I may technically be arguing the RAW of the Sidestep feat, but I am also arguing its overall usefulness as well. The question is self-explanatory.
I am currently making a Fighter guide (which I will post when I get a fully-drafted version released, hopefully soon I might add), and I came across the Sidestep feat for my Feat reviewing section. Looking at the description, I found it wholly ridiculous to even take as a feat.
Taken directly from the APG:
Whenever an opponent misses you with a melee
attack, you may move 5 feet as an immediate action so long
as you remain within that opponent’s threatened area.
This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
If you take this step, you cannot take a 5-foot step during
your next turn. If you take an action to move during your
next turn, subtract 5 feet from your total movement.
Now, I am sure the side I am arguing is going to be the "overpowered" side, but as a feat on its own, it still doesn't make sense to implement. So when the enemy misses you, you just get to take a 5-foot step, while they still continue to pound the living daylights out of you? What kind of a stupid, useless feat is this?
You would think that a feat like this would allow you to move 5 feet from the target as an immediate action without such a restrictive caveat, and would be huge in its effectiveness. Not even the Improved Sidestep feat allows this, so it's just like "Wow, I spent 2 feats just to dance around like an idiot while that dragon tries to maw and claw my tiny bones to dust!"
Am I alone in this argument? Am I the only one who questions the reason of even having this as a feat to begin with?
I like to use it for repositioning myself if I wasn't able to do so in my turn. Also it could get you out of a flank.
It can get you away from a flank (particularly useful against a rogue), it can get you away from the "5-ft-step-and-full-attack" range of another character, and it can potentially get you behind cover in regards to another character.
But I agree that it's not a particularly great feat.
Into or out of a flank.
Into position for an ally and out of against another bad guy.
So it's for flank purposes? Sounds like a Rogue feat.
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Besides getting out of flank, it can also get you out of being surrounded by a bunch of dudes.
Can also get you away from swarms that have moved into your square.
Truthfully, repositioning is its best use. Sidestep is a very subtle feat that's uses aren't completely apparent on paper. I had a polearm fighter that used this along with Improved Reposition to control the battlefield and keep himself out of harm and enemies in harm.
True. Reach build fighters are quite nice; though Polearm Master builds also don't really have to worry about adjacent creatures that much due to their adjustable reach class feature.
It's still a pretty awful feat, but at least it does what it's advertised to do.