Critical Hit & Sneak Attack

[Kerilstrasz]

ok...
what i know..
if i crt i dont multy the SA dmg...
what im confused about...
if i sneak atck , i MAY land a crt (according to my roll)
If i crt, it always Sneak atk?????? (assume i can reach vital spot and that
the target is not immune to SA)
example: I attack a human that has no cover, is not loosing Dex to AC, not helpless...
it's a clean hit that just doesn't qualify for sneak attack... i roll my d20 and it is
a N20... so... i add my SA dmg too???? (without multiply it ofc)

[GnomeGninjas]

A critical hit is not always a sneak attack. I think there might be a feat that does that though.

[Alefiend]

If the target doesn't qualify for sneak attack, you don't get the extra damage from it.

Think of it this way—oversimplified, but it fits the game model: Sneak attacks are precision damage; critical hits are lucky shots. You can get lucky while you're dealing precision damage (scoring a crit on a sneak attack), but you're not going to be suddenly extra precise on a lucky hit (no sneak just because it's a crit).

[Amphetryon]

A Critical Hit is not a Sneak Attack unless other criteria for Sneak Attack are also met. You can add Sneak Attack damage to a Critical Hit - assuming it qualifies as a Sneak Attack - via the Feat "Telling Blow."

[Starbuck_II]

ok...
what i know..
if i crt i dont multy the SA dmg...
what im confused about...
if i sneak atck , i MAY land a crt (according to my roll)
If i crt, it always Sneak atk?????? (assume i can reach vital spot and that
the target is not immune to SA)
example: I attack a human that has no cover, is not loosing Dex to AC, not helpless...
it's a clean hit that just doesn't qualify for sneak attack... i roll my d20 and it is
a N20... so... i add my SA dmg too???? (without multiply it ofc)

Yes, add Sneak attack damage after rolling Crit not before. So if using a longsword (x2 Crit) with 1d6 Sneak: you roll 2 1d8's then add 1d6 on a sneak attack critical hit.
But a Critcal is not automatically a snmeak attack without telling blow feat. And a sneak attack is not automatically a Critical.

[TuggyNE]

A Critical Hit is not a Sneak Attack unless other criteria for Sneak Attack are also met. You can add Sneak Attack damage to a Critical Hit - assuming it qualifies as a Sneak Attack - via the Feat "Telling Blow."

I thought Telling Blow was to bypass the necessity for catching a target with Dex denied (by always triggering Sneak Attack on a critical hit).

But yes, a critical hit will not multiply Sneak Attack damage, because it's extra damage dice.
Sometimes you multiply damage by some factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results. Note: When you multiply damage more than once, each multiplier works off the original, unmultiplied damage.

Exception: Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal damage are never multiplied. (emphasis added)

[Amphetryon]

I thought Telling Blow was to bypass the necessity for catching a target with Dex denied (by always triggering Sneak Attack on a critical hit).

But yes, a critical hit will not multiply Sneak Attack damage, because it's extra damage dice. (emphasis added)

I was going from (faulty) memory; you are correct.