From reading this you have stealth until either you don't end you turn in concealment or cover or you attack. Since the attack comes before the end of your turn you would have stealth until you make your attack or your turn ends.
Unless A ends her turn after moving out of concealment but before she attacks, I fail to see any problem. If it bothers you, make the stealth check with modifiers to represent having to time her move to correspond with when B is looking away from her.
Edit: remember that your statement that 'A makes her stealth check' covers a lot of the situation. Eg if a guard were actively looking along a corridor having heard or seen something already then it's much harder to sneak up on him than if he's sitting at a table with his back to the entrance.
If B is looking towards A, then B will see A. This is automatic unless A has some method of counting as invisible or can use bluff successfully.
Or if A waits for B to look away, as well as C not raising the alarm, which is more of a GM's call.
So the total opposite of what I said earlier, because of the 'makes the stealth check' statement which strongly implied that A did in fact have such a method!
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As soon as you lose cover, you lose the ability of stealth. Now, if this was a single-person combat, this is handled well by the initiative and flatfooted rules - even though the guard sees you immediately (since there is no "behind" in Pathfinder), they may or may not react fast enough to be able to avoid a sneak attack. That's the way I'd run it if possible.
In the middle of an existing initiative count, you wold still be able to sneak attack the person following the same logic. Even though the guard "sees" you immediately, they can't react (and become un-flat-footed) until their initiative count comes up, and so you still get your sneak attack in.
(Logically, the guard could get past this by having a readied action set to trigger on "someone appearing" or something similar. Their readied action would trigger, meaning they had acted and therefore weren't flat-footed against you.)
Remember, seeing isn't the only factor in avoiding a sneak attack, it's also about being able to react fast enough to avoid it.
Stealth does not require you to maintain cover during your entire turn.
"Breaking Stealth: When you start your turn using Stealth, you can leave cover or concealment and remain unobserved as long as you succeed at a Stealth check and end your turn in cover or concealment. Your Stealth immediately ends after you make and attack roll, whether or not the attack is successful (except when sniping as noted below)."
The requirement is that you begin your turn with cover or concealment and end your turn (not your movement action but your turn) with cover or concealment.
"IMO the moment (A) put her feet on the ground (B) will observe her, thus making her Stealth impossible."
This statement is incorrect. "A" could remain in stealth unobserved if she ends her turn with cover or concealment. For example "A" begins her turn flying (has C/C from tremorsense), she lands and makes her stealth check and walks a few feet and begins flying at the end of her turn (has C/C from tremorsense) . She will have remained in stealth through out her turn. "B" will still be unaware of her presence or location.
This is based on the Breaking Stealth rule portion of the stealth skill.
You are correct in that the manner you use to observe your surroundings does not matter the basic rules for stealth do not change.
The following post provides a good means of making rulings concerning stealth.
ZenFox42 Oct 25, 2013, 12:22 PM | Flag |
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C/C = Cover or Concealment (of any kind). Cover is something big enough to hide behind (wall, pillar, desk, etc.). Concealment is something that obscures vision (darkness, underbrush, fog, etc.). C/C can be “Regular” or “Total”. You cannot be seen with Total C/C!
Lighting and C/C
* Objects (underbrush, crowds, pillars, fog) can provide C/C even in Normal and Bright lighting conditions.
---- Invisibility is the only (magical) condition that allows you to use Stealth in Normal or Bright lighting
* Dim and Dark lighting (as perceived by the viewer) automatically provide C/C from that viewer.
Rule #1 : Stealth is not invisibility! Everyone with line-of-sight to you has a chance to notice you any time you're not in Total C/C. All such observers get a Stealth/Perception check ("S/P check") to notice you. However, if you succeed, they are not at all aware of your presence, and even if they happen to attack the square you’re in, you still get a 50% miss chance on all attacks except area and targeted spells (which thus acts very much like invisibility).
To be able to enter Stealth
* If there are no observers, “using Stealth” means moving silently (which may prevent the guards around the corner that you don’t know about from hearing you).
---- But, if you’re just walking down a hall "using Stealth" in this way and someone comes around the corner unexpectedly, they will see you
* If there are no observers, you can also get in C/C as preparation (or use a special ability like Camouflage).
---- For example, if you hear a guard coming you can try to get in C/C before he turns the corner
* If there are observers, and you’re already in C/C : you can use Stealth on your next action (see below).
* If there are observers, and you’re not in C/C : you must “break” the observation AND get in C/C :
---– Create a diversion (Bluff), or
---- Use a special ability like Hide in Plain Sight, or
---- Temporarily blind the observer, or
---- Get to Total C/C (which accomplishes both goals at once, but note your opponent could move to see you before you can use Stealth next round), etc.
---- From a PF developer : “having a blurry outline or displacement is not enough to enter Stealth” [with observers present]
Once in C/C AND using Stealth
* If you move from C/C to C/C (even with no C/C in-between, even thru Normal or Bright lighting), make a S/P check to remain unnoticed. Per observer, you will end your action :
---- In regular C/C and observed : standard C/C attack rules apply; you cannot use Stealth next round
---- In regular C/C and un-observed : observer doesn't know you’re there, so you can't be attacked; you can use Stealth next round
---- In Total C/C and observed : standard C/C attack rules apply; you can use Stealth next round if the observer does not move to keep you in sight
---- In Total C/C and un-observed : observer doesn't know you’re there, so you can't be attacked; you can use Stealth next round
---- If you do not end your move in C/C, your Stealth ends at the end of your action, and everyone can see you.
* If you leave C/C to attack someone, make a S/P check to approach them unnoticed.
---- Your target loses their DEX bonus to AC (this has been confirmed by a PF developer), and you add Sneak Attack damage, but your Stealth ends after your first attack.
* In both of the above cases, all observers with line-of-sight get a S/P check to notice you while moving, and if they see you they may shout a warning, or use a Readied attack or AoO, etc.
* Even if you do absolutely nothing (stay behind C/C), all observers with line-of-sight get a S/P check to notice you, unless the C/C itself is Total (around the corner from the guards, very heavy fog, etc.). If noticed, standard C/C attack rules apply.