cleave and improved trip

[target]

I'm wondering about the interaction of cleave and improved trip. Specifically, if I cleave, I can use the free attack to trip another target. If the trip succeeds, do I get the free attack on the now prone person? Inquiring minds want to know.

I'm sure this has been asked and answered, but I poked around and didn't see a relevant thread. My apologies if this is redundant.

- target

 

[RigaMortus]

I don't think you can use the free attack from Cleave as a Trip attempt as you have to use the same weapon for the Cleave as you did from the original attack. Unless you have a weapon specifically designed for Tripping (ie Whip or Spiked Chain). Trip is an unarmed attack (which provokes an AoO). So if you dropped your opponent using an unarmed attack, I suppose this would work as well. But you couldn't say, kill someone with a Longsword, then Cleave/Trip them.

And before you or anyone else asks, Tripping someone does not constitute as "dropping" them. So you can't Trip, then Cleave. Not to mention, you have to do enough damage to drop them, and the act of Tripping doesn't do damage.

 

[Kabol]

If the weapon you used to kill the first mob allows you to trip, then yes you can make a trip attempt. Since triping as an attack action I dont see why you would not be able to. You can Trip on a AoO, i say you can trip on a cleave.

 

[target]

Ok, cool. I agree with that.

What I was really wondering, though, is if I get the free attack off of improved trip in this case. Is there a rule against chaining free attacks, or is that just been fixed with regard to whirlwind?

- target

 

[Scion]

SRD:
IMPROVED TRIP [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent.
If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt.

Do you mean tripping, getting your bonus attack and tripping someone else with it? Wont work, you use the attack only against that opponent

 

[target]

It sounds like there aren't any issues. What I wanted was to kill something, cleave, use the cleave attack to trip, win the trip, and get a free attack on the now prone person. I just wanted to make sure that there aren't any problems with that chain of events, aside from the inevitable failing of a roll someplace.

- target

 

[Nail]

That looks fine.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I think he means tripping, taking the free attack, dropping the foe he just tripped, cleaving into another foe and using the weapon to trip that other foe and then taking the free Improved Trip attack after the free Cleave trip attempt is successful.

If that's what he means, I think the answer is "yes" (though if you're able to drop the first foe with a single swing, all of the tripping dramatically decreases your chance of actually damaging the second foe-- assume 90% chance of hitting with the touch attack +70% chance of succeeding at the trip+90% chance of hitting the prone foe+90% chance of hitting the second foe with a touch attack +70% chance of succeeding at tripping the second foe+90% chance of hitting the prone foe= about 32% chance (36% chance if you give the touch attack a 95% chance of success) of pulling all that off vs. 70% chance of hitting the first foe+70% chance of hitting the second foe=49% chance of damaging both foes without trip).

SRD:
IMPROVED TRIP [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Int 13, Combat Expertise.
Benefit: You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when you attempt to trip an opponent while you are unarmed. You also gain a +4 bonus on your Strength check to trip your opponent.
If you trip an opponent in melee combat, you immediately get a melee attack against that opponent as if you hadn’t used your attack for the trip attempt.

Do you mean tripping, getting your bonus attack and tripping someone else with it? Wont work, you use the attack only against that opponent

 

[Otterscrubber]

This may be technically correct but seems way cheesy IMHO.

 

[Scion]

If he does mean: trip, attack that drops tripped guy, trip the next person etc.. then he might as well just attack and forget all of the tripping