| Keldarris |
I have to disagree with some of you on this feat...
The feat states the person is 'considered' to be flanking, not that they 'are' flanking a target.
To be flanking the following two conditions have to be met: A) Two allies are on opposite sides of the target and B) Both are threatening with melee weapons. But the person with this feat does not have to be one of those two allies (if they were required to be, why take the feat in the first place?). A person with a bow, crossbow or firearm in melee combat with a target is not considered threatening that target for purposes of flanking and any bonuss or situation that can arise from flanking a target.
The holder of this feat is considered to be flanking, as if they themselves were in the circumstances for A & B above. But, they are not themselves, actually flanking the target with a melee weapon. That is the power, this feat allows (i.e. Cleave allows one to make one additional attack that another person without Cleave could not make if they had the same circumstances in their favor). In fact, the feat states neither the holder of this feat must be in melee combat with the target, nor, have a melee weapon and threatening said target. They are 'considered' to be flanking....IF....two of their allies are THREATENING the target (they dont have to be flanking the target themselves at current for this feat holder to be considered flanking either).
Further, the feat doesnt state the holder of said feat has to be 1) In melee, 2) Holding a melee weapon, 3) Threatening the target, or 4) Adjacent to the target. "Regardless of your actual positioning" does mean, in any legal location, including grappling the target itself! Nowhere does it state one can not use a ranged weapon with the feat to be considered flanking if two of their allies are currently threatening said target.
This would be the 'Lawful Neutral' defination of the feat. It may have been intended by the book's author to imply melee, but that is not the case with how its written. One would have to rewrite this feat to directly state this is for holder's of the feat to be threatening the target themselves with melee weapon(s). The fact that the author of the book stated his thoughts in August of 2010, the feat was not changed in the errata for the book, published 12/1/10 (that's 4 months later).