Page 195 top left (part of the 'unseen attackers and targets' section handles attacking someone who cant see you: "When a creature can't see you, you have advantage on the attack."
When you attack someone while invisible for example you still have advantage. Because they cant see you. If you lose invisibility after the attack you dont keep the benefit, but thats besides the point. People can be aware of your presence and still get hit by advantage because they cant see you. Likewise, people can be aware of you but be blinded. Same thing, they might hear you or heck even smell you. But they cant SEE you. Advantage on the attack.
So uhm. No. Larian had it right and every group that says that people attacking others from the rear dont get disadvantage are actually house ruling it. If you go strictly by whats written. But every DM is free to play it as they feel fit. Just moving behind a person and getting free advantage is way to powerfull id say so I agree with them toning it down. But RAW. They had it right.
Quote
Combatants often try to escape their foes' notice by hiding, casting the invisibility spell, or lurking in darkness.
When you attack a target that you can't see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you're guessing the target's location or you're targeting a creature you can hear but not see. If the target isn't in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, but the DM typically just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed the target's location correctly.
When a creature can't see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it. If you are hidden--both unseen and unheard--when you make an attack, you give away your location when the attack hits or misses.
It's heavily intended that you have to be hidden, invisible, or in darkness for these rules to apply. There are a lot of single sentences that can be taken out of context.
Also Larian's backstab was not one-to-one with the vision cone, so no Larian was not applying a "can't be seen, get advantage". It was very clearly borrowed code from Divinity: Original Sin 2. It's the same reason why NPCs/Enemies currently have no sense of sound/hearing, borrowed code from Divinity: Original Sin 2.
It is not heavily implied that you have to be hidden. Now you are the one who it taking things out of context.
The part covers attacking someone when they cant see you, or beeing attacked while you cant see them. No where does it state that you need to be hidden to gain that benefit. It is the most common (and easy) way to gain it however.
Id love the sorcerer actually. Specially dragon sorcerer at least from RP perspective is interesting. Even if combat wise its not all that
