Whirlwind Attack [3.5e]

[Drammor]

The whirlwind attack feat says a character makes an attack roll against each character they can reach. How different would the feat be if it made the character make a single attack roll and use the result against each character they could reach? Would it be better? Worse? Different in a way that doesn't make sense?

[kitep]

So 1 roll instead of many rolls.  Not a change I would make, since 1 roll could make the round awesome or poor.

For example, you roll a nat 20, followed up by a high roll.  You crit everybody within reach.
Or you roll a 1 - you miss everybody.

It gets even worse once you consider things that can change that 1 roll.  True Strike adds +20.  Instead of getting it against 1 opponent as intended, now you're getting it against everyone within reach.  Combine with power attack for extra goodness.

In spite of the above, I say give it a whirl.  See how it works in a real game.  Have fun.

[phaedrusxy]

Does anyone ever actually use Whirlwind Attack? I don't think I've ever seen it used in a game. If no one uses it, then it sure won't matter.

[Drammor]

Well, I'm not actually asking with regards to the feat itself. I'm asking because I'm writing up maneuvers for the Steel Crow discipline, and I wanted to make one that resembles Whirlwind Attack. It's no Mithral Tornado, but it's pretty much Whirlwind Attack with a single attack roll (and no crits), and I wanted to know if that would break it.

[Unbeliever]

It certainly wouldn't break it.  But, it does magnify all the issues of someone missing an attack roll with a maneuver.  Then again, if it's one attack roll, then the reroll options like Lightning Recovery are available, so that's a plus.

Personally, I'm partial to the way Star Wars Saga Edition did Whirlwind Attack:  the prereqs were a lot lower, and they made it into an area attack, which the way that system worked (no saving throws, just "attacks" against defenses), you still did half damage on a miss, provided you hit "AC" 10.  I'd love if there was some way to implement that in 3E as I think it was a semi-useful feat there. 

[Drammor]

That is a pretty neat way of handling it. I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything if I modified the maneuver a bit.

[Ithamar]

One of my favourite manuevers is Lightning Throw from the Iron Heart discipline, and it does something very similar to what you are trying to do.  Very useful against foes with really high AC or miss chances.