Spring Attack allows Movement+Attack as single Attack action?

[jodyjohnson]

SPRING ATTACK [GENERAL]
...
Benefit: When using the attack action with a melee weapon, you can move both before and after the attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack, though it might provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, if appropriate. You can’t use this feat if you are wearing heavy armor.
You must move at least 5 feet both before and after you make your attack in order to utilize the benefits of Spring Attack.
...

Maybe the PHB3.5 text is different, but I've got some players interpreting the SRD RAW as Spring Attack including free movement as part of a Standard Action used for an attack action. This leaves an additional Move Action available.

That is totally contrary to the way we've been running it for 5 years.
Is the PHB text different?
How are people ruling on this?

 

[MichaelH]

It's a stretch of an interpretation. Normally you may move your speed and make one attack or vice versa. This feat allows you to make that one attack in between your movement, so to speak, with the added perk of not provoking an AoO from your target for the movement. This feat does NOT grant free movement during the standard action so that you can spring attack up to your speed and then have an additional move action.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

I concur. The way I interpret it is that during the whole round you can move, make an attack (but not a full attack obviously) and then move again. The sum of both those moves cannot exceede your speed. And, you must move at least 10 feet (5 feet before and 5 feet afterwards).

 

[FEADIN]

Yes, as "shot on the run" or "flyby attack", a move and an attack in the round but the attack is made "during" the move.

 

[Taloras]

Yea. Its an attack action because you only get one attack.

 

[RangerWickett]

It should be worded:

"As a full round action, you can declare a creature you wish to spring attack. You may move up to your base speed and make one melee attack against that creature, and then may move after your attack if you have not yet traveled your full base speed this round. For this round, you do not incur attacks of opportunity for moving through spaces threatened by your target."

Or perhaps, to make things even easier:

Dodge
Prereq: Dex 13
Benefit: On your turn as a free action you may declare a dodge target. For this turn you gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against the target, and you do not incur attacks of opportunity for moving through spaces threatened by your target.


Mobility
Prereq: Dex 13, Dodge
Benefit: You gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC against all attacks of opportunity you incur by moving through spaces threatened by other creatures.


Spring Attack
Prereq: Dex 13, Dodge, Mobility
Benefit: As a full-round action you can move up to your base speed, and may take a single standard action at any point before, during, or after your movement. Typically you will use this to approach a creature, make a melee attack, then withdraw, and with your Dodge feat you can avoid attacks of opportunity from that creature.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

It should be worded:

"As a full round action, you can declare a creature you wish to spring attack. You may move up to your base speed and make one melee attack against that creature, and then may move after your attack if you have not yet traveled your full base speed this round. For this round, you do not incur attacks of opportunity for moving through spaces threatened by your target."

[Unerline added for emphasis on my behalf]

I don't think this is quite right. I thought at the end of the description the rules specified you had to move at least 5 feet both before and after your attack. Perhaps I am wrong, though.

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, I never understood why you needed to move before and after the attack to gain the benefit. As can be seen in this comic, it usually just means you have to sidestep five feet while in melee before backing up fifteen feet. So yes, to be completely accurate to the feat as written, there'd need to be a slight change. But I don't think it's necessary for balance, and indeed, adding this extra complication gives more opportunity for rules ambiguity.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The problem has come about from the change in the definition of a standard action between 3E and 3.5.

In 3E, a standard action allowed you to perform some sort of action and move your speed. You didn't get a standard action and a move action; you got a standard action, which included a move action.

So the attack action, a standard action, included a single attack and moving your speed. Normally, the movement occurred before or after the attack; with Spring Attack, you can move before and after the attack.

Now, skip to 3.5, where the standard action no longer includes movement; rather, a character gets a standard action, and a move action that is completely separate.

Now, Spring Attack says "When you take the attack action, you can move before and after the attack providing you don't exceed your speed"... which has a different meaning to what it used to. Where it used to mean "The movement you got anyway as part of your standard action is applied differently", now it means "You don't normally get any movement as part of your standard action, but now you do".

As written in 3.5, you can take the attack action with a melee weapon, move before and after the attack provided the movement does not exceed your speed, and still have a move action left over. Arguably, the feat's prohibition on exceeding your speed might apply to the whole round, so that move action could only be used for something other than movement...

However, it seems likely this is a conversion error, and the movement of Spring Attack is intended to use up the move action for the round.

-Hyp.

 

[jeffhartsell]

The problem has come about from the change in the definition of a standard action between 3E and 3.5.

In 3E, a standard action allowed you to perform some sort of action and move your speed. You didn't get a standard action and a move action; you got a standard action, which included a move action.

So the attack action, a standard action, included a single attack and moving your speed. Normally, the movement occurred before or after the attack; with Spring Attack, you can move before and after the attack.

Now, skip to 3.5, where the standard action no longer includes movement; rather, a character gets a standard action, and a move action that is completely separate.

Now, Spring Attack says "When you take the attack action, you can move before and after the attack providing you don't exceed your speed"... which has a different meaning to what it used to. Where it used to mean "The movement you got anyway as part of your standard action is applied differently", now it means "You don't normally get any movement as part of your standard action, but now you do".

As written in 3.5, you can take the attack action with a melee weapon, move before and after the attack provided the movement does not exceed your speed, and still have a move action left over. Arguably, the feat's prohibition on exceeding your speed might apply to the whole round, so that move action could only be used for something other than movement...

However, it seems likely this is a conversion error, and the movement of Spring Attack is intended to use up the move action for the round.

-Hyp.

Lots changed from 3.0 to 3.5, whirlwind, haste, buff spells, etc. It's possible the designers knew what they were doing and changed spring attack. btw, I'm the player the OP is mentioning (I'm also a DM). Not trying to be rules-lawyerish (I love house rules), just like to understand how things work.

I was reading through the rules and noticed spring attack had a different mechanic under 3.5. I need to ponder if the designers intent was indeed to change spring attack (flyby attack, overrun, and rideby attack attack all have clarifications). Our current campaign that Jody is running is going to house rule spring attack to use the 3.0 mechanic.