level by 1, I assume, so it's a level 3 spell). This gives him a free attack with his weapon, which he uses, adding sneak damage. (I'm assuming the magus is using greater invisibility to keep her enemies flat-footed.)
Next, he casts fireball using spell combat, and gets to add sneak damage to damage on any enemy it hits, thanks to Surprise Spells. Then he gets to do his normal full attack action, adding sneak damage to all hits.
This all looks solid to me, although wasting a 3rd-level spell slot just to get an extra attack seems like a waste to me... I would say it would make more sense for him to just cast haste on himself to get an extra attack with any full attack action. Then if you wanted him to get ANOTHER extra attack, give him a lesser quicken metamagic rod, which he can use on shocking grasp without having to waste any higher spell slots, and then you also get to add the shocking grasp damage to that first hit.
So the attack sequence would look like this:
1. Cast quickened (probably also intensified) shocking grasp, deliver it with the weapon, get sneak damage from the weapon damage and also add d6/level electric damage. EDIT: I forgot that you need to have a free hand to then use spell combat, so it's imperative that the magus drops the quicken rod as a free action here.
2. Use spell combat to cast fireball and hit as many enemies as possible, adding sneak damage to all those hit.
3. Attack using the full-BAB attack granted from haste, adding sneak damage.
4. Do your normal full-attack routine, adding sneak damage to each hit.
Now THAT is a BBEG I wouldn't want to go up against. Though make sure you realize that a single casting of glitterdust will completely negate all of this, since it automatically makes the target not invisible, whether they save or not. Displacement and blink don't allow you to get sneak damage without flanking, so that's a big weakness the players could exploit.
If you have 10 levels in Arcane Trickster with base levels in Magus?
Surprise spells has no useful interaction with Spellstrike.
Spellstrike only works with touch spells, and touch spells are already valid for sneak attack, since they have attack rolls. The lack of a range restriction on surprise spells has no effect, since you need to be within melee range to hit them.
When using Spellstrike (or anyone using a touch spell with an unarmed strike or natural weapon) a critical hit applies to both spell damage and weapon damage, so I don't really see why sneak attack wouldn't also apply to both.
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1. Cast quickened (probably also intensified) shocking grasp, deliver it with the weapon, get sneak damage from the weapon damage and also add d6/level electric damage. EDIT: I forgot that you need to have a free hand to then use spell combat, so it's imperative that the magus drops the quicken rod as a free action here.
To clarify the RAW: You do not add sneak attack damage to both the spell and the weapon damage. You are never attacking with the weapon, as per Spellstrike. You are attacking with the spell, using your weapon's modifiers, and adding your weapon's damage to the effect of the spell. If the spell deals hit point damage, you may apply sneak attack damage to the spell, as normal, if the conditions for adding sneak attack damage are met.
To clarify the RAW: You do not add sneak attack damage to both the spell and the weapon damage. You are never attacking with the weapon, as per Spellstrike.
I'm not really sure what you're saying here. His example was using Spellstrike to deliver the quickened shocking grasp with his weapon. He's making a melee attack with his weapon which deals weapon damage as well as the effects of the spell.
I think you're trying to say that sneak attack doesn't apply twice, which may be correct, if it's considered one attack.