Best Classes for Spring Attack

[JoeGKushner]

I have a player in my campaign whose built himself up ala multi-classing with rogue/barbarian/fighter and uses spring attack a lot. Part of the problem in my opinion in his overall ability is that he only has 1 level of rogue, 2 barbarian and 4 fighter. Now he has two attacks, but he always uses spring attack to move away.

What's worse is that he often, sometimes accidentally, leads others right to the spellcasters in the group.

Now to me, I've always seen Spring Attack used by the very quick individuals, like monks, of those who only need one hit, like a mid level rogue flanking, to actually get the most effectiveness out of it.

What are other people's feelings of who best can use spring attack?

 

[Telperion]

Anyone who can successfully poison a dagger and execute a spring attack. You know, it's not the size that matters .

Personally I dislike these sorts of characters. Take a bit of this, a bit of that and you end up with a whole lot of nothing. That's why I recommend that my players stick to the classic Base class x / Base class y / Prestige class a or Base class x / Prestige class a or ...well, you get the idea...

Any class is basically fine for this tactic IMO whether they need to get close to deliver a touch attack or to ram that sword into the opponents body just one more time. The trouble is that some classes are ill suited to spending three feats, and having a dexterity score of 13 or more, to open this option. It's why I rarely see it in action.

 

[SteelDraco]

I think the most entertaining character to use Spring Attack with would be a spellcaster, or perhaps a spellcaster/monk. Sorcerer/monk and druid/monk seem like they could be particularly amusing. Pick up a way to increase your speed, such as Expeditious Retreat, Haste, or a wild shape form, and get some touch spells going. Vampiric Touch and Poison would be particularly amusing, but there quite a few good ones. I think a monk can even hit with his unarmed strike, use Stunning Fist, and trigger a touch spell, all in the same round. You'll have to walk around with a touch spell active to get it work most effectively, but it would an amusing character anyway.

Hmmm. Wonder if a druid would have to take Flyby Attack instead of Spring Attack if he was wild shaped into a flying form...

The most ABUSIVE Spring Attack character I've played was a githzerai monk/psychic warrior with Sandals of Tiger's Leap and the Flying Kick feat from OA, along with the Psionic Charge feat. When hasted, he would charge (with up to nine 90 degree turns along the path from Psionic Charge), deal 3x damage from the combination of the Sandals and the Flying Kick, and then move away with his haste action. It was just sick and wrong. I eventually stopped doing that, because I felt bad about it.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I'd say that there are three primary character types for Spring Attack:

1. Rogues with lots of sneak attack. They're moving to deliver the sneak attack anyway, this lets them get out of Dodge after delivering it.

2. High damage output fighters. The fighter/barbarian/whatever else with a magic falchion can use Spring Attack to avoid full attacks from monsters like Elder Elementals and dragons. It evens the playing field a bit. Power Attack lets him crank up the damage a bit on the one attack too.

3. Monks. They're not really built to stand around and take damage so Spring Attack lets them move in, attempt a stun/grapple/whatever their schick is and either position themselves to take advantage of it if it works or get out of the way of a full attack if it doesn't.

 

[AeroDm]

Barbarian with a reach weapon. Sort of loses some of its potential when iterative attacks enter into the picture, but with high strength, good move, reach, and power attack with a 2-handed weapon... you have a lot of damage potential.

 

[Nightfall]

Dragons use spring attack best. Them and big cats.

 

[Dark Jezter]

Monks are excellent spring attackers at higher levels, due to their insanely high movement speed.

Barbarians are good spring attackers as well, due to their improved movement speed. Though not as fast as monks, barbarians make up for it with higher damage output. I once watched a barbarian/fighter with spring attack and great cleave leap into a crowd of orcs and cut down 5 of them in a single round.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Psychic Warriors with Psionic Charge, Up the Walls and Speed of Thought, combined with some horrific buffing powers or the use of the Deep Impact/Power Attack combo. About the only thing that changes with the revision is that once they use Deep Impact they lose the previous 3 feats due to expending psionic focus.

 

[Darklone]

Everything mentioned here. Barbarians with 3 or 4 rogue levels (in my low level games) used to be most effective though. You had one tank in heavy armour (often dwarven ftr/rog with doubleweapon) fighting defensively with a lot of attacks and three or four sneak attacking dudes with rage and greatswords hopping around the enemies.

They called it "The Dance of Death".

 

[Davek]

attempt a stun/grapple/whatever their schick is and either position themselves to take advantage of it if it works or get out of the way of a full attack if it doesn't.

How do you grapple on a spring attack, or would it have any real effect?

Maybe spring in, grapple, and jump back out carrying your victim with you?