we allow it...melee needs as much help as they can get
under the combat section it clearly indicates under the special attacks section, that attacks made as either a full-attack action or standard attack action are attack action while all other attacks such as attacks of opportunity are just attacks.
This is not true.
In the combat chapter, Special Attacks encompasses Aid Another, Charge, Combat Maneuvers, Feint, Mounted Combat, Throw Splash Weapon, and Two-Weapon Fighting. The next section is Special Initiative Actions.
In the entirety of the text under Special Attacks, the phrase "attack action" occurs twice.
Performing a Combat Maneuver: "While many combat maneuvers can be performed as part of an attack action, full-attack action, or attack of opportunity (in place of a melee attack), others require a specific action."
Sunder: "You can attempt to sunder an item held or worn by your opponent as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack."
Thus, what you wrote is incorrect. The rules do not say that a full-attack is an attack action. It is specifically not an attack action, by the very rules you just cited.
However some actions do specifically call for a standard action such as cleave or grappling, those actions cannot be combined with actions that specify attack action since you are committing to an standard action not an attack action.
This is correct.
If you use your standard action to cleave, you cannot also use your standard action to perform the attack action.
If you use your standard action to perform the attack action, you cannot also use your standard action to cleave, nor to cast Fireball, nor to drink a potion.
If you do use your standard action to perform the attack action, you can apply anything that specifically applies to the attack action, such as combining Vital Strike with Overhand Chop.
If you intend to maintain that vital strike is a standard action and not the attack action as originally printed you should update the wording to match.
This is not what Jason is saying.
To use vital strike, you must use the attack action.
The attack action is a standard action.
Thus, if you are not using a standard action to perform the attack action, you cannot use Vital Strike.
Because the word full in full-attack action after reading the text is merely an adjective that indicates you cannot use a move action as well.
This is incorrect.
The Full Attack action is a specfic Full-Round Action.
What is with this rash of necroing 2 or 3 year old threads to tell the devs they got it wrong?
Is there anything that stacks with Vital Strike? Excluding non-actions like Power Attack, Point Blank Shot, etc. I'm looking for anything that also affects the "Attack action" so that you can use it under the same set of circumstances as Vital Strike and at the same time.
Because if there isn't anything which stacks, then I agree that it should just be errated to say "Standard attack" already, and clear up years worth of confusion.
Is there anything that stacks with Vital Strike?
Death or Glory doesn't use the attack action, it's a full-round action. It just specifically says you can use the benefit of the vital strike chain.
Other attack actions that don't work with Vital Strike:
Actively using Gaze
Sunder (Uses the attack action, but replaces the attack, so doesn't stack with anything else)
What is with this rash of necroing 2 or 3 year old threads to tell the devs they got it wrong?
Given the (very few) number of posts that JB has made re: rules issues, that he has made some re: Vital Strike/Attack Action tells me he thought the issue was important... Yet it never made it into any FAQ. So anybody who isn't aware of his posts on the subject is in the exact state of ignorance that JB tried to fix with his messageboard posts on the subject.
Given that the rules themself mix up the distinction between attack roll/ attack action (given how they place all the ranged/crit/nat attack rules under attack actino itself), I am not going to criticize somebody for not thinking it is clear. Saying that you should hew tight to the RAW in one case, but fudge the RAW in another 'just because' doesn't really hold water...
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I'm trying to sort through this and haven't seen it specifically mentioned how Vital Strike and the secondary attack granted with a BaB of +6 interact. Is the secondary attack granted by a +6 BaB when using a full-attack action still applicable after dealing a Vital Strike? So far, the opinions I've run into say yes, but I'm not so sure.
No. The current understanding of the rules are that you only gain the benefits of the Vital Strike feat chain when using the Standard Action called Attack (otherwise known as "the attack action" or "an attack action" (though there is some dispute on this second use)). Thus it cannot be used in any round during which iterative attacks are made, because they require the use of the Full-round action called Full-Attack.
I have a Vital Strike question that I can't find an answer to, and would love an answer from a Dev. (so if there is a link, I would love to see the link)
Premise:
While riding a mount, you can make a DC 5 Ride check as a free action to control your mount. Your mount moves on your initiative. If you make the free action to control your mount, to have your mount charge an opponent, you still have a swift, immediate, free (always), move action, and a standard action. This is assuming that the mount has combat training.
Attack action is a standard action.
Under mounted combat:
"Combat while Mounted
With a DC 5 Ride check, you can guide your mount with your knees so as to use both hands to attack or defend yourself. This is a free action.
When you attack a creature smaller than your mount that is on foot, you get the +1 bonus on melee attacks for being on higher ground. If your mount moves more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Essentially, you have to wait until the mount gets to your enemy before attacking, so you can't make a full attack. Even at your mount's full speed, you don't take any penalty on melee attacks while mounted.
If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge).
You can use ranged weapons while your mount is taking a double move, but at a –4 penalty on the attack roll. You can use ranged weapons while your mount is running (quadruple speed) at a –8 penalty. In either case, you make the attack roll when your mount has completed half its movement. You can make a full attack with a ranged weapon while your mount is moving. Likewise, you can take move actions normally."
So since you are allowed to take one single melee attack, is this an Attack Action, like used in Vital Strike?
Thoughts: If you have a combat trained mount you can use Vital Strike with an Attack Action as your standard action, since it isn't the player charging, but the mount. Controlling a combat trained mount is only a Free Action, and even though you are not using a full-round action to Charge, your mount is. Leaving you free to choose which standard action you want to use.
Summary:
First Question:
Using a free action to control a mount with combat training, the rider can use Vital Strike while mounted as their Attack Action (Standard Action)?
Second Question:
Also under mounted combat it states that you receive the bonus gained from the charge. Meaning you would get +2 on attack rolls, and if using a lance double damage.
maybe not charge, but you could certainly have your mount walk up to the enemy and then use your standard to hit with a Vital Strike.
but if you're roundabout-asking if you can combine Vital Strike with Mounted Charge/Spirited Charge then no, you can not do that.