Altamont Revenard said:
(I'm assuming that no FAQ entry has given a clear definition of what "dropping" someone means)
Hypersmurf said:
About the only consistent clarification is that "Tripping doesn't count".
As far as I'm aware, everything else is still up for debate
-Hyp.
Like, say, picking somebody up and dropping them? Like, say I'm carrying a halfling, and he's my enemy, I can drop him and get a free melee attack too?
"Dropped" really needs to be defined better. There are two interpretations, one or both of which might be valid.
First "Dropping" is something that is
done to others, whereby "Dropped" would be the past tense of the verb "To Drop." You could point at the dead orc next to you and say, "I dropped that orc."
Second, "Dropped" could be an adjective describing a person/creature to whom the action-verb has already been applied. You can point at a person on the ground and say "That person is dropped." It is a description of a current condition.
I would rule (YMMV) that both definitions apply to the cleave feat. Once you "drop" somebody, they are considered "dropped." I would also rule that being "dropped" involves a tranfer of position from being standing or upright to being prone on the ground. Therefore, if somebody is already prone on the ground, the "drop" condition cannot be applied to them, and cleave cannot function, whether you CDG or make a normal melee attack. If, however, they are helpless in a standing position (i.e.,
Held), then a CDG (and possibly a regular attack) has a potential for completing the "dropped" condition, and therefore you can cleave.
And in other news...
Hyp, you're getting very fond of the "flavor text" argument. Unfortunately, I can find nowhere in the book where it defines the term "flavor text" (or "D&Dese" for that matter) or in any way indicates that some paragraphs have more rules-clout than others. I don't suppose you can provide a page number?
(damn, we are geeks. I just wasted 10 minutes of work time typing this post. And I had fun doing it.)