Question about Spring Attack

[Sugashane]

I am going to be getting a feat for my charger character (no mount) and wanted to know if Spring Attack was a viable option.

I have the Power Attack + Heedless Charge + Leap Attack + Pounce (Lion Spirit Totem from CC). So I get a full attack every round I charge in, would I be able to use Spring Attack to jump out? And by "total distance moved is not greater than your speed" in the description of the feat, does that mean base speed (as my movement is 40ft) or total counting your run multiplier? I already have Knockback and Combat Brute as well.

Thank you.

[DeltaEmil]

Spring attack is useless for a charger. With spring attack, you make the attack action, which is a distinct standard action. Spring attack lets you move your base speed, so the 40 feet in your example. You cannot use your pouncing ability to make a full attack when making a spring attack. If you use spring attack, you may move up to 40 feet total on your turn, make one attack, and then you can move again if you haven't used up all of your 40 feet movement.
Pounce lets you make a full attack at the end of a charge, which is a full-round action by itself. You cannot combine a charge and a spring attack.

[Sugashane]

Spring attack is useless for a charger. With spring attack, you make the attack action, which is a distinct standard action. Spring attack lets you move your base speed, so the 40 feet in your example. You cannot use your pouncing ability to make a full attack when making a spring attack. If you use spring attack, you may move up to 40 feet total on your turn, make one attack, and then you can move again if you haven't used up all of your 40 feet movement.
Pounce lets you make a full attack at the end of a charge, which is a full-round action by itself. You cannot combine a charge and a spring attack.

Ok, I appreciate the answer. Thank you.

[Curmudgeon]

From the Special Edition Player's Handbook 3.5:
SPRING ATTACK

When using the attack action with a melee weapon, you can split your move action in that round in order to 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.

"The attack action" is a term that's used but never defined in the game, and there are several possibilities. For instance, if you had some way of getting an extra move action in a round, you could make a Spring Attack with a full attack action in the middle of your split move action. But you've still got to use some form of attack action, rather than a special full-round action like Charge. DeltaEmil is right; Spring Attack is useless for a charger.

[Spiryt]

Spring Attack is probably one of those feats that should be available just as Special Attack, due to beating some Tumble/Balance/Concentration/whatever check.

Just doesn't make sense to make moving around/footwork feat on it's own, especially if it's very underpowered one.