| 3 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Is a rogue, or similar character, considered to be sneak attacking even if the opponent is immune to precision damage?
Take an Elemental for example:
Not subject to critical hits or flanking. Does not take additional damage from precision-based attacks, such as sneak attack.
Cannot be flanked, nor is it subject to extra damage from precision based attack, like sneak attack.
However, is the rogue considered to still have made a sneak attack? I ask because of a very small subset of abilities, like the Sneaky Maneuver:
Anytime a rogue with this talent could hit an opponent with a melee sneak attack on her turn, she may take a –2 penalty on her attack roll and attempt a dirty trick, disarm, steal, sunder, or trip combat maneuver instead of dealing sneak attack damage. If the attack succeeds, the rogue deals weapon damage as normal and then attempts a combat maneuver check as a swift action (the –2 penalty only applies to the initial attack roll, not the combat maneuver check). This combat maneuver still provokes attacks of opportunity unless the rogue has a feat or ability that allows her to perform it without provoking attacks of opportunity.
or the Sword of Subtlety:
A +1 short sword with a thin, dull gray blade, this weapon provides a +4 bonus on its wielder's attack and damage rolls when she makes a sneak attack with it.
Both have effects dependent on making a sneak attack, but not on dealing sneak attack damage, like Befuddling Strike:
When the rogue deals sneak attack damage against an opponent, that opponent takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls against the rogue for 1d4 rounds.
So, for the purposes of such abilities as a Sneaky Maneuver or the Sword of Subtlety, is the Rogue, or similar classes, considered to be sneak attacking even if she deals no sneak attack damage?
Actually, it says it doesn't take damage from the attack, not that it's not subject to the attack.
Otherwise it would be phrased as, "Is not subject to precision based attacks".
FAQ'd they need to do a proper clean up of precision damage and sneek and that kind of stuff. And this is one of the things that pops up, from time to time.
I did not see that, but it is still denying "additional damage" not just sneak attack damage, so I'm not sure about Sneaky Maneuvers, but the others count as "additional damage" from sneak attacks.
Personally, I could care less about the damage, the best part about the Sword of Subtlety is that it gives +4 untyped bonus to attack rolls when you make a sneak attack. Rogues need all the attack boosts they can get.
[Edit] Also of note, the SoS ability is not a precision based attack, it's a unique magical property that only triggers during a sneak attack. Since it's not precision based, the extra damage might still occur.
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Nothing says that you can't do a sneak attack. Elementals only avoid any damage from precision-based attacks and can't be flanked. They don't avoid all precision-based attacks.
As quoted above by the OP (and I double-checked the PRD): "Not subject to critical hits or flanking. Does not take additional damage from precision-based attacks, such as sneak attack."
It's specifically called out in the elemental sub-type that sneak attack doesn't work against creatures with the elemental sub-type.
I'm not going to get into the precision attack debate, but in this case, elementals are specifically stated as not taking damage from sneak attacks.