Feat: Uncanny Flank

[uberkitty]

Uncanny Flank
Pre-Reqs: DEX 13+, Dodge, Mobility, BAB +4

You are never subject to attacks of opportunity while flanking. When using the attack action against a Dodge-designated foe, if any ally threatens the foe, you (but not your ally) are regarded as flanking.

Normal: You and your ally must be on opposite sides of a foe to be considered flanking.

Note: these are the same pre-reqs as "Spring Attack."

 

[Belbarrus]

feat

It seems like you are saying that whenever you attack an enemy that an ally threatens, you are considered to be flanking them, regardless of the positioning of the characters. Presumably this still does not cancel out or override other skills like Uncanny Dodge (cannot be flnaked), right? This part is not too bad

I'm not sure about the first part though: "You are never subject to attacks of opportunity while flanking." This means that as long as the character is flanking someone, they are not subject to Attacks of Opportunities? From *any* source? This part is way too powerful.

Belbarrus

 

[mmu1]

So this would basically allow rogues to sneak attack any time there was more than one person fighting their intended target? I think that's much too strong, and it also get rid of one of the more tactical aspects of 3E combat.

 

[Maximillian]

Actually, if you siphon out that first part, the no AoO bit, and make it only against the flanked individual, it's pretty cool. Maybe the prereqs are a little steep there, but I'm not sure.

As for the flanking any time two people threaten... I might disagree somewhat mmu1. Rogues of about 7th level or higher (one level higher than a rogue would have to be to attain this feat) tend to have the requisite +14 tumble roll to never worry about attacks of opportunity, and roll directly into flanking all the time.

The reason I would say this is overpowered is that it is better than spring attack in a lot of ways. Spring Attackers tend to move in, flank, and leave. These guys are sticking around, allowing others to move into flanking more easily.

 

[mmu1]

As for the flanking any time two people threaten... I might disagree somewhat mmu1. Rogues of about 7th level or higher (one level higher than a rogue would have to be to attain this feat) tend to have the requisite +14 tumble roll to never worry about attacks of opportunity, and roll directly into flanking all the time.

Yes, but even though they don't really have to risk AAO's they are using up movement, which means they can't make a full attack, and they usually end up putting themselves at considerable risk by tumbling past "enemy lines". There are also many ways enemies can use the terrain to make it harder for a Rogue to flank.

With this feat, it seems that a rogue would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the party fighter and get a sneak attack with every blow... Or, since the wording of the feat doesn't preclude it, perhaps even stand 5' back and use a reach weapon to sneak attack whomever the other character is fighting.

 

[LostSoul]

I like the Feat, if you would remove the "You are never subject to attacks of opportunity while flanking" line. Pretty cool.

I could also see another Feat that says you are considered to have 4 more levels for purposes of determining if you can Flank an opponent with Uncanny Dodge.

 

[Maximillian]

mmu1, you're right... I wonder though... what if the feat made flanking a little more user friendly? In other words:

.@. In this position, the two @ symbols are flanking the X.
.X.
.@.

@.. What if the feat made this possible? He's off a position of
.X. Actual flanking by one square. Something like this might be
.@. allowable...

 

[uberkitty]

I proposed this feat to my DM without the immunity to Attacks of Opportunity, and he added that when he approved it.

We've been playing with it (taken by my 9th level rogue) for a couple of weeks, and so far it hasn't seemed overpowered. The immunity to AoOs hasn't even come up yet, as my rogue character also has Spring Attack and the noted ranks in Tumble -- she's pretty much immune to AoOs, anyway.

The biggest pay-off for me -- and therefore what I'd think would be the most potentially overpowering aspect -- is that I don't have to count on as much cooperation from the other players to achieve flanking and therefore the opportunity to sneak attack.

In terms of realism, I think the feat makes sense. It seems logical to me that if you worked at it for a long time (which is the idea of feats), you would be able to use an enemy's distraction with another attacker to make more pointed and deadly attacks.

Some modifiers I'd consider, if you like the feat but think it's overpowered:

1. Remove the immunity to AoOs aspect of the feat.
2. Require that, in order to use the feat, the character must have two free squares adjacent both to him and to his foe. This would limit use of the feat, and would make sense in that the character might need to move around a bit in order to make his perfect sneak attack.
3. Make it usable only a certain number of times per day -- once per level per day seems sensible.

Thanks for the feedback, all.