Feat: Cunning Stalker

[PierceSG]

Am I getting this correct?

1.) As long as the target of the my PC doesn't have any creatures adjacent to them (that includes other PCs?), other than my PC, it will grant my PC combat advantage towards it.
2.) My PC doesn't have to be adjacent to the target.
3.) This feat negates CA granted by flanking, since flanking requires an ally PC adjacent to the target. Or flanking will still grant CA and that effectively makes this feat have no downside besides taking up one feat choice?

 

[lostingeneral]

That would be my interpretation of it, yeah.

You could still get CA by flanking, but if you were, say, engaging the target in melee with no other creatures adjacent to it (and thus getting CA from this feat) and one of your allies comes up and flanks with you, you then both have combat advantage.

 

[PierceSG]

So, that would mean you can get CA either way? If there's only 1 enemy with none of it's friends around it, I get CA against it. If an ally of mine comes flank the enemy with me, him/her and me will get CA due to flanking?

 

[Prestidigitalis]

With Cunning Stalker, you can get CA either by flanking or by attacking alone an enemy which has no one adjacent.

But it still doesn't grant automatic CA -- there are any number of reasons why an ally might come up to attack the same enemy, and then by the time your turn comes around, it's impractical (too risky, blocking terrain, etc.) to get into flanking. This has happened with my Thief numerous times.

On question #2, I believe that by RAW, your player does NOT have to be adjacent to the enemy in question. However, I now have two separate DMs who have decided to rule that you do. I haven't argued, as it is an incredibly powerful feat -- a virtual must-have for many characters -- if it works at range.

And a final note: If you are playing at Paragon Tier, the synergy between Cunning Stalker and Opportunistic Withdrawal is amazing. They combine to allow you to avoid OAs from any enemy that doesn't have another enemy adjacent. This includes nasty situations like this:

*****
*EPE* E=enemy P=PC *=open 1,2=escape path
**1**
**2**

...even when the enemy creatures are the nasty kind that can attack you when you shift. Just make a regular move -- walk away and thumb your nose at them.