D&D 3E/3.5 Multitasking - How to do it with 3.5

[Three_Haligonians]

Hey folks,

Savage Species has a great feat for an upcoming BBEG in my epic campagin - Multitasking. The feat lets multi-limbed creatures pair off its arms, each able to "perform a distinct partial action" that all happen simultaneously. It then gives an example of attacking, casting a spell, reloading a crossbow and using a magic item all at the same time.

The problem is of course, the lack of partial actions in 3.5. What's the best way to update this feat? Each pair of arms gets a standard? a standard or a move? a full-round?

Thanks for your help,

J from Three Haligonians

 

[Infiniti2000]

It would be a standard action, not a full-round action. I would be careful about it, though, because combining it with new feats like Manyshot might not exactly be cool.

 

[Three_Haligonians]

It would be a standard action, not a full-round action.

That's what I originally thought too, but then it occurred to me that a "pair" of arms getting one standard action is a lot of wasted arms - since, and I say this with nothing but my own memory backing me up, there aren't a lot of standard actions that need two hands. Most of them only need one.

But of course, I don't think I am ready to suggest the feat grants one standard action per arm as that seems a bit much.

I would be careful about it, though, because combining it with new feats like Manyshot might not exactly be cool.

You mean that Manyshot would be one such "two handed" standard actions and therefore, a Multitasking creature could use it more than once in a round? That doesn't seem so bad to me, or am I missing the obvious here?

J from Three Haligonians