Shaere plays DnD!

[Saidi]

Also, Drizzt Do'Urden!!!! <3<3<3 /girl squeal

[Frieza_Prexus]

the dm pulls out this obscure book and goes oh btw you only get sneak attack on your first attack of a round

He was misconstruing the volley rules. You only get sneak attack in the first shot of a volley (Such as with palm throw from the master thrower class, many shot, scorching ray, etc.)

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040309a

[Mardur]

dnd is most fun when the dm makes shit up as he goes, cheats die rolls, etc.

[Ektar]

no, the new book said "only first attack of a round" I'm almost certain.

an enemy is flatfooted at first, and after each time I hide. Sacrificing a round to hide (if I failed the -20 free action) was worth it. So every other round every attack did sneak attack according to the PH, but not with this book added in (whatever it was)

[Frieza_Prexus]

Under 3.0 and 3.5 rules all attacks can be sneak attacks provided they meet certain prerequisites (I.E. Flat footed or flanked enemy). In fact, if you go here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040302a you'll find this little gem:

Provided it is possible for you to make a sneak attack at all, you can make multiple sneak attacks when you use the full attack action. For example, if you have a higher initiative result at the beginning of an encounter, your foe is flat-footed and every attack you make is a sneak attack. The same is true if you flank your foe.

This is what makes two-weapon fighting rogues very dangerous if they get a sneak attack set up.

If he was running a 3.0 or 3.5 game, that DM was either reading the rules wrong, or was just making it up.

[Ektar]

it was just a lesson: never deviate from paladin

[Diggles]

paladin-rogue-wizard would be the best class

dual wield fireballs of life

[vageta31]

The problem with rogues in DnD is to do your full damage you must get a full attack action in order to use your offhand attack. In DnD you cannot move and then do a full attack action in the same round so you must already be in range to do so. There are ways around this limitation but require a high degree of optimization.

There's also one very big glaring flaw in sneak attack. It won't work on anything undead or without "discernible anatomy". So same goes for golemns, oozes, etc.. If it's an undead heavy campaign your rogue is fuxx0red. There are a few weapons and feats that can work around this but it all depends on if your DM gives access to them.

The biggest limitation in DnD is what your DM will allow. There are tons of books out there but some DMs won't allow you to use them. If you're stuck with just the players handbook then you can't go wrong with a Druid. They get an animal companion that is as strong as a fighter, and by level 5 they can wildshape into animals and gain their physical stats. Druids in DnD aren't like the wusses in EQ, these guys are mean sobs and have more hit dice than rogues.

[Tarathiel]

awesome thread i love dnd, too bad i always had to be a DM and never got to be a player, in any case ive always allowed rogues to use sneak attack bonus's whenever they applied not just on the first attack, i play 3.0 with a few 3.5 rules thrown in there and this is how ive always interpreted the rule

[vageta31]

Ektar is lucky his DM was generous on hide as well. Unless you have a class or template with "hide in plain sight", then you can't hide during a battle unless there is some sort of cover. It's not like evade in EQ where you can just do it in the middle of a fight. And if you're moving to cover then you lose your full attack action. Best option is to just get a big dumb fighter to flank with you while you get sneak attacks with two weapon fighting.

Funny enough DnD mirrors EQ closely on the melee vs caster power gap. Paladins, fighters and the like are considered the weakest classes even if you know what you're doing. Wizards and Druids can break the entire campaign into little pieces with their higher level spells. Things like wish are just ludicrously powerful and should have never been allowed. Not to mention a Druid wildshaping into a T-Rex or Triceratops and roflstomping every encounter while your fighter watches in disgust.