I don't really follow what you're trying to do.
A) Cast quickened Mirror Strike
B) Standard action great cleave
B1) First attack roll: compare to the AC of two opponents within your reach. Lets say you hit both. Roll damage, and apply half to each.
B2) since you hit, Great Cleave triggers, and you can make another attack roll against a foe that is adjacent to the previous foe and also within reach, and so on.
The only thing I see happening is splitting your damage on the first attack. You would not trigger two 'cleaves' from mirror strike.
And all that is assuming it works at all, since Great Cleave says "If you hit, you deal damage normally..." and splitting damage isn't normal.
(-edit- I guess you would have a better chance of triggering the cleave, since you've got 2 AC values to compare the attack roll to, but is that really worth a spell?)
Looks valid. Realize you are using two turns of actions to pull this off.
Round 1: Cast spell
Round 2: Standard action to cleave/great cleave with the benefits of mirror strike added in.
A magus cannot shorten this to 1 round since either casting the spell takes a standard action (so no standard action left to cleave with) or using spell combat takes a full round action, so you can't combine the standard action cleave into spell combat.
But a magus could fullattack including casting mirror strike in turn 1 and great cleave in turn 2.
Sounds as if Sydänyö found a way to use a spell I considered useless. Because normally you cast a spell to deal half combat damage to two targets next turn? Underwhelming.
Mirror strike only affects a single melee attack. Thus the spell affects the first attack when making a Great Cleave. The spell isn't able to double the entire Cleave, since that is a standard action, and not just a single attack. Nothing suggest that it is able to do so.
While Mirror Strike in itself is a weak spell, it is possible to combine with other abilities/debuffs to make it more useful.
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I might allow it, as I really like the concept behind it (splitting one big swing into two big swings, like you say), but you'd definitely need to keep following the rules for mirror strike with each cleave attack. Ie, roll once for each pair of targets, and split the damage in half between them.
I'd have to ponder on it for a bit though.
[Full Disclosure: I wrote mirror strike]
And all that is assuming it works at all, since Great Cleave says "If you hit, you deal damage normally..." and splitting damage isn't normal.
Splitting damage is normal when mirror strike is active. I believe all this is saying in the great cleave feat is you do your normal damage.
If you got precision damage and made an attack with great cleave you'd get to do your precision damage if you met the requirements for it.
If you were a magus and had a held charge from the previous turn and used great cleave you'd get to do your normal damage from spell strike (spell + weapon).
If you crit while great cleaving you get to do your crit damage.
etc.
All of these things are the damage you do normally when other factors kick in.
I don't know theishi, it doesn't seem like a bad 1st level spell for somebody that doesn't have the cleave feat to use if he wants to try to hit more than one opponent in a round... it would certainly be better (and not over powered IMO) if it had a swift action casting time though, because as is it is the spell would be pain in the ass to use in actual combat situations (much like truestrike can be if you want to use it to enhance your melee attacks, but at least truestrike can be used to enhance ranged attacks as well, so the one round delay between casting and attacking isn't so problematic).
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[Full Disclosure: I wrote mirror strike]What is the purpose of this spell? I really cannot see any use for it. Surely you had some ideas when you wrote it? It seems like it should be a cantrip, but even then I wouldn't use it.
I've talked about it a bit elsewhere, but I think I was responding to a post that got deleted, because I can't find it at the moment.
Originally, the spell gave a larger bonus against targets who were flanking you, but it was reduced to +2 in development. (I don't think this was a bad change, necessarily, just giving you the background).
As is, it's useful in situations where you've got a bonus on your next attack roll, or can apply a non-damaging effect with your next attack (poison, bleed, combat maneuvers, etc) and want to spread those effects across multiple enemies.
For instance, you can move into position for a charge, cast it, and then charge against multiple foes, gaining the +2 against both enemies (and extra damage, if you're a minotaur or mounted and get that on a charge). An invisible rogue could use it to sneak attack multiple targets as her invisibility drops. A magus could cast it with spell combat, and then disarm/trip two enemies at once.
It's definitely a niche spell, but it's got a few fun uses if you get creative with it.
It is obviously primarily a spell for the magus.
Apart from the options already mentioned, some possible uses for it are:
- The serpentine sorcerer's fangs become a quite potent poison. Doubling the attack, is even better. Through eldritch heritage a magus might use it.
- Spells like frigid touch or baleful polymorph could be doubled, through the use of a 1-lvl spell the round before. In situations it might he worth it.
- Not sure whether it works, but the Hexcrafter might be able to get two Hexes off in one round.
- A Dhamphir Magus with the blood drinking feats and a bite attack could pass out some nasty debuffs with it, as well as getting temporary hp for himself.
I would halve everything that applies to both. Things that only apply to one should be only damage the one.
So a paladin/rogue attacking with mirror strike + cleave with sneak and smite two flatfooted targets one of which is evil, I'd roll damage + sneak, halve it and apply the smite damage to only the one evil guy.