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Myrmex
2009-08-07, 12:17 PM
Are there anyways of making spring attack work? Unless you can put difficult terrain or an obstacle in your way with it, most of the time your maneuverability is negated with a simple charge. Classes that also benefit the most from spring attack (no or light armor, small HD) also tend to rely heavier on bonus damage that works best with full attacks, which means using all those attacks means you give up the maneuverability (see: monk).

So far, all I can really see is Swiftblade, giving you two attacks (and 3.0 haste) and enough spells to make up for damage differences.

Darrin
2009-08-07, 12:24 PM
Are there anyways of making spring attack work?

The best way to make Spring Attack work is to not take it, take Travel Devotion instead.

Beyond that, there are many, many, many ways to get extra movement in addition to a full attack. Check Person_Man's list of "Ways to get Pounce or Free Movement (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358)."

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 12:26 PM
I think the idea behind Spring Attack was to make it so that you couldn't be full attacked, not so that you couldn't be attacked at all. This, of course, has issues with the number of monsters that get pounce and the proliferation of the move later in 3.5.

For starters, I think a Spring Attack should give you double move, like a charge.

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 12:31 PM
I think the idea behind Spring Attack was to make it so that you couldn't be full attacked, not so that you couldn't be attacked at all. This, of course, has issues with the number of monsters that get pounce and the proliferation of the move later in 3.5.

For starters, I think a Spring Attack should give you double move, like a charge.

But getting charged by a big nasty is going to hurt WAY more than your measly spring-poke. At the very least, they get +4 damage from the +2 to attack they get, and the -2 AC they get is less important since as a squishy character, you're likely to have a less than full BAB and no power attack.


The best way to make Sneak Attack work is to not take it, take Travel Devotion instead.

Beyond that, there are many, many, many ways to get extra movement in addition to a full attack. Check Person_Man's list of "Ways to get Pounce or Free Movement (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103358)."

That's... not very helpful.

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 12:35 PM
But getting charged by a big nasty is going to hurt WAY more than your measly spring-poke. At the very least, they get +4 damage from the +2 to attack they get, and the -2 AC they get is less important since as a squishy character, you're likely to have a less than full BAB and no power attack.

Oh, I fully agree. Spring Attack sucking was actually the reason I gravitated to monk when I was brand new to the game; I assumed being able to have 90 foot movement speed would fix everything!

...Yeah.

So not to derail this thread, moving on. I would, for starters, put in a double move houserule for it. It really needs it.

Now, moving beyond Homebrew? There's a first level Shadow Hand Stance which is really good for this sort of thing - 20% concealment whenever you move. Doesn't help with the damage, but every way you make yourself a less attractive target to strike back is nice.

Fax Celestis
2009-08-07, 12:35 PM
The best way to make Spring Attack worth it is to take MOAR FEATZ. Unfortunately. But if you take Bounding Assault and Rapid Blitz from PHB-II, you can essentially get a full-attack with a spring attack. Mix with skirmish for results ranging from "hey I can do things in combat" to "khaaaaaaan he has immunity to precision damage I am hosed". Or mix with knight for "come and get me" lulz.

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 12:37 PM
Does knight let you taunt & move? Maybe I'm thinking of 4e pally & marking....

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 12:44 PM
Does knight let you taunt & move? Maybe I'm thinking of 4e pally & marking....

Knight's Challenge is a swift action, so that's a roger-roger.

Fax Celestis
2009-08-07, 12:44 PM
Does knight let you taunt & move? Maybe I'm thinking of 4e pally & marking....

Knight's Challenge is a swift action, so you can challenge, then spring attack.

If I ever play in a gestalt game, I'll be a Catfolk Knight//Scout with the full spring attack tree.

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 12:46 PM
Knight's Challenge is a swift action, so you can challenge, then spring attack.

If I ever play in a gestalt game, I'll be a Catfolk Knight//Scout with the full spring attack tree.

And I'll be a Ninja//Ninja with the Improved Post Rate feat chain. HEYYO! -spins on head and disappears-

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 12:46 PM
Knight's Challenge is a swift action, so you can challenge, then spring attack.

If I ever play in a gestalt game, I'll be a Catfolk Knight//Scout with the full spring attack tree.

Like Scorpion. Sort of.

"Get over here! ... please?"

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 12:50 PM
I'm thinking more of a lethal Gingerbread man, here.

Darrin
2009-08-07, 01:00 PM
That's... not very helpful.

Okay... tell me what you're trying to do with spring attack, and I'll tell you how to do it faster and more effectively without taking all of the spring attack feats.

Curmudgeon
2009-08-07, 01:01 PM
You don't need difficult terrain, though that helps. You can use other characters. But the best way to avoid a charge is to not be seen.
If you don’t have line of sight to the opponent at the start of your turn, you can’t charge that opponent. If you're a Rogue, the only time you should take Spring Attack is after you've taken 1 level of Shadowdancer and gotten Supernatural Hide in Plain Sight. That happens to also meet the requirements for Spring Attack.

As far as dealing out enough damage, sneak attack is a big help -- and not being seen makes it easy. But you can add Snap Kick (Tome of Battle) for a second unarmed attack whenever you get at least one melee attack, and that's perfect for Spring Attack (and AoOs, too). Bracers of Striking (Magic of Faerûn) grant Improved Unarmed Strike for only 1,310 gp. You don't need to worry about your base damage being insignificant (1d3) when you've got sneak attack.

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 01:02 PM
Well, he's trying to do something with Spring Attack, for starters. I think you know that and just have 'Sneak Attack' on the brain, but I thought I'd check.

And I think it's just for the challenge of the thing as opposed to enabling a specific concept.

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 01:06 PM
Okay... tell me what you're trying to do with sneak attack, and I'll tell you how to do it faster and more effectively without taking all of the sneak attack feats.

Well, I'm trying to see if running up to somebody, hitting them, then running away, would ever work off of a mount, and if so, how many levels it takes. Using HiPS seems to be, so far, the best way to do it.

Asgardian
2009-08-07, 01:25 PM
It works okay with my Scout cohort. It fits in with his skirmisher role as he does his +3d6 (or is it 4d6 at lvl10?) skirmish and keeps him from getting squished at the same time

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 01:29 PM
Having to take two crappy feats to get a third crappy feat is not worth it. The only way I see this working is Swiftblade, where arcane strike, power attack, wraithstrike, bite of X and other yummy buffs will help damage output.

Harperfan7
2009-08-07, 01:34 PM
If your DM allows it, tempest prestige class + bounding assault/rapid blitz for up to 6 skirmish attacks and no AoO. Also, I second the swiftblade class.

If you play a gestalt game, try monk/scout. That item in the equipment guide that you train with as a monk for a couple weeks and get 10ft. adjustments...hells yeah.

Master_Rahl22
2009-08-07, 01:41 PM
Ride-By Attack is mounted Spring Attack, with the proviso that you have to keep moving in the same direction you started, rather than getting to move anywhere you want after you attack.

Other than that, ToB classes typically only need a Standard action to kick ass, so they're free to Spring Attack all they want if you really want to spend 3 crappy feats for it.

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-08-07, 01:42 PM
If your DM allows it, tempest prestige class + bounding assault/rapid blitz for up to 6 skirmish attacks and no AoO. Also, I second the swiftblade class.

If you play a gestalt game, try monk/scout. That item in the equipment guide that you train with as a monk for a couple weeks and get 10ft. adjustments...hells yeah.If I was going gestalt Scout, I'd rather go Pouncing Charger or something for the BAB, or Glaivelock and then use UMD to use the Monk item.

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 01:43 PM
Ride-By Attack is mounted Spring Attack, with the proviso that you have to keep moving in the same direction you started, rather than getting to move anywhere you want after you attack.

Other than that, ToB classes typically only need a Standard action to kick ass, so they're free to Spring Attack all they want if you really want to spend 3 crappy feats for it.

A reasonable house rule for strikes that don't involve movement, but Spring Attack specifies the attack action rather than a standard action that involves attacking.

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 01:44 PM
Ride-By Attack is mounted Spring Attack, with the proviso that you have to keep moving in the same direction you started, rather than getting to move anywhere you want after you attack.

And you get triple damage with that lance, too.


Other than that, ToB classes typically only need a Standard action to kick ass, so they're free to Spring Attack all they want if you really want to spend 3 crappy feats for it.

Ooh, good point.

Eldariel
2009-08-07, 01:53 PM
Spring Attack only allows attacks. It does not work with Strikes or spells or indeed, anything (hence making it very useless for ToB-characters). This is why Flyby Attack is about 10000000 times better feat; it doesn't have stupid prerequisites and works with anything. Only problem is, it only works if you can fly. That said, Spring Attack does have one use:

The Mole. Pick a character with Earth Glide or Burrow-speed (and preferably Tremorsense), Spring Attack from the ground and go back to the ground in the same action! Great, especially with Fast Healing.

There's even a Handbook (http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-961599) for Moles.

Deepblue706
2009-08-07, 01:55 PM
There might be some use with Elusive Target. It has both Dodge and Mobility as prereqs anyway.

Negate Power Attack will stop anything really big from charging the hell out of you. So, if you Spring Attack something big, it probably can't smash you to bits, as you're denying it a Full-Attack as well as a PA-Charge.

Cause Overreach will give you trip attempts against those who make AoOs (and miss) against you for Spring Attacking their buddy. Mobility is giving you +4 AC against those attacks.

Although, you'd still trading smacks with whoever you're Spring Attacking, and monsters tend to hit really hard anyway. Since you have Dodge, maybe grabbing Combat Expertise for Karmic Strike would allow you to get another hit in when he counterattacks. Being position near an ally who can make AoOs against those who charge at you will also be easier, since Spring Attack can allow you to retreat a fair bit if you've got decent movement enhancers.

I can't think of much else. Sorry.

Darrin
2009-08-07, 02:11 PM
Well, I'm trying to see if running up to somebody, hitting them, then running away, would ever work off of a mount, and if so, how many levels it takes. Using HiPS seems to be, so far, the best way to do it.

Ugh. Yes, I kept saying "sneak attack" but meant "spring attack".

You never mentioned the mount in your original post. And while HiPS would be great, yes, it has nothing to do with "move + attack + move". Nor would HiPS help while you're riding a mount.

If you want to move + attack + move, dip one level of Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian and take the Travel Devotion. This gets you move + full attack + move (for 10 rounds, yes, but after 10 full attacks my guess would be you won't need it anymore). Yes, they can charge you after that, but if they get one attack to your full attack, assuming you have more than one attack, you're coming out ahead. If you spent the same amount of feats on this as on Spring Attack (three, for example), you'd still be getting 30 rounds of move + full attack + move a day.

If you want your MOUNT to move + attack + move (you can get one attack in as well by making a ride check, but only one attack if the mount moves more than 5'... but I'm really fuzzy on whether you need Spring Attack to attack in the middle of your mount's move), then I'd suggest you pick up a flying mount and make sure it comes with or gets Flyby Attack. This is similar to Spring Attack or Ride-By Attack except that you can use any standard action during the move, and it doesn't have to be in a straight line (other than the vagaries of aerial movement). Picking up a giant eagle mount would be 4000 GP + 1000 GP for training.

Preventing a charge afterwards is a little bit of a separate problem. While HiPS would work for you, it won't work for your mount. Fly-By Attack alleviates this somewhat since you can, well, *fly away*. If your mount is a ground-pounder, then chances are you probably have a move action left, so you still have a move action to maybe draw something out of your pack and drop it in a square that would prevent or discourage a charge. Unseen Servant would be useful here... you could order it to spread caltrops, carry a darkwood feycraft tower shield, or just stand in a square and push back anyone who enters that square (with a Str 2 it would lose, but it would prevent a charge).

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 02:13 PM
I think he meant he would like the "stab... runaway!" tactic to work without being on a mount.

Eldariel
2009-08-07, 02:16 PM
Oh, I forgot! Battle Jump makes the one attack hurt, and allows you to Pounce with it (because it basically means an attack done after coming down on an opponent from certain height is a charge and you can jump as a part of movement just fine). I love that feat.

Deepblue706
2009-08-07, 02:21 PM
Oh Man.

Find a way to Spring Attack off cliffs onto enemies, and then jump back UP as the other part of the movement...

Eldariel
2009-08-07, 02:22 PM
Oh Man.

Find a way to Spring Attack off cliffs onto enemies, and then jump back UP as the other part of the movement...

Or just Jump above the enemy from the ground as a part of your movement and run back inside the ground you came from :)

Deepblue706
2009-08-07, 02:26 PM
Or just Jump above the enemy from the ground as a part of your movement and run back inside the ground you came from :)

No, my idea is better, because it's closer to Super Mario. You can end a turn midair, and then fall again, and "attack", and then launch back up.

Think about it.

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 02:27 PM
@ Battlejump

Isn't there a prestige class that let's you summon rocks or something? Deep Warden or something like that.


I think he meant he would like the "stab... runaway!" tactic to work without being on a mount.

Yes, precisely. Spirited Charge & a lance is the obvious way to do lots of damage while staying out of reach.

And HiPS makes it easier to escape retaliation on the flat plane of CharOp. If you HiPS adjacent to a target, they only suffer a 50% miss chance of hitting you, as opposed to having to guess a square within their move range (cannot charge something without LoS).

Keld Denar
2009-08-07, 02:33 PM
@ Battlejump

Isn't there a prestige class that let's you summon rocks or something? Deep Warden or something like that.

Yea...Deepstone Sentinal, the real Dwarven Defender from Tome of Battle.

Pulls rocks out of the ground, stands on them, and beats people up. You could jump off of them and smack people around, but they aren't really THAT high to give you an advantage over someone who is Large or larger.

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 02:33 PM
Yea...Deepstone Sentinal, the real Dwarven Defender from Tome of Battle.

Pulls rocks out of the ground, stands on them, and beats people up. You could jump off of them and smack people around, but they aren't really THAT high to give you an advantage over someone who is Large or larger.

Could I put a rock on my rock?

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 02:34 PM
Could I put a rock on my rock?

So you can rock while you rock?

Flickerdart
2009-08-07, 02:38 PM
Take Expeditious Dodge instead of Dodge. It gives a flat +2 Dodge bonus against everything, so long as you move 40ft this turn, which for a mobile fighter might as well be a given.

If you're fine with only having the one attack, Fly By Attack is cheaper than Spring Attack, and Great Fly-By Attack lets you hit a bunch of dudes in your line of flight.

Keld Denar
2009-08-07, 03:39 PM
Could I put a rock on my rock?

Yo dawg!

But in all seriousness....they get 2 abilities. Mountain Fortress Stance lifts you up 5' off the ground on your own personal pillar. It only lasts as long as the stance, and since you can't be in more than one stance at a time, and definitely not the same stance twice, 5' is your limit.

The other ability is called Dragon's Teeth. It creates a 5' or 10' pillar of stone. The way its worded makes me believe that you can only have 1 active at a time, and must dismiss a previous tooth to summon a new one. I also don't think you can "ride" it up, since it states that if you summon one in an occupied square, it knocks the creature prone unless they save. Since it probably wouldn't shunt them, it would only occupy part of the square...I guess.

So, you could summon a Dragon Tooth, climb it, and then enter Mountain Fortress Stance to get 15' of height, but thats not exactly tactically savvy...savvy?

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 03:58 PM
Yo dawg!

But in all seriousness....they get 2 abilities. Mountain Fortress Stance lifts you up 5' off the ground on your own personal pillar. It only lasts as long as the stance, and since you can't be in more than one stance at a time, and definitely not the same stance twice, 5' is your limit.

The other ability is called Dragon's Teeth. It creates a 5' or 10' pillar of stone. The way its worded makes me believe that you can only have 1 active at a time, and must dismiss a previous tooth to summon a new one. I also don't think you can "ride" it up, since it states that if you summon one in an occupied square, it knocks the creature prone unless they save. Since it probably wouldn't shunt them, it would only occupy part of the square...I guess.

So, you could summon a Dragon Tooth, climb it, and then enter Mountain Fortress Stance to get 15' of height, but thats not exactly tactically savvy...savvy?

What sort of action would it take to lay a pillar? At the very least, you get a free way to interrupt charges.

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 04:01 PM
Yo dawg!

But in all seriousness....they get 2 abilities. Mountain Fortress Stance lifts you up 5' off the ground on your own personal pillar. It only lasts as long as the stance, and since you can't be in more than one stance at a time, and definitely not the same stance twice, 5' is your limit.

Master of Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!

PRE-EDIT: Nope, requires two different disciplines. Nevermind.


What sort of action would it take to lay a pillar? At the very least, you get a free way to interrupt charges.

Swift.

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 04:06 PM
Swift means you can pop it, climb up, and leap off! It's not like you don't have the movement!

Hahaha!

Keld Denar
2009-08-07, 04:26 PM
The Mountain Fortress Stance is a swift action...entering any stance is a swift action. Dragon's Teeth is a standard action, and thats the 10' high one. You could ready an action to raise a Dragon's Tooth in front of someone charging you, yes, but it probably wouldn't be worth spending a whole action on...

Saph
2009-08-07, 06:29 PM
Well, the classic use for it is the Core-standard Greater Shadow. Sit in the floor, Spring Attack up, poke someone, Spring Attack back into the floor again. Repeat until the targets figure out that they need readied actions to hit you.

If you're cruel, you do it once or twice and then go away for a while, then come back later after they aren't ready to hit you anymore. If you're REALLY cruel, you do it with enough shadows that they can effectively one-hit-kill anything that doesn't have immunity to ability damage or a sky-high Incorporeal Touch AC. Of course, you'd have to be kind of mean to do that as a DM . . .

AstralFire
2009-08-07, 06:31 PM
Well, the classic use for it is the Core-standard Greater Shadow. Sit in the floor, Spring Attack up, poke someone, Spring Attack back into the floor again. Repeat until the targets figure out that they need readied actions to hit you.

If you're cruel, you do it once or twice and then go away for a while, then come back later after they aren't ready to hit you anymore. If you're REALLY cruel, you do it with enough shadows that they can effectively one-hit-kill anything that doesn't have immunity to ability damage or a sky-high Incorporeal Touch AC. Of course, you'd have to be kind of mean to do that as a DM . . .

Where oh where would we find someone mean enough to do that as a DM around these here parts?

- eyes Saph -

:smallbiggrin:

Saph
2009-08-07, 06:32 PM
Gosh, I have no idea. I guess we'll just have to stay in suspense. :P

Keld Denar
2009-08-07, 06:34 PM
Seriously Saph...how do you SLEEP at night? If I was you, I couldn't...

I'd be up all night clutching my knees to my chest, rocking slowly back and forth, and giggling. Those suckers got what they deserved, eh?

:P

EDIT: And Dread Wraiths do it better. They are Large, have Reach, and have Lifesense so that they can pinpoint people even while hiding inside something. The Reach part is the nasty part, since unless you have a reach weapon yourself OR know that you can ready a 5' step (provided you haven't moved this turn) OR use ranged attacks like spells or missile weapons, you are pretty well boned. Luckily, DW's touch has a save, and the DC is only 25...

Myrmex
2009-08-07, 07:27 PM
Hmm, ghostform swiftblade could do that sort of thing, too.


And Dread Wraiths do it better. They are Large, have Reach, and have Lifesense so that they can pinpoint people even while hiding inside something. The Reach part is the nasty part, since unless you have a reach weapon yourself OR know that you can ready a 5' step (provided you haven't moved this turn) OR use ranged attacks like spells or missile weapons, you are pretty well boned. Luckily, DW's touch has a save, and the DC is only 25...

Awesome!
With ability focus and the PrC in LM, a magic item or something, and the elite array, you could get that save up to the mid 30.

Keld Denar
2009-08-07, 07:48 PM
Pshhhh, childs play. Non-associated Hexblade levels headed into Blackguard. Aura of Dispair, Dark Companion, and Hex for debuffing. Use the extra HD to pick up Bounding Assault and Rapid Blitz from the PHBII. So...increasing the CR by ~2 points, you can have all that.

3 attacks per round with an effective DC of 40ish against 1d8 Con damage...

Pwnage mas fina!

Thrawn183
2009-08-07, 07:53 PM
It can be worth it if you've optimized your move speed to the point where you end up out of charging range of your enemy. For example, if your enemy has 20 ft. move speed (because of armor) or like a gnome I played recently a mere 15 ft. move speed, you only need to end up 45 feet away for them to be unable to attack you in return.

How do you get this movement speed?
Monk - 10-60 ft. extra
Barbarian - 10 ft extra
Boots of speed. 30 ft. extra
Speed of Thought - A psionic feat that gives +10 insight to speed.

Now, you have to move 5 ft before making your attack, meaning that you'll have to have a minimum move speed of 50 to pull this off.

With Speed of Thought, Psionic Talent, Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack you could pull this off with a Human Fighter 2/Barbarian 1.

A monk can do a better job of this because a higher move speed means you can start from farther away while still finishing far enough away to prevent a return attack.

The unfortunate weakness to this strategy is that it generally loses against an enemy that readieas an attack against you. So a reach weapon and the ability to increase your reach (maybe a whip?) is recommended.

Keld Denar
2009-08-07, 07:58 PM
Minor flaw. Some genius amongst the Spooky Wizards who live by the Coast decided that a Monk's movement speed was too powerful to be combined with anything, so they made it an Enhancement bonus. Haste and Expeditious Retreat are ALSO Enhancement Bonuses...

You know what that means.

Thrawn183
2009-08-07, 10:23 PM
True, but it still stacks with the insight bonus of speed of thought. Anyway, you really don't need a very large bonus to your speed to pull it off.

My favorite way of using spring attack is to attack an enemy and then retreat behind your own meatshield. Sure you might be within attacking distance if the enemy charged straight at you, but he can't.

Yeah, it's still really tough to figure out a way to do anything significant with a single attack though.

Eldariel
2009-08-07, 10:28 PM
True, but it still stacks with the insight bonus of speed of thought. Anyway, you really don't need a very large bonus to your speed to pull it off.

My favorite way of using spring attack is to attack an enemy and then retreat behind your own meatshield. Sure you might be within attacking distance if the enemy charged straight at you, but he can't.

Yeah, it's still really tough to figure out a way to do anything significant with a single attack though.

Yeah, my problem with this idea is that since you're using Spring Attack, you're a melee type anyways so what the hell are you doing covering behind another melee type? I mean, you won't get hit, but he will. Why is that preferable, especially given you'd have a higher damage output as a frontliner?

That's also why I cited the "mole" as the only really rational way to go about it; with the ground protecting you, the opposition actually has nobody to attack thus not only redirecting their attacks but actually negating them entirely. This is a whole different animal.

Thrawn183
2009-08-08, 12:04 AM
My only experience with it was a soulknife so... he kind of needed to hide behind the two paladins.

Curmudgeon
2009-08-08, 01:05 AM
To make Spring Attack worthwhile, you'll want to work on 3 areas: Reducing the feat cost, or getting more for your investment
Increasing the damage
Minimizing the chance of retalliation
1) Dodge and Mobility are sucky feats. There are some alternatives to Dodge that may be better, such as Expeditious Dodge if you've got your movement up (which you should; see section 3). But Mobility is where you can really reduce your feat cost, because you can buy Mobility as an armor enhancement. (It works as an enhancement to Bracers of Armor, too.)

The best way to get more for your feat investment is a 1-level dip into Shadowdancer. Satisfying the requirements for that PrC also satisfies the requirements for Spring Attack. And it greatly helps you avoid retaliation if you Hide, because charging requires line of sight.

2) There are two basic ways of getting more damage with Spring Attack: more damage per attack, and more attacks. More damage per attack can be the usual Power Attack type exchange, or (better) precision damage, such as sneak attack and skirmish. Moving with Spring Attack makes qualifying for skirmish damage easy, but skirmish only gives you half as many dice as sneak attack so you should look for ways to boost that further. Sneak attack is really easy if you've got Supernatural Hide in Plain Sight, but taking that route will dominate your character development for the first 9 levels.

More attacks is done either with an obvious approach (Bounding Assault and Rapid Blitz), or a more clever one. One clever approach is to use Snap Kick to get an extra unarmed attack whenever you make one or more melee attacks. The prerequisite is Improved Unarmed Strike, which is another feat you can buy; Bracers of Striking grant that for only 1,310 gp. If you've got a character that can go without armor, a Monk's Belt will boost your unarmed damage as well as give you the AC bonus you want. But again, most of your damage should come from skirmish or sneak attack. 2 attacks at BAB-2 are probably about as likely to hit as 3 at BAB/BAB-5/BAB-10, and you'll be able to use Snap Kick with any melee attacks, not just Spring Attack. So the smart choice is to use one generally applicable feat and some gp instead of two limited feats.

3) Once you've done your Spring Attack you've got to worry about retaliation, and the biggest risk is that your opponent will charge you. (And if they've got Pounce, that could be bad.) You can
get obstacles (terrain or creatures) between you and the enemy,
block line of sight,
or just get out of range. Obstacles are the easiest approach, but you can't count on them. Blocking line of sight can be done with total cover/concealment, but again that's situational. If you can make yourself visually undetectable that's a superior option. An Invisibility effect that works as a swift action is good. Hide is better because you don't need any other action when you move. Finally, cranking up your speed is great both to get out of trouble, and to expand your range of possible Spring Attack targets. The Quick trait, Celerity domain granted power, spells, and Travel Devotion are all good for this.