Action Economy Question

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Sun May 05, 2013 3:06 am

I have a rules question for my ongoing 3.X homebrewing efforts. In Star Wars Saga Edition, the rule is that a move action can be used to perform a swift action, and a standard action can be used to perform a move or swift action. Is this already the case in 3.5, or do I have to officially add that into the house rules?

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Sun May 05, 2013 3:27 am

Standards can be used as Moves, but you can't trade in for Swifts. I wouldn't recommend that as a house rule, either, because it lets casters get more quickened spells in.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Sun May 05, 2013 7:22 am

With the house rules I've got right now, that's more of a feature than a bug. I can probably get by with standards being usable as moves, though, and there's something to be said for making fewer changes rather than more. Though I think I may be approaching the line where I'm honestly making a new edition, so it might be wise to just go all-in on that.

Antariuk · Post by **Antariuk** » Sun May 05, 2013 7:27 am

I have never heard that you could trade standard/move actions for swift actions, that must be something from SWSE. I've never played that system, did they introduce new things you can do as a swift action?

In the SRD its like this:

SRD wrote: Swift Actions

A swift action consumes a very small amount of time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. You can perform one swift action per turn without affecting your ability to perform other actions. In that regard, a swift action is like a free action. However, you can perform only a single swift action per turn, regardless of what other actions you take. You can take a swift action any time you would normally be allowed to take a free action. Swift actions usually involve spellcasting or the activation of magic items; many characters (especially those who don't cast spells) never have an opportunity to take a swift action.

Casting a quickened spell is a swift action. In addition, casting any spell with a casting time of 1 swift action is a swift action.

Casting a spell with a casting time of 1 swift action does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Sun May 05, 2013 7:36 am

SWSE has a lot of things that require multiple swift actions. The idea is that you can build them up over a few rounds or sacrifice your move/standard action to get them immediately. For example you can shrug off a condition with three swift actions, and aim to remove cover penalties for two.

ishy · Post by **ishy** » Sun May 05, 2013 9:50 am

I would advise against it. Having multiple swift & mostly immediate actions and their interaction is annoying in play.

Negative Zero · Post by **Negative Zero** » Sun May 05, 2013 4:33 pm

IIRC there are a few D&D abilities that are 'balanced' around the idea that you can only get one swift per turn. A non-Wizards example would include the Tome Monk, which is completely nonsensical if you can spend your move action to activate a second stance.

Red_Rob · Post by **Red_Rob** » Sun May 05, 2013 7:36 pm

Tome generally adds a whole mini action economy using Swift actions. Because you only get one each turn a bunch of Tome classes use it to limit their special schtick, and to stop you from multiclassing your way into Ultimate Powah. Fighter Combat Sense, Knight Challenge, Monk Combat styles, all these take your Swift action and are therefore self limiting. It's clever little innovations like these that really sold Tome classes to our group.