Hi, I'm creating my fist 2024 rogue and Ive never built one before.
My character is a black dragonborn rogue named Rustin Cohlscale (based on the True Detective character's personality).
Here's what Ive gathered from the 2024 rules, (please correct me if Im wrong)
Rustin's training with weapons allows him to use the mastery property of Daggers: Nick. When he makes the extra attack of the Light property, he can make it as part of the Attack action instead of as a Bonus Action. He can make this extra attack only once per turn.
So Short Sword + Dagger = 1 Action
Rustin's training also allows him to use the mastery property of Shortswords: Vex. If he hits a creature with a Shortsword and deals damage to the creature, he has Advantage on his next attack roll against that creature before the end of his next turn.
Cunning Action. His quick thinking and agility allow him to move and act quickly. On Rust's turn, he can take one of the following actions as a Bonus Action: Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
Dash. When Rustin takes the Dash action, he gains extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals his Speed after applying any modifiers. With a Speed of 30 feet, for example, he can move up to 60 feet on his turn if he Dashes.
So... Weapon mastery property Nick, plus Cunning Action means Rustin can stab with the short sword AND dagger AND still move 60' in a turn.
Plus if he has Advantage (Vex) on the target OR an ally is within 5' of the target he can add Sneak Attack damage (3d6) to one weapon attack.
Opportunity Attack as Rust dashes away after striking? Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you (round down).
Therefore this rogue can stab+stab+dash in a single turn?
You have all of the mechanics correctly. You an attack with both weapons as part of the Attack action, hitting with your Shortsword will grant you advantage on the attack with your Dagger allowing you to apply Sneak Attack, and you can still use Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a Bonus Action.
Wait a minute. If you have already attacked, how do you sneak attack with another swing?
This reads as flat out cheating.
In this example, Sneak Attack is not being applied to the first attack, only to the second one. Sneak Attack can only be applied once per turn, but it doesn't have to be on the first attack you make that turn.
If you move 30 feet you can then dash for 30 more feet.
If you attack, you have not moved, but you can dash for 30 feet.
You can not attack and move for 60 feet. Wouldn't that be 3 actions?
As described in the original post, Rogues have a level 2 feature called Cunning Action that allows (among other things) taking the Dash action as a bonus action. In this example the Rogue is using their action to take the Attack action and their bonus action to take the Dash action via that feature. One action and one bonus action, not three of anything.
Wait a minute. If you have already attacked, how do you sneak attack with another swing?
This reads as flat out cheating.
In this example, Sneak Attack is not being applied to the first attack, only to the second one. Sneak Attack can only be applied once per turn, but it doesn't have to be on the first attack you make that turn.
If you move 30 feet you can then dash for 30 more feet.
If you attack, you have not moved, but you can dash for 30 feet.
You can not attack and move for 60 feet. Wouldn't that be 3 actions?
As described in the original post, Rogues have a level 2 feature called Cunning Action that allows (among other things) taking the Dash action as a bonus action. In this example the Rogue is using their action to take the Attack action and their bonus action to take the Dash action via that feature. One action and one bonus action, not three of anything.
Can you sneak attack every round assuming you have either advantage or an ally?
Can an ally be another PC's familiar? If yes, does the Familiar have to be visible? (e.g. warlock's invisible Imp)
So in my turn any character can move 30 feet, attack, and still do a bonus action?
Yes, you can sneak attack once per round assuming you meet the requirements to do so.
The second question is tricky - I would personally rule that if they are invisible it doesn't count but I'm not an expert on the RAW surrounding that.
Third question - yes. The basic rule of combat in DnD is that every round you have 1. your movement 2. an action 3. a bonus action. It is up to you if you spend these or what order you spend them in but you by default can do all three of those things
You are right that the word sneaky is somewhat misleading. The explanation as to what exactly a sneak attack is in the 2024 PHB is:
"You know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction."
I've always interpreted it as using your advantage or the distracting presence of another ally to find a critical weakpoint or hit a more solid blow than usual, hence the extra damage.
RAW, the only requirements for sneak attacking with an ally are that the ally must be within 5 feet of the target, the ally doesn't have the incapacitated condition, and you don't have Disadvantage on the attack roll. That doesn't mention invisibility anywhere, so RAW an invisible familiar should be able to meet those criteria.
However, as a DM I would ask the player with the familiar to explain how their familiar is "distracting" the target of the Sneak Attack, especially if they're trying to do it without giving away their familiar's location.
Can you sneak attack every round assuming you have either advantage or an ally?
You can Sneak Attack once per turn, assuming you meet those requirements. The limit is once per turn, not once per round, so it's possible to do it on someone else's turn (as an Opportunity Attack or other reaction-based attack) even if you've already done it on your turn that round.
Wait a minute. If you have already attacked, how do you sneak attack with another swing?
This reads as flat out cheating.
In this example, Sneak Attack is not being applied to the first attack, only to the second one. Sneak Attack can only be applied once per turn, but it doesn't have to be on the first attack you make that turn.
If you move 30 feet you can then dash for 30 more feet.
If you attack, you have not moved, but you can dash for 30 feet.
You can not attack and move for 60 feet. Wouldn't that be 3 actions?
As described in the original post, Rogues have a level 2 feature called Cunning Action that allows (among other things) taking the Dash action as a bonus action. In this example the Rogue is using their action to take the Attack action and their bonus action to take the Dash action via that feature. One action and one bonus action, not three of anything.
Can you sneak attack every round assuming you have either advantage or an ally?
Can an ally be another PC's familiar? If yes, does the Familiar have to be visible? (e.g. warlock's invisible Imp)
So in my turn any character can move 30 feet, attack, and still do a bonus action?
As said above, you can sneak attack once on every turn. Not just on your turn. This will usually only come into play if the enemy provokes an opportunity attack from you. But if the rogue is surrounded by 4 enemies, and hits them with a fear effect that forces them to run away, he will be able to sneak attack every single one of them on their turns provided the rogue otherwise meets the requirements for a sneak attack.
The ally can be a familiar, or anything else that is allied with the rogue. Note that this is the rules as written, and most DMs will apply some common sense. The rule as intended is that the rogue is taking advantage of the enemy's distraction. So things that are not distracting, such as an invisible familiar that is not engaged with the enemy and that the enemy is not aware of, will usually be ruled by most DMs to not give sneak attack opportunities.
Yes, all characters can move their base movement speed, attack, and perform a bonus action on their turn. The rogue, specifically, can take dash as a bonus action. So the rogue can attack, move their base movement speed, and then move their base movement speed again by expending their bonus action to dash. Also note that a rogue can take dash as both their action and their bonus action. So a rogue who doesn't attack or use their bonus action for anything else can move their base movement speed 3 times.
Most DMs are going to rule that the ally must be visible to the target in order for the Rogue to get sneak attack. The additional damage from sneak attack is because the target is distracted by the ally being within reach of them during a fight (that ally might attack them, so the target needs to defend against it - defending against the ally gives the rogue the opening to strike for additional damage). But if the target can't see the ally, there's no distraction.
Here's an example to help illustrate it. Imagine your halfling companion who is invisible, and using the Hide action (successfully) - who happens to be standing next to an Ogre. The Ogre has no idea the halfling is there and is therefore not distracted by it. Your rogue attacks the Ogre. There would be no sneak attack, because the Ogre is not distracted. Let's also not forget that your rogue doesn't know the halfling is there either (unless your rogue can see invisible creatures).
If you say that sneak attack still applies... then how is that any different from the halfling NOT being there. In both cases the Ogre has no idea one of your allies may or may not be near, in fact neither does your rogue. In both cases there is no distraction. If you try to say that the invisible hiding halfling grants your rogue the ability to sneak attack, then you should be able to argue that sneak attack should always occur since the enemy has no idea that there isn't an invisible hiding enemy (ally of the PCs) nearby - at all times.
The sneak attack comes from the distraction, not from some mystic aura that allies generate around them.
The rules assume that common sense still applies.
Here's another example: Your Rogue is about to fight a warlord. Unbeknownst to the warlord, her second in command is secretly allied with your rogue. The warlord believes the second in command to be her ally. Unless the second in command reveals themselves to be your ally, just the fact that they are standing next to the warlord does not magically give your rogue sneak attack. Again - there is no distraction. In this case the warlord believes the second in command is her ally, and the second in command is doing nothing to prove otherwise or distract them in any way.
Most DMs are going to rule that the ally must be visible to the target in order for the Rogue to get sneak attack. The additional damage from sneak attack is because the target is distracted by the ally being within reach of them during a fight (that ally might attack them, so the target needs to defend against it - defending against the ally gives the rogue the opening to strike for additional damage). But if the target can't see the ally, there's no distraction.
But if the rogue is surrounded by 4 enemies, and hits them with a fear effect that forces them to run away, he will be able to sneak attack every single one of them on their turns provided the rogue otherwise meets the requirements for a sneak attack.
That example doesn't work, unfortunately. An Opportunity Attack uses your Reaction, and once you've used your Reaction, you can't use another Reaction until the start of your next turn.
For this reason, while the Sneak Attack limit is once per turn, it's rarely going to be possible to trigger it more than twice per round.
Most DMs are going to rule that the ally must be visible to the target in order for the Rogue to get sneak attack. The additional damage from sneak attack is because the target is distracted by the ally being within reach of them during a fight (that ally might attack them, so the target needs to defend against it - defending against the ally gives the rogue the opening to strike for additional damage). But if the target can't see the ally, there's no distraction.
People who can't be seen can still be heard.
That only gives you a direction that they are in, not their exact location - and my example specifically said an invisible hiding (successfully) halfling - which means they are not heard.
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Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
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Hi, I'm creating my fist 2024 rogue and Ive never built one before.
My character is a black dragonborn rogue named Rustin Cohlscale (based on the True Detective character's personality).
Here's what Ive gathered from the 2024 rules, (please correct me if Im wrong)
Rustin's training with weapons allows him to use the mastery property of Daggers:
Nick. When he makes the extra attack of the Light property, he can make it as part of the Attack action instead of as a Bonus Action. He can make this extra attack only once per turn.
So Short Sword + Dagger = 1 Action
Rustin's training also allows him to use the mastery property of Shortswords:
Vex. If he hits a creature with a Shortsword and deals damage to the creature, he has Advantage on his next attack roll against that creature before the end of his next turn.
Cunning Action. His quick thinking and agility allow him to move and act quickly. On Rust's turn, he can take one of the following actions as a Bonus Action: Dash, Disengage, or Hide.
Dash. When Rustin takes the Dash action, he gains extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals his Speed after applying any modifiers. With a Speed of 30 feet, for example, he can move up to 60 feet on his turn if he Dashes.
So... Weapon mastery property Nick, plus Cunning Action means Rustin can stab with the short sword AND dagger AND still move 60' in a turn.
Plus if he has Advantage (Vex) on the target OR an ally is within 5' of the target he can add Sneak Attack damage (3d6) to one weapon attack.
Opportunity Attack as Rust dashes away after striking? Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack roll, you can take a Reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you (round down).
Therefore this rogue can stab+stab+dash in a single turn?
You have all of the mechanics correctly. You an attack with both weapons as part of the Attack action, hitting with your Shortsword will grant you advantage on the attack with your Dagger allowing you to apply Sneak Attack, and you can still use Cunning Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a Bonus Action.
Wait a minute. If you have already attacked, how do you sneak attack with another swing?
This reads as flat out cheating.
If you move 30 feet you can then dash for 30 more feet.
If you attack, you have not moved, but you can dash for 30 feet.
You can not attack and move for 60 feet. Wouldn't that be 3 actions?
Attack + 30ft movement + bonus action dash thanks to Cunning Action = attack and 60 ft movement
In this example, Sneak Attack is not being applied to the first attack, only to the second one. Sneak Attack can only be applied once per turn, but it doesn't have to be on the first attack you make that turn.
As described in the original post, Rogues have a level 2 feature called Cunning Action that allows (among other things) taking the Dash action as a bonus action. In this example the Rogue is using their action to take the Attack action and their bonus action to take the Dash action via that feature. One action and one bonus action, not three of anything.
pronouns: he/she/they
Thanks, it was a lot of layers to sort for this.
Can you sneak attack every round assuming you have either advantage or an ally?
Can an ally be another PC's familiar? If yes, does the Familiar have to be visible? (e.g. warlock's invisible Imp)
So in my turn any character can move 30 feet, attack, and still do a bonus action?
Yes, you can sneak attack once per round assuming you meet the requirements to do so.
The second question is tricky - I would personally rule that if they are invisible it doesn't count but I'm not an expert on the RAW surrounding that.
Third question - yes. The basic rule of combat in DnD is that every round you have 1. your movement 2. an action 3. a bonus action. It is up to you if you spend these or what order you spend them in but you by default can do all three of those things
2024 rules states a "Sneak Attack" bonus for a rogue can be added if the attack has either Advantage OR an "ally" is within 5ft. of the target.
The word Sneak now leans more into a "sneaky" strike than a "surprise".
Yes? Sorry, Im a Pally/cleric main and wanted to play something opposite of my regular characters and I'm slowly absorbing all of this.
You are right that the word sneaky is somewhat misleading. The explanation as to what exactly a sneak attack is in the 2024 PHB is:
I've always interpreted it as using your advantage or the distracting presence of another ally to find a critical weakpoint or hit a more solid blow than usual, hence the extra damage.
RAW, the only requirements for sneak attacking with an ally are that the ally must be within 5 feet of the target, the ally doesn't have the incapacitated condition, and you don't have Disadvantage on the attack roll. That doesn't mention invisibility anywhere, so RAW an invisible familiar should be able to meet those criteria.
However, as a DM I would ask the player with the familiar to explain how their familiar is "distracting" the target of the Sneak Attack, especially if they're trying to do it without giving away their familiar's location.
You can Sneak Attack once per turn, assuming you meet those requirements. The limit is once per turn, not once per round, so it's possible to do it on someone else's turn (as an Opportunity Attack or other reaction-based attack) even if you've already done it on your turn that round.
Yes. It can be any creature allied with you. The creature in question does not have to be visible.
Any character can take an action, take a bonus action, and move up to their Speed on their turn.
Moving isn't an action, if that's what's confusing you.
pronouns: he/she/they
As said above, you can sneak attack once on every turn. Not just on your turn. This will usually only come into play if the enemy provokes an opportunity attack from you. But if the rogue is surrounded by 4 enemies, and hits them with a fear effect that forces them to run away, he will be able to sneak attack every single one of them on their turns provided the rogue otherwise meets the requirements for a sneak attack.
The ally can be a familiar, or anything else that is allied with the rogue. Note that this is the rules as written, and most DMs will apply some common sense. The rule as intended is that the rogue is taking advantage of the enemy's distraction. So things that are not distracting, such as an invisible familiar that is not engaged with the enemy and that the enemy is not aware of, will usually be ruled by most DMs to not give sneak attack opportunities.
Yes, all characters can move their base movement speed, attack, and perform a bonus action on their turn. The rogue, specifically, can take dash as a bonus action. So the rogue can attack, move their base movement speed, and then move their base movement speed again by expending their bonus action to dash. Also note that a rogue can take dash as both their action and their bonus action. So a rogue who doesn't attack or use their bonus action for anything else can move their base movement speed 3 times.
Most DMs are going to rule that the ally must be visible to the target in order for the Rogue to get sneak attack. The additional damage from sneak attack is because the target is distracted by the ally being within reach of them during a fight (that ally might attack them, so the target needs to defend against it - defending against the ally gives the rogue the opening to strike for additional damage). But if the target can't see the ally, there's no distraction.
Here's an example to help illustrate it. Imagine your halfling companion who is invisible, and using the Hide action (successfully) - who happens to be standing next to an Ogre. The Ogre has no idea the halfling is there and is therefore not distracted by it. Your rogue attacks the Ogre. There would be no sneak attack, because the Ogre is not distracted. Let's also not forget that your rogue doesn't know the halfling is there either (unless your rogue can see invisible creatures).
If you say that sneak attack still applies... then how is that any different from the halfling NOT being there. In both cases the Ogre has no idea one of your allies may or may not be near, in fact neither does your rogue. In both cases there is no distraction. If you try to say that the invisible hiding halfling grants your rogue the ability to sneak attack, then you should be able to argue that sneak attack should always occur since the enemy has no idea that there isn't an invisible hiding enemy (ally of the PCs) nearby - at all times.
The sneak attack comes from the distraction, not from some mystic aura that allies generate around them.
The rules assume that common sense still applies.
Here's another example: Your Rogue is about to fight a warlord. Unbeknownst to the warlord, her second in command is secretly allied with your rogue. The warlord believes the second in command to be her ally. Unless the second in command reveals themselves to be your ally, just the fact that they are standing next to the warlord does not magically give your rogue sneak attack. Again - there is no distraction. In this case the warlord believes the second in command is her ally, and the second in command is doing nothing to prove otherwise or distract them in any way.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
I'd find it incredibly weird for a DM to make that ruling. RAW, no such requirement exists nor is such a requirement even implied.
People who can't be seen can still be heard.
pronouns: he/she/they
That example doesn't work, unfortunately. An Opportunity Attack uses your Reaction, and once you've used your Reaction, you can't use another Reaction until the start of your next turn.
For this reason, while the Sneak Attack limit is once per turn, it's rarely going to be possible to trigger it more than twice per round.
pronouns: he/she/they
(deleted double post)
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
That only gives you a direction that they are in, not their exact location - and my example specifically said an invisible hiding (successfully) halfling - which means they are not heard.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (original Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.