Mobility 101

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Quotes and feat from d20srd.org...

• MOBILITY [General]
  Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge.
  Benefit: You get a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when you move out of or within a threatened area. A condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
  Dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most types of bonuses.
  Special: A fighter may select Mobility as one of his fighter bonus feats.

A thought occured to me, recently, concerning the usefulness of this feat. It seems to me that this feat is much more useful than I'd long thought it to be.

Mobility makes the following actions easier:

• 1. Bullrush: When you bullrush, "you move into the defender’s space. Doing this provokes an attack of opportunity..." Having the Mobility feat grants "a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when" you bullrush.

• 2. Overrun: When you overrun, "Since you begin the overrun by moving into the defender’s space, you provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender" Having the Mobility feat grants "a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when" you overrun.

Are these interpretations allowable by the rules? Have I missed something? Are there other not-so-obvious benefits to the Mobility feat?

Thanks!

 

[NewJeffCT]

Quotes and feat from d20srd.org...

• MOBILITY [General]
  Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge.
  Benefit: You get a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when you move out of or within a threatened area. A condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.
  Dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most types of bonuses.
  Special: A fighter may select Mobility as one of his fighter bonus feats.

A thought occured to me, recently, concerning the usefulness of this feat. It seems to me that this feat is much more useful than I'd long thought it to be.

Mobility makes the following actions easier:

• 1. Bullrush: When you bullrush, "you move into the defender’s space. Doing this provokes an attack of opportunity..." Having the Mobility feat grants "a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when" you bullrush.

• 2. Overrun: When you overrun, "Since you begin the overrun by moving into the defender’s space, you provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender" Having the Mobility feat grants "a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when" you overrun.

Are these interpretations allowable by the rules? Have I missed something? Are there other not-so-obvious benefits to the Mobility feat?

Thanks!

it seems your interpretation is correct - mobility gives you an AC bonus against AoOs caused by your movement, which would include movement from bullrushing & overrunning.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

The bonuses won't matter for Bull Rush if you have Imp. Bull Rush, but yeah, good catch.

The only other reason to have Mobility other than as a pre-req that I've seen is if using the Desert Wind maneuver Desert Tempest (move around really fast, get free attack on a foe after leaving his threatened square) if you lack enough tumble to do so at no movement penalty, or tumbling has otherwise been made impossible (Knight's ability to count his area threatened as difficult terrain, for example).

I'm sure a Karmic Strike or Robilar's Gambit build would make good use of it, just not familiar with the builds.

EDIT: Mobility would actually help protect you from AoOs while BEING bull rushed, too!

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Mobility would actually help protect you from AoOs while BEING bull rushed, too!

Good one, StreamOfTheSky!

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

it seems your interpretation is correct...

Thanks, NewJeffCT!

 

[Corsair]

I'm confused about the purpose of this thread. Is it just "wow guys, Mobility totally does what it says it does!"?

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

That's pretty much it, Corsair. I just never realized it until recently. Guess I'm slow...

 

[frankthedm]

I'm confused about the purpose of this thread. Is it just "wow guys, Mobility totally does what it says it does!"?

I'd suspect the OP just wanted to make sure there was not some convoluted reading of the raw that prevents Mobility from working with the AoO from moving INTO a creature's space.

Because if the AoO for entering someones space is the same class of AoO as moving through or out of a threatened areas, that directly impacts combat reflexes, entering a foes space as part of a grapple, moving through foes's spaces and tiny creatures entering medium creatures spaces to attack them.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I'm confused about the purpose of this thread. Is it just "wow guys, Mobility totally does what it says it does!"?

It's useful for some people who hadn't thought about it before (like tactically challenged lil' ol' me ) to see things in a different light. Opens up possibilities in game.

Others' revelations can be good lessons when shared!
(And thx to the OP for sharing! )