Full attacks and multiple opponents?

[BlackDog918]

Something I'm still not entirely sure of, can full attack routines target multiple opponents, or must all iterative attacks target the same opponent?

[DeltaEmil]

You can target multiple opponents.

[BlackDog918]

Most excellent. Is there a source I can cite? This was the source of an argument recently.

[Ramza00]

Full Attack
If you get more than one attack per round because your base attack bonus is high enough, because you fight with two weapons or a double weapon or for some special reason you must use a full-round action to get your additional attacks. You do not need to specify the targets of your attacks ahead of time. You can see how the earlier attacks turn out before assigning the later ones.

The only movement you can take during a full attack is a 5-foot step. You may take the step before, after, or between your attacks.

If you get multiple attacks because your base attack bonus is high enough, you must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest. If you are using two weapons, you can strike with either weapon first. If you are using a double weapon, you can strike with either part of the weapon first.

Deciding between an Attack or a Full Attack
After your first attack, you can decide to take a move action instead of making your remaining attacks, depending on how the first attack turns out. If you’ve already taken a 5-foot step, you can’t use your move action to move any distance, but you could still use a different kind of move action.

Fighting Defensively as a Full-Round Action
You can choose to fight defensively when taking a full attack action. If you do so, you take a -4 penalty on all attacks in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC for the same round.

Cleave
The extra attack granted by the Cleave feat or Great Cleave feat can be taken whenever they apply. This is an exception to the normal limit to the number of attacks you can take when not using a full attack action.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#fullAttack

Based off those two sentences it is pretty clear you can have multiple targets for a full attack.

Pretty much full attack goes like this.
Attack 1) See result
Attack 2) Occurs after Attack 1, you can modify your target due to Attack 1, you can target another opponent, you can use a different weapon (if fighting with twf or you have a weapon you can quick draw)
Attack 3) Occurs after Attack 2
etc

[beforemath]

There's the 3.5 PHB, p.143:

"...You do not need to specify the targets (plural) of your attacks ahead of time. You can see how the earlier attacks turn out before assigning the later ones."

This implies to me (pretty clearly) that your attacks can be divided among different targets.

[BlackDog918]

Awesome. Thanks, guys.

[Curmudgeon]

One useful general principle is that D&D rarely* uses declared actions. So if you move your miniature one square (5') and attack an enemy that could be:

a 5' step and a standard action attack
a 5' step and the start of a full attack
a move action and a standard action attack (which you might use instead of a 5' step because a regular move also allows you to draw a weapon as a free action)
the beginning of a Spring Attack

... but it couldn't be a charge special full-round action because you didn't move at least 10' before the attack. When it matters, you need to pin down things to specific actions for your DM. Otherwise, you can do whatever's allowed in the rules.

* - One case where you must declare actions is the Stunning Fist feat.