Standard/Move/Minor?

[Ahnehnois]

I think the swift/minor action was a great addition.

The balancing factor in D&D combat is not what you can do in a day or an hour or a minute (and definitely not in an "encounter"). It's what you can do in a round. Firmly defining that, creating granularity by having three basic types of actions (three is a really useful number), and having all three used frequently in the rules makes the game tactically interesting and robust, while being much more comprehensible than some alternatives (remember 2e initiative? I don't, but I remember it was a pain in the ass).

 

[KidSnide]

I'm really torn about this. Playing my own character, I really enjoy having minor actions. Waiting for other people to play their characters, I wish they had fewer actions to resolve.

My guess is that giving fewer actions (Standard, Move and free) would generate a faster, more fun game.

-KS

 

[Stalker0]

My guess is that giving fewer actions (Standard, Move and free) would generate a faster, more fun game.

-KS

Your definitely right about faster. But there are a lot of things you can do to a make a game faster. Not having spells at all would make the game a lot faster

The key of course is defining the time sinks in combat, and isolating the ones that remove the least amount of fun with their removal.

would removing the minor action be one? Perhaps, but its not where I want to start looking.

 

[Arytiss]

I enjoy the S/M/m actions. It works well, and has done for two editions now.

I would, however, advocate the elimination of the Full-Round action (Except, perhaps, in the case of spellcasting depending on what they do to balance it out).

 

[mkill]

I believe standard/minor would work better in that you would have to make more considered choices each round looking tactically to which way you think the battle would flow.

Did you playtest this idea?

I predict static fights where everyone just stands in place and whacks the nearest enemy. No thanks.

 

[OnlineDM]

I've been pretty happy with standard / move / minor, and I agree that interrupts get tiresome. I think I'm mostly okay with immediate reactions, actually; it's the interrupts (and free actions that function as interrupts) that slow things down and get people to want to back up a turn and so on.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

I would have 2 standard actions per round and no other types unless its considered a free/reaction type.

This is my preference, with two or three different types of "move" actions possible (some form of shift, a regular move, and a faster one, each with benefits and drawbacks). There is only one "attack" action type, which is also used for any spells that are aimed at enemies. Then you qualify it that a creature cannot take the same action twice in the same round, no exceptions. "Attacks" that are described as multiple swings of weapons or multiple weapons would be single attacks with slightly different properties (i.e. ability to spread damage over targets), but still balanced as a single attack.

Depending upon how you design abilities, that might mean that certain defensive, utility, healing, etc. which required no attack roll could be used in conjunction with an attack. It's a change from the feel of standard D&D usually, but I think I'd rather prefer it to calling out X as minor and Y as always standard. When things like "haste" add an action, the restricton on repeating an action is still kept.

However, doing that, I'd like to find a way to mainly kill the reactions as well.

Basically, I see the push for "get an extra attack somehow" as overly obsessive simulation which has never yet failed to massively screw up the balance that the designers intended, and should be buried deep with a stake through its heart, burned, drowned in holy water, ringed in explosive runes, imprisoned, "wished" into the past, and then systematically wiped from the memory of every living entity in the multiverse. If I get really cranked up, I might really tell you how I feel about it.

 

[Ferghis]

I like the idea of just standard, move and free, with enough customization on the latter to make whatever actions you like. Heal as a free action once per round but only twice per encounter. Draw a weapon for free once per round. Make an opportunity attack once per turn as a free action as a class feature.

Making minors their own thing is limiting: do I really have to end my move to open a door?

 

[trancejeremy]

I'm guessing this is going to be one of those modular things depending on which edition you want to simulate.

I have little problem with just standing there and whacking the nearest enemy. It's a fight, not a dance contest.

 

[frankthedm]

1 Action. You can move, attack, cast a one action spell, change weapons, open a door or some other action. Chose and onto the next participant.