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No, minus from the total, minimum is one point even if both dice roll ones.
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Sneak attack is simply more damage. What that means is that you add it all up.
{WEAPON DICE NUMBER} plus {SNEAK ATTACK DICE NUMBER} plus {STRENGTH MODIFIER} plus {OTHER MODIFIERS} equals {RESULT}
The minimum is always one, no matter what you roll and what your penalties are. So if you roll a 1 on your weapon die and you roll a 1 on your sneak attack die and you have a -3 penalty from Strength and no bonuses, your result is 1. But if you roll a 6 on your weapon die and a 6 on your sneak attack die and have a -3 penalty from Strength, your result is 9 because 6+6-3=9.
Sneak attack is not an additional attack. It is just additional damage, so the Strength penalty only applies once to the whole attack.
Strength penalties affect the total damage not the individual dice. You always do at least one point of damage on a successful hit. So in your case if you rolled a 1 on both dice the damage would be one point, if you rolled 2 on both dice the damage would be one point, if you rolled 2 on one dice and 3 on the other you would do two points.
When you do sneak attack damage it is added to your normal damage.
Your strength affects your normal damage so if the weapon does 1d6 but you have a -1 modifier then you normally do 1d6-1. <---I don't think anyone will disagree with this.
If you have 3d6 sneak attack damage then if the conditions are right you get 3d6 sneak attack damage<---I think we can also agree on this.
So the above character would get 1d6-3+3d6 which is the same as 4d6-3.<---Is there any reason why anyone disagrees with this, and yes I can find developer quotes but this is more fun. :)
Muddy the waters folks that helps. Glad I know how to tally better than explain how to.
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Per Jason here, "sneak attack damage is not a special effect that accompanies the attack, it is part of the damage roll."
The context of that discussion was regarding DR, but the principle applies. Sneak attack is simple extra damage that is included in the base total, but does not multiple on a crit.
So yeah, add it all up using standard math.
The Inquisitor's bane ability simply makes a weapon bane. There are two effects involved. First, the enhancement bonus is increased by 2. That definitely just adds in, and certainly is multiplied on a critical hit. It also adds an extra 2d6 of damage. That damage is also just added on but it - being "extra dice" - doesn't multiple on a crit.
Basically unless something is multiple hits, your bonus/penalty from Strength etc only applies once, as does DR.
Bane: A bane weapon excels against certain foes. Against a designated foe, the weapon’s enhancement bonus is +2 better than its actual bonus. It also deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against the foe.
Forgive me, but this isn't a serious question is it?
Per Jason here, "sneak attack damage is not a special effect that accompanies the attack, it is part of the damage roll."
The context of that discussion was regarding DR, but the principle applies. Sneak attack is simple extra damage that is included in the base total, but does not multiple on a crit.
So yeah, add it all up using standard math.
I knew about that link, but I was going to teach the OP how to fish first. :)
Why wouldn't it? Nothing RAW really says anything about it. Since sneak attack doesn't do normal damage. It is damage added because you stabbed in a specific weak point, it could be unaffected by strength. Depending on how you calculate: 1d6-3 +1d6 may not be the same as 2d6-3.
Because I’m not seeing the source of the confusion. The official wording is clear and specific on mechanic:
Sneak Attack
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 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. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.
The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment.
1. “strike a vital spot for extra damage.” – very clear and specific, the sneak attack dice are a representation of the rogue striking a vulnerable location on his or her target. Visually, it would be like stabbing/slashing/smashing the throat, or the liver, or a lung as example. One way to look at it is that the sneak attack dice are representative of the rogue’s intent and skill with anatomy as a specific part of rogue training. In this case if the weapon base damage is 1d6, and the rogues STR adjustment is -3, and the rogue has 1d6 sneak attack = 1d6-3 (minimum 1) + 1d6.
2. “Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.” – Why? Because a critical effect is only representative of the base weapon’s effect outside of any other relevant factors. This is why functions like keen work the way that they work in expanding critical threat ranges. It is not just a knife, it is a REALLY sharp knife.
3. “A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment” – again, very clear. If the rogue can’t clearly see where to put his attack, he does not get the extra sneak attack dice. This strongly supports again, a conscious effort at weapon location. It gets confusing because people seem to think sneak attack is extra damage, and while technically that’s true – a better way to explain it is that it is extra, situational damage dice outside of the base weapon effects.
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While this is true by basic rules of math, I'm sure someone will then try to argue that this makes the weapon die 4D6 and therefore they can use vital strike for 8D6 damage, and if you protest, then you just hate martials and while that might be your interpretation, nothing in the rules explicitly says it's not the case so they're right by RAW.
They can try that all that they like, but again (at least the way it reads to me) the official mechanics are clear and concise when cited.
Vital Strike (Combat)
You make a single attack that deals significantly more damage than normal.Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon’s damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision-based damage, and other damage bonuses. These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total.
1."you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon’s damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision-based damage, and other damage bonuses." - Just take your time whilst reading the rules. A single attack (meaning that to use this feat you are voluntarily foregoing ANY other attacks that you might have from BAB), roll weapon damage dice twice, apply bonuses. It even specifically mentions precision-based damage (ie. Sneak Attack).
Using our same rogue, Stabby McStabberson, Vital Striking with his weapon damage dice of 1d6, his STR adjustment of -3, and his sneak attack dice of 1d6 = 2d6-3 (minimum 1) + 1d6 against an opponent that is denied their DEX or flanked, and the rogue can clearly see to locate his attack on the target. It is NOT 3d6-3. It is 2d6-3 +1d6.
The rule of minimum damage is the last rule to be applied. So in reality 3d6-3 and 2d6-3 +1d6 is the same thing. You roll the dice in any order you want, add or subtract any bonus or penalty, and if the total damage is less than 1 you do 1 point of damage.
And that's an accurate enough statement. But the slippery slope is in interpretation. You can certainly roll your salvo of dice in any way that you like. But as in the case of Vital Strike, you have to be careful with how you present the math when it comes to multipliers like Vital Stike, or Crit damage effects. And really that I think is the important caveat.
One thing missed in this thread so far is that it does matter whether the total is less than one before you apply the minimum of 1 rule. If your damage total is 1 or higher, you score that amount of lethal damage. If your damage total is less than 1, you score 1 point of non-lethal damage -- which could mean no damage at all if your foe is immune to non-lethal damage.
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One thing missed in this thread so far is that it does matter whether the total is less than one before you apply the minimum of 1 rule. If your damage total is 1 or higher, you score that amount of lethal damage. If your damage total is less than 1, you score 1 point of non-lethal damage -- which could mean no damage at all if your foe is immune to non-lethal damage.
No, minus from the total, minimum is one point even if both dice roll ones.Fun fact, its a minimum of one point of nonlethal damage.Minimum Damage: If penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of nonlethal damage.