A Power Attacking, Cleaving...spell??

[Aleolus]

So, I just noticed this. According to Complete Arcane, any spell that requires an attack roll can and does count as a weapon for purposes of feats and special abilities. Power Attack and Cleave, therefore, seem to count, as long as the spell in question only has a melee range (such as Shocking Grasp). Is this correct? Could a Wizard Power Attack with a Shocking Grasp spell, then Cleave with it if it dropped the initial target?

[Blackhawk748]

So, I just noticed this. According to Complete Arcane, any spell that requires an attack roll can and does count as a weapon for purposes of feats and special abilities. Power Attack and Cleave, therefore, seem to count, as long as the spell in question only has a melee range (such as Shocking Grasp). Is this correct? Could a Wizard Power Attack with a Shocking Grasp spell, then Cleave with it if it dropped the initial target?

I dont think so, i believe "touch" attacks count as Light Weapons and therefore you couldn't Power Attack with it, Cleaving on the other hand is a whole other bag of cats...

[RhymarJared]

I don't see a problem with this. It still is within the same action (aka the same spell) and doesn't conflict with the RAW as far as I know. RP wise, it's like if the caster used the spell, than redirected it swiftly to another person within range during the time the electricity still runs through the hands of the caster.

EDIT: Same answer as the previous user for Power Attack, bare hands are considered melee light weapons for the purposes of Power Attack.

[Aleolus]

Which would put it as no different than an unarmed strike, and power attack specifies that you can use it with unarmed strikes

[Blackhawk748]

Which would put it as no different than an unarmed strike, and power attack specifies that you can use it with unarmed strikes

Not quite, its a Melee Touch Attack and im pretty sure that they are all considered Light Weapons, though im not 100% on that.

[Andezzar]

No, it does not work as you want it to. The touch attacks don't do damage themselves, so you cannot get extra damage from power attack (you can take the attack penalty, but who would?). The spells do not do melee damage so you cannot add the extra damage there either.

Cleave gives you an extra attack but the spell has already been cast so it does not apply again.

[Blackhawk748]

No, it does not work as you want it to. The touch attacks don't do damage themselves, so you cannot get extra damage from power attack (you can take the attack penalty, but who would?). The spells do not do melee damage so you cannot add the extra damage there either.

Cleave gives you an extra attack but the spell has already been cast so it does not apply again.

Though it would allow you to use another instance of spells like Chill Touch, correct?

[Andezzar]

Yup. 10 characters

[Elxir_Breauer]

Some melee touch spells have a number of targets you can touch with them, usually based on caster level. These spells would certainly work with Cleave and the like, just burning through the number of targets faster than normal (Note: many of these spells have an instantaneous duration, but you "hold the charge" until the end of your next turn, or run out of targets based on the spell, or even touch anything aside from a valid target). Power Attack doesn't work with touch attacks of any kind, if I remember the wording correctly, but many other weapon-based feats do work with touch spells.