AttilaTheGeek
2013-03-04, 05:15 PM
I've made this into its own thread to continue discussion without bogging down the Simple Q&A for Pathfinder (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270834), which should stay simple.
Q 74: If a rogue gains the ability to cast a spell that requires an attack roll and deals ability damage, can his sneak attack apply to the ability damage?
A74: Sneak Attack seems only to deal hit point damage. Ability damage is something entirely else, so it shouldn't apply to that.
A 74 disagreement
I could find nothing in the description of precision damage that causes it to exclude ability damage. Neither could I find anything in the description of Ability damage that makes it excluded from precision.
Link (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/basics-ability-scores/glossary): look under "damage"
Interestingly, there's no mention of 3.5's rule that precision damage was the same type as the damage from the rest of the attack.
If this is the case, precision damage from a scorching ray spell could bypass fire resistance.
Q 75
If using an elemental damage attack (ie. scorching ray) does a rogue's sneak attack deal elemental damage?
A 75
Precision Damage: Precision damage is a special type of damage, which might more appropriately be called a "category" of damage because any of the other damage types listed here might also be considered "precision" damage under the right circumstances. Precision damage is usually dealt by classes like the rogue when he is able to catch an opponent unable to fully protect itself...
Yes.
A 75 dispute
That answer appears to be "3rd party" - that is, added by the folks who run d20pfsrd.com. I can't find that text in the PRD Glossary (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/glossary.html).
The quote I took was prefaced by this one:
Editor's Note: The following information was compiled form various places in the Pathfinder rules for ease of reference. The text (as shown below) is not available in the Core Rulebook or in the PRD and is only meant as an aid to understanding various aspects of the different damage types. If you see or believe you see an error, please let us know.
and they can both be found here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/basics-ability-scores/glossary#TOC-Damage).
Q 74: If a rogue gains the ability to cast a spell that requires an attack roll and deals ability damage, can his sneak attack apply to the ability damage?
A74: Sneak Attack seems only to deal hit point damage. Ability damage is something entirely else, so it shouldn't apply to that.
A 74 disagreement
I could find nothing in the description of precision damage that causes it to exclude ability damage. Neither could I find anything in the description of Ability damage that makes it excluded from precision.
Link (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/basics-ability-scores/glossary): look under "damage"
Interestingly, there's no mention of 3.5's rule that precision damage was the same type as the damage from the rest of the attack.
If this is the case, precision damage from a scorching ray spell could bypass fire resistance.
Q 75
If using an elemental damage attack (ie. scorching ray) does a rogue's sneak attack deal elemental damage?
A 75
Precision Damage: Precision damage is a special type of damage, which might more appropriately be called a "category" of damage because any of the other damage types listed here might also be considered "precision" damage under the right circumstances. Precision damage is usually dealt by classes like the rogue when he is able to catch an opponent unable to fully protect itself...
Yes.
A 75 dispute
That answer appears to be "3rd party" - that is, added by the folks who run d20pfsrd.com. I can't find that text in the PRD Glossary (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/glossary.html).
The quote I took was prefaced by this one:
Editor's Note: The following information was compiled form various places in the Pathfinder rules for ease of reference. The text (as shown below) is not available in the Core Rulebook or in the PRD and is only meant as an aid to understanding various aspects of the different damage types. If you see or believe you see an error, please let us know.
and they can both be found here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/basics-ability-scores/glossary#TOC-Damage).