Mobility, Uncanny Mobility and Operative Feats

[Kitsch Zero]

The 'Shot on the Run' and 'Spring Attack' feats have baked-in synergy with an Operative's Trick Attack class feature. Basically, they improve the Trick Attack action in the way that they normally improve other classes base attack action. Both these feats have a Mobility feat requirement.

However, Operatives also have access to an Operative Exploit called Uncanny Mobility that is obviously a modification of the Mobility feat for Operative-specific uses. It's arguable whether it's better or worse than the Mobility feat, but its obviously designed to be specifically useful for things an Operative would want to do. It is also very redundant to the Mobility feat, as it completely negates one target's ability to get an Attack of Opportunity on you for moving out of its threatened squares, whereas Mobility would give you a bonus to avoid getting hit by that AoO.

My question is whether or not the Uncanny Mobility class feature should be an alternate qualifier for the Shot on the Run and Spring Attack feats, seeing as Operatives probably would have less reason to have regular Mobility if they have Uncanny Mobility.

It seems possible that, considering the similarity in names, that it originally existed as an option and was removed. Or was that an oversight? Considering both those second-tier feats are Operative-friendly, so it must have been in the designers' minds.

[Peter Halvorson]

Nope, just multiple options with different strengths and limitations.

Only one foe to worry about? Uncanny Mobility works great. Move in for a melee Trick Attack or move out for a ranged Trick Attack without provoking your target. Multiple foes? Improved Uncanny Mobility is your baby (but costs a second Exploit and is 10th level).

Want to move past multiple foes? Let them swing! Mobility boosts your AC vs movement AoO. Burning out their Reactions often helps the rest of the party. Or have Mobility just in case your Tumble fails while moving in or out.

Want to just stand and shoot? Slippery Shooter boosts your AC vs ranged attack triggered AoO. Hope they don't hit, but maybe burning out Reactions is good too. Supports Trick Attacks or Full Attacks (sometimes Full Attacks are better than a single Trick Attack).

Move and shoot? Mobility and Shot on the Run, Tumble away, shoot, and continuing to total cover; or pop out of total cover, shoot and duck back into cover.

Move and melee? Mobility and Spring Attack, move in without provoking (one foe), melee, then move out without provoking to deny the enemy a melee Full Attack. Maybe you're even fast enough to move out of range. Also great to get at reach opponents.

Like using Small Arms for your Trick Attack? Uncanny Shooter lets you shoot Small Arms without provoking even if you're surrounded by a horde of Space Goblins. Probably better for Operatives than Slippery Shooter and available at 6th level. Supports Trick Attacks or Full Attacks.

Haven't yet figured out if there is an obvious best choice. I'm leaning toward Mobility (plus excellent Acrobatics) as an early feat and Uncanny Shooter at sixth level.

Kind of depends on what tactics you want to use. But you'll probably adopt one or two Feats or Exploits and then adapt to them.

[Kitsch Zero]

Actually, you bring up a good point. By the time you get Improved Uncanny Mobility, Mobility is entirely a wasted feat. It's not a different option with strengths and limitations, it is supplanted by a class feature.

[Over 9000]

They should definitely add some text to Uncanny Mobility or Improved suggesting they allow you to qualify. Unless the Feat Prerequisite says "Mobility feat" you may even interpret they left it ambiguous to allow for it to work with both the class feature and the feat.

Unfortunately they have two provided class builds that have taken the feat to utilize shot on the run or spring attack, but they didn't take the exploit!

[baggageboy]

There are still circumstances where you will want mobility. About the time you character will no longer find much use for the feat while trick attacking you will begin to do more damage full attacking that trick attacking. I'm not sure when the cross over is exactly, but at some point you will do more damage with a full attack than a trick attack. You get triple attack at 9 and quad attack at 13. Now you can't full attack and move... unless you have a haste circuit which is only a level 8 armor upgrade and definitely one that someone who's been invested in a highly mobile fighting style is going to want. Is that everyone? No. But mobility does provide a usable bonus in addition to the mobility exploits. Is there some overlap? Yes. Is it enough to directly replace the feat? It depends. It depends on what each specific player is wanting to do. Should uncanny mobility be allowed as a prereq for shot on the run and spring attack? I don't think so, but that's just my opinion.

For what it's worth I did note that the sidestep and improved sidestep feats do allow the trick attack feature to replace the requitement for mobility. Does that mean that they thought of it and chose against allowing the mobility exploits to replace the mobility feat on other feat prereqs? Maybe, but maybe they thought it was understood you could do that, or maybe a different designer wrote each feat chain. Still it's something to chew on.