Question on Improved Trip and Sneak Attacks

When my Fighter/Rogue trips his opponent, shouldn't he get sneak attack damage on a hit to a prone enemy? Don't prone individuals lose their dex bonus?

Sorry for the trivial question. I'm sure it has been brought up before, but I tried an advanced search (probably did it wrong) and came up with nothing.

Thanks
The Big Bruiser

 

Yes, they should get that bonus, if I'm not wrong. If your rogue attacks a prone enemy, he gets the Sneak Attack, IIRC, so Improved Trip & Sneak Attack should work. I've also done some searching, but didn't find this issue adressed. Still, it's something strange, I believe I once had a rogue with this feat, a year ago or so (maybe my memory's starting to shout for help, still ).

@Allyx: Ok, so maybe I'm messing things up with helpless enemies... Sorry, but I've been up for like 20 hours now, i't's been a long day :tired:

 

Your search would only reveal if that was discussed here before or not. By the rules, you seem to have it right:

http://www.d20srd.org/

Could be a bug, because the rogue rules in the link above support your post. Someone else will have to say if it's a bug or not, though, and if it can be fixed. I should think it would be if it's happening that way all the time. I don't recall this issue being brought up before, and we've had many rogues; at least one of whom was a noteworthy modder who would have known this for a fault if they had this happen to them.

Edit: Allyx is correct; prone & helpless are not the same, so this isn't a fault. You get an AoO when the prone opponent stands up & that's all.

 

for all the info...

Prone

The character is on the ground. An attacker who is prone has a -4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use a ranged weapon (except for a crossbow). A defender who is prone gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, but takes a -4 penalty to AC against melee attacks.

Standing up is a move-equivalent action that provokes an attack of opportunity.

Improved Trip [General]
Prerequisites

Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit

You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent.

If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt.
Normal

Without this feat, you provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed.
Special

At 6th level, a monk may select Improved Trip as a bonus feat, even if she does not have the prerequisites.

A fighter may select Improved Trip as one of his fighter bonus feats

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. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter. Should the rogue score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.

With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.

A rogue can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

 

Fair enough. I have to talk to my GM about that one.

 

maybe a house rule is in order

 

yeah I figure that if the guy you happen to be shooting is so close that you would trigger an AoO if he was standing then the -4 shouldn't count.

 

*laugh* I tell you, there's something in the water goblinoids drink.

 

Not to be confused with orcoids.