A Sneak Attack is an attack made against a target that is unaware of your presence. Sneak Attacks deal significantly more damage than normal attacks and are rolled with Advantage.
Quick Reference
Sneak Attack Requirements:
- You are Undetected or Hidden
- Target is unaware of your position
- Direct hit only (no explosives/AoE bonus)
Sneak Attack Bonuses:
- Advantage on attack roll
- +Sneak Skill bonus damage
- Additional bonuses from perks (Ninja, Mister Sandman, Ghost)
After a Sneak Attack:
- Loud weapon or in LoS or melee vs living target → Automatically Detected
- Silent weapon from concealment → Sneak Test to remain Hidden
- Silent weapon vs incapacitated/killed target → Remain Hidden
Requirements
To perform a Sneak Attack, you must meet all of the following conditions:
- You are Undetected or Hidden
- The target is unaware of your position — they are not currently Hunting you or looking directly at you
- The attack is a direct hit — explosives, AoE damage, and indirect damage do not qualify as Sneak Attacks
- Any weapon type qualifies (ranged, melee, unarmed, throwing), but explosive weapons do not benefit from Sneak Attack bonuses
Sneak Attack Bonuses
When you make a Sneak Attack:
- Advantage on the attack roll (roll 2d20, take the higher)
- Bonus damage equal to your 👤 Sneak skill level (+1 to +12 depending on investment)
These bonuses are the base Sneak Attack benefits. Additional bonuses can be gained through perks:
| Source | Additional Bonus |
|---|---|
| Base Sneak Attack | Advantage on attack, +Sneak Skill damage |
| Ninja (Perk) | +2 damage and +1 CRIT Range with Melee, Unarmed, or Throwing |
| Mister Sandman (Perk) | +3 damage with silenced/suppressed weapons. +6 and auto-CRIT vs sleeping targets. |
| Ghost (Perk) | +2 damage and +1 CRIT Range from Total Darkness |
Example Sneak Attack Damage
A character with Sneak +8 using a suppressed pistol from Dim light with Mister Sandman:
- Base weapon damage
- +8 bonus damage (Sneak skill)
- +3 bonus damage (Mister Sandman)
- Advantage on the attack roll
- Total: weapon + 11 bonus damage with Advantage
Same character with Sneak +10, Ninja, and Ghost, using a throwing knife from Total Darkness:
- Base weapon damage
- +10 bonus damage (Sneak skill)
- +2 bonus damage (Ninja)
- +2 bonus damage (Ghost)
- +1 CRIT Range (Ninja)
- +1 CRIT Range (Ghost)
- Advantage on the attack roll (base) + Advantage from Ghost in darkness (already have Advantage, no additional benefit)
- Total: weapon + 14 bonus damage with Advantage and +2 CRIT Range
Revelation Rules
After making a Sneak Attack, your stealth status changes based on the weapon used and the circumstances.
Automatic Revelation
You are automatically revealed (become Detected) if any of the following are true:
- You are in line of sight of the target during the attack — even in Total Darkness, the act of attacking from a visible position reveals you
- The attack is a melee or unarmed Sneak Attack and the target is not incapacitated — striking someone in melee inherently reveals your position to them
- You use a loud weapon (any unsuppressed firearm, explosive, or weapon that produces significant noise)
Conditional Revelation
If none of the automatic conditions apply (you used a suppressed or silent weapon from a concealed position), you must make a Sneak Test after the attack:
AGI + 👤 Sneak vs PER + 🏕 Survival of nearby enemies
- Success: You remain Hidden. Enemies are unaware of where the attack came from. You may reposition and attack again.
- Failure: You are Detected. Enemies identify your position.
- Partial awareness: At the GM’s discretion, enemies who fail the detection check but are alert may enter the Hunt state, knowing something happened but not your exact position.
Silent Weapons
The following weapon types are considered silent and allow conditional revelation rather than automatic:
- Suppressed firearms (requires a suppressor mod)
- Melee weapons (only if the target is incapacitated or killed — a living target who survives a melee Sneak Attack knows where you are)
- Unarmed attacks (same as melee)
- Throwing weapons (knives, spears — not grenades)
Loud Weapons
The following weapon types are considered loud and cause automatic revelation:
- Any unsuppressed firearm
- Explosives
- Energy weapons (most — some may have silent variants)
- Any weapon that produces significant noise or visible effects
Sneak Attack and the Glancing Rule
Sneak Attacks use the normal Glancing Rule. However, because Sneak Attacks have Advantage on the attack roll, you are more likely to roll high totals, which means a higher proportion of Sneak Attack hits will be Solid rather than Glancing. This is an inherent benefit of attacking from stealth — your attacks are not only more likely to hit, they’re more likely to deal full Cripple Threshold damage.
Sneak Attack and Called Shots
You may combine a Sneak Attack with a Called Shot. The Called Shot accuracy penalty applies normally, but you still have Advantage on the roll from the Sneak Attack. This partially offsets the Called Shot penalty, making precision targeting from stealth more viable than precision targeting in open combat.
A Sneak Attack Called Shot to the Head with a high-skill character is one of the most devastating single attacks in the game — Advantage on the roll, bonus damage from Sneak skill, potentially bonus damage and CRIT Range from perks, targeting the limb with the lowest Cripple Threshold.
Sneak Attack and Burst Fire
You may Sneak Attack with Burst Fire. The Sneak Attack bonus damage (+Sneak skill) is applied once to the total burst damage (not per hit). Advantage applies to the first shot’s attack roll as normal for Burst Fire.
Coordinated Ambushes
When multiple party members are Undetected or Hidden and attack the same target (or different targets) in the same round, each character’s attack qualifies as a separate Sneak Attack on their respective turns, provided they meet the Sneak Attack requirements at the time of their attack.
This means a well-coordinated ambush can deliver multiple Sneak Attacks in a single round. However, if the first attacker’s Sneak Attack reveals the party’s presence (loud weapon, failed post-attack Sneak Test), subsequent party members may lose their Undetected/Hidden status before their turn comes.
Turn order matters for ambushes. Characters with higher ⏱ Sequence attack first. If the first attacker uses a silent weapon and remains Hidden, subsequent attackers can still Sneak Attack. If the first attacker uses a loud weapon, enemies become alert and later attackers may not qualify for Sneak Attacks.
Sneak Attack and Sleeping Targets
Attacks against sleeping targets are always Sneak Attacks (the target is completely unaware). Sleeping targets have additional vulnerabilities:
- They are Prone and unable to defend themselves
- The Mister Sandman perk grants +6 damage (instead of +3) and auto-CRIT against sleeping targets
- Melee Sneak Attacks against sleeping targets do not automatically reveal you (the target cannot react if killed or incapacitated)
Perks That Affect Sneak Attacks
| Perk | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ninja | +2 damage, +1 CRIT Range on Sneak Attacks with Melee, Unarmed, or Throwing. No Power Armor. |
| Mister Sandman | +3 damage with silenced/suppressed weapons. +6 and auto-CRIT vs sleeping. No Power Armor. |
| Ghost | Advantage on Sneak in Total Darkness. +1 CRIT Range, +2 damage on Sneak Attacks from Total Darkness. |
Milestones That Affect Sneak Attacks
| Milestone | Effect |
|---|---|
| 🤫 Hide (Sneak +3) | Unlock the ability to become Hidden during combat |
| Double Take (Sneak +5) | Reroll a failed Sneak Test once per encounter |
| Fade (Sneak +7) | After Sneak Attack + Hide, gain +2 MAP. Enemy may attack last known location instead of Hunting. |
| Without A Trace (Sneak +10) | Once per encounter, remain Hidden even if enemies would detect you. No Reactions or Opportunity Attacks against you. |
Book Perks That Affect Sneak Attacks
| Book | Effect |
|---|---|
| U.S. Covert Operations Manual | When detected after sneaking or Sneak Attack, gain 50% DR against first direct attack. Once per combat. |