Toggle Theme

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen
Pathfinder Unchained / Revised Action Economy

Action Types and Subtypes

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 102
This section describes the various actions in the game, their costs within this system, and new rules on how each one works. The sidebars throughout highlight exceptions and help you adjudicate situations that are not addressed directly in this section.

There are a number of different simple actions, free actions, and advanced actions you can take during your turn. Taking a simple action requires 1 act. Free actions don’t cost any acts; you just say you want to take them, though some must be taken alongside other simple or advanced actions. In addition, the GM may limit the number of free actions you’re allowed during your turn.

Advanced actions are more complicated; you must commit 2 or more acts to perform them. Some advanced actions require more acts than you can possibly commit during a single turn. In this case, you must continue committing acts toward that advanced action over multiple turns until the advanced action is complete. To take most advanced actions, you must commit all of their requisite acts consecutively. If you stop committing acts toward such an advanced action, it never comes to completion, and it must be started all over again in order to have a chance of success. Other advanced actions can be completed after committing the total requisite number of acts, which can be split up over time. In both cases, any roll attempted to determine whether an advanced action is successful is attempted after the appropriate number of acts are committed to that advanced action by the creature committing the f inal act. If an advanced action doesn’t say whether it requires consecutive or nonconsecutive acts, all its acts must be consecutive.

Some actions and reactions have one or more of the following subtypes. The subtypes are thematic, sometimes affect other actions taken later in the turn, and are used to determine whether (and at what point) an action provokes attacks of opportunity.

Attack Actions: Actions with the attack subtype involve making at least one attack roll against an opponent or object. They typically provoke attacks of opportunity only if the attack is a ranged attack or you don’t have the appropriate feat to take that attack action without provoking attacks of opportunity, such as Improved Unarmed Strike for unarmed strikes or Improved Trip for trip attempts. In the latter case, the action provokes an attack of opportunity only from the creature you target. When an attack action provokes an attack of opportunity, the attack of opportunity is made before the provoking attack roll is made.

The first time during your turn that you take an action with this subtype, you roll the attack as normal. Each subsequent attack action taken during your turn imposes a cumulative –5 penalty on the attack roll or combat maneuver check (so the second attack action has a –5 penalty on the attack roll, the third has a –10 penalty, and so on).

Complex Actions: These actions involve intense concentration, strenuous physical manipulation of objects, or some other source of complexity. A complex action always provokes attacks of opportunity, which are made before the complex action is taken. Complex actions that occur over multiple turns (whether consecutively or not) provoke attacks of opportunity on each turn that acts are committed toward their completion.

Move Actions: These actions involve moving through the encounter area in some way. Actions with the move subtype provoke attacks of opportunity when you attempt to either leave a square in an enemy’s threatened area or stand up from a prone position in a space that has at least 1 square in a foe’s threatened area. Not all actions that allow you to move have the move subtype. For example, a step is a very slow and careful movement that doesn’t have this subtype, and thus doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity when you take that action to leave a square in a threatened area.

Actions without a Subtype: Actions without a subtype don’t provoke attacks of opportunity.

Two-Weapon Fighting and Flurry of Blows

When you fight with a second weapon in your off hand or with a double weapon, you can make two attacks with the first attack simple action you take during your turn: one with your primary hand and another with your off hand. You take penalties on these attack rolls as listed on Table 8–7: Two- Weapon Fighting Penalties. Any other attack simple actions you take during your turn allow only one attack roll, using either the weapon in your primary hand or the one in your off hand.

If you have the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can make two attack rolls on both the first and second attack simple actions taken during your turn; both of the attacks made on the second attack action are made at a –5 penalty. Further attack simple actions taken during the same turn allow only one attack roll, using either the weapon in your primary hand or the one in your off hand.

If you have the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can make two attacks on each of your attack simple actions on your turn, though you take all the normal penalties for two-weapon fighting, as well as the cumulative –5 penalty per attack simple action (all attacks made as part of the same attack action have the same penalty).

The flurry of blows class feature works in a similar way. At 1st level, you can make an additional attack with a –2 penalty on your first attack simple action during a turn. At 8th level, you can make an additional attack on both your first and second attack simple actions during your turn. At 15th level, you can make an additional attack on each of your attack simple actions during your turn. You must, of course, take all the penalties associated with those attacks.