Power Attack and Charge?

[Garnfellow]

Can you use Power Attack with the charge action?

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Yes. The Power Attack feat simply lets you reduce your melee attack roll by a certain amount and add the equivalent in damage (or twice the equivalent when wielding a two-handed weapon). Since you do make a melee attack at the end of a charge, you may use the Power Attack feat with that particular attack.

AR

 

[Hypersmurf]

Yup. You can even use Power Attack in a round where you don't attack at all... the only requirement is that you make the decision before you make any attack rolls for the round.

For example, you could use Power Attack to subtract 2 from all your attack rolls and add 2 to all your damage rolls for the round... and then take a full-round action to lock your longsword into a locked gauntlet. The Power Attack won't have any effect that round unless you make an AoO. But that doesn't mean you can't do it.

Contrast this with Combat Expertise, which can only be used when you take the Attack action or Full Attack action. In other words, you can't use Combat Expertise with a Charge.

-Hyp.

 

[Garnfellow]

Excellent. Thanks, friends!

 

[diaglo]

but remember the power attack is BAB only.

you can't take the 2 points you gain from charge and apply those to damage.
unless you have some house ruled feat that says otherwise.

 

[Thanee]

Contrast this with Combat Expertise, which can only be used when you take the Attack action or Full Attack action. In other words, you can't use Combat Expertise with a Charge.

That would be a pretty careful charge, if it were possible...

Bye
Thanee

 

[diaglo]

That would be a pretty careful charge, if it were possible...

Bye
Thanee

so does the same apply to attacking defensively.

i charge defensively???

 

[Thanee]

It's called attacking defensively for a reason...

Actually, it is called fighting defensively, but that is an attack action sub-type, anyways, so cannot be combined with a charge.

Bye
Thanee