Cleave
Playtest 3.2 / 4th EdSkill Rules & Full Description
Cleave will allow you to deliver damage to an opponent within weapons reach if you reduce your primary target to 0 Body Points or less with a melee attack. The damage delivered to the secondary target is the same as what you dealt to the primary target. The target has to be dropped by damage only – no effects.
Should the primary target character drop, but not be at 0 Body Points or less, ie they are playing possum, this skill can still be used.
To use this skill, after the primary target is dropped, the character should point to the secondary target and call, “Cleave, X Damage”, substituting any damage modifiers like fire, silver, magic, etc. The cleave attack does not require the character to hit the secondary target, just be in normal weapon’s reach. The only two skills that will work with Cleave are Speed and Critical Attack.
For example, Onyx is fighting three Orcs. She swings 4 Silver with her sword and gambles that the Orc Grunt she has been fighting is near dying. She uses her Crit and lands a blow on the Orc calling, “Crit, 12 Silver!” The Orc drops to -1 Body Points and the NPC falls to the ground. Onyx turns to the second Orc and calls, “Cleave, 12 Silver”, dropping that Orc too.You may not chain cleaves with the same attack. If the secondary target drops from the damage of the Cleave attack, the character may not then turn to a tertiary target and continue the cleaving. This skill only works if your primary target drops from damage delivered by a melee attack. Skills like Slay, Stun, Disarm, Assassinate, Assassin Strike, Channeling, etc do not work with a Cleave attack.
This skill is stopped by any defense that stops physical attacks.