How The Rogue's Sneak Attack Works In D&D 5e

Compared to the other martial classes of , rogues have a number of unique features, the most combat-oriented of which is Sneak Attack. Whereas other martial classes, like fighter, barbarian, and monk, are mostly straightforward in the ways that they can deal damage, a rogue's Sneak Attack encourages a certain amount of planning, teamwork, and in-character trickery, making the most out of individual attacks rather than making multiple separate attack rolls. While powerful, Sneak Attack only works under certain conditions, which can sometimes be difficult to keep track of.

In, the rogue class and its various subclasses are unique among martial classes for having several features devoted to mostly out-of-combat scenarios, encouraging a trickier and less direct playstyle befitting a cunning thief or assassin. Expertise, for example, makes rogue into one of the premier classes for passing skill checks — and when applied to signature rogue skills like Stealth, Sleight of Hand, or Thieves' Tools, can allow a rogue to scout hostile areas or steal objects with a relatively low risk of failure. By contrast, rogues in combat revolve almost solely around applying Sneak Attack damage.

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Available from the very first level of the rogue class, Sneak Attack allows characters to deal extra damage on attacks that they hit once per turn, but only when certain conditions are met. First, the attack must have been made using a weapon with the finesse or ranged properties, such as a dagger, rapier, or bow. Second, the attack must either have been made with advantage, or on a target that has another creature hostile to it within five feet. Finally, Sneak Attack can't be applied if the attack was made with disadvantage, or if the target is incapacitated.

Sneak Attack starts as an extra 1d6 damage, usually ruled to be of the same type as the weapon