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The last post I saw was back in 2012 concerning this, but I know that many things have changed since.
The question is can you sunder with a Vital Strike?
I am pretty sure that you can.
Vital Strike Rules
When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon's damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision based damage, and other damage bonuses. These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total.
Sunder Rules
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. If you do not have the Improved Sunder feat, or a similar ability, attempting to sunder an item provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.
If your attack is successful, you deal damage to the item normally. Damage that exceeds the object's Hardness is subtracted from its hit points. If an object has equal to or less than half its total hit points remaining, it gains the broken condition (see Conditions). If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you can choose to destroy it. If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and the broken condition.
The reason why Vital Strike Says Attack Action, is because you can do it with a ranged weapon and a melee weapon. An attack with a melee weapon is a melee attack. An attack with a ranged weapon is a ranged attack.
1) "as part of an attack action" (this means you use the attack action standard action)
2) "in place of a melee attack" (this means the combat maneuver replaces the attack, so no vital strike sundering)
Key phrases are “Part of the attack action” and “When you Use.”
Going to do a direct copy and Paste. Italic will be Vital Strike, bold will be the Sunder as to why.
When you I am going to use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage, and as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack. If you do not have the Improved Sunder feat, or a similar ability, attempting to sunder an item provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.
If your attack is successful, you deal damage to the item normally. Damage that exceeds the object's Hardness is subtracted from its hit points. If an object has equal to or less than half its total hit points remaining, it gains the broken condition (see Conditions). If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you can choose to destroy it. If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and the broken condition.
The part I think that is causing confusion is “in place of a melee attack” in the sunder rules. This is here, atleast I believe, because you can’t do ranged sunder attacks without an appropriate feat, or ability.
The way that Barbies turn went, is she used the attack action so she can make one attack at her highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage and she attempted to sunder an item held or worn by her opponent. She did not have the improved sunder feat, or a similar ability, and provoked an attack of opportunity from the target. The melee attack was successful, and she deals damage to the item normally. Her normal hit for that attack was 4d4+26 points of damage. If the damage you deal would reduce the object to less than 0 hit points, you can choose to destroy it. If you do not choose to destroy it, the object is left with only 1 hit point and the broken condition. – Barbie destroys 99.9% of the time.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Per a FAQ, sunder isn't supposed to reference the attack action—it can replace any attack, regardless of whether it's an attack action, full-attack action, AoO, or whatever.
As to whether replacing Vital Strike's attack with a sunder means it's not a Vital Strike anymore, I dunno. :/
*rubs eyeballs*
This would have been so much easier if the writer had simply worded it as "As a standard action" instead of "When you use the attack action". As it is, there's technically no written reason you couldn't use it to get a free double-dice attack when attempting to disarm someone. But every ruling on the subject has been in favor of simply treating it as a separate action type.
I agree that this makes sense looking at RAW.
Now declare an attack action and disarm your opponent instead of sundering. (troll_face.jpg)
The other issue I have with using vital strike with sundering is vital strike is supposed to be precision damage and a weapon is an object and should not be subject to precision damage IMHO.
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The other issue I have with using vital strike with sundering is vital strike is supposed to be precision damage and a weapon is an object and should not be subject to precision damage IMHO.
Vital Strike is not precision damage. In fact, the feat even talks about how you add Vital Strike damage in before precision damage.
The other issue I have with using vital strike with sundering is vital strike is supposed to be precision damage and a weapon is an object and should not be subject to precision damage IMHO.
Nope. Vital Strike is not precision damage.
Thank you everyone :)