Swift Action and Cleave?

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Can you take a swift action in between the attack that generates a Cleave and the Cleave itself?

 

[Darklone]

I wouldn't allow it as a DM, but you probably should be able to.

 

[frankthedm]

I wouldn't allow it as a DM, but you probably should be able to.

Same here.

 

[billd91]

By the RAW, I would say no. The text of cleave says it's an immediate extra melee attack. I would say there's no room in there for any other sort of action.

 

[Musrum]

I would say yes.

Benefit

If you deal a creature enough damage to make it drop (typically by dropping it to below 0 hit points or killing it), you get an immediate, extra melee attack against another creature within reach. You cannot take a 5-foot step before making this extra attack. The extra attack is with the same weapon and at the same bonus as the attack that dropped the previous creature. You can use this ability once per round.

Would you allow your player's character to shout a victory cry after downing one foe, but before the cleave?

If you allow a Free Action then to be consistent you must also allow a Swift Action (which is just a Free Action that can be performed once a round).

 

[Elephant]

IRT Musrum:

No. The way I picture Cleave is that, as you strike down the first foe, you've lined up the strike so that you not only dismember him/completely skewer him, you also hit the guy next to him (if you lined them up well).

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

IRT Musrum:

No. The way I picture Cleave is that, as you strike down the first foe, you've lined up the strike so that you not only dismember him/completely skewer him, you also hit the guy next to him (if you lined them up well).

... even if they're 20 feet apart.

 

[starwed]

I'd be inclined to allow an immediate action but not a swift action.

@Mustrum: Note that although speaking is a free action, you can also use it on others turns, so it's "more free" than a swift action is; closer, in fact, to an immediate action.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I'd be inclined to allow an immediate action but not a swift action.

I was thinking along the same lines, but if the extra attack from Cleave is also considered to be an immediate action (the feat grants an "immediate" extra melee attack), then the user would be limited to just one per round, no?

It may be really splitting hairs, but if the word "extra" was before the "immediate" in the feat description, then I could see interpreting as an extra/free immediate attack. But the "extra" comes after the "immediate," indicating that you're getting an extra melee attack (not an extra immediate melee attack).

 

[Nail]

It may be really splitting hairs, but if the word "extra" was before the "immediate" in the feat description, then I could see interpreting as an extra/free immediate attack. But the "extra" comes after the "immediate," indicating that you're getting an extra melee attack (not an extra immediate melee attack).

Right.

It's not an immediate action. It happens immediately. These are different.

That said, it would be fine to allow an immediate action before the cleave attack is resolved, as immediate actions "can be performed at any time". Presumably, this immediate action could even be one taken by the creature doing the cleave attack.