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Severedevil
2008-08-04, 04:37 AM
The action economy is central to D&D combat, but Swift Actions seem awkwardly tacked-on and useless for most characters, and the restrictions on 5-foot steps and partial charges are rather odd. Furthermore, characters can never acquire additional actions - quicker and more capable PCs take the same amount of time for most activities as a commoner. I want a more organized system.

A full round consists of one Move Action + Standard Action = Swift Action + Full-Round Action. Actions can always be substituted according to this equivalence. In addition, a longer action can always be substituted for a shorter one. (Swift < Move < Standard < Full-Round.) The combatant may alternatively begin an action which takes at least 1 round. This action finishes no earlier than their next round. The time-consuming actions completed within the round are more fully detailed below.

The Four Actions
Swift Action - a five foot step, a quickened spell, or another brisk activity normally performed in less than a second. Swift Actions never provoke attacks of opportunity.

Move Action - a somewhat longer action, usually an adjustment of the character's position or possessions. A normal adventurer performs a Move Action in 2-3 seconds.

Standard Action - a more complete action, long enough to affect another combatant. Attacks, spells, and magic items usually take a Standard Action to activate. A normal adventurer performs this action in 3-4 seconds.

Full-Round Action - an action which occupies nearly the entire round, such as a full attack, charge, or run.
Partial Round
A partial round consists of one Standard Action and one Swift Action. Some status effects such as Slow limit a combatant to a partial round, and certain particularly slow creatures such as zombies can never take more than a partial round. Some full-round actions can be performed in truncated form as a Swift Action and a Standard Action, making them ideal for a partial round.

Surprise Round: the surprise round is a partial round, affording the combatants who can act only a Swift Action and a Standard Action.

Partial Charge: a partial charge behaves as a charge but only allows the combatant to move up to their move speed. Occupies a Swift Action and a Standard Action.

Readying an action: a combatant may choose to delay part of their action until an expected precondition is met. They must delay at least a Standard Action, and may delay up to a partial round.
Spell Implementation
Spells have a variety of durations, from an immediate action to multiple rounds. Spells which take less than a Swift Action (Immediate or Free Action) can be cast without limit.

Other than these spells, a magic user can cast one spell with casting time greater than a Swift Action, and one spell with casting time equal to a Swift Action, each round. This usually limits the caster to one quickened spell and one non-quickened spell, or two quickened spells.
Feats
Alacrity[General]
You act more quickly than other combatants.
Benefits: You take an additional Swift Action in each full round of combat.
Normal: Without this feat, you receive one Move Action and one Standard Action, or one Full-Round Action and one Swift Action, per round.
Special: If you take an action with a duration of one round, you take this extra action first.

A fighter may select Alacrity as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Improved Alacrity[General]
You act more quickly than other combatants.
Prerequisites: Alacrity, base attack bonus +6
Benefits: You take an additional Move Action in each full round of combat, or a Swift Action in each partial round of combat. This replaces the Swift Action granted by Alacrity.
Normal: Without this feat, you receive one Move Action and one Standard Action, or one Full-Round Action and one Swift Action, per round. In a partial round, you receive one Standard Action and one Swift Action.
Special: If you take an action with a duration of one round, you take this extra action first.

A fighter may select Improved Alacrity as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Great Alacrity[General]
You act much more quickly than other combatants.
Prerequisites: Improved Alacrity, base attack bonus +11
Benefits: You take an additional Standard Action in each full round of combat, or a Move Action in each partial round of combat. This replaces the Move Action granted by Improved Alacrity.
Normal: Without this feat, you receive one Move Action and one Standard Action, or one Full-Round Action and one Swift Action, per round. In a partial round, you receive one Standard Action and one Swift Action.
Special: If you take an action with a duration of one round, you take this extra action first.

A fighter may select Great Alacrity as one of his fighter bonus feats.

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