Anyone else use the optional Cleave rule?

[Monster Manuel]

I get the reasoning behind the "only works on undamaged opponents" rider, even if it results in patently dumb scenarios like a mostly-dead kobold being unaffected while a fully healthy kobold is killed outright. I just don't agree with it. I think the intent of the optional Cleave rule is that it should only, in most cases, carry over to one other target, 2 at the absolute most.

Scenarios like Jappleton described where you do 30+ damage in a single hit, and drop all 3 of the 10 HP mooks you're fighting in one hit will be rare. More frequently, you'll drop an already injured opponent with a strong hit, and that extra damage carries over to the next guy, then stops. They don't want you ending a fight with half a dozen guys all with 3 HP left with one whirlwind swing of your greataxe.

I do think, if that was the intent, limiting it to uninjured opponents is the wrong way to go. They could just say straight out that it only carries over to one other opponent. It just seems like a really silly restriction.

Besides, it's been my almost-universal experience that, once a fight has come down to a handful of minions with HPs in the single digits, DMs generally just hand-wave the rest of the fight. Why NOT just let a melee fighter cleave them all?

It's fun and it keeps things moving, and it's not breaking anything. You get to hit a dude so hard with your warhammer that he flies backwards and takes out another dude. That's what D&D is all about, right there.

[Envyus]

I use it already.

[Vogie]

I'd use it for Martials only, specifically those who don't have an AoE feature or ability to easily increase their own damage die in their subclass or playstyle - I wouldn't allow it for, say, paladins smiting, ranged Rangers or EKs who have access to things like Burning Hands

In the existing games, only the Rogue would have access to it, and it'd certainly be in line with the other trick shots she's been able to pull off (lots of enemies pinned to walls with arrows)

[Kurt Kurageous]

I use it but only apply it to non-finesse weapons.

I think the application should be limited to slashing weapons.

BLU and PIE (except flail) concentrate all energy at one point, whereas SLA moves the energy after impact.

Read the weapons table and think cleave. SLA weapons make sense, the rest don't.

[NRSASD]

Yeah, I basically use it. Only if the party is fighting lots of one-shottable adjacent enemies though.

[Samayu]

I don't like the "undamaged" rider. I would change it to:

When a melee attack reduces a creature to 0 hit points, if the damage exceeds the original hit point total of the creature, damage from that attack might carry over to another creature nearby. The attacker targets another creature within reach and, if the original attack roll can hit it, applies any remaining damage to it. If that creature is likewise reduced to 0 hit points, repeat this process, carrying over the remaining damage until there are no valid targets, or until the damage carried over fails to reduce an undamaged creature to 0 hit points.

[Ketiara]

Rather than not count sneak attack one option is to limit it to attacks made with strength. Gives strength a boost if you feel it needs it. So a rogue could still get a sneak attack cleave but only if they are a burly one.

I imagine when a rogue cleaves. A dagger or something held backhanded slicing across the first persons throat, continuing to the next victim.

[TalksAlone]

Mine would go like this (points of interest underlined):

Variant Rule Cleave:

When a target is hit with a melee weapon attack with a greatclub or a weapon with the heavy property that causes damage (after reductions) higher than it's point total, the attacker may choose to attempt and damage another target with the same melee weapon attack. The new target must be in range of the original attack, and no movement can take place between them.
The new target must make Dexterity saving throw. Taking damage equal to the difference between the original attack's damage and the deceased creature hit point total (Damage - HP total) on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The Dexterity save has a DC of 8 + proficiency bonus (if proficient with the weapon) + Attack stat modifier.

Points of interest:

• Using "target" instead of "creature" prevents the language from getting in the way of some possible creative options. Like "cut the rope of the chandelier and hit the kobold in the same swipe".
  
• I think adding an exception for the greatclub here is fine. Since giving greatclub the heavy property instead would give small martial characters even more trouble competing.
  
• Heavy weapons don't do enough usually to justify them over Versatile weapons. Although it could be argued that limiting to mostly STR characters rains on the parade of Rogues, there's something for them afterwards as well.
  
• Calling the remaining damage being dealt to the secondary target "melee weapon attack" keeps the possibility of killing subsequent creatures as the mechanic loops until the damage is reduced to zero.
  
• Preventing movement between the two is important, since Extra Attacks should be awesome. Also positioning the mobs defensively in the grid is far less nightmarish without having to consider every square of possible movement the Barbarian can muster, at least in regards to cleaving. Also pole weapons were awesome in history and should be even more so in D&D, at least for my taste.
  
• Linking the cleave damage to a Dexterity save helps in three ways: a) Gives Rogue a distinct advantage over cleaves by allowing them to reduce the damage to zero with Evasion (thus ending the cleave completely), b) Makes it so that Cleaves are not a guaranteed thing with every attack (wich is a limitless resource), especially against speedy mobs, c) Cleaves should be awesome. There's nothing awesome about cleaving some fools just to roll and miss the attack on the next target.
  
• Linking the remainder damage to the deceased target's HP total instead of current HP helps with making the damage transfered to the next target not be totally efficient in the cases of weakened targets. This is important in order to not nullify classes that specialize in AoE with a Greatclub.
  
• Finally, using "Attack stat modifier" instead of "STR modifier" to allow things like Hexblade to work properly. Also, I'm not sure how common a houserule it is to allow greatclub to be a viable weapon for Shillelagh, but I'd throw it in there so as to not nerf it from omission.

Edit: After posting I thought I was missing something. So I checked greatclub and discovered it's neither heavy nor applicable to Shillelagh. I don't think houseruling it to work breaks anything, so I'll add that into the suggested rulling.