Re: Sneak Attack - Flanking
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:09 am
That's a great point about the feats that let you turn a -5 to hit into +10 damage. Advantage basically turns into +10 damage with each attack.
I'm late to the discussion, but I'm not a fan of flanking in D&D 5e, in part because it messes with some of the design space staked out early on.
While "pack tactics" isn't 100% the same as flanking (it doesn't require opposite positioning), it's similar enough that it feels like everything that gets pack tactics is suddenly a little bit less awesome. This becomes more of a problem when you include PC options like kobolds, or summoned creatures with the trait.
I think there were a lot of people that either were introduced to the hobby with 3e, or first really got a feel for tactical combat based on 3e rules, and that's part of the legacy of this particular rule's popularity.
The only real problem I have is when it becomes so ubiquitous in use, and the optional rule isn't referenced as optional, and players come to a new table expecting it to be available as an option.