Charging Spring Attack

[Trellian]

Can you combine a charge with a spring attack?

 

[pontus]

Yes.

 

[kreynolds]

Pontus, are you sure? This is from the spring attack feat description.

When using the attack action with a melee weapon, the character can move both before and after the attack, provided that the character's total distance moved is not greater than the character's speed

That seems to imply that you can take a full move and a standard action to attack once. A charge is a full round action that allow a single attack at the end. The attack action, used by Spring Attack, is a standard action. You can't combine a full round action and a standard action. So, you can't charge and use spring attack. Me thinks, anyway.

 

[Artoomis]

According to the Sage, yes, you can charge and spring attack - of course, you must still charge in a straight line.

I don't think it should be allowed - as Spring Attack seems to be meant to be applied only to the attack action - as in a standard action, single attack.

 

[Caliban]

Pontus, are you sure? This is from the spring attack feat description.



That seems to imply that you can take a full move and a standard action to attack once. A charge is a full round action that allow a single attack at the end. The attack action, used by Spring Attack, is a standard action. You can't combine a full round action and a standard action. So, you can't charge and use spring attack. Me thinks, anyway.

Charge is not a full round action. PHB, page 124, Charge: "Charging is a special standard action..."

 

[kreynolds]

OK. So it basically allows you to move attack and continue your straight line of movement. You still can't make a turn, you still can't stop, and you must still attack when you threaten an opponent. So you sacrifice some of the movement capabilities of Spring Attack to opt for a longer straight line of movement. Makes sense.

 

[kreynolds]

Charge is not a full round action. PHB, page 124, Charge: "Charging is a special standard action..."

I see it now. Though the SRD lists Charge as a Full Round Action. Hence my confusion.

 

[drnuncheon]

I think that the conclusion the last time this topic came up was that there was no conclusion. 8)

The factions seemed to be, frommost stringent to most lenient:

a) No, not at all. Suck it up, painmonkey.

b) You can use them but have to abide by the strictures of both. That is, you can make up to a full move in a straight line and attack at the end of it, but you don't take an AoO from your target.

c) Spring Attack overrides the "you have to stop at the end of the charge", just like it overrides the rule about "you an't attack in the middle of your move", letting you basically do a "run-by attack" while not taking an AoO from your target.

J