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Fantastic feedback everyone -- thank you!

I need to absorb all of this info and will attempt to integrate it into the guide I'm trying to write on this.

For the moment, a few insights and comments:

1. Grick, once again, thank you for the detailed answers. I very much like the coin analogy (candy and hearty pats on the back too). I feel that the utility of this analogy does indicate that there is an economy to consider and the coins are quanta of something (time/energy, or?).

2. I'm beginning to understand the problem that intuition can cause here. I realize that a major mistake I've been making is in attempting to map real-world events to these rules. They make much more sense if I instead treat them as the rules of a board game or something similar. So, as in chess, bishops move diagonally on their color, pawns only forward except under certain conditions, etc., etc. While chess is ostensibly a low-res representation of warfare, it would seem to be folly to really try to assign genuine realworld actions to the rules of chess. I understand that most RPG's try to go beyond "mere" boardgame rules but efficiently simulating real-world effects seems to be in conflict with many parts of the ruleset (as evidenced by the hundreds of threads I went through the other day just on discussions about AoO -- wow).

3. Inconsistent results when the rules are applied appear to indicate seams in the ruleset where things don't quite fit well together. Again, AoO seems to be an interesting example. Or a long thread I read through on what it really means to threaten a square. To illustrate, let's quickly consider AoO. Setting intuition aside about a time/energy economy on actions during a melee round, I now understand that according to RAW one can perform a disarm combat maneuver as an AoO but since an AoO is not a "real" melee attack one cannot substitute a move equivalent action for it, such as picking up an item. This creates the strange situation where you can knock a sword from an opponent's hand and then pick it up as part of an AoO (from Disarm "If you successfully disarm your opponent without using a weapon, you may automatically pick up the item dropped") but you can't just pick something up using an AoO. It seems internally inconsistent.

Lots of food for thought. I've been wondering if it is possible to construct a set of rules that can efficiently simulate realworld situations and can also stand the test of intuition. That would make for some interesting RPGing it seems to me. I understand that this is probably what the houserules section is for and I will have a look at that presently. (I do need to spend some time on other things to earn as many of those coins as possible though ;-))

<lots of good feedback>

Thank you everyone for the valuable feedback on this thread and in private mail. Grick, your comments with links to rule references is especially helpful, thanks.

I think I'm trying to do too much in one thread so I will break this up into three big chunks:

1. A new post to the Advice section once I have consolidated the incoming input and feedback into an updated Guide. I need to unconfused myself first ;-)

2. To achieve that last part, a set of questions on how the rules actually work. It seems that the Rules Questions section is the right place for that. I will probably do that after some additional research (a short preamble on this at the end of this thread -- thoughts welcome)

3. Finally, I suspect that there will need to be some amplification to the wording the rules as written (is that what RAW means?) or proposed additions to the rules. I suppose the Homebrew/House Rules section is the right place for that.

On item 2, above. Despite the thorough "How Combat Works" write up, I find myself perplexed ;-) by the action economy (as measured in time, energy, or some surrogate). For example, there seems to be no debate that an AoO allows one to perform a melee attack. Somehow, this attack is deemed different as a melee attack conducted elsewhere in the round. How? Why? The AoO melee attack is at full BAB, full damage, etc. so it is not being powered by less time/energy than the type of melee attack that a character starts their standard action with... if *that* one can be exchanged for something less intense (in terms of time/energy) like a move-equivalent action, it seems like the AoO melee attack should be exchangeable too.

Also, I'm not quite sure if the RAW (I'm trying to say rules as written here) is saying that to perform a Combat Maneuver (say Grapple) means that you exchange all of your attacks in place of this, as opposed to just one melee attack. If it's the former, that seems broken to me. A fighter electing the standard action + 5' step option might be able to perform 3 attacks in that round... another fighter at level 1 could only perform 1 attack under the same pattern. Both could only Grapple once? It doesn't match intuition imhe (in my humble experience)... college wrestlers can grapple more than once per second I assure you.

Judging from the number of posts on topics like this (100's of pages of posts), I suspect that there is some room for interpretation here. But I also suspect that the intent of the system was to develop a mech for combat that was somewhat realistic but not too onerous in it's bookkeeping. I like the distraction rules that underpin AoO but, notwithstanding the reading I'm going to do, I suspect that they are in need of amplification and/or clarification of some sort.

In case I missed it, is there a question hidden in there?

oh, I'm sorry, I'm just getting the hang of this board and thought this was the most appropriate place to post this.

My primary question is have I summarized combat rules sufficiently accurately for this guide to be useful? Of particular focus for this guide is the concept of a time/energy economy for actions. For example, performing move equivalent actions in *exchange* of movement or standard actions... performing a combat maneuver such as dirty trick in exchange of an attack during your initiative, or as an Immediate action in response to an attack of opportunity, and so on.

If there is a better place to post this, would someone who can do so, please move it that location?

Many thanks

Greetings fellow gamers. I hope you find this guide useful and I look forward to your comments on what may be improved on it. For sake of brevity I have not explained the very basics (for example, initiative) nor attempted to comprehensively list all Actions (for example, all Combat Maneuvers). Although perhaps one day this may be expanded to include all of those things if that is deemed useful. Many thanks for your attention.

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The popular D20 rulesystem has struck a balance between the complexity of realistic simulation rulesets and the simplicity of abstract systems. This balance between realism and abstraction maximizes playability but sometimes increases ambiguity. While interpretation of the rules are also an enjoyable part of the game, often the attempt to reduce this ambiguity creates the unintended consequence of illogical play through the "rule patches" imposed in the attempt to increase clarity. Many GMs and Players, inexperienced and experienced alike, can be affected by this problem.

Combat is an area rich with opportunity for confusion but by treating the round and action construct as a system of interacting parts, this Guide attempts to reduce the confusion of even the most perplexed GM or Player. Our discussion here is specifically focused on the Pathfinder ruleset by Paizo.

The Basics
A round is 6 seconds long during which a large set of actions can be performed. These actions are organized by type as follows:

1. Standard
2. Move
3. Swift
4. Free

Time and Energy
These Action Types are distinguished primarily by the amount of time each one requires to be performed properly. Naturally, more complex or energy intensive tasks require more effort, the Full Round action being the most time consuming as its title indicates and the appropriately named Free Action, being the least. The time/energy economy of Action Types is a foundational element of this system. It's easiest to describe these in terms of decreasing energy/time expenditure. Again, generally, the more complicated or energy intensive an event is, the more time consuming it is:

1. Standard - the most complex actions. For example, any attack, most combat maneuvers, concentrating to maintain a spell, stabilizing a dying friend with first aid.
2. Move - not as complicated as standard actions but still requiring significant time and effort (relative to a 6 second block of time). Examples include any non-attack Movement such as walking (of course), open/close a door, draw/sheathe a weapon, pick up an object.
3. Swift - these actions consume a very small portion of time/energy but nonetheless are a significant enough of an expenditure to warrant tracking. It might be useful to think about these as occurring over the span of less than a second. Perhaps 300-600 milliseconds. Examples of Swift actions are casting a Quickened Spells or performing certain Feats.
4. Free - these actions consume an even smaller portion of time/energy than Swift Actions; such a small amount that they can essentially be mixed into the round anywhere. Speaking (low energy) or dropping an object (low time) are canonical examples.

These Action Types can have subtypes. Currently, the ruleset only specifies one subtype, Immediate, which is most commonly applied to the Standard type or to the Swift type, allowing that Action to be resolved Immediately instead of during the character's place in the initiative.

Finally, certain action types may be substituted for one another. In particular, a move action can be substituted for a standard action. Although, some choices will inevitably preclude other choices as illustrated below.

Patterns of Action
There are five notable patterns of activity that can occur in a given 6 second block of time:

1. The Full-Round Standard Action Pattern
2. The Standard Action + Move Action Pattern
3. The Double-Move Action Pattern
4. The Full-Round Movement Action Pattern
5. The Attack of Opportunity Action Pattern

Let's discuss each in turn:

The Full Round Standard Action Pattern entirely consumes the available time in a round, allowing the character to perform the most intense Standard Actions but leaving her with only enough capacity to move only a single 5 foot step or something equivalently small (as per the Action Type time/energy economy rules discussed above). Currently, the only variable intensity Standard Actions are melee attacks and powers. The intensity for these Actions increase as the character progresses in level. In the case of the former, this is reflected primarily in the number of attacks that can be performed. In the latter case, it is the complexity of the spell which increases over time. A high level fighter can perform many attacks in the amount of time that a first level fighter can perform only one. A high level wizard can control world shaping energy in the same amount of time that a first level wizard can only hold a door closed magically.

The second pattern, Standard Action + Move Action, shifts some of the energy dedicated to intense Standard Actions (as described above) into Movement, that is locomotion in contrast to an attack. In this pattern, the character may move a distance up to their speed and still perform a Standard Action. Because the character is spending energy to move some distance, they no longer have the energy or time to perform the full complement of Standard Actions as they did in the Full Round Standard Action Pattern.

Given the first and second pattern, one should expect that a Standard Action could be exchanged for a Move Action. This is indeed the case and is the basis for the third pattern, the Double-Move. In this pattern, the energy and time that could be allotted to a Standard Action is instead devoted to Movement. As a result, the character can Move twice in the round, for a total of twice their Speed. Logically, one might also expect that the reverse would be true. Namely, that the Move Action in pattern #2 (Standard Action + Move Action) could be exchanged for a Standard Action. This is indeed the case; that is the Full Round Standard Action Pattern discussed above.

The character may choose instead to apply their energy and time intensively to Movement instead. This pattern, the Full-Round Movement Action Pattern, is similar to the Full Round Standard Action Pattern and similarly consumes the full round but is instead focused on intense Movement Actions. The most common intense Movement Action is called Running, where the character can move at four times their Speed, or more with Feats. Logically, in this circumstance the character should also be able to perform an action equivalent in time/energy expenditure to a 5-foot step since that amount of time/energy remains in the Full Round Standard Action Pattern as well.

The fifth pattern, the Attack of Opportunity pattern, can be the most perplexing activity to understand and is therefore often applied incorrectly in gameplay. But by considering the above principles, in conjunction with an understanding of the conceptual basis for this game mechanic, you too can join (or remain in) the ranks of the unperplexed. At the heart of this pattern is the notion that the character's opponent has given her an Opportunity. Generally, this opportunity is granted due to some distraction imposed by circumstances. To illustrate this along with what we've discussed so far, let's consider two combatants, Evaal and Lara:

Things are not going well for Evaal. He lost initiative and Lara, by this time in the round, has brought Evaal to the brink of death. Evaal wisely chooses to substitute a Melee Attack to Read from a Scroll instead. (They both know it's the Scroll of Unspeakable Horror which will instantly - and horribly - slay (no save) all but the Reader within 666 feet). Unfortunately for Evaal, the distraction inherent in his choice of standard action (reading a scroll) provokes an attack of opportunity. In effect, his distraction grants Lara the opportunity to perform a Standard Action with the Immediate subtype. The vast majority of the time, players choose the Attack Standard Action so this pattern is called Attack of Opportunity but Attacks are Standard Actions and Standard Actions are substitutable. Although unwieldy, the Attack of Opportunity is perhaps better named an Action of Opportunity. In any event, Lara is a wise opponent too. Previously, she noticed (Perception) a mark on Evaal's wrist (Knowledge) that indicated he is protected by a powerful body swapping ward. Had Lara reduced him to unconsciousness by any means Evaal would have had the option to switch bodies with her. Instead of performing a Standard Action Melee Attack she chooses to perform the Standard Action Combat Maneuver, Dirty Trick, to throw sand from the tomb floor into his eyes. Now Blinded, Evaal's cry of frustration (Free Action) echoes into the next round where Lara, who has initiative, substitutes a Melee Attack for another Combat Maneuver, Disarm, plucking the scroll from Evaal's hands (Lara is a martial artist). Lara could use a move equivalent action in place of an attack to pick up a gleaming key at her feet (it dropped unnoticed by Evaal when he unrolled the scroll). She chooses a different path however. Rather than grab the key, or bull rush (Combat Maneuver) Evaal into the nearby 20 foot wide chasm, Lara opts to jump the distance without a running start (Acrobatics). Risky. She fails the DC to cross but makes the DC to grab the ledge on the other side (Reflex) and climbs up. Evaal clears the sand from his eyes but by the next round, impotently watches Lara (she has initiative) tearing down the corridor (Full Round Standard Movement Pattern: Running) and out of sight. Evaal does not think he can make the jump (he's right). "Curse you Lara!! CURSE YOOOOOU!!!" (Evaal Free Action). <distant laughter> (Lara Free Action). The gleaming key lays unnoticed at Evaal's feet, now mostly covered by sand...

Used properly, the D20 rulesystem and its many extensions can be the source of thrilling adventures and epic roleplaying. Used improperly, the ruleset can be a different source of entertainment - but mostly for others.

It is my hope that you have enjoyed reading this Guide and that it offers you more clarity than confusion in your never ending journey to Understanding. Happy Gaming!
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