Sneak Attack vs Backstab

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hello, i was wondering whether you folks generally preferred sneak attack or liked the original backstab better?

i'm not really all that familiar with d&d min-maxing, but is it generally correct to say that backstab has a higher damage "cap" while sneak attack does better average damage while giving the benefits of crippling strike?

thanks!

edit: oops, i also was wondering...does SA work even vs mobs that are immune to BS damage like constructs and such?

 

In Icewind Dale, I much prefer using the original backstab. The damage potential for your T or F\T becomes truely stagering by the end of things. Grab a nice poisoned dagger, pump up your stealth skill and you can make short work of any mage who may pose a problem for the rest of your party. The benefits of sneak attack just don't compare imho; the sneak attack would cause the stat damage from crippling strike while a backstab could chunkify an enemy outright. I'm more inclined to believe that the designers added it in as a novelty (much like the ranger's track ability) when they screwed with the 2nd edition rules and made the game something like AD&D 2.7 or something.

As for whether or not there are immunes, i'm not sure. Other than a few 'huge' classified critters, and maybe the undead (3/4 of the game's enemies), i don't think much out there has immunities. hell, i don't ever recall facing constructs at all in this game but it's been a while.

 

If you use your thief for sneaking and killing from the shadows the old backstab rule is more powerful.
But sneak attack has it's advantadges:

- it improves even after level 13.
- if you are soloing (especially in HoF mode) and face a monster with many HP the crippling strike will worsen the enemy's thac0 so that you can fight him afterwards without getting hit as often.
- While you have to hide in shadows for backstabbing you can get in a sneak attack without planning it. As long as another party member is closer your enemy won't face your thief. Such surprise messages are fun.
- Against the spectral guards in TotL the sneak attack was very useful. They got both hurt and crippled. I didn't use traditional backstabbing, but I don't think you can backstab all the enemies you can sneak attack.

 

Do sneak attack work with non-thief weapons for MC classes? Sorry, I am away from my IWD game and jut curious:never actually tried it. Can a F/T sneak attack with, say, two handed sword?

 

Not in IWD.

 

Shame. It could be cool, and this way sneak attack could be very powerful, better than backstab.

 

Doesn't matter.
There are no 2-handed weapons which are as good as the longswords of action +4 anyway.