Better Acrobatics-Based Feats for Pathfinder 1st edition (Part Three) (Patreon)

Here are the last of the 'Better Acrobatics-Based Feats' for Pathfinder 1e. It builds off the articles 'Better Acrobatics-Based Feats for Pathfinder 1st edition (Part One)' and 'Better Acrobatics-Based Feats for Pathfinder 1st edition (Part Two).'

As always, paying Patrons can find an up-to-date compilation of the 'Better Skill Feat' articles, and all the feats therefrom, here.

Having done a full pass through Acrobatic Skill feats (as I define them), now is a GREAT time to let me know if you'd like to see more weekly Better Skill Feats articles (moving on to Appraise) for my Pathfinder 1e free content, or if you'd prefer something else. I'm going to do a different PF1 article next week, just to show a range of options, so think about it and let me know!

Here are my design notes for the more complex or unusual decisions I made compiling feats for this article.

Nimble Warrior: There's a bunch of ways to mitigate the risk of provoking at Attack of Opportunity for moving or spellcasting or making a ranged attack... but what about for taking a potion out of your pack? Creating that missing feat benefit for characters that need it provides a good umbrella for adding other more situational feats that normally have a much bigger investment. With this redesign, anyone who wants those more advanced options can get a basic feat advantage early, and build up to move specialized benefits as they grow.

Spider Step: This feat was almost worth it, so I just revised it slightly. Now anyone with a ki pool can get it, you can move up to slow fall (rather than half), and it works anytime you are using your land speed instead of requiring its own move action (so you can use it with a Charge, or Spring Attack, or Withdrawal, and so on). This makes this a more available, more flexible feat that's worth a feat slot even at mid or upper levels.

THE FEATS

Nimble Warrior (Combat)Your adroit training allows you to pull off surprising movements in combat.Prerequisites: Acrobatic, base attack bonus +1Benefit: You gain a +4 AC bonus against attacks of opportunity provoked by any action other than leaving a threatened square, spellcasting, or making a ranged attack. You may gain one or more additional bonuses or options if you meet the additional prerequisites listed in parenthesis.

(Dex 13 and one of the following class features: deeds, grit, Investigator talent, martial flexibility, ninja trick, slayer talent, talent, vigilante talent, or weapon training) When you have a hand free, you can use a swift action to retrieve a single unattended item or weapon that weighs 10 pounds or less from the ground, either in your square or in any adjacent square not occupied or threatened by an enemy. When you kick up a weapon and attempt a feint before the end of your turn, you receive a +2 circumstance bonus on the feint attempt.

(Dex 15, Combat Expertise) You can use Acrobatics instead of Bluff to feint in combat. For any feat that applies to feinting and has a minimum number of Bluffs as a prerequisite, you can instead qualify by having at least that many ranks of Acrobatics.

(Evasion, improved evasion, Acrobatics 12 ranks) When you successfully use improved evasion to avoid taking damage, you can move up to half your speed as an immediate action. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.

(Lightning reflexes, evasion class feature) When you succeed at a Reflex save against a spell or effect that affects an area, as an immediate action you can attempt an Acrobatics check to jump out of the effect’s area. You must move to the nearest space you can see outside of the affected area. The DC for this Acrobatics check is equal to the number of feet you must move to escape the area, and you can’t travel farther than your normal movement. If you use this feat, you are staggered on your next turn. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity from creatures in the area of the effect you are escaping.

(Lunge) As a standard action, you can use the Lunge feat to increase the reach of your melee attacks by 5 feet until the end of your turn, without suffering a penalty to your AC. You cannot use this feat if you carry a medium or heavy load.

Special: This feat replaces the feats Cartwheel Dodge, Kick Up, Leaping Evasion, Monkey Lunge, and Slayer's Feint and counts in place of any of those feats for purposes of meeting prerequisites.

(Different orders of monks have different names for Spider Step, such as Crane Stride. Art by Николай Акатов)

Spider StepYour physical mastery grants you an impossible stride.Prerequisites: Acrobatics 6 ranks, Climb 6 ranks, ki pool.Benefit: When moving using your land speed, as long as you have at least 1 ki point in your ki pool you can move up to your slow fall distance across a wall or ceiling or across ropes, branches, or even water or other surfaces that cannot support your weight. You cannot move further than your speed. You must reach a solid, level surface by the end of your turn or you will fall.