[XPH] Help with Swift Action

[Velenne]

What is the purpose of a Swift Action? I've read the descripition on page 59 three times but I don't see how it is/should be any different from a Free Action??

Is it saying that you can perform a Free action and a Swift action in the same round?

 

[Campbell]

What is the purpose of a Swift Action? I've read the descripition on page 59 three times but I don't see how it is/should be any different from a Free Action??

Is it saying that you can perform a Free action and a Swift action in the same round?

If I'm not mistaken, swift actions can be taken outside of your turn, but free actions cannot. I'm not sure where immediate actions enter into the equation though.

 

[Greatwyrm]

IIRC from the Miniatures Handbook, a Swift action is just like a Free action, except you can only take one Swift action in a round. I think you can take as many Free actions as your DM allows.

 

[nameless]

As far as I can tell, Swift actions are free actions, but you can only take one Swift action per round, similar to a quickened spell. It still needs to be your turn to use a Swift action, you just get to do it without sacrificing any of your other actions for the round.

For example, you could drop a weapon as a free action, move and draw a new weapon as a move action (if your BAB was +1 or higher), use a Swift action (such as Burst), and then take your standard action to attack of manifest a standard power.

Immediate actions are actions that are free, but can be taken outside of your turn in the initiative order.

 

[3d6]

Close, but not quite. Immediate actions are swift actions that can be taken when it is not your turn. (They count against the limit of one swift action per round.) An immediate action taken when it is not your turn counts against your next turn.

 

[Darklone]

IIRC, additionally to the stuff above they usually last only 1 round (the swift spells at least).

 

[Zack2216]

I thought immediate actions counted against your current allotment. If you use a swift power on your turn, you can't use an immediate one until it's your turn again.

 

[thorian]

I thought immediate actions counted against your current allotment. If you use a swift power on your turn, you can't use an immediate one until it's your turn again.

You are correct.

 

[Thanee]

The point seems to be to have an action type which regulates stuff like quickened spells, thus the limit of one swift action per turn.

So in future you just say it's a swift action, not a free action, that can be used only once per turn.

This also disables you from using multiple different such actions.

Bye
Thanee

 

[3d6]

I thought immediate actions counted against your current allotment. If you use a swift power on your turn, you can't use an immediate one until it's your turn again.

XPH, page 59:
Using an immeidate action on your turn is the same as using a swift action, and counts as your swift action for that turn.

XPH, page 59:
Effectively, using an immediate action before your turn is equivalent to using your swift action for the coming turn.

An immediate action taken on your turn counts against that turn, an immediate action taken when it's not your turn counts against your next turn.