Spring Attack and maneuvers

[Flawless]

Well, I've got a question: Can you initiate a strike with a standard action and use spring attack?

Thanks in advance.

[That Lanky Bugger]

That's the entire point of the feat. Quoth the SRD:

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.

This means you can move 5 feet, attack, and then move 25 feet. Due to the nature of Spring Attack, you are in fact required to use a standard action to attack because a full attack action doesn't allow you to move the minimum required 10 feet.

You don't need the feat just to attack and THEN move, however.

[Flawless]

Well it says that you have to use the attack action. And I was wondering whether initiating a maneuver counts as an attack action for that purpose. Using a full-round action is of course not possible as you can't move more than 5ft.

[TheOOB]

You cannot initiate a strike while using spring attack. Spring attack can only be used with the attack action, and an attack action is simply a normal melee or ranged attack made with a standard action.

Attack Action

Now, most strikes require a standard action to use, and many of them include an attack as part of the strike, but initiating a strike isn't an attack action.

EDIT: I think the reason for confusion is that some people confuse the term "Attack Action" with the term "Standard Action", especially since in some d20 systems (most notably d20 modern) a standard action is called an attack action.

In D&D an attack action is a standard action that allows you to make a single attack, be it unarmed, with a melee or ranged weapon, or a naturall attack (or in some cases multiple natural attacks as is the case with hydras). When something, such as spring attack, refers to an attack action in D&D, then mean the action that allows you to make a single attack, and not any standard action.

Just a quick note though, spring attack is used as part of the attack action, it takes no action in and of itself. If you attack with spring attack you still have a move action left.

[Thomas]

You can't take a standard action with Spring Attack; you must make an attack. The difference to Flyby Attack is specifically that Flyby Attack lets a flier take a standard action (so a dragon can fly out from cover, cast a spell, and fly behind another cover).

[Quirinus_Obsidian]

I understand the rulings as they are in the SRD, the text is correct in what it says...but... I would go against the SRD here... I would rule that a character with martial adept levels (Crusader, Swordsage, Warblade, specifically [not from the feat or the PrC's]) at a high enough level AFTER getting Spring attack (at least 2-5 levels afterwards, depending on when he/she gets Spring Attack) would have had enough practice with the feat and martial maneuvers to use the maneuver with the "attack action" as stated in Spring attack ONLY, not other feats.