Post/Author/DateTime	Post
tantric 07-10-07, 01:39 PM	Are there published rules anywhere for a Sneak Attack feat, available to other classes?
CaoSlayer 07-10-07, 01:46 PM	+1d6 damage = 3,5 damage. This means that a feat of sneak attack would be about as good as weapon specialization, so would be overpowered. The most similar thing you can find is a variant fighter at UA where it exchange the normal feats for sneak attack.
Dalthbar 07-10-07, 01:47 PM	I would hope not. Core class abilities are almost always too powerful to be normal feats. Even if the feat granted +1d6, it would even more abusive if it increased over time. Just get a nice flaming weapon and you'll do +1d6 each hit, regardless of flatfootedness or flanking.
tarkin 07-10-07, 01:47 PM	Kind of yes. 1. The Epic Handbook has an Epic feat that does this. 2. The generic character class in Unearthed Arcana has one that is not epic. But they explicitedly state that in order to make the generic character idea work, they called some things feats despite it being far too powerfull to be a feat. --------------- Strict game: No. Loose/Power Game: Not unless you are playing using the Generic character system or are Epic. Anything Goes Game: Sure
CaoSlayer 07-10-07, 01:50 PM	Ah, also in complete scoundrel there is a feat that allows a swashbuckler with a single level of rogue to add this swashy levels for sneak attack... is an obviously overpowered feat by the way but is legal.
tarkin 07-10-07, 02:36 PM	Not that over-powered. The thing is that swashbucklers are themselves not the most powerfull of classes. The real problem is when you combine a class that has a 1:1 bab, like fighter, with sneak attack.
jaelis 07-10-07, 02:40 PM	Swashbucklers do have full BAB, you know... In regards the OP: I think a feat granting +1d6 sneak attack would not be unbalanced (as long as you couldn't keep taking it multiple times). I would rather have Weapon Specialization or Weapon Focus in most cases. But you shouldn't make it a feat because sneak attacks are the main characteristic of rogues. Just like Weapon Spec wouldn't be unbalanced as a general feat, but it's good to keep it a special thing for fighters.
Mc_Bane 07-10-07, 03:27 PM	I believe that you can take 2 feats to get +2D6 SA. Martial Study to take a Shadow Hand Manoeuver, followed by Martial Stance taking Assasin's stance, which grants +2D6 SA for as long as you are in it (Indefinetely in this case I think). The catch is that as it is a third level stance, your Initiator level must be at least 5, and hence without taking levels in an initiating class, you must be at least level 10 when you take the second feat. And as an added bonus, you get hide as a class skill. Hope this helps.
tantric 07-10-07, 03:38 PM	This is actually about a variant of beguiler that doesn't do the trap stuff, which seems out of character. A bluff/feint followed by a sneak attack would be more suitable.
RobbyPants 07-10-07, 04:05 PM	This is actually about a variant of beguiler that doesn't do the trap stuff, which seems out of character. A bluff/feint followed by a sneak attack would be more suitable. You're designing a variant class? How high/fast are you planning on advancing the sneak attack? I don't know that trapfinding is good enough for 1d6 sneak attack. Are you having them sacrifice anything else? Of course, the standard beguiler doesn't really need to deal damage, as they are quite good at neutralizing enemies entirely.
tantric 07-10-07, 05:32 PM	well, i'd also say it's not the same - but i'm new to DnD after many years of another system, and i hadn't noticed any concept of game balance in the PC classes. i just figured there'd be a set of rules for swapping out class abilities, in the Book of Plethorous Punctilios or some such.
metalmayhem80110 07-11-07, 01:11 AM	It isn't an official WoTC book, and it is far from balanced... but Big Eyes Small Mouth (BESM) is a D20 book that put sneak attack as a feat...
KyneTarse 07-11-07, 01:31 AM	Ah, also in complete scoundrel there is a feat that allows a swashbuckler with a single level of rogue to add this swashy levels for sneak attack... is an obviously overpowered feat by the way but is legal. Actually, Daring Outlaw requires +2d6 sneak attack (and thus 3 levels of rogue minimum).
Ghostwheel 07-11-07, 01:55 AM	The bottom line/consensus seems to be that since SA is a significant class feature, then it shouldn't be replicated by a single feat (especially one that is more powerful than other feats that help increase damage output). Can you (tantric) live with that answer? :twocents:
Lord_Ao 07-11-07, 02:50 AM	[QUOTE=CaoSlayer;13022028]+1d6 damage = 3.5 damage. This means that a feat of sneak attack would be about as good as weapon specialization, so would be overpowered.[QUOTE] Yes, perhaps but remember the conditions that must be met to actually recieve this 3.5 damage. To OP: No, there is no single feat that gives you the sneak attack ability in the D&D rules. And that is how it should be.
CaoSlayer 07-11-07, 10:01 AM	Yes, perhaps but remember the conditions that must be met to actually recieve this 3.5 damage. That is the reason of why I say about as good and not better. Seriously is easy to meet the requirements for sneak attack. I would ever herisate to have a feat of sudden strike, a way worse variant of sneak attack. PD: I stand corrected about the darling outlaw feat prerequisites, still the point is the same.
tantric 07-11-07, 10:01 AM	uh, can i live with it? sure, it gets added to the list of things i dislike about DnD, but pretty low on the list. in the "classes exist" subcategory, just below "random ability scores" and "unbalanced races". :D