Does Improved Vital Strike usually count as a Vital Strike? Rule in question is Gorum's Swordsmanship.
"Initial Benefit: If you have the Vital Strike feat, you can apply its effect to an attack you make with a greatsword at the end of a charge. If you don’t have the Vital Strike feat, that attack deals 1 additional point of damage instead. The first time you make an attack of opportunity with a greatsword after using Vital Strike with a greatsword on your turn, you can apply Vital Strike to that attack of opportunity."
If I had Improved Vital Strike, can I apply that to a charge?
Nope, you can only use vital strike.
I'd allow it if I was the GM, but as written you can't.
Yeah, I'd allow it too. Technically RAW though it is not possible. Personally, I think it would take too much enjoyment away from the player if he were not allowed to make an Improved or Greater Vital Strike after investing that many feats.
This should be something you talk to your GM about before investing into these feats and before you make a decision.
Yeah, compare it with the advanced benefit of Gorum's swordmanship which calls out vital strike, improved VS and greater VS specifically. Presumably the same person wrote it as wrote the basic benefit and if they thought just writing 'Vital Strike' would cover the other two they wouldn't have written all three.
There's other examples of vital strike not covering the others, not just Gorum's swordmanship. Weapon trick (two-handed) - see cleaving smash there for example.
Yeah, I'd allow it too. Technically RAW though it is not possible. Personally, I think it would take too much enjoyment away from the player if he were not allowed to make an Improved or Greater Vital Strike after investing that many feats.
This should be something you talk to your GM about before investing into these feats and before you make a decision.
It's already one of the best Divine Fighting Techniques as it is. I don't want a 12th level Primalist Bloodrager with Abyssal Bloodline to add 21 damage to every every damage roll on his pounce full attack, thank you very much.