History Main / BackStab

** Just for the record, the image at the top of [[Backstab the page]] will not be an example of a backstab - The Engineer's senty gun will probably get The Spy first.

** Furthermore, ''all'' melee attacks benefit from the attacker being behind the target. Attacks made in this manner cannot be parried or blocked.
*** [[TheAIIsACheatingBastard Unless you're attacking an NPC]].

[[caption-width-right:350:''Behind You'']]
->''[[TropersDoItWithoutNotability Rogues do it from behind.]]''

Found usually in {{RPG}}s and {{Stealth Based Game}}s. A type of attack that gives you a chance to use stealth and surprise your [[strike:victim]] target dealing [[ForMassiveDamage massive damage]] (often [[OneHitKill lethal]]) with a single hit. Usually requires the player character to be positioned physically right behind the target. Often this is the only way to dispatch an enemy undetected. This is a staple of assassins, spies and other similar characters or character classes.

As with OneHitKill, [[KungFuProofMook some enemies can be immune to this]]. The opposite of this is typically the FinishingMove.

Compare InTheBack.
Not to be confused with ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, though the two may overlap.

* In a recent expansion of ''MagicTheGathering'', the relatively new creature type Rogue was given exclusive domain over the ability "Prowl," which was an alternate casting cost for spells that could only be paid if an opponent had been damaged by a rogue creature. Sometimes, paying the prowl cost garnered extra effects for the spell, and in its early stages, Prowl was called "backstab."
* ''{{Munchkin}}'' has 'stab your buddy' as one of its taglines (the other two being 'kill monsters' and 'take their stuff'), and characters with the rogue class can do just that by discarding a card to give someone else a -2 bonus to their current combat. Amusingly enough, they ''can't'' backstab monsters, only other players.

* In the DungeonsAndDragons based movie TheGamers, the thief Nimble is about to BackStab a [[HopelessBossFight big giant of a mercenary]] with his knife. But the knife wouldn't deal [[ScratchDamage enough damage]] even with the bonus from the BackStab, so he thought about using his sword. Still not enough. So he went out and brought back a [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Ballista]].

* Thieves in 1st and 2nd edition ''DungeonsAndDragons'' had this ability. Assassins, who were playable characters before 2nd edition, got this as well, and also had an "assassinate" ability that could OneHitKill anyone if they succeeded on the roll against a surprised opponent and dealt damage even if they missed.

* In {{GURPS}} sneaking up behind a person is very effective because you can make an All-Out Attack (improve accuracy or damage by sacrificing defenses) without fear of reprisal.

* If you can successfully sneak up on someone using Intrusion in ''FengShui'' or otherwise catch them unawares, your opponent's Dodge Value is zero for the purpose of your first attack on him, meaning you will be dealing some pretty nasty damage. Beware the "unaware" opponent with the Hair Trigger Neck Hairs gun schtick, though, lest you get caught by an OffhandBackhand...
* An "unexpected attack" in {{Exalted}} cannot be defended against, which is a '''huge''' deal because the combat system is balanced on the assumption that every attack that gets through will be dulled at least a bit by defense. There are several Charms specifically designed to let the user make an unexpected attack. On the other hand, some Charms will also permit the user to defend against unexpected attacks.
* Sneak Attack is one of the standard abilities in MageKnight miniatures. Since MK minis have defined 'front' and 'back' areas, all that's required is to be adjacent to the target's back area. It doubles the attacker's damage.
* Sneak Attack is a possible feat in ''MutantsAndMasterminds'' although the ability is capped as with all damage, so the best one can do with it is to accomplish the same level of damage as everyone else in certain situations.

* ''{{Paranoia}}'' encourages [=PCs=] to wait till their enemies already have their hands full with something else before trying to blast them. "Ideally, he should [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident not be sure he's being attacked at all]], or at least not be sure who's attacking him."

* In ''{{Arcanum Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura}}'' there's a Backstab skill that gives you a good damage bonus if you attack an enemy from behind, and a HUGE damage bonus if you attack from behind and the enemy is also unaware of your presence.
* ''AssassinsCreed'' had two different versions of these; the discreet Low Profile Kills you could do within two feet of a guard and walk away from without attracting attention, and the flashy High Profile Kills that scared the crap out of everyone but could be initiated while running and from a greater distance.

* It's a spell Lars can use in ''{{Aveyond}}'' if he chooses to join the the Elite Mage guild.
* The ''Battlefield'' Series. Getting knifed in the back is a humiliating way to go in multiplayer.

* The Thief classes and the Ranger subclass Stalker in the ''[[BaldursGate Baldur's Gate]]'' series can backstab.

* Similar to the flanking maneuver in ''D&D'', ''BattleForWesnoth'' gives some attacks the "backstab" trait, which causes double damage when flanking a target.

* In ''BeyondGoodAndEvil'', the enemy soldiers are nearly impossible to defeat in normal combat, but have a weak spot [[spoiler:in the breathing tanks they wear, which you can hit if you sneak up behind them or shoot them with a gyrodisk]]. One hit there leaves them stumbling around helpless, a second one makes them fly into the air and explode.
* ''Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain'' has almost the same implementation of the idea as ''VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', but did it first.
* In the original ''CastleWolfenstein'', you did double damage to opponents if you attacked them from behind. In the sequel, your character could backstab and kill any Nazi soldier in one hit if you had the dagger equipped.

* In ''Chrono Trigger'', sneaking up behind a guard during the prison break-out scene allows you to 1-hit them to make them 'Pass out' without an actual fight scene.
* The Stealth Assassin from ''[[{{ptitlezya8i49u}} Defense of the Ancients: All-Stars]]'' has a Backstab skill that allows him to deal additional damage based on his Agility when attacking from behind.
* In ''CityOfVillains'', the "Assassin's Strike" and "Hide" abilities are the entire ''point'' of the Stalker class, which is otherwise a somewhat weaker version of ''CityOfHeroes''' Scrapper.

* ''Dark Messiah of MightAndMagic'', backstabbing your way through the game was a legitimate tactic. Most enemies would die instantly and quietly by a dagger through the top of the spine. Even better their fellows would come to check the body often with their backs to the shadows. Another tactic is to use the staff's special attack to knock an opponent onto their back then rapidly switch to daggers to deliver a finishing blow.
* In ''DeusEx'', attacking from behind is generally an effective tactic. Moreover, the description of the "riot prod" weapon implies it works better when used in this manner.

* In ''TheElderScrolls IV: Oblivion'', you ''generally'' need to be behind your enemy to deliver a Sneak Attack (dealing a basic 4x damage, but increasing with your Sneak-skill). But if you're good enough at sneaking, the enemy bad enough at detection, and the shadows deep enough, you CAN actually sneak-attack somebody in the face. You can also sneak attack at range with a bow.

* ''{{Fallout}} 3'' includes backstabbing, along with ''stealth chainsaw kills''. Attacking in general while undetected results in a [[CriticalHit Sneak Attack Critical]] on whoever is hit. While not necessarily a guaranteed kill, it provides a very high damage bonus for executing.

* ''{{RagnarokOnline}}'' had this as Rogues' signature attack, until it got {{nerf}}ed to hell and back.
* In several ''FinalFantasy'' games, if your target is facing away from you when you attack it, you will deal double damage.
* ''FinalFantasyXI'' has the Thief class have two different abilities: Sneak Attack, which deals large damage when behind an enemy, and Trick Attack, which, at first, deals somewhat more damage than a normal attack when behind a ''party member'', and passing the hate from that attack to that party member. Both are normally combined, normally called SATA, to ensure the [[StoneWall tank]] has good hate, but this changes at level 60, when the Assassin trait allows Trick Attack to have the same massive damage effect as Sneak Attack, and thusly both abilities are used separately, normally using a [[LimitBreak Weapon Skill]] with Trick Attack.

* ''FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'' has comparable abilities to ''Dark Messiah of MightAndMagic'', they don't need to be executed from behind, but with all other skills, doing so significantly increases their chance of success.

* Let's not forget 'stealth kills' ''from GrandTheftAuto: San Andreas''. Of course, civilians (and cops) don't really pay attention if CJ is running around with a minigun, so him having a knife works fine. Move up behind victim, target, attack, giggle maniacally. Oddly, though, this tends to increase the wanted meter more than when you just go up and hack them up with a katana and stealth be damned, but hey.
* If you sneak up behind Combine soldiers in ''{{Half-Life}} 2'', you can dispatch 'em with a single pistol bullet to the back of the head, even on Hard mode.
* In ''{{Halo}}'', you can hit someone with your gun. Normally this is pretty ineffective, but from behind it's a one-hit kill. Flood, naturally, are immune to this (it's pretty damn hard to get behind them in the first place anyway) but Hunters will drop. This was fixed for the sequels, as was one-shotting them from behind with anything but a sniper rifle.

* In the ''{{Hitman}}'' series, 47 has special attacks (garrote, syringe or chloroform, along with some special attacks) that automatically kill or disable an unaware target. These attacks are almost always much easier to perform from behind (the garrote specifically only works from behind).
* The Assassin's class in ''{{Hexen}} II'' acquires this skill once she reaches a certain level. It only multiplies damage instead of killing instantly, otherwise it pretty much fits to a T. Down to the name of the skill.
* In ''JaggedAlliance 2'', a successful hit with a throwing knife is a {{One Hit Kill}}, unless the target has spotted the thrower (in which case it does a pitiful amount of damage instead).
* ''{{Left 4 Dead}}'' has an achievement for killing Infected in a single melee hit, and backstabbing is the way to go.
* In ''TheLegendOfZelda: Phantom Hourglass'', the dangerous Phantoms can only be defeated from behind (and only if you have the proper weapon to do so).

* You can execute a variety of one-hit kill attacks (depending on armament) from behind in ''{{Lugaru}}: The Rabbit's Foot'' while your victim is startled or if you sneak up unnoticed. Thrown knives are also a one-hit kill on unarmored [[{{Mook}} mooks]], but are almost always dodged by wary targets.
* The ''{{Mario}}'' {{RPG}}s (although its usually a pre-emptive attack rather than starting the battle from behind).
* In the ''MetalGearSolid'' games, the player can sneak up on an enemy and point the gun at the back or side of the their head. This makes them drop their gun and, in Metal Gear Solid 2, lets you steal their Dog Tag.

* The ''[[EarthBound Mother]]'' series has this (you got a free hit at the start of the battle, or an instant kill if you were overleveled), but you also could be attacked from behind yourself.

* In ''NeverwinterNights'' (3rd edition ''[[DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'') the assassin has a chance to not only do massive damage but also paralyze an opponent on a successful "death attack" as long as the opponent is unaware of their presence (stealth mode). This is partially subverted by the primarily fighter based feat "devastating critical" where a noisy, clanking, plate mail wearing powerhouse actually does a one shot critical hit kill without any sneaking or flat-footing of the foe.

* ''NexusWar'' gives bonus damage for attacking from hiding, at the cost of some accuracy. What makes it slightly absurd is that with the right class and skill choices, it's possible to sneak attack somebody [[CarFu with a fire truck]].
* ''{{Prince of Persia}} : The Two Thrones'' gave the Prince the ability to do something called "[[QuickTimeEvent Speed Kills]]" where if the enemy didn't know you were there you could basically jump on their back and kill them instantly.

* ''{{Prototype}}'' allows you to do a stealth kill from behind, which allows you to kill someone and immediately take their place without alerting anyone, as opposed to simply killing them with gore all around.

* The "Mortal Rising" skill that Dhan assassins get in the MMORPG ''Rohan Online'' allows a chance for a crit on the first attack that you make out of stealth mode, which goes up to 100% when maxed-out (pretty much guaranteeing a crit on the first attack), and is especially nasty when used with "Deadly Blow," a buff which increases your crit damage based on how much Agility you have. "Sudden Attack" is another skill that allows you to attack for high damage while still in stealth mode before coming out of it for combat.
* In the second and third ''SlyCooper'' games Sly can OHKO enemies if he gets right behind them without being detected. Otherwise he has to brawl and they usual alert other guards that way.

* Flece from ''{{Summoner}}'' had a backstab ability that could get completely of hand. Not only could a number of items giving stackable bonuses to backstab raise it to absurd levels about half way through the game, but Flece had a bunch of abilities that could knock an enemy prone in the heat of combat (virtually unopposed with a chain attack.) Since you get huge bonuses when attacking prone enemies, this means Flece could repeatedly deal well over [=3000HP=] of damage in a couple of attacks, vastly outclassing the rest of the party.

* The chief ''modus operandi'' of the Spy class in ''TeamFortressClassic'' and ''{{Team Fortress 2}}''.

* The ''{{Tenchu}}'' series was practically built around these, as a ninja kills without being seen. If you can get into striking range of your target without being spotted by him or anybody else, your attack instantly kills him - in a rather flashy way - without so much as rousing the guards. ''Tenchu 3'' has a separate one for every possible way you could approach a target and a special one that's triggered when your target is standing on an incline.
* In the ''{{Thief}}'' series, Garrett can knock out guards with a single hit from his blackjack on the noggin.

* The ''ThunderDomeII'' and ''ThunderDomeX'' {{MUD}}s have the greatest variety of sneak attacks. Rogues could backstab to initiate combat and later circle to get multiple backstabs in the same combat. Assassins could also disembowel, a surprise attack to the guts. Spies could interdict for massive damage at the start of a fight, and attempt again in midfight. A ninja could neck-break, often an instant kill performed barehanded. Pirates could throat-stab. Barbarians and wrestlers could suicide roll, grappling an enemy from behind and spinning backward, smashing the enemy's head into the ground.
* While it's not exactly a ''[[VisualNovel game]]'', this is how the Nanaya clan in ''{{Tsukihime}}'' operates. As they're almost entirely normal humans going up against demons and vampires, the only way to win is to get close to them before they notice you and cut them to bits. Kiri, Shiki's father, actually used a mace to crush skulls, throats and internal organs. Shiki can mostly avoid this one because [[EvilEye his eyes]] [[{{Gamebreaker}} cheat,]] though he does take out at least one DAA like this in supplementary material.
* In ''VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', you can Sneak behind most anthropomorphic enemies (i.e. humans and vampires but not monsters) and perform a "stealth kill".
** To elaborate, the "stealth kills" include:
*** NeckSnap with your bare hands (also the default animation if you carry a ranged weapon).
*** SlashedThroat with a knife.
*** [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice Chest Impalement]] with a katana or anything similar (complete with japanese sound effect).
*** Swinging your [[DropTheHammer sledgehammer]] above your head and smashing your enemy's head into tiny little pieces. No kidding.
*** Swinging a bush hook into the victim's neck at high speed, both impaling ''and'' breaking the neck at the same time.

* Rogues in ''WorldOfWarcraft'' get several moves which are only effective from behind:

* {{Knights of the Old Republic}} - the Scoundrel class gets a "Sneak attack" feat that does extra damage to an opponent that is facing away from the attacker or otherwise incapacitated (stun, stasis, horror). A particularly fun and nasty trick against Mandalorian raiders or Dark Jedi is to have your PC and one character draw their fire while you have Mission a little ways away in stealth mode, armed with the nastiest melee weapons you have on hand. Have her sneak up on the biggest mook and engage critical strike. Takes a little work, but the result is worth it.
* DragonAge Rogue class are capable of the same thing. Park Leliana or Zevran behind an enemy ForMassiveDamage.
* ''BatmanArkhamAsylum'' gives the eponymous hero a few low-profile KO moves like the Silent Takedown (performed from behind) or the appropriately named Corner Takedown. In Predator stages, these moves can be pretty important since most enemies are packing heat and you can't take sustained fire for very long.
* In ''Game/TheGodfather: The Game'' you can garrote an enemy if you manage to sneak up behind him unnoticed. It's not particularly powerful, though; its only real use is to take out the victim without alerting people not in line of sight, and since standard strangulation from the front is equally silent, the only real advantage is the extra Respect.
* If you attack an enemy from behind in ''Demon´s Souls'' this is what will happen. Especially useful for the Thief class and pretty much any dagger user because daggers are the only weapon that get an extra bonus (even more than others weapons) doing so, and fatal daggers pretty much do Massive Damage in these situations.

* In Gladius, you get a huge bonus to damage if you hit an enemy from behind. Many lightweight gladiators, especially bandits, also have a Backstab attack.
* In the ''Mechwarrior'' series, armor is lighter on the rear of the battlemechs. Attacking from behind allows lighter vehicles to cripple even a MightyGlacier with a little luck.

* In ''MassEffect 2'', DLC character [[ClassyCatBurglar Kasumi Goto's]] signature ability is Shadow Strike. She cloaks herself, making her invisible to everyone (including you), runs up to an enemy, and stabs them, at which point she turns visible again. It's notable mainly for being one of only ''two'' melee abilities in the ''entire game'' (the other is [[MagicKnight Vanguard]] Shepard's Charge).
* Castlevania DawnOfSorrow has the Dead Pirate soul - you can attack enemies from behind normally, but this soul allows Soma to do double damage to an enemy attacked from behind. Combine it with a strong soul or weapon, and the damage output can be rather high!

* The thief class in the QuestForGlory series could sometimes do this. In the fifth game, the thief could sneak up behind certain enemies and knock them out with a blackjack to the back of the head. In the FanRemake of the second game, the thief could sneak up on random enemies in the desert and throw a dagger in their back ForMassiveDamage. (if your strength and throwing were high enough, this would usually drop the lesser monsters in one hit)

* Seeing as he's based on the standard Final Fantasy class, it should surprise no one that Thief of ''[[EightBitTheater 8-Bit Theater]]'' favors this tactic, typically resorting to this move first if he's forced into a fight. Of course, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder he'll back stab you in more ways than one.]]

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*** [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice Chest Impalement]] with a katana or anything similar.

[[caption-width-right:350:''Surprise!'']]

* Thieves and Assassins in DiscworldMUD get this command.

[[TeamFortress2 http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1229371267_toboxx360scrntf2spy.jpg]]
[[caption-width:347:''Surprise!'']]

** Varies by the game. In ''2142'' every hit with a knife is lethal.

As with OneHitKill, some enemies can be immune to this. The opposite of this is typically the FinishingMove.

* ''{{Fallout}} 3'' includes backstabbing, along with ''stealth chainsaw kills''.

* In {{GURPS}} sneaking up behind a person is very effective because you can make an All-Out Attack (better accuracy or damage) without fear of reprisal.

* ''{{Paranoia}}'' encourages PCs to wait till their enemies already have their hands full with something else before trying to blast them. "Ideally, he should [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident not be sure he's being attacked at all]], or at least not be sure who's attacking him."

** ''Were''. The Assassin's Strike itself was changed so it lands a ToHit Debuff on everything within 30 feet and has a 25% chance of making everything within 30 feet quake in fear. Furthermore, their overall damage was raised, and they now possess a chance to land critical hits outside of Hidden status, a higher chance than that of Scrappers! In addition to this, each teammate within a certain distance of them grants a + 3% addition to their critical hit chance. On a tightly grouped team, a Stalker can have up to 31% chance to land a critical! Scrappers are still better head on combatants, but Stalkers hold their own in a fight.

** In G-Nome, another(less popular) mech title, HAWCs are similarly poorly armored from behind. This doesn't hold true for all of them, as the shape and contour of many of the stranger vehicles mean there is no "behind."

* In the original ''[[Wolfenstein3D Castle Wolfenstein]]'' Apple [=][=] game, you did double damage to opponents if you attacked them from behind, and your character could backstab and kill any Nazi soldier in one hit if you had the dagger equipped.

* In ''TheGodfather'' game you can garrote an enemy if you manage to sneak up behind him unnoticed. It's not particularly powerful, though; its only real use is to take out the victim without alerting people not in line of sight, and since standard strangulation from the front is equally silent, the only real advantage is the extra Respect.

* In ''BattleForWesnoth'', if you can get an enemy unit sandwiched between a unit which has the Backstab ability and another of your units, your backstabbing unit does double damage.

* If you sneak up behind Combine soldiers in ''{{Half-Life}} 2'', you can dispatch 'em with a single bullet to the back of the head.

* In ''BattleForWesnoth'', the Thief line of units have this on their melee attack - if you can get an enemy unit sandwiched between your Thief and another of your units, the Thief will do double damage.

** ''Dungeons and Dragons'' 3rd edition renamed the ability from "backstab" to "sneak attack". The main reason for using "Sneak Attack" instead of "Backstab" in later editions of Dungeons And Dragons was because it was no longer required to be 'behind' the enemy to use it; you simply had to catch the enemy off guard (signified by any situation where the enemy doesn't get a DEX bonus to AC). In 4th edition, this is called gaining "combat advantage." Also, the early backstab had to be performed with a dagger or shortsword, weapons one could easily stab someone in the back with, while later editions removed the weapon restriction.

* In the old "Dark Reign" fighting game for the Ninendo 64, onme of the charachters was an assasin. If she got behind someone and you used her overhead stab attack, she could do it indefinately due to the fact that the attack was actually faster than the hit animation. And yes, you could keep spamming the attack even after your opponent's lifebar is empty...