#30
by Vapor
This is how I was interpreting Dayton's post:
As it is now and has always been, sneaky attack is a lead attack that isn't used once you're enemy is targeting you. Combining it with hide is the only way to currently use it successfully. If that combination improved the damage of sneaky it would be a great bonus (in the way that lure of fire, improves fire based damage). The 50% health sneaky attack has room for abuse-- an example I can think of is that damage isn't capped by the amount of remaining hitpoints on a mob. So if you bring an enemy to 50% health and someone runs up and performs a sneaky attack that hits for more than 50% health, then you have the first kill-stealing problem all over again. So because that would be an issue the 50% health sneaky attack would have to be regulated by increased cast and cooldown times, Yuck! And finally, it is better to deal directly with the jerk abusing the system than it is to nerf an entire skill.
I didn't gather that he was suggesting that players should report every single instance of kill-stealing, and I completely agree with Ss heretic's thoughts on the matter. Also, as someone posted earlier, sneaky attack could easily be used in boss/group fights if the boss wasn't targeting you, similar to how it is now.
Dayton's suggestion just makes more sense to me on a number of levels: The act of hiding should have a tangible effect on something called sneaky attack. Its a lot easier to be sneaky when you're hidden. Another reason is that the mechanics for this to work already have a precedent with the lure of fire/fireball/fire cloak combination. Finally, sneaky attack has always been a lead attack against enemies that are unaware of you. Making it useable in the middle of a one-on-one fight not only defeats the purpose of the skill, but it also leaves room for abuse (as mentioned above).