Is it realistic to be a sniper without investing in the sneak skill? The character I am designing is primarily an unarmed character but I was planning to put points into energy weapons as well with the intention of using them purely for sniping with the gauss rifle. This way I could snipe them from a distance and then go in for unarmed combat. My character should have a perception of 7 in the end so I should be able to get a shot off before they notice me most of the time in open spaces right? Also if they haven't seen me because I'm too far away and I'm sneaking would I get a sneak attack critical even with a really low sneak skill?

Sneak is just there so you can pull off short range shots (like 60m)

My sneak is a whopping 30 and I snipe pretty much exclusively when outdoors. I do make it a habit of being pretty near max distance when I do it though. It is a challenge for me to sneak up on enemies though it I want to.

It might not be the most efficient for your build. If you plan on sniping from kind of close and then get in to melee, so if they don't die they have less chance to get rounds off at you.

Yeah sneak skill is really optional, though you'll still want to be in sneak mode so you get the critical hit and a steadier aim.

This. The primary benefit of sneak is the auto-crit, which is essential if you're a "Guns" sniper. But if you're going to use the Gauss Rifle, that does enough damage that you probably won't need to level Sneak.

Thanks for the quick replies guys. That sounds pretty good, I mostly planned to do this as a way to thin crowds before jumping in the middle of them and to weaken tougher enemies like deathclaws before getting up close. And it should make my character a bit more interesting, so it sounds like this should be effective.

Boone + ED-E + Scope = Obsolete Sneak.

Seriously though, Ed makes you able to spot mobs so far away you can't snap VATS on them and Boone lights them up for easy pickin's.

It's so effective I've been sniping with Dynamite. No, seriously, I have. Heave, ho! M-----------s, do you speak it?!