Cleaving Combat Maneuvers?

[Jiggy]

Does Cleave work with combat maneuvers that replace melee attacks, such as trip and disarm? More specifically, can the first attack of a cleave be a trip/disarm, and upon its success, can I attack/trip/disarm the next enemy? Or does the first swing have to be a normal attack in order to trigger a new attack? I ask because the feat description says the extra attack is contingent upon "hitting" the first target, and I don't know if a successful disarm/trip is considered "hitting".

[Happler]

Jiggy wrote:

Does Cleave work with combat maneuvers that replace melee attacks, such as trip and disarm? More specifically, can the first attack of a cleave be a trip/disarm, and upon its success, can I attack/trip/disarm the next enemy? Or does the first swing have to be a normal attack in order to trigger a new attack? I ask because the feat description says the extra attack is contingent upon "hitting" the first target, and I don't know if a successful disarm/trip is considered "hitting".

You know, as a GM I would allow this, just for the visual (If you succeed). The idea of something like a spinning leg sweep to knock down more then one person is great in my head.

Also, from reading everything, I see no RAW problem with it either.

[Jiggy]

The visual gets even more interesting if you use Great Cleave for Trip --> Disarm --> Damage or some other variation.

[akaitachi]

Wow, never thought of applying this- in 3.5 I believe you had to down an enemy so this wouldn't really be applicable. However as Cleave refers to a "hit" and CMBs take all of your attack roll bonuses, I imagine this would work... Which does make for some interesting visuals, and great maneuvers in combat (which I don't see enough from in my group because they like cleaves and special attacks...)

[Kaiyanwang]

A trip attack is an attack. The first and second attack of a cleave can be in this case

a) 2 trip attaempts

b) a trip and a normal attack

c) a normal attack and a trip

d) 2 normal attack.

[The black raven]

Kaiyanwang wrote:

A trip attack is an attack. The first and second attack of a cleave can be in this case

a) 2 trip attaempts

b) a trip and a normal attack

c) a normal attack and a trip

d) 2 normal attack.

What Kaiyanwang said, and it works with (and only with) combat maneuvers that can be made in place of a melee attack (ie Disarm and Trip).

It does not work with maneuvers such as Sunder that are performed as part of an attack action (which is a type of standard action and thus not compatible with Cleave).