Great Cleave

[Nerax]

I am not sure if great cleave has been talked about before as far a being weak as far a feats go. In my campains that I have run and played in it has only come up once to where a character was able to drop one foe, got extremely lucky with a critical and downed a 2nd foe. The character did not have the great cleave feat so was unable to go for a third foe but I still think that since 3rd edition come out and only seeing one instance where great cleave could be used, makes it a feat that needs some tweeking in my opinion. Here are my thoughts:

Great Cleave

Prerequisites: Power Attack and Cleave
Description: When ever you drop an apponent you get an additional attack against foes that are within your reach. This feat may be used unlimited times. This feat also expands your ability to cleave by allowing your character to make a 5' step to hit an apponent with his cleave attack. You may only move once during your cleave attempts. You still encure any attacks of opportunity caused by your 5' step.


I don't have the PHB with me so I am going off of memory. Any thoughts or concers that I my have missed with the changing of this feat. Has anyone else changed the way they use this feat. Thanks

Nerax

edit my spelling is bad

 

[Bront]

the 5 foot step is Grand Cleave, which was a class feature in one of the splat books in 3.0, and I think is a feat in 3.5 in one of the complete books.

 

[Brain]

the 5 foot step is Grand Cleave, which was a class feature in one of the splat books in 3.0, and I think is a feat in 3.5 in one of the complete books.

I think it was called supreme cleave.

 

[Ferret]

I once played a game, co-dmed by the only pc. He was a Half-orc barbarian, he dropped two giant skeletons at level one. That was so cool.

I'm not going to get into the abuse side, but it might be a bit rare to be useful, maybe if it was added at a later BAB? Like a double feat. Thats got to have been done before.

 

[Caeleddin]

The 3.5 Great Cleave has got the 5ft step. It means if you run into a mob of commoners, your level whatever Fighter can kill them all with a single Charge (as long as you don't roll a 1), no matter how many they are. Worse if your Fighter is an Ogre with reach and a nasty streak a mile wide.

 

[coyote6]

GREAT CLEAVE [GENERAL]

Prerequisites: Str 13, Cleave, Power Attack, base attack bonus +4.

Benefit: This feat works like Cleave, except that there is no limit to the number of times you can use it per round.

I don't see where it has the 5 foot step ability. I think there might be a feat (an epic feat, maybe?) that gives the Supreme Cleave schtick, and I'm pretty sure there are still some classes that give the ability. But Great Cleave 3.5e looks to be the same as Great Cleave 3.0e

 

[Caeleddin]

Hmm.... You are right. Wierd. My group has always played it as having a 5ft step.....


I stand corrected.

 

[the Jester]

The key to making Great Cleave useful is mooks.

 

[hazardjsimpson]

Great Cleave and You

Our group actually found that Great Cleave is very sweet, and really has 2 applications AFAIK.

The first is as a single-person tactic, which you just cleave your way thru whatever as per the feat. This is great for mooks, crowds of commoners, goblins, etc. The Dwarf I run in one game was nicknamed 'Blender' by the other players because I Great Cleaved 6 gobbos in one round of Waraxe Love. (I forget what level PC, but it was early on.)

The second is group tactic. In the other session I play in, I'm the archer in the group, and we have a Tank who is a 2-Dwarf Waraxe wielding machine... So I can weaken opponents who are close to the upfont tank, allowing him to hit and begin the Cleave on already weakened opponents.

Combine with Ranged Disarm to knock weapons out of the fool's hands who are standing next to the Dwarf....

"Go on laddie... Reach for it!"

FYI: Because of this and other reasons, we HR'd Great Cleave as Follows:

GREAT CLEAVE [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Str 15, Cleave, Power Attack, base attack bonus +4.

Benefit: This feat works like Cleave, except you gain a number of additional Cleave attempts equal to your Strength Bonus. You may take a 5' step anywhere before, after, or in between any on those attacks as long as you are legally able to still take a 5' step this round.

Special: A fighter may select Great Cleave as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Hope that helps.
-Hazard

 

[drgonlovr2]

I don't see where it has the 5 foot step ability. I think there might be a feat (an epic feat, maybe?) that gives the Supreme Cleave schtick, and I'm pretty sure there are still some classes that give the ability. But Great Cleave 3.5e looks to be the same as Great Cleave 3.0e

It is kind of implied. The cleave feat says you may not take the 5-foot step, and Great Cleave doesn't. It is really up to the DM, you know?