Questions About Leap Attack and Remaining a Ranger

[Mars Ultor]

I was asked about this and I don't know the answer. A ranger who fights using a Longspear just got his feat for turning 6th level. He asked me about Leap Attack, but I'm not familiar with it from a play standpoint.

No alternate class features are allowed, only core classes, we are given, but can't purchase magic items. It's pretty much a core campaign, but the DM allows many feats and many spells. Not a particularly optimized group of players, but the druid and his animal are already the best fighters and the spell casters are beginning to dominate combat. (I'm a fighter/rogue that uses Tripping and Sneak Attacks to remain relevant. I didn't intend to be frontline fighter, but I'm one of only two non-spell casters and I have a magic breastplate.)

The ranger was actually a fighter for the first two levels, then became a ranger, so he has two additional feats. His current chosen feats are Power Attack, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Point Blank Range, and Improved Buckler Defense.

Is Leap Attack only useful the first round or do you have to jump around constantly to use this feat? Do you use it the first round, withdraw the second round, then leap forward again the third round? Giving up one round of (potential) damage and discarding your iterative attack seems a bit foolish to me. Does the extra damage make up for the other attacks?

If you kill your target, does the Leap Attack affect your damage for a Cleave attack?

How about Attacks of Opportunity? He Leaps Attacks, and hits a guy, then because he has reach gets an AoO on another target later that round. Does the Leap Attack feat modify this damage as well?


Also, on a separate issue, as I mentioned he was a fighter the first two levels and then another player's ranger character was killed. This player then choose to become a ranger for the next three levels. Since he has no Wisdom bonus and won't be able to cast spells, I suggested he go back to being a fighter, but he's unsure. He has a magic chain shirt and magic buckler so doesn't think he can work as a straight fighter. He likes the Favored Enemy damage bonus and can get an Animal Companion now, but I'm still wondering if he'd be better off going back to fighter rather than remain a ranger. I think he has 16s for Strength and Dexterity, but his Wisdom doesn't give him a bonus, and his Intelligence (+1 bonus) isn't high enough to take Combat Reflexes and associated future feats.


Staying within the confines I mentioned above (no ACF, no non-core classes, no chosen magic items), what's the best direction for his character? Any suggestions for a better feat or changing classes? I think he's happy with his character overall, but is starting to question his character's validity since the druid and his animal companion dominate in melee and use Scent to Track as well as he can.

[Gruftzwerg]

Taking sole Leap Attack is somewhat weak since you barely can use it more often the once in most combat situations (when the groups clash together) and maybe a 2nd time to reach the enemy ranged camp.

But.. if you build a more "complete" ubercharger things change. On high optimization ubercharger builds, people dip 1 lvl into Barb with ACF (which seem to not be allowed on your table) Pounce to make a full attack on a charge.
Further there are ways to get around the lack of mobility. Either a way to change directions while charging ( 2lvl dip into Drunken Master, and there is also a more limited feat and a skilltrick as weaker options) or other means of extra mobility (swift teleport item or travel devotion ability). E.G. for 1,400g he can get a Anklet of Translocation for 2 swift teleports (10ft.) per day. Get 2 of em and you have enough charges for most days/encounters.
And as last point, ubercharger stack charge related feats (like Leap Attack) for extra dmg (or Power Attack dmg in this chase) multipliers.

You just need to be aware of the optimization lvl of an ubercharger before deciding to let a player play one.
In overall optimization it is considered weak, since it only can solve combat encounters and even there it can be crippled with control spells to prevent him from taking any mayor actions. But some unexperienced DMs may have a hard time to counter his enormous burst and other players may feel weak in combat when an ubercharger start to one-shot (per single attack in a full attack routine) enemies in his ubercharges.

But outside of high optimized ubercharger builds, Leap Attack is just a random feat for random niche situations.

edit: your other questions:
Cleave does get all bonuses, incl. Leap Attack.
AoO don't profit form Leap Attack if I recall correct. But don't nail me on that. It's late and I'm half asleep atm..^^

[Nifft]

Spells like Lion's Charge (Ranger 2) and in Eberron Aspect of the Werebeast (Shifter-only, Ranger 4) can also give Pounce without needing any ACFs, but they don't last all day -- spending a 2nd level spell is a big deal, so the power boost seems in line.

Thus it's possible to very briefly get significant value from Leap Attack, but it's not going to happen all-day every-day unless you allow permanent passive Pounce.


For AoOs & Cleave attacks, I think those are not "part of the Charge" since they don't occur on your action (AoO) or since they don't affect the Charge target (Cleave), so you would not get the +2 to attack, nor any extra bonuses to damage.