Sneak Attack, Hunted Shot (or Flurry of Blows, maybe), Critical Hits

[Natural Six]

You're a Rogue with Ranger options. You fire Hunted Shot from an Unseen position, so the target is flat-footed to you. You crit with the first shot and hit with the second. How does this play out?

In contrast to PF1, there is no specific carve-out I can find for critical hits and precision damage. There is a mention of doubling your "usual damage" and a specification that one does not double damage that happens only on critical hits. Given the wording, I am somewhat at a loss whether rogues now double precision damage. "Usual damage" suggests no, unless Sneak Attack is a "usual" enough thing, and the specification at the end on p. 308 of the Playtest Rulebook could mean that damage resulting from criticals themselves is the only damage not doubled. Thus far, I have doubled precision damage on the strength of this indecision.

Next, Hunted Shot. Is the rogue-ranger Unseen to the target for only the first Strike, per Strikes and Unseen, or is the PC Unseen throughout, because all this occurs in one action? How quickly does one become Sensed out there in the woods? This determines whether the enemy remains flat-footed for the second arrow, so far as I can tell. In the heat of play I gave the PC precision damage twice (and doubled it for the critical!), but I'm beginning to think I shouldn't have, under Specific Overrides General.

It was a fine combination, either way. :)

[ChibiNyan]

Sneak attack damage is multiplied on a critical.

I don't think Flat-footed lasts for more than just the absolutely first hit.

[The Once and Future Kai]

ChibiNyan wrote:

I don't think Flat-footed lasts for more than just the absolutely first hit.

That meshes with the Sneak update.

Playtest Update wrote:

Page 158—In the Sneak action of the Stealth skill, in the third paragraph, in the first sentence, change “any time during your movement” to “at the end of the Sneak action”. After the third sentence, add the following “If you succeed at your Stealth check and then attempt to Strike a creature, the creature remains flat-footed against that attack, and then you become seen.” Remove the last sentence of that paragraph.