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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 234050" data-attributes="member: 996">I'm glad you brought that up.  Even though I proposed the idea, I agree, that's a problem with it.Because AoOs are provoked between your actions, the exact timing is less important.  You can't do anything between cleave attempts, so it's critical that you use the cleave immediately when you cleave on your action.  You can't do anything beyond taking AoOs between actions, so the exact timing shouldn't be a problem.Now, a lot of DMs seem to move bunches of enemies on the same initiative,  ("the three orcs charge you!") even though that's not exactly how the rules work, because it's easier.  If you do that, you probably won't run into the problem too often, and, when you do, you might just as soon rule that you can't cleave into someone from one AoO because, later in the round, they provoke an AoO for a different reason...  If you are going with the standard initiative order (no 'simultaneous' actions), the simplest way to hand Cleaving off an AoO is to give the character with Cleave his AoO back.  Normally, you can take one AoO.  If you have Cleave and drop someone with an AoO, you don't 'use up' that one AoO.  (I know: what about 'Combat Reflexes?' - well, cleave or great cleave still require you drop the other guy, which limits how often it'll come up, and Combat Reflexes also lets you take AoOs when flatfooted, so I don't think the ruling would obviate that feat).Again, this is going with the idea of Cleave making the prior attack free, rather than giving you a free attack, but, in that context, it seems to me sensible and not particularly complicated.</blockquote>

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