Action Types
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An action’s type essentially tells you how long the action takes to perform (within the framework of the 6-second combat round) and how movement is treated.
There are six types of basic actions:
- Full-round
- Standard
- Move
- Swift
- Immediate
- Free
In a normal round, you can perform a standard action and a move action, or you can perform a full-round action. You can also perform one swift action and one or more free actions. You can always take a an action action farther down the list in place of one higher on the list. So you can use your standard action to take a move or swift action, or your move action to take a swift action.
Various conditions such as Slowed and Dazed change which actions you can perform in a round.
In addition to the six basic actions, you may also be able to perform Reactions in response to certain triggers. By default you can perform a single reaction in a round, though various feats increase this amount.
Standard Action
A standard action allows you to do something, most commonly to make an attack or cast a spell.
Attack Action
An attack action is a type of standard action. Some combat options can modify only this specific sort of action. When taking an attack action, you can apply all appropriate options that modify an attack action. You can apply these to any combat option that takes the place of a melee attack made using an attack action (such as the Trip combat maneuver), though options that increase damage don’t cause attacks to deal damage if they wouldn’t otherwise do so. You can’t combine options that modify attack actions with standard actions that aren’t attack actions, such as Cleave.
Melee Attack
While a melee attack isn’t an action type itself, many options and other rules affect melee attacks. Some combat options (such as the disarm and sunder combat maneuvers) can be used anytime you make a melee attack, including attacks of opportunity. These options can’t be combined with each other (a single melee attack can be a disarm or sunder combat maneuver, but not both), but they can be combined with options that modify an attack action or are standard or full-round actions.
Move Action
A move action allows you to move up to your speed or perform an action that takes a similar amount of time.
You can take a move action in place of a standard action. If you move no actual distance in a round (commonly because you have swapped your move action for one or more equivalent actions), you can take one 5-foot step either before, during, or after the action.
Full-Round Action
A full-round action consumes all your effort during a round. The only movement you can take during a full-round action is a 5-foot step before, during, or after the action. You can also perform free actions and swift actions.
Some full-round actions do not allow you to take a 5-foot step.
Some full-round actions can be taken as standard actions, but only in situations when you are limited to performing only a standard action during your round. The descriptions of specific actions detail which actions allow this option.
Some combat options are full-round actions (such as the full-attack action). These options can’t be combined with attack actions or other standard actions, but can be used with options that take the place of a melee attack.
Free Action
Free actions consume a very small amount of time and effort. You can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, there are reasonable limits on what you can really do for free, as decided by the GM.
Some combat options are free actions meant to be combined with an attack. Often, these are feats with specific limitations defined within the feat.
Swift Action
A swift action consumes a very small amount of time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. You can perform only a single swift action per turn.
Several combat options are swift actions that modify one or more attacks you take after that swift action.
Immediate Action
An immediate action is very similar to a swift action, but can be performed at any time — even if it’s not your turn.
Reaction
Reactions can be performed in response to specific trigger. By default you can perform a single reaction in a round, though various feats increase this amount. It is usually the player's choice whether to perform a reaction, or save it for later.
All characters gain the Ready Action reaction by default. Other reactions are gained through feats and class abilities.
Not an Action
Some activities are so minor that they are not even considered free actions. They literally don’t take any time at all to do and are considered an inherent part of doing something else, such as nocking an arrow as part of an attack with a bow.