Sneak attacks should be just crits.

[User3]

Sneak attacks should just be crits. Add a penaty for those items with low range(20s) and high damage(x4), and a bonus for the large range(17-20), low damage(x2) weapons.

[The_Hanged_Man]

I don't think this is a good idea. Crits are just multipliers. Small rogues will do less sneak attack damage than large rogues. I don't like that result.

Also, this paradoxically makes rogues more dependent on strength, as it's the main effect the crit multiplier will work from. Do you want a system that rewards a rogue for backstabbing w/ a greatsword?

[Wrenfield]

K,
Based upon your 2 related posts, I get the impression that an effective Rogue character is running hog-wild and kicking some royal ass in your gaming group...

[Desdan_Mervolam]

I'm thinking that sneak attack damage should be available freely on a 1d6/feat slot basis, and that so-called "Called shots" should require giving up a certain amount of dice on a successful sneak attack. Rogues are the kings of skills. Sneak attack's nice (And they'll still be kings of that), but there's no real need to make that sacred to rogues.

-Desdan

[User3]

Rogue sneak attack damage can be based on Dex, not Str(actually making it an important stat for them). Also, it should be limited to small weapons. since a Rogue can do it on as many attacks as he has, he should have some limits on it.

Regular people should be able to crit on the first blow on a surpised opponent. A dude with a greatsword should do a bunch of damage if he sneaks up behind you and smacks you.

A coup de grace should be all your attacks as crits, plus the death effect if your total damage is 50+.

And yes, right now a well played rogue makes an equal leveled fighter look like a monkey with a handful of feces.

[The_Hanged_Man]

There already are limits on sneak attack damage - that mid-level BAB.

I don't see the rogue>>>>>fighter issue. I don't even think sneak-resistance creatures matter much to the power of rogues and fighters. Fighters, battle for battle, do more damage IMX.

There's no need to be complicated about it, either. A fighter w/ specialization, 22 str, power attack, and a greatsword should be wiping the floor of any rogue. A 13th level fighter can power attack at -5/+10, and do 2d12+9 (str) +4 (spec) +10 (PA), for 2d12+23 or 30 avg - at roughly the same BAB. A 13th level rogue will get 1d6+7d6 (sa), or 8*3.5 (28 avg). That's about the same, huh?

Plus, all the fighter's damage is critable - and the fighter has Improved Crit. The fighter has many more HP, and armor. I don't see where the rogue gets all the combatability. The rogue can TWF and do slightly better on avg, but then it can't move and hit - making flank attacks difficult.

I'd guess your fighters aren't being all they can be. Or some of the houserules favor rogues. Or the monsters don't fight effectively against rogues. If monsters just sit there and let themselves get sneak attacked, then rogues do rock.