Can I use sneak attack with Piercing arrow. Fighter5/Rogue 3?
You use transmutation magic to give your arrow an ethereal quality. When you use this option, you don’t make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, the arrow shoots forward in a line, which is 1 foot wide and 30 feet long, before disappearing. The arrow passes harmlessly through objects, ignoring cover. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw.
On a failed save, a creature takes damage as if it were hit by the arrow, plus an extra 1d6 piercing damage. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage.
Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll.
Saves are not an attack per the PHB:
If there’s ever any question whether something you’re doing counts as an attack, the rule is simple: if you’re making an attack roll, you’re making an attack.
Using an attack: " you don't make an attack roll for the attack", so Check.
You cannot have advantage, because it is a save, but you could still do this if you qualify via another enemy of the target being within 5 ft of it or similar effect from a sub-class.
So, RAW, yes. Not RAI in my opinion, but that is up to your DM
Note, you only get sneak attack damage once per turn on ONE target, regardless of how many are hit by the effect.
Thx, I checked 'The Google' and J. Crawford has said that since you do not make an attack roll, you cannot have advantage and therefore cannot sneak attack.
I come to the inverse conclusion that RAW it doesn't work, but RAI it should. I'd allow it at my table, because I feel like Arcane Archers need all the help they can get... Good note from Mog_Dracov about sneak attack damage only applying in a single instance per turn, though!
RAW and RAI Sneak Attack doesn't work with Piercing Arrow since it's not an attack that hit where an attack roll is needed, but a saving throw that fails.
@JHanchoHow does Assassinate, Sneak Attack, and Arcane Archer's Seeking/Piercing Shot play together if it's the first attack of a combat? And how does Sharpshooter play with Seeking/Piercing Shot?
@JeremyECrawford If a feature, such as Sneak Attack and Assassinate, does something special when an attack hits, that special effect doesn't occur if there's no attack roll that hits.
Can I use sneak attack with Piercing arrow. Fighter5/Rogue 3?
You use transmutation magic to give your arrow an ethereal quality. When you use this option, you don’t make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, the arrow shoots forward in a line, which is 1 foot wide and 30 feet long, before disappearing. The arrow passes harmlessly through objects, ignoring cover. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw.
On a failed save, a creature takes damage as if it were hit by the arrow, plus an extra 1d6 piercing damage. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage.
With the italics in mind,
Thanks in advance,
Evan
Well, bear in mind first of all you definitionally won't have advantage, so for the question to make sense, you need to satisfy Sneak Attack some other way. Let's assume you have a non-incapacitated ally within 5 feet.
You then have to hit with an attack. Piercing Arrow has text specifically saying it simulates the target being hit for damage purposes (and no other purposes, so as an aside, note that Piercing Arrow won't e.g. deliver any poison on the arrow), so that's not an issue; the question is, when the target takes damage as if hit, does it take damage as if hit by an attack? Piercing Arrow instead says as if hit by the arrow. That means RAW, no, you can't Sneak Attack with it, because Sneak Attack only happens when an attack hits, and Piercing Arrow has an arrow hit.
To put this another way: you can Sneak Attack with Piercing Arrow if and only if Piercing Arrow is subject to the damage immunity of Lycanthropes. Because Piercing Arrow will ignore their damage immunity, you can't Sneak Attack with it.
However, note that Piercing Arrow is written poorly; as an example, if you use a +1 bow, you don't get +1 to the save DC of Piercing Arrow, even though the +1 is supposed to make the bow more accurate. Your DM may want to houserule how the ability works by having it explicitly simulate an attack so hit modifiers become save modifiers, which would mean attack damage modifiers (like Sneak Attack) would also apply.
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Hello,
Can I use sneak attack with Piercing arrow. Fighter5/Rogue 3?
You use transmutation magic to give your arrow an ethereal quality. When you use this option, you don’t make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, the arrow shoots forward in a line, which is 1 foot wide and 30 feet long, before disappearing. The arrow passes harmlessly through objects, ignoring cover. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw.
On a failed save, a creature takes damage as if it were hit by the arrow, plus an extra 1d6 piercing damage. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage.
With the italics in mind,
Thanks in advance,
Evan
Saves are not an attack per the PHB:
So no.
Finesse or ranged weapon: Check.
Using an attack: " you don't make an attack roll for the attack", so Check.
You cannot have advantage, because it is a save, but you could still do this if you qualify via another enemy of the target being within 5 ft of it or similar effect from a sub-class.
So, RAW, yes. Not RAI in my opinion, but that is up to your DM
Note, you only get sneak attack damage once per turn on ONE target, regardless of how many are hit by the effect.
Thx, I checked 'The Google' and J. Crawford has said that since you do not make an attack roll, you cannot have advantage and therefore cannot sneak attack.
Evan
Forget everything and just look to Grasping Arrow. This is the most powerful option and can be combined with Sneak Attack.
I come to the inverse conclusion that RAW it doesn't work, but RAI it should. I'd allow it at my table, because I feel like Arcane Archers need all the help they can get... Good note from Mog_Dracov about sneak attack damage only applying in a single instance per turn, though!
RAW and RAI Sneak Attack doesn't work with Piercing Arrow since it's not an attack that hit where an attack roll is needed, but a saving throw that fails.
FWIW the Devs also said it was working. https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/943238325631991808?s=20&t=NcEmrRm4lZhxDtWupL-uOw
Well, bear in mind first of all you definitionally won't have advantage, so for the question to make sense, you need to satisfy Sneak Attack some other way. Let's assume you have a non-incapacitated ally within 5 feet.
You then have to hit with an attack. Piercing Arrow has text specifically saying it simulates the target being hit for damage purposes (and no other purposes, so as an aside, note that Piercing Arrow won't e.g. deliver any poison on the arrow), so that's not an issue; the question is, when the target takes damage as if hit, does it take damage as if hit by an attack? Piercing Arrow instead says as if hit by the arrow. That means RAW, no, you can't Sneak Attack with it, because Sneak Attack only happens when an attack hits, and Piercing Arrow has an arrow hit.
To put this another way: you can Sneak Attack with Piercing Arrow if and only if Piercing Arrow is subject to the damage immunity of Lycanthropes. Because Piercing Arrow will ignore their damage immunity, you can't Sneak Attack with it.
However, note that Piercing Arrow is written poorly; as an example, if you use a +1 bow, you don't get +1 to the save DC of Piercing Arrow, even though the +1 is supposed to make the bow more accurate. Your DM may want to houserule how the ability works by having it explicitly simulate an attack so hit modifiers become save modifiers, which would mean attack damage modifiers (like Sneak Attack) would also apply.