Spring Attack Movement


Rules Questions

Liberty's Edge

Hello All-

This may be a simple question and, if it's painfully obvious, I apologize.

I was curious as how you can actually move during a Spring Attack. Particularly can you move up and to the side prior to moving backward? Like, you're 5 feet away from your target, can you take the initial move forward and then one square to the side prior to moving backwards? Basically, satisfying the 10 foot minimum movement by moving up and then taking a sidestep.

Cinematically I would see this as stepping up, deftly sidestepping to avoid the AOO, attacking and then jumping back. I know that this interpretation may be a stretch but I have been told several different things by several different people.

I really appreciate any and all input.

Thanks!


yeah, nothing says you have to move any particular way.

Liberty's Edge

Thanks Chess!

Do you know of any resource that states either that or otherwise?


Faragrim Ironhand wrote:

Thanks Chess!

Do you know of any resource that states either that or otherwise?

The feat itself? IT just says you have to move. It doesn't give any specifics or limitations on how you move, where you move, or with what movement type you move, with the exception that you must move at least 10 feet before the attack and you can't move more than your speed allows.

Liberty's Edge

Thank you Jeraa. I appreciate the clarification.


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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Yep, seems you got your answer.

Did you know you could even spring through your allies, even if they are stacked up against the enemy in a narrow 5-foot-wide coridoor?

If there is no spot open next to the enemy is is still possible, provided you don't end your movement in an occupied square. B-)

Liberty's Edge

Now THAT is awesome info! Thanks Ravingdork!


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Faragrim Ironhand wrote:
Now THAT is awesome info! Thanks Ravingdork!

Yep. It's even been confirmed by the game developers.

Because you never stop moving, the rule that you can't stop in someone's space doesn't apply. That is, until you actually stop moving at the end of your action, then you need your own space. It also helps that the rules support the notion that you can freely moved through allied squares. You still can't move through enemy spaces in most circumstances though.

Makes the feat pretty nifty in certain situations (like the aforementioned hallway), which is good, since making single attacks each round generally isn't considered an optimal combat style.


Unfortunately it still doesn't work with Vital Strike IIRC.
But it does work with the Furious Attack? Where you take no penalties from Power Attack for the 1st attack you make each round. :-)


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Stephen Ede wrote:

Unfortunately it still doesn't work with Vital Strike IIRC.

But it does work with the Furious Attack? Where you take no penalties from Power Attack for the 1st attack you make each round. :-)

Yep. Nothing preventing that latter combo.

Liberty's Edge

Ravingdork, is that information about side movement and stopping in another party member's square during your movement actually referenced somewhere in a resource? I had a veto on it when I last played recently.

Thanks again!


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Faragrim Ironhand wrote:

Ravingdork, is that information about side movement and stopping in another party member's square during your movement actually referenced somewhere in a resource? I had a veto on it when I last played recently.

Thanks again!

The feat doesn't say anything about limiting kinds of movement. Movement 'sideways' is just movement. This isn't a charge.

You can not stop in an ally's square, but you can make your attack from an ally's square.

FAQ wrote:

Spring Attack: Can I use Spring Attack to make an attack from an ally's square?

Let's use a diagram of a 5-foot-wide hallway to help visualize this question. Periods are open squares. A is the acting character. Numbers are allies of A. X is the monster.

. . . . . A 1 2 3 X

Using the diagram as a model, the question is, "Can I use Spring Attack to move from A to 3, make an attack on the monster from 3's square, then move back to A and end my turn?"

The answer is "yes." The key to understanding this is the general rule, "you cannot end your movement in an occupied square." Spring Attack is a full-round action; it is not a move action, then an attack, and then another move action, it's one continuous movement with an attack happening in the middle. Thus, with Spring Attack you're not ending your movement until you end your movement for the turn.

To look at it another way, if the character just wanted to move from A to 3 and back to A, that would be a legal move because he's not ending his movement in 3, he's ending his movement back in A. With Spring Attack, the character still isn't ending his movement in 3; the feat gives him the ability to perform an attack as part of the continuous movement from A to 3 to A (regardless of whether that attack happens when he's in an occupied square).

(Even with speed 15, a character moving 15 feet from A to 3 and then 15 feet from 3 to A isn't ending his movement in 3... using a move action to move 15 feet and a standard action to move 15 feet doesn't mean he's actually pausing halfway through his movement to change actions.)


Ravingdork wrote:

Did you know you could even spring through your allies, even if they are stacked up against the enemy in a narrow 5-foot-wide coridoor?

If there is no spot open next to the enemy is is still possible, provided you don't end your movement in an occupied square. B-)

It's even been confirmed by the game developers.

Because you never stop moving, the rule that you can't stop in someone's space doesn't apply. That is, until you actually stop moving at the end of your action, then you need your own space. It also helps that the rules support the notion that you can freely moved through allied squares. You still can't move through enemy spaces in most circumstances though.

Makes the feat pretty nifty in certain situations (like the aforementioned hallway), which is good, since making single attacks each round generally isn't considered an optimal combat style.

Very cool, Ravingdork. Thanks for sharing that!

Much appreciated.

Liberty's Edge

Faragrim Ironhand wrote:

Hello All-

This may be a simple question and, if it's painfully obvious, I apologize.

I was curious as how you can actually move during a Spring Attack. Particularly can you move up and to the side prior to moving backward? Like, you're 5 feet away from your target, can you take the initial move forward and then one square to the side prior to moving backwards? Basically, satisfying the 10 foot minimum movement by moving up and then taking a sidestep.

Cinematically I would see this as stepping up, deftly sidestepping to avoid the AOO, attacking and then jumping back. I know that this interpretation may be a stretch but I have been told several different things by several different people.

I really appreciate any and all input.

Thanks!

Note that you can't spring attack if you start adjacent to your target.

PRD- Spring attack wrote:
You cannot use this ability to attack a foe that is adjacent to you at the start of your turn.


Diego Rossi wrote:
Faragrim Ironhand wrote:

Hello All-

This may be a simple question and, if it's painfully obvious, I apologize.

I was curious as how you can actually move during a Spring Attack. Particularly can you move up and to the side prior to moving backward? Like, you're 5 feet away from your target, can you take the initial move forward and then one square to the side prior to moving backwards? Basically, satisfying the 10 foot minimum movement by moving up and then taking a sidestep.

Cinematically I would see this as stepping up, deftly sidestepping to avoid the AOO, attacking and then jumping back. I know that this interpretation may be a stretch but I have been told several different things by several different people.

I really appreciate any and all input.

Thanks!

Note that you can't spring attack if you start adjacent to your target.

PRD- Spring attack wrote:
You cannot use this ability to attack a foe that is adjacent to you at the start of your turn.

Yes that's true. I didn't read the OP. D'oh!

Grand Lodge

My monk likes to use Spring Attack when there's no one near enough to go full flurry.
she likes to also use Punishing Kick to knock them prone, smack'em around, then jump away for to make room for the barbarian to splatter.


The fun one I would do with my highly acrobatic rogue is a spring attack sneak attack using the gang up feat to achieve flanking, or sometimes spring attacking to both start and finish my movement from cover. Once I even pulled off "How high is that thing flying? Twenty feet? Awesome, I jump at at, attack in midair with spring attack, and land because my acrobatics is just that high and I have magically boosted speed for increased jumping."

Silver Crusade

The Courser archetype from Blood of Beast is basically an Acrobat/Spring Attacker/Traceur's wet dream.

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