Actions in Combat
Action Types in combat
An action’s type essentially tells you how long the action takes to perform (within the framework of the 6-second combat round) and how movement is treated. There are eight types of actions, as follows;
- [Full-round Action]
- [Standard Action]
- [Attack Action]
- [Move Action]
- [Swift Action]
- [Interrupt Action]
- [Free Action]
In a normal round, a character can perform a [Standard Action] and a [Move Action], or they can perform a [Full-round Action]. A character may also perform one [Swift Action], and up to seven [Free actions]. There are no limits to the number of non-actions a character can take. A character can always take a [Move Action] in place of a [Standard Action]; or a [Swift Action] in place of a [Move Action] or a [Standard Action]; or a [Free Action] in the place of a [Swift Action], a [Move Action], or a [Standard Action].
A [Standard Action] allows a character to do something, most commonly make an attack or cast a spell.
A [Move Action] allows a character to move their speed or perform an action that takes a similar amount of time.
A character can take a [Move Action] in place of a [Standard Action]. If the character moves no actual distance in a round (commonly because they have swapped their move for one or more equivalent actions), a character can take [One-pace Step] as a [Free Action] either before, during, or after the action.
A [Full-Round Action] consumes all of a character’s effort during a round. While performing a [Full-Round Action] a character cannot take [Standard Actions] or [Move Actions], however they may still make use of [Free Actions], [Swift Actions], [Non-Actions], or [Interrupt Actions].
Effectively, a character trades their [Standard Action] and [Move Action] for a single [Full-Round Action].
Any action that takes more than one round to complete is implemented a number of consecutive [Full-round Actions] equal to the number of rounds needed to complete the action.
[Free Actions] consume a very small amount of time and effort. A character can perform up to five free actions while taking another action normally. A character can take a [Free Action] in place of a [Swift Action], [Move Action], or [Standard Action].
A [Swift Action] consumes a very small amount of time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a [Free Action]. A character can perform only a [Swift Action] action per round. A character can take a [Swift Action] in place of a [Move Action] or [Standard Action].
An [Interrupt Action] is very similar to a [Swift Action], but can be performed at any time, even if it’s not the character’s turn. A character can perform up to their Dexterity bonus (Min. 1) Interrupt actions per round.
Some activities are so minor that they are not even considered [Free Actions]. They literally don’t take any time at all to do and are considered an inherent part of doing something else.
An [Attack Action] is a type of action that can be taken in place of a character’s attacks. Any time a character gains an attack roll, they may opt to take an [Attack Action] in the place of the attack, unless otherwise noted.