Drinking a potion is a minor action?

[Boarstorm]

Cassandra stumbled with a seductive yet oddly unbalanced gait across the battlefield, taking gulps from her "special elixir" as she neared her intended foe. As she neared him she let loose a torrent of foul arcane words opening a portal to the space beyond the stars itself, summoning the tentacles of some mindless ravenous unholy beast to pluck him from this world. That was the last time he wouldn't return her calls

Did we date? That sounds awfully familiar.

More seriously, I think a minor action is fine as well. It's just like taking a shot, but without the salt and lime. It shouldn't take long at all.

Digging the potion out of your pouches, on the other hand...

 

[Dunamin]

It's just like taking a shot, but without the salt and lime. It shouldn't take long at all.

This gives me a great idea for a luxury tavern to include in the next game I run!

Barkeep! A round of "Rage" shots for me and my ogre barbarian buddies! Leave the bottle!

 

[DonAdam]

If you conceive of minor actions as actions you can perform during, say, a move action, they become more verisimilitudinous.

 

[Byronic]

Did we date? That sounds awfully familiar.

More seriously, I think a minor action is fine as well. It's just like taking a shot, but without the salt and lime. It shouldn't take long at all.

Digging the potion out of your pouches, on the other hand...

That's always disturbed me actually about DnD. By the time you're a level 2 Adventurer you should have enough experience to know things about potions and such, if not from level 1. Therefore most if not all adventurers will want unbreakable flasks made out of metal or some other material that wouldn't break. They will then place this together with other "need quick" items on their belt. They should not put their "emergency heal" potion so deep in one of their pouches that they actually need a turn to pull it out.

Also weapons, let's say you're charging someone across 6 squares, that's 30 feet (10 meters). Are you telling me that a trained warrior can't draw his sword out by the time he gets there in time to try and run his opponent though? I can (yes, I actually tried) and I assure you I'm not a level 5 fighter.

I think the mechanic is more realistic then the 3.x one.

 

[wedgeski]

Also weapons, let's say you're charging someone across 6 squares, that's 30 feet (10 meters). Are you telling me that a trained warrior can't draw his sword out by the time he gets there in time to try and run his opponent though? I can (yes, I actually tried) and I assure you I'm not a level 5 fighter.

You could draw a weapon as part of a move if you had a minimum BAB... or so I thought?

 

[Dunamin]

You could draw a weapon as part of a move if you had a minimum BAB... or so I thought?

Well, if I recall my 3.5 RAW correctly, that would only be as part of a regular move. Charging in this version is a special full round action, which does not leave room for drawing a weapon unless you have the Quickdraw feat.

 

[Zander]

Well, if I recall my 3.5 RAW correctly, that would only be as part of a regular move. Charging in this version is a special full round action, which does not leave room for drawing a weapon unless you have the Quickdraw feat.

Is it a full round action? I'm not saying you're wrong but it looks from KotS as if charging is a standard action. So you can take a minor action (drawing a weapon) followed by a move (move action) followed by a charge (a standard action). No?

 

[vladbat]

it looks from KotS as if charging is a standard action. So you can take a minor action (drawing a weapon) followed by a move (move action) followed by a charge (a standard action). No?

This is exactly how Mearls ran it when I was lucky enough to play a dungeon crawl he DM'ed. I remember it vivdly becuase it was so different to see a move, a mark getting dropped and then the charge.

 

[Dunamin]

Is it a full round action? I'm not saying you're wrong but it looks from KotS as if charging is a standard action. So you can take a minor action (drawing a weapon) followed by a move (move action) followed by a charge (a standard action). No?

I'm referring to how it worked in 3.5, in response to earlier comments. In 4E it is a standard action.

 

[IanArgent]

Remember, in 4Ed, a charge only allows you to move up to your Move - so this isn't as big a change as you might think. It went from a full-round action that let you move up to 2x your move, to a standard action that lets you move up to your Move value. It's better, but you may still need to use more move action to move.