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In Maximum XCrawl (which uses the Pathfinder engine), the specialist class (basically a Pathfinder rogue) deals extra sneak attack damage when flanking.

I play a specialist in a Maximum XCrawl campaign, and the DM has ruled that constructs are immune to sneak attack damage and can't be flanked, and the DM has started throwing many, many constructs against the party. I've gone from dealing foes 1d4+2d6 points of damage to dealing just 1d4 points of damage. On Lv. 19, I'd go from dealing 1d4+10d6 to just 1d4.

My character is a Lv. 3 Halfling, which means all my weapons deal even less damage. As for ressources, my character only has about 100 Gold Pieces, which is not a lot for XCrawl. Further, our GM heavily discourages anything outside the core XCrawl book, which means I am very restricted in my choice of gear.

Currently, I have a Rapier which deals 1d4, Throwing Knives which deal 1d3 and a concealed blade which deals 1d2. As you see, these numbers are anything but impressive if my 2d6 bonus falls short.

How can I be useful to the group beyond dealing sneak attack damage?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I included the Pathfinder tag because of the setting's engine and the familiarity many around here have with that system, but if the GM is using exclusively Maximum XCrawl stuff in the campaign, the tag should probably be removed. Can describe what resources are allowed in the campaign? \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Aug 23, 2015 at 16:57
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    \$\begingroup\$ I know nothing of XCrawl, and maybe the rules for it are different, but your GM knows that Pathfinder made constructs vulnerable to critical hits, right? This house rule really is an effort to nerf your character who was, obviously, blowing through encounters willy-nilly, right? \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Aug 23, 2015 at 22:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ First of all, I informed him about this change. He claimed it doesn't apply for XCrawl "because reasons". Second, my character wasn't really that successful so far because our tank had problems holding enemies around him - so as a result, I got one attack with sneak bonus, which I dealt incredible 8 damage. That's not really nerf-worthy for a Lv. 3 character in my opinion. \$\endgroup\$
    – user23707
    Aug 23, 2015 at 23:39

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I have discussed this topic with several Pathfinder- and XCrawl players and came to a conclusion: You can't.

The only way for Specialists to be useful without Sneak-Attacks is to pick open doors, which again is not useful in combat either.

I discussed this topic thoroughly with my GM and asked him to lift his restriction on constructs so I can be useful to the group. I said standing around for about half an hour and not doing anything is not engaging to me as a player. He replied "That's how the rotation goes" and suggested me to leave the group if I was not happy with his GM-Style.

After discussing with other players of the group in the absence of the GM, I found out that one of them was playing Minecraft during the session because the creature we fought were 100% resistant to all his spells. Two others were resorting to playing "roll higher than the other" while continuously skipping their turn.

I have come to the conclusion that initial enthusiasm of players can quickly be destroyed by just being a bad GM.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Consider grabbing the other unengaged players and running your own game. \$\endgroup\$
    – Hey I Can Chan
    Aug 24, 2015 at 23:43
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    \$\begingroup\$ Sounds like your should take your GM's advice, because he sounds terrible otherwise. \$\endgroup\$
    – misterducky
    Aug 25, 2015 at 0:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ How the heck were combats actually being resolved if nobody was dealing any damage? \$\endgroup\$
    – Phlyk
    Jan 25, 2017 at 15:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Phlyk This question is already quite old, but to answer your question: Other people in our group were dealing damage, it was just me who was useless. Our GM seemed to believe that "not doing anything" or "rolling 1d2 dmg" added to the excitement \$\endgroup\$
    – user23707
    Jan 25, 2017 at 19:34

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