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I've been looking for this in searches, but other more niche questions keep coming up.
Can you use Spring Attack while mounted? The (vague) mounted combat rules state "You move at its (the mount's) speed, but the mount uses its action to move."
This leads me to believe that if I am mounted and I have the SA feat, even if my mount doesn't, I can spring attack as a full round action.
Confirmation or evidence to the contrary?
No. The feat you are looking for is Ride-by Attack. If the mount had spring attack however...
If the mount had spring attack, IT could attack.
Why is the answer no? Spring attack says "You do this" and mounted combat rules say "you move at your mounts speed."
Also, why does the Gendarme get Spring Attack if it's supposed to be an entirely mounted character?
Because Spring Attack only functions if you move, you're riding your mount so you don't qualify as using a move action.
Besides, the existance of ride by attack is exactly why you can't do it. If it worked the way you wanted it, ride by attack would be near worthless because it only allows you to attack in the middle of a charge and keep moving. If Spring Attack worked while mounted the only draw would be you can't move as far, but you can turn and avoid terrain rather than having to travel in a straight line. All that is far better than double movement speed in many cases, making it far better if it worked that way. But it doesn't.
Take Ride By Attack.
Also, I think many people think of the Gendarme archetype as useless.
Edit: Further Spring Attack is just one of his options available as a bonus feat. One that he should take last or never.
You don't need ride-by attack. You actually don't need anything.
Mount uses move action to put you in range to attack.
Rider uses standard action to swing once.
Mount uses 2nd move action to move away.
That is fine, other than you will both provoke an AoO for leaving a space when you move away.
Ride-by attack lets you do this with a charge attack (which most mounted characters want, for bonus lance damage).
Uhh, no. Ride-By does nothing to remove the AoO from leaving, nor does it let you not go straight (in fact it forces you to continue the straight line).
"Ride-By Attack (Combat)
While mounted and charging, you can move, strike at a foe, and then continue moving.
Prerequisites: Ride 1 rank, Mounted Combat.
Benefit: When you are mounted and use the charge action, you may move and attack as if with a standard charge and then move again (continuing the straight line of the charge). Your total movement for the round can't exceed double your mounted speed. You and your mount do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that you attack."
Ride-by lets you charge, attack, and keep moving away.
Without it, you can have the mount move, attack, and mount move, without a straight line, but you won't get charge bonuses (+2, double lance damage).
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Uhh, no. Ride-By does nothing to remove the AoO from leaving, nor does it let you not go straight (in fact it forces you to continue the straight line).
"Ride-By Attack (Combat)
While mounted and charging, you can move, strike at a foe, and then continue moving.
Prerequisites: Ride 1 rank, Mounted Combat.
Benefit: When you are mounted and use the charge action, you may move and attack as if with a standard charge and then move again continuing the straight line of the charge). Your total movement for the round can't exceed double your mounted speed. You and your mount do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that you attack."
Ride-by lets you charge, attack, and keep moving away.
Without it, you can have the mount move, attack, and mount move, without a straight line, but you won't get charge bonuses (+2, double lance damage).
Emphasis mine. Ride-by-attack allows you to keep moving after the attack and avoid the AoO from it.
Edit: Now, if there were other enemies threatening the squares you move through during the attack then you would still provoke from them, just not from the enemy you attacked.
Oh duh, it does help with the AoO. I thought so, but skimming it I missed that sentence. So ride-by lets you get charge benefits, and not get AoOed.
Mount double moving and you standard attack lets you not go in a straight line.
Reecy, I am comparing ride-by not to a normal charge, but to a mount double moving, with its rider attacking in the middle. Double move, the mount can do through difficult terrain, or around curves/corners/hills/enemies/not in a straight line.
Ride-by still requires you to be in a straight line, as does a normal charge. It does not change how a charge is a straight line.
Huh, so I don't even need Spring Attack unless I just want to skip AOOs. Neat.
Thanks for the help!
Any reason you couldn't have your mount move up to its speed, spring attack off of it, remount, and have the mount move up to its speed again?
You have not used up any more action than is allotted to you, and neither has your mount.
(You may need to make Ride checks to fast mount/dismount.)
Any reason you couldn't have your mount move up to its speed, spring attack off of it, remount, and have the mount move up to its speed again?
You have not used up any more action than is allotted to you, and neither has your mount.
(You may need to make Ride checks to fast mount/dismount.)
By the time you jump off the horse move and move back that horse will not be where it was when you are ready to mount again. Time for the horse will not freeze, and since spring attack is a full round action there is no way to expect to horse to still be there after 6 seconds have passed.
Without a readied action there is no way for this to work, and you can't ready a full round action.
That makes sense. It wreaked of turn-based abuse anyways.
But whose to say the horse still isn't within range when you spring back?
(Though I agree with you, I still don't believe there is anything in the RAW to prevent such abuse.)
RAW you would have to interrupt the horse's action to use spring attack which requires you to use a readied action.
The rules say the mount use its move action. The rules don't say the standard action is not taking place at the same time, which kinda leaves a full round action out of the picture unless it's a charge or other act which makes sense to have them be in use simultaneously. However if you are using a full round action to do one thing, then it is not there for a spring attack.