Hello all,
Situation:
I have a derro who's standing within the area of darkness he's cast earlier. The square he's targeting is lighter.
Does the derro, attacking from an area of total darkness (concealment), get a sneak attack?
Hello all,
Situation:
I have a derro who's standing within the area of darkness he's cast earlier. The square he's targeting is lighter.Does the derro, attacking from an area of total darkness (concealment), get a sneak attack?
You only get sneak attack when your target is denied it's dexterity bonus for some reason or if the target is flanked.
If the target is in a square that is fully lit I fail to see how the darkness your Derro is in will allow a sneak attack, barring a successful use of stealth by the Derro first.
Even then only your Derro's first attack would be a sneak attack as he breaks stealth.
For you to have total darkness with only the 'Darkness' spell you would need to have dim light as the prevalent lighting condition. Attacking from concealment does not give you sneak attack on it's own.
This one is open to a little interpretation, looking at the darkness rules:
Darkvision allows many characters and monsters to see perfectly well without any light at all, but characters with normal or low-light vision can be rendered completely blind by putting out the lights. Torches or lanterns can be blown out by sudden gusts of subterranean wind, magical light sources can be dispelled or countered, or magical traps might create fields of impenetrable darkness.
In many cases, some characters or monsters might be able to see while others are blinded. For purposes of the following points, a blinded creature is one who simply can't see through the surrounding darkness.
Creatures blinded by darkness lose the ability to deal extra damage due to precision (for example, via sneak attack or a duelist's precise strike ability).
Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Blinded creatures can't run or charge.
All opponents have total concealment from a blinded creature, so the blinded creature has a 50% miss chance in combat. A blinded creature must first pinpoint the location of an opponent in order to attack the right square; if the blinded creature launches an attack without pinpointing its foe, it attacks a random square within its reach. For ranged attacks or spells against a foe whose location is not pinpointed, roll to determine which adjacent square the blinded creature is facing; its attack is directed at the closest target that lies in that direction.
A blinded creature loses its Dexterity modifier to AC (if positive) and takes a –2 penalty to AC.
A blinded creature takes a –4 penalty on Perception checks and most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks, including any with an armor check penalty. A creature blinded by darkness automatically fails any skill check relying on vision.
Creatures blinded by darkness cannot use gaze attacks and are immune to gaze attacks.
A creature blinded by darkness can make a Perception check as a free action each round in order to locate foes (DC equal to opponents' Stealth checks). A successful check lets a blinded character hear an unseen creature “over there somewhere.” It's almost impossible to pinpoint the location of an unseen creature. A Perception check that beats the DC by 20 reveals the unseen creature's square (but the unseen creature still has total concealment from the blinded creature).
A blinded creature can grope about to find unseen creatures. A character can make a touch attack with his hands or a weapon into two adjacent squares using a standard action. If an unseen target is in the designated square, there is a 50% miss chance on the touch attack. If successful, the groping character deals no damage but has pinpointed the unseen creature's current location. If the unseen creature moves, its location is once again unknown.
If a blinded creature is struck by an unseen foe, the blinded character pinpoints the location of the creature that struck him (until the unseen creature moves, of course). The only exception is if the unseen creature has a reach greater than 5 feet (in which case the blinded character knows the location of the unseen opponent, but has not pinpointed him) or uses a ranged attack (in which case the blinded character knows the general direction of the foe, but not his location).
A creature with the scent ability automatically pinpoints unseen creatures within 5 feet of its location.
So if you can see (clearly i.e. No miss chance) and they can't (see at all) and you are both "surrounded" by the darkness, then you get your sneak attack.
In the situation you described it depends on how your DM interprets the words surrounding darkness. If the target can see in their own square but not yours, you may not get a sneak attack.
Remember that Darkness spells shut down non-magical light sources, so if the light was coming from torches or a light spell (lower level spell) than the darkness spell would negate those and set the light to darkness, not dim light, and give the derro total concealment. In that case, unless the PC had darkvision or some other way to see the derro, it would be denied Dex to AC and sneak attack would apply.
The OP is confusing in its wording.
Michael, in this case i'm the GM.
Paulicus, my wondering was what i described above.
Normally, an invisible creature can attack and its target (unless [special ability/condition]) is denied the Dex bonus.
The derro's darkness has a set radius, the square it would be in is the limit of the radius, bordering the better lit square the PC is in.
With the derro still in an area of total darkness, it cannot be seen.
Would it then not be considered invisible, to the PC in the better lit adjacent square? Then attacking from invisible leads to sneak attack?
This is my situation i need some clarification on.
Gilfalas and Michael have given the answer to my question here.
Thanks guys, have a good Christmas.
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If the subject of the attack can't react to the effectively to the blow (stealth, feinting, invisibility, no line of sight), it doesn't add it's dexterity to AC.
A rogue attacking from an unseen position (defending creature has no line of sight) will get sneak attack within 30'.
It isn't spelled out as well in the CRB as most of us would hope, but that is effectively how it works.
Yes, unless the target has dark vision or some other sense that negates darkness.
Edit: An alternate interpretation could be, no, he must leave the darkness to hit the target, even partially.
Both in darkness, definite SA.
The Derro would have to use a missile weapon or ranged magic to make a sneak attack. If the Derro has to step out of the darkness to attack, as a rogue(not multiclassing) I would allow the sneak attack, but the derro has no more move and can be one shotted by their foe. Even if the darkness follows with the Derro, their foe knows right where they are.