[RPG] Do flanking and sneak attack apply to a creature that is flanked by other characters

dnd-3.5eflankingroguesneak-attack

This came up in a game recently in a 3.5 game. Two of our warriors were flanking a big-bad from either side. Then the party's Rogue attacked from another side of the big bad:

\$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
\\
\hline
W & B & W \\
\hline
& R & \\ \hline
\end{array}\$

Key:
B: Big Bad, W: Warriors, R: Rogue

My questions are:

  1. Who gets the flanking bonuses to hit? Clearly the warriors do, but does the Rogue? the Rogue is not technically flanking with anyone, but the opponent is flanked.

  2. Does the Rogue get sneak attack? If the Rogue gets the flanking bonus in the previous question, I think the answer is pretty clearly yes. But if not, does the Rogue have to be flanking to apply sneak attack, or can it be applied to a flanked enemy?

Best Answer

No, It does not.

FLANKING

When making a melee attack, you get a +2 flanking bonus if your opponent is threatened by a character or creature friendly to you on the opponent’s opposite border or opposite corner.

When in doubt about whether two friendly characters flank an opponent in the middle, trace an imaginary line between the two friendly characters’ centers. If the line passes through opposite borders of the opponent’s space (including corners of those borders), then the opponent is flanked.

The rogue is not in a flanking position. So does not get the bonus.

Sneak Attack

If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

The rogue’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target.

Key words here, Her attack. The rogue does not have a flanking position bonus so does not get to sneak attack.

  1. The warrior get flanking bonus to hit. The rogue does not.
  2. No. The rogue does not get sneak attack.
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