Streamlining Action Types

[dcollins]

I've found a fairly elegant way of streamlining the different action types, which would significantly reduce the amount of text anyone has to learn, and reduce confusion about the intricacies for beginning and intermediate players. In short:

- Partial actions are removed entirely.
- Standard actions are separated from moving actions.

The only real unavoidable change that this causes from the PC's view:
- Partial charges are prohibited.

But in so doing, the whole extra notion of partial actions is deleted, and you're just left with the much clearer options of simply full/standard/moving actions.

You can read more at my website, at the bottom of this page: www.superdan.net/dndmisc/terminology_changes.html

 

[Larcen]

Man, I am REALLY hoping 4E will use something similar to this.

I am in complete agreement that the current rules are convoluted, especially for beginning and intermediate players.

I am going to print your suggestions out and hand them around to our group to see what they think. Thanks!

Can anyone on this board find a problem with dcollins ideas?

 

[Destil]

You havn't dealt with readied actions -

My only real problem is that removing the partial charge removes the ability to ready a charge, often a good tacticial option...

Likewise your new charge option is to vague with the whichever is worse penelity... if a person has a +2 dex bonus and they charge can they be sneak attacked, for instance? Are they loosing their dex bonus or taking the -2 penelity. Likewise it makes NO sense to penelise very agile people more heavly for charging.

I'd say you take a -2 penelity for a charge, and additinaly loose your dex bonus if both of your actions are charges, though that could be a bit harsh.

 

[dcollins]

You havn't dealt with readied actions -

Not bad, but I did mention that "A character who is slowed (or readying, etc.) would be restricted to only a 'standard action'" (see site link above). Yes, part of the plan is that readying a partial charge is no longer an option... of course, delaying and getting your full moving and standard actions is still available... and so is readying a move into a position where you can make an AOO.

Your observation about "which charging penalty is worse" is an excellent point. Perhaps the correction should be: the charge modifiers are cumulative if the action is taken more than once in a round (i.e., -2 AC for one charge action, -4 AC for two [which would pretty well destroy most anyone's full Dex bonus] -- thus sneak attacks would never be triggered by charging). That would actually be even more straightforward in my opinion.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[whydirt]

Have you looked at Spycraft? Its rules do a very good job of defining half (partial) and full actions.

 

[dcollins]

No, I haven't.

Do they still have "standard" in addition to "half" actions? Because my theory is that the two types are not really necessary (excepting partial charge).

 

[Anabstercorian]

Nope, just half and full.

 

[dcollins]

Then good for them, I say!

 

[WSmith]

I wished the way Spycraft did it was THE way in the PHB.

I am toying with a 3 second round for my basic 3e game. You get to do one thing without a penalty. You can try a second (or even third thing depending on the cicumstances), but incur cumulative penalties for such things that require a roll.

For example: Normally it would take one players action to reload a crossbow. He could wait until his next turn to fire, or fire right then with a -4 penalty to hit. the he is done.

Movement is scaled to 20, 15, and 10, etc. If you do something while moving you take the penalty.

For example: While moving, the fighter wants to fire his bow, he can with a -4 penalty to hit. ]

There is more to it than just that, and some other bugs to be worked out. But I have tried it and it seemed to work very well.

 

[N Hammer]

I do beleive you have stumbled onto something here dude....

I like it