If a foe never sees your attack coming, it deals exceptionally more damage.
When you attack an enemy who doesn’t know you’re there, you can inflict up to three times (3x) the normal amount of damage. So what constitutes a sneak attack? It involves remaining crouched and hidden, then striking from behind or the flanks of the enemy, and inflicting the blow before you’re seen. It’s also important to note the following:
Weapon Types: The bonus of a sneak attack applies no matter the type of weapon you’re using. Therefore, it’s possible to inflict a stealth-based attack bonus using bows and two-handedweapons, as well as the one-handed daggers you’d normally expect to use for this sort of attack.
Skills: If you have a skill that increases the damage inflicted by a weapon, that stat is also “stacked,” or multiplied, by three.
Stunning: The attack may also stun your foe, which is obviously helpful.
No Effect: Enchantments and poisons added to your weapon are not affected by the multiplier, though they still inflict the normal amount of damage.
Sneak Completion: Once the attack occurs, you stand up out of the sneak, thus allowing you to fight normally, or flee.
Detection: As soon as the sneak attack is finished, you become visible to the enemy if they survive the strike. This even occurs at range (if you used arrows, for example).
Subsequent Sneaking: Assuming you aren’t actively being watched, you can then crouch again and repeat these actions.
