When can you use Vital Strike, and are there any exceptions to the rule? Can you use Vital Strike with an attack of opportunity? What about when you are under the influence of a Haste spell? I'd really welcome some feedback on this, especially from anyone who helped write the rules (i.e. Paizo employees) though all related comments are welcome.
Here's what we know, per RAW (rules as written):
Vital Strike (Combat)
You make a single attack that deals significantly more damage than normal.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together, but do not multiply damage bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), or precision-based damage (such as sneak attack). This bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit (although other damage bonuses are multiplied normally).
Attacks of Opportunity
Sometimes a combatant in a melee lets her guard down or takes a reckless action. In this case, combatants near her can take advantage of her lapse in defense to attack her for free. These free attacks are called attacks of opportunity.
Provoking an Attack of Opportunity: Two kinds of actions can provoke attacks of opportunity: moving out of a threatened square and performing certain actions within a threatened square.
Making an Attack of Opportunity: An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and most characters can only make one per round. You don't have to make an attack of opportunity if you don't want to. You make your attack of opportunity at your normal attack bonus, even if you've already attacked in the round.
An attack of opportunity “interrupts” the normal flow of actions in the round. If an attack of opportunity is provoked, immediately resolve the attack of opportunity, then continue with the next character's turn (or complete the current turn, if the attack of opportunity was provoked in the midst of a character's turn).
Combat Reflexes and Additional Attacks of Opportunity: If you have the Combat Reflexes feat, you can add your Dexterity modifier to the number of attacks of opportunity you can make in a round. This feat does not let you make more than one attack for a given opportunity, but if the same opponent provokes two attacks of opportunity from you, you could make two separate attacks of opportunity (since each one represents a different opportunity). Moving out of more than one square threatened by the same opponent in the same round doesn't count as more than one opportunity for that opponent. All these attacks are at your full normal attack bonus.
Vital Strike requires an Attack Action, which is listed as a type of Standard Action. There are a few question in the Faq found Here...
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Vital Strike can only be used as an attack action, which is a standard action.
Since we know it uses a standard action, we also know that it can't be used with iterative attacks, extra attacks granted by spells or abilities *since it requires a full attack action to take more than one attack during your turn*.
We also know it can't be used with attacks of opportunity, since an attack of opportunity is a melee attack, not a standard action *which would then allow you to use a standard action feat*.
The important thing to note is that vital strike requires a standard action to use, while an attack of opportunity is an attack action. If the aoo was listed instead as a standard action, then you would be able to use vital strike, but the focus of an aoo is too specialized.
Or, in other words, you can use a standard action to activate a feat. You can't activate a feat with an attack action, since that's a specific type of standard action.
You can see the different actions in combat on page 183.
Vital Strike can only be used as an attack action, which is a standard action.
Since we know it uses a standard action, we also know that it can't be used with iterative attacks, extra attacks granted by spells or abilities *since it requires a full attack action to take more than one attack during your turn*.
We also know it can't be used with attacks of opportunity, since an attack of opportunity is a melee attack, not a standard action *which would then allow you to use a standard action feat*.
The important thing to note is that vital strike requires a standard action to use, while an attack of opportunity is an attack action. If the aoo was listed instead as a standard action, then you would be able to use vital strike, but the focus of an aoo is too specialized.
Or, in other words, you can use a standard action to activate a feat. You can't activate a feat with an attack action, since that's a specific type of standard action.
You can see the different actions in combat on page 183.
Thanks, I think that clears it up considerably... also thanks to Abcimab for pointing out the FAQ in that link, that's some good reading! I appreciate it.
No trouble at all. I agree it's a handy reference site, putting all the "Official" (and a few unofficial, but reasonable) replies in one, easy to reference spot.