I think everyone can agree that Spring Attack is a good feat.

It allows fighter types to effectively combat opponents with reach weapons or larger opponents with natural reach without subjecting themselves to painful Attacks of Opportunity. However, I think most people view Spring Attack as “that last feat they have to take before they can get Whirlwind Attack”.

Let’s talk about how Spring Attack is usually used and then build on what it can do.

Spring Attack [General]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility, base attack bonus +4.
Benefit: When using the attack action with a melee weapon, you can move both before and after the attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack, though it might provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, if appropriate. You can’t use this feat if you are wearing heavy armor.

You must move at least 5 feet both before and after you make your attack in order to utilize the benefits of Spring Attack.

The typical use of Spring Attack is taking the text in the description literally. You jump straight in towards your opponent, ignore the AoO from them, whack ‘em good, jump straight back out to where you began and hope they don’t close the distance the next round. This is an obvious and strong tactic and should never be forgotten. Here’s a few more tactics to add to your Spring Attack fighter’s repertoire.

Circling Around An Enemy

In addition to this, you can very easily “circle around an enemy” and not draw an AoO. Let’s take the following scenario.

B = Bad Guy
R = Rogue
F = Fighter

A fighter with Spring Attack can move up two squares to flank the Bad Guy and attack

and then move 5′ to the left to finish the Spring Attack requirement - all without drawing an Attack of Opportunity. The end of his turn looks like this:

This is now better because if the Rogue’s turn is next, he can 5′ step to the right and can flank the Bad Guy. Since Sneak Attack triggers when an opponent’s flanked, it’s time to do some serious damage.

Now, imagine that the Fighter is in fact a Scout (from Complete Adventurer). Since the Scout would have moved at least 10′ prior to the attack, their Skirmish ability would have triggered, giving them a bonus to damage dice and a bonus to AC. I think most Scouts are aware of these tactics since the Whirlwind Attack tree can be obtained through “free” feats given at various levels.

Attacking From Cover

Another tactic that can be employed is attacking from behind cover. Let’s take the following (rather contrived, but still accurate) scenario:

B = Bad Guy
C = Hard Cover (such as from a wall)
F = Fighter

The Fighter can Spring Attack 10′ left and 5′ up to make his attack:

And then simply move back to where he started from to end the Spring Attack movement. He could also move behind the Bad Guy if he has other buddies that will be approaching from below to set up flanking.

Wrapping Things Up

Spring Attack is great in the following situations:

1. You have to battle someone with reach or are in a situation to take advantage of cover
2. Your party members work well together and have a good understanding of movement and combat modifiers (such as 5′ steps, attacks of opportunity and flanking)
3. You have class abilities that trigger off movement (such as the Scout’s Skirmish ability)

If you happen to go the Whirlwind Attack route, don’t forget about Spring Attack just because you have a new trick up your sleeve. It’s a very useful tactic that can offer some serious tactical advantages when used properly.

Posted by Mike on Thursday, August 31st, 2006 at 8:07 pm.
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