Rogue mechanics FAQ

Hi all. I've written this compilation of questions related to rogues. There are already a couple threads with FAQs about gear, rotations, etc, but I thought we lacked something to discuss general rogue mechanics.

I've tested or confirmed through more or less solid sources all of these, but if you think any answer is outdated or incorrect please say so! I know some of them are very basic, but I've tried to cover everything because people often ask about the basics too :P

1. General
1.1. Do I generate more energy if my maximum energy is higher (due to Vigor, PvP set..)?
1.2. When are players unable to dodge/parry/block?
1.3. When are mobs unable to dodge/parry/block?
1.4. What's weapon normalization?
1.5. What's the hit cap?
1.6. What are diminishing returns and how do they work?
1.7. What rogue abilities are subject to dimishing returns?

2. Special abilities
2.1. What abilities are "combo moves"?
2.2. What's an opener?
2.3. Can openers get dodged/parried/blocked?
2.4. Does dismantle remove any stats from my target?
2.5. Why does Distract sometimes fail against players?
2.6. Can I have more than 75% dodge chance when using Evasion?
2.7. Cloak of Shadows seems bugged. What's going on?
2.8. No, really. Cloak of Shadows IS bugged. It doesn't protect against Death Grip, Hammer of Wrath..
2.9. Deadly Throw sometimes fails or doesn't work in time. Why?
2.10. I use Tricks of the Trade on my target but I see no buff!
2.11. Does Tricks of the Trade do anything other than a damage buff in PvP?
2.12. Can Shiv be dodged/parried/blocked?

3. Sap
3.1. What's this sap macro people keep talking about?
3.2. My sap macro has some targetNearestDistance thing that makes it way better than yours
3.3. How can I use garrote/rupture/cheap shot/expose armor.. without breaking sap (or gouge)?
3.4. But.. wouldn't a macro with /stopattack work?
3.5. But.. how about a macro that swaps weapons?
3.6. How is it possible to ambush + sap?
3.7. Can mobs with stealth detection be sapped?

4. Talents
4.1. Dual wield specialization: will my off-hand weapon deal 75% or 100% damage?
4.2. Lethality: do my crits hit for 230% or 260% damage?
4.3. Does Lethality affect Ambush when I use Shadow Dance?
4.4. Does Honor among Thieves proc off of your own crits?
4.5. Does Focused Attacks proc off of Fan of Knives?
4.6. Do Fleet Footed and Camouflage stack?
4.7. Why does Setup no longer generate combo points when I use Cloak of Shadows against spells?
4.8. How much damage does Cheat Death absorb?

5. Stealth
5.1. How does stealth work?
5.2. What's this Vanish bug I keep hearing about?
5.3. How much time do I need to get out of combat and "restealth"?
5.4. Why do pets follow me even though I'm in stealth?
5.5. People say Death Coil, Blind, etc, can be "vanished". What does that mean?
5.6. How is it possible to react to a PvP trinket+CC, if trinket triggers no global cooldown?
5.7. Can vanish fail because of your own attacks?
5.8. Why do bosses kill me after I vanish?
5.9. Sometimes I use Cheap Shot on rogues or druids but they don't get out of stealth!
5.10. Any other confirmed stealth bugs?
5.11. Is it possible to parry/dodge while in stealth?
5.12. In which cases can I be in stealth and in combat at the same time, outside instances, and how does that affect me?
5.13. How long do I have to wait since the moment I vanish/stealth while carrying a battleground flag before I can pick it up again?
5.14. Does fall damage break stealth?
5.15. How does Pick Pocket work?

6. Poisons
6.1. What's the proc chance of every poison?
6.2. How does poison damage work?
6.3. How does Envenom work?
6.4. If I continuously reapply a DoT with any other class it never "ticks" for damage. How does Deadly Poison do it?
6.5. I've seen people with Deadly Poison in the main hand! What's all that about?