I explain what I am doing, and why, in the first article in this series, here.

Links to all my Starfinder First Edition Combat Tricks can be found, along with links to many other Starfinder entries, at the Paying-Patreon Exclusive Starfinder First Edition Index. Paying Patrons can also go here, where all the Starfinder Combat Tricks to-date are compiled into a single article.

Combat Tricks

Combat tricks are special abilities you gain with the Combat Stamina feat that allow you to spend Stamina Points or Vitality Points to modify how a feat works or gain a special benefit. Below are the Combat Tricks for the next 21 combat feats in Starfinder First Edition's core rulebook.

Combat Trick Use Costs

We introduce a new Combat Trick cost in these Combat Tricks, "none." You don't have to expend Stamina Points to use these Combat Tricks, but they do have some other requirement (such as not being out of Stamina Points). You must meet this requirement and cannot use the Combat Trick without doing so, not even by expending a Vitality Point.

Combat Tricks By Feat

Obviously, in the long run you'd want nearly all combat feats to have associated Combat Tricks, but let's start with the combat feats in the core rulebook. Here are the Combat Tricks for the second set of 21 non-proficiency combat feats from that book.

Improved SidestepCombat Trick (Cost--None): As long as you have at least 1 Stamina Point, you can perform this trick to use the Improved Sidestep feat as a free action that you can take during your opponent’s turn.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a free action (rather than as part of an attack).

Improved Stand StillCombat Trick (Cost--Moderate): If you succeed at the attack roll to use Stand Still, you can perform this Combat Trick so that on its next turn the target's movement rates are halved and it is unable to take a guarded step on its next turn.

Improved Unarmed StrikeCombat Trick (Cost--Moderate): Perform this trick to increase the damage dealt by a single unarmed strike by a value equal to half your base attack bonus.

In Harm's WayCombat Trick (Cost--Low): Perform this trick to reduce the damage from the intercepted attack by an amount equal to your base attack bonus. This does not alter other effects from that attack (such as bleed, poison, etc.), even if the damage is reduced to 0.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a free action whe you use In Harm's Way (rather than as part of an attack).

Kip UpCombat trick (Cost--Low) Once per round you can perform this trick to use Kip Up as a free action.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a free action (rather than as part of an attack).

LungeCombat Trick (Cost--Low): Perform this trick to not take the -2 penalty to your AC for using the Lunge feat.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a free action when you use Lunge (rather than as part of an attack).

MobilityCombat Trick (Cost--Low): Perform this trick as a free action to double the AC bonus granted by the Mobility feat until the start of your next turn.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a free action (rather than as part of an attack).

Multi-Weapon Fighting(Cost--Moderate): Perform this trick to reduce the penalty to attacks made with Multi-Weapon Fighting by an additional 1.

Mystic Strike(Cost--Low): Perform this trick as a swift action to target a creature you hit with a melee or ranged attack with a 0-level spell you know, regardless of range, as long as the creature is otherwise a legal target of the spell.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a swift action (rather than as part of an attack).

Nimble Moves(Cost--Low): You perform this trick as part of movement, so until the beginning of your next turn you can move through an unlimited distance of difficult terrain this round as if it were normal terrain.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of movement (rather than as part of an attack).

Opening Volley(Cost--Moderate): Perform this trick to double this feat's bonus to your next melee attack roll against the opponent before the end of your next turn.

Parting Shot(Cost--High): Perform this trick to use this feat additional times before you Recuperate*.

Penetrating Shot(Cost--Moderate): Perform this trick to add your base attack bonus to the amount you reduce a target's energy resistances and damage reduction for one weapon attack.

Pull the Pin(Cost--High): Perform this Combat Trick to gain a +4 bonus to the attack roll required to use the Pull the Pin feat.

Quick Draw(Cost: None): As long as you have at least 1 Stamina Point, you can perform this tyrick to sheathe a weapon as a swift action.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part a swift action (rather than as part of an attack).

Reflect Projectiles(Cost--Moderate): Perform this Combat Trick to not take a -4 penalty on the attack roll to use this feat.

Shot on the RunCombat Trick (Cost--High): Perform this Combat Trick to use this feat as a standard action instead of a full-round action.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of a standard action (rather than as part of an attack).

(A soldier prepares to run from cover to cover, making a Shot on the Run attack as she does so. Art by warmtail.)

SidestepCombat Trick (Cost--Low): When this feat lets you move, you can perfrom this trick to move 10 feet instead of 5. You must still remain in your opponent’s threatened area. You still lose your guarded step or 5 feet of movement on your next turn—the movement lost doesn’t increase to 10 feet.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of the movement of Sidestep (rather than as part of an attack).

Stand StillCombat Trick (Cost--Moderate): Perfrom this trick to gain a +4 bonus on the attack roll to use the Stand Still feat.

Slippery ShooterCombat Trick (Cost--High): Perform this Combat Trick to double the AC bonus granted by this feat.

Spring AttackCombat Trick (Cost--High): Perform this Combat Trick to use this feat as a standard action instead of a full-round action.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of a standard action (rather than as part of an attack).

*Recuperate is my game term to describe when a character takes a 10-minute rest and expends a Resolve Point to regain Stamina Points. You can recuperate even if you don’t need to recover Stamina Points, but it still takes 10 minutes and costs 1 Resolve Point.

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