"You can only apply sneak attack damage to ray spells that do hp dammage". Is this statement true?

[Rilor]

I know that this is not a new topic but I think I am missing something.

I know that surprise spells is a totally separate ability that I am not talking about.

I was thinking of making an arcane trickster and wanted to see what spells I could apply sneak attack damage to, if any. Under sneak attack it says "attack" or "ranged attack". "Ranged attack" is specifically projectile weapons (bow, thrown etc). In aiming spells in the core rulebook it says that, "You aim a ray as if using a ranged weapon" So I guess that you could apply sneak attack damage to it, but then again it is not technically a ranged weapon, you are just aiming it like it was one.

So, a spell like acid splash can not sneak attack since its effect is "one missile of acid" hence it does not qualify as a "ranged attack" or being aimed like a "ranged attack". A Ray of frost could since its effect is "ray". Thoughts?

[Dennis Baker]

As far as I know, if you make an attack roll and it does hit point damage, you can sneak attack with it. The only exception I know is to this rule is splash weapons.

The exact interplay between sneak attack and spells isn't very clearly laid out though.

[RJGrady]

An acid splash is a touch attack, and touch attacks are attacks.

[Zhayne]

To the extent of my knowledge, you can sneak attack with anything that has an attack roll and deals damage (within the limits of SA in the first place).

This is a 3.5 ruling, but such things that did damage that wasn't HP damage (negative levels, ability damage) still got to add Sneak Attack damage as HP damage. (So +2d6 SA with Enervation doesn't get you +2d6 more negative levels, for example).