What can non-casters use Swift actions for?

[Segev]

I know Martial Adepts have boosts, but other than that, do non-caster types have any particular use for their swift actions?

How can a fighter use them?
A rogue?
Monks spend ki as a swifty, I think, but I could be mistaken...

I'm interested in people's thoughts.

[Curmudgeon]

There are plenty of feats and items which use a swift action for activation. Travel Devotion lets you move your speed as a swift action. See all the swift activation gloves, boots, and belts in Chapter 3 of Magic Item Compendium. And, of course, Rogues use Use Magic Device to activate wands and such, where Rules Compendium has changed the rules so that that swift activation spells require a swift action to trigger in scroll, wand, or staff form.

Just look around.

[Segev]

The question has two motivating follow-ups. The first is whether it would be useful at any point in the fighter's progression for fighters (or such) to get some ability that gives extra swift actions. The second is, if it's useful, how deep in the level progression would it have to go before it wasn't just "and now Fighter is the ultimate wizard dip?"

Sounds like non-casters could make use of it. So that leaves the second.

[Vogonjeltz]

The question has two motivating follow-ups. The first is whether it would be useful at any point in the fighter's progression for fighters (or such) to get some ability that gives extra swift actions. The second is, if it's useful, how deep in the level progression would it have to go before it wasn't just "and now Fighter is the ultimate wizard dip?"

Sounds like non-casters could make use of it. So that leaves the second.

Most MIC items use a swift action.

[Segev]

This is quite true. Magic Items, as usual, are what opens some of the cooler toys up to the lower-tier classes (including, in all truth, even the Commoner, since he still has WBL).

Given what casters can do with swift acctions, obviously any effort to give other classes an advantage by letting them have more of them would make it attractive to a caster to dip to gain access to it. I'm thinking, therefore, any class feature that gives a bonus swift action must come at least 4 levels in, thus slowing a caster by at least two spell levels and costing him 9th level spells altogether to get it.

Give Fighters an extra swift action every 5 levels, maybe? Rogues gain it as one of their Rogue Tricks they can pick up after level 10?

[watchwood]

See the link in my sig, PF has plenty of area defense options that involve swift actions or AoO usage.

[MirddinEmris]

I'm pretty sure that as a swift action you can regret that you are not a caster :smallcool: