Charging is a tactic that can be very useful when you need to reach someone that’s just beyond your movement. It also has some nice complimentary feats such as Leap Attack.
One thing that’s always bugged me is that it’s effectively a once-per-encounter tactic since charging limits you to only move before the attack but no movement afterwards and is a “special full round action”. In other words, I don’t recall ever seeing a “ridy-by attack” for melee.
It seems to me that what we’re really looking to do is to merge benefits of both spring attack (which I wrote about the strengths of previously in Spring Attack - Better Than You May Think) and charging into one special action.
Despite the obvious parallel, an equivalent feat would need to have higher pre-reqs than ride-by attack given how much more potential a melee-equivalent feat would have.
Bounding Charge [General]
Pre-reqs: Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, BAB +8
Benefit
As a special full round action, you’re able to move both before and after you charge an opponent as long as you follow the conditions outlined in “Movement During a Charge” with the following exceptions.
- You can move both before and after you make your attack, but each of these movements must be made in straight lines (though the total movement does not need to be in a straight line)
- You must move at least 10′ before and after your attack
- You must start and end your movement in different squares
- You gain the benefits and detriments of charging (+2 to attack rolls and -2 penalty to AC) but you can only move up to your speed in the round.
You count as charging when you use the bounding charge feat.
Normal
When using the spring attack feat, must move 5′ before and after an attack and can not charge the opponent.
When charging, you can move up to twice your speed but can only move before the attack, not after.
Special
A fighter may select Bounding Charge as one of her fighter bonus feats.