Asking for help.

[Bob5th]

I think I finally have the basic combat rules. Note I said BASIC.

Full round action are easy to understand.
Standard actions are a bit more complicated. My take on it is as follows. A standard action in basicly a partial action and a move action. Partial gives you one action. Partial can also be switched for a move action. Move lets you take your full move or make a move equivalint action.

Is this correct?

 

[IceBear]

You're going to get yourself messed up if you start trying to go:

Standard Action = Partial Action + Move Equivalent action.

Just remember:

1) You can't normally *choose* to make a Partial Action. A partial action is because of circumstance - surprise round, haste, slow and readied actions are the few that come to mind.

2) In a normal round you can take a standard action. A standard action allows you to move (up to your maximum speed) and either make an attack, cast a spell, or take a move equivalent action (which includes another move). If you don't chose to move, then you could take a move equivalent action instead.

3) A Full round action is pretty much a standard action except your movement is limited to 5ft.

This is gross oversimplification and I'm sure a rules lawyer will pick some holes in what I said, but it's basically correct I think.

I have just seen a lot of people get into the habit of referring to a standard action as a partial action + move eq and then start to see it as allowing 2 spells or 2 attacks and get all confused.

IceBear

 

[hong]

A standard action lets you do "stuff", and also move. Exactly what counts as "stuff" is listed in the PHB -- attacking, casting a spell, using a magic item, etc.

Some kinds of "stuff" take less time, and can be done in the move bit of a standard action. These include things like drawing a weapon, reloading a light crossbow, digging out an item from your pack, etc. In general, these kinds of "stuff" are not what you actually want to _do_ in a round, but instead are the preparatory things for your intended act -- eg if you want to attack, you first need to draw your weapon.

A full-round action uses up the move bit of a standard action to let you do more involved kinds of "stuff". This includes making a full attack (if you have more than 1 attack per round), loading a heavy crossbow, etc.

 

[Bob5th]

So what is the diffence between the non-move stuff of a Standard action and the Partial action?
Forgive any ignorance. While WotC seemed to simplify alot of thing they made combat complicated IMO.

 

[Artoomis]

So what is the diffence between the non-move stuff of a Standard action and the Partial action?
Forgive any ignorance. While WotC seemed to simplify alot of thing they made combat complicated IMO.

Mostly its the same - but only mostly. That's where it gets tricky and you can be lead astray.

Partial Charge is a partial action - but you cannot choose to do one as parof a standard action.

Partial Run is like that also.

Finally, you may not take a Standard Action to move and then start a Full Round Action (one of the Partial Action choices).

Off-hand, I can think of no more examples.

By the way, it also helps to keep thing consistent if you think of Charge and Double move and Full-Round Actions rather than "Special" Sandard Actions, as it lists them in the PHB. While no errata lists them that way, the published SRD does.

You are correct that combat is just a bit more complicated than it needs to be.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

The standard action is just that, the standard. You do not want to define a standard action by a partial action. In fact, you want to do the opposite. A partial action is basically a standard action without the move. A partial action is not something you can choose instead of a standard action. It only comes into play in certain circumstances.

With that said, the non-move portion of a standard action is very similar to a partial action, with some exceptions. You seem to understand the basics.

 

[Gromm]

Basically a partial action is just like a standard action only there are a few other things you can do only in a partial action (like a partial run/charge). For all intents and purposes a partial action is a standard action. You can move, cast a spell, attack once, or whatever. Sometimes its best to think of a round as having a Move and a "Standard Action"(though acccording to the PHB the whole round is a standard action). You can also use a Full Round Action, but then you can only take a 5' step to move.

The most common situation for a partial action is haste. Heres a example of how it might work:

Round1: Move (or Move Equivalent-aka ME)
Standard action (cast haste)
Partial action (from Haste)- cast some other spell or attack or move

Round2+:Move(or ME) and Standard action OR
Full round action (ie Full Attack, Metamagicked spell for Sorcerors,etc) AND
Partial Action (another attack, spell, or move)

Hope that made some sense.