Ok, so how is this resolved? Does Furious Focus apply to all the attack roles when power attacking with Whirlwind Attack or is it just the first roll?
Why would it apply on multiple rolls? It explicitly only applies to the first attack, and it doesn't apply to any other source of multiple attacks (e.g. Haste).
Because while it is multiple rolls it's considered to be one attack.
Because while it is multiple rolls it's considered to be one attack.
I don't think so. Its still multiple attacks, albeit at your highest base attack bonus. Besides, you forfeit any bonus granted by other feats when you use Whirlwind. Would this not include Power Attack?
So then you still get the bonus damage from power attack, and furious focus isn't a bonus. Also its worded as one melee attack againgst any creatures within reach, using seperate attack rolls and using the highest base just as if attacking once or using Vital strike.
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Yar!
This is an issue of word emphasis when that sentence is read in your head or aloud, creating different meanings depending on where you apply the emphasis. There are two meanings for that sentence.
"...make one melee attack at your highest base attack bonus against each opponent within reach."
Could mean ONE attack that applies to multiple creatures, or
"...make one melee attack at your highest base attack bonus against each opponent within reach."
could mean each creature receives one attack (so if there are 5 targets, you make 5 attacks, 17 creatures = 17 attacks, etc).
Most people read it as the second, not the first. Hence the "Furious Focus can only apply to one of the targets in a whirlwind attack" instead of all of them.
~P
So you see that there could be two or more legitimate ways to read it, therefore if mine and I don't fall into the "most people" category, it's still a valid ruling. Wonder if this has been brought up before? I asked originally because I fashioned a Whirlwind Falchion, lunging crit specialist based very closely on a build by Mercurial, who I would hazard must have figured the PA and FF would apply to the WWA for maximum effect.
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Thematically: You make one attack against many targets.
Mechanically: You make many attacks against many targets.
Since the mechanical version is how it actually operates in the game, Furious Focus only applies to the first attack. If you made one attack roll for the whole ability, it would work, but you make a single attack roll for each opponent.
hmm, seems Barbarian with reckless abandon wins again then if that is the only way to ignore the penalty on every attack roll, everytime. Was just starting to like the Fighter again too.
However, I think because in 3rd or 3.5th ed it was one attack roll compared against the AC of any in reach, we are going to Houserule that FF would apply to all the rolls on WWA anyway, and if I eve used this character organized play I would of course submit gladly to whatever ruling that GM provided instead.
Seranov and James got it right: It really is only the first attack that FF counts for :-)
Generally deducing rules legality to D&D is not really helpful: Pathfinder really is its own game with its own rules and workings :-)
I think one of the feats in the Tiger Style lets you do the same thing, actually. But that's a pretty steep feat investment.
Not quite the same, Tiger Pounce just lets you apply the penalty to your AC instead of to-hit.
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I think one of the feats in the Tiger Style lets you do the same thing, actually. But that's a pretty steep feat investment.Not quite the same, Tiger Pounce just lets you apply the penalty to your AC instead of to-hit.
I might have read/misremembered something, then, but I thought Reckless Abandon applied the a penalty to AC while boosting to-hit, too? Which is effectively the same thing.
-e-
Reckless Abandon (Ex): While raging, the barbarian can take a –1 penalty to AC to gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls. The AC penalty increases by –1 and the attack roll bonus increases by +1 at 4th level and every four levels thereafter.
Yeah, it does the same thing, effectively, just not directly to the Power Attack penalty.
For comparison, Conundrum, look at this ability from the Mythic playtest:
Sweeping Strike (Su): Whenever you make a full-attack
action, you can decide to make only one attack roll and
apply the results of that roll to all enemies within your
reach. Roll damage only once, and apply it to all foes hit
by the attack. If the attack is a critical threat, choose only
one enemy to target with the critical threat. You must be
at least 6th tier before selecting this ability.
If Whirlwind Attack worked the way you think it does, this is how it would be written.
That is much better than the current whirlwind attack IMO.