This is a continuation of a discussion in a different thread (iterative magic).
To recap, in this system, you have 2 standard action at first level, +1 standard action at +6 BAB, +11 BAB, and +16 BAB.
You can use these standard actions to perform any move or standard action, with some exceptions listed below.
You can normally only cast one spell per round, a quickened spell does not take a swift action, rather it lets you cast a second spell in a round. Spells with a one round casting tme are unaffected by this change. You can apply a metamagic feat to a spontaneously cast spell by taking an additional standard action.
Attacking: Each standard action you take to attack during your turn after the first suffers a cumulative -5 penalty on attack rolls. This does not apply to spells.
Two Weapon Fighting(feat): Once per round, you may use a standard action to attack once with a weapon in each hand, suffering all of the normal penalties.
Improved Two Weapon Fighting : Twice per round, you may use a standard action to attack once with a weapon in each hand, suffering all of the normal penalties.
Greater Two Weapon Fighting(feat): Three times per round, you may use a standard action to attack once with a weapon in each hand, suffering all of the normal penalties.
Rapid Shot: Once per round, you may use a standard action to attack twice with a ranged weapon, but all attacks you make this round suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls.
Vital Strike: When attacking, you may spend 2 standard actions to make one attack roll with double the weapon damage dice.
Improved Vital Strike: When attacking, you may spend 3 standard actions to make one attack roll with triple the weapon damage dice.
Greater Vital Strike: When attacking, you may spend 4 standard actions to make one attack roll with Quadruple the weapon damage dice.
Cleave: Requires 2 standard actions to use.
Great Cleave: Requires 3 Standard actions to use.
Natural Attacks. You may use both natural attack of a pair of natural attacks (eg. 2 claws) as part of the same standard action. Creatures that possess more than 2 of a given natural attack (such as a hydra with 5+ bites) will have special rules governing it.
Other considerations must be taken, but please share your thoughts on the information thus far.
The big issue is move actions. In any standard chase scene, for example, all things being equal the fighter always catches the wizard. My fear is that this system will allow too much movement. It also is much more beneficial for the full BAB classes over the pure spell-casters. Over 20 levels, full BAB picks up two additional standard actions over full casters. Heck, I'd be using regular Vital Strike twice a round by 16, since I only am taking a -5, which isn't difficult to compensate for, and my riders would be hitting twice instead of once.
You'd need to add a rule that you couldn't replace more than one standard action with a move action. You'd also have to consider other things: Can a high-charisma paladin UMD a wand 4 times in a round? Can a fighter drink four cure potions?
Also, I don't really see the point to the vital strike chain in this system.
Why not say you start out with one move, one standard and one minor.
In this system a minor action would be like a standard action, except it doesn't let you attack at full BAB, cast spells, use wands, use potions, use scrolls or use anything else that's somehow equivalent to using a spell and you cannot trade it for a move.
Instead of a -5 cumulative penalty for attacking, make it no penalty for attacking as a standard action and a cumulative penalty starting at -5 for attacking with minor actions.
Possibly you could be allowed to spend a minor action to move a reduced distance. Maybe 5 ft.
I was considering doing something similar in my last campaign but did not try it out.
My idea was that you got your normal allotment of actions but once you attained a BAB of +6 you could attack as a move action, +11 a swift action, and at +16 (once per round you could attack as a free action).
Then just let the TWF chain allow for two attacks using an action, normal TWF two attacks if you use a standardard action, ITWF two attacks if you use a move action to attack, ect....
The cool thing is at higher levels you can move and still get mutliple attacks.
If you want to boost casters and personally I don't think they need any more power you could make a new metamagic feat called Lesser Quicken that uses a move action to cast the spell for +2 to the spell level.
Forgot- there are no full round actions anymore you may take a 5ft step without provoking as a swift action. Any spell that has a casting time of 1 round uses a free action on the following round to complete.
The big issue is move actions. In any standard chase scene, for example, all things being equal the fighter always catches the wizard. My fear is that this system will allow too much movement. It also is much more beneficial for the full BAB classes over the pure spell-casters. Over 20 levels, full BAB picks up two additional standard actions over full casters. Heck, I'd be using regular Vital Strike twice a round by 16, since I only am taking a -5, which isn't difficult to compensate for, and my riders would be hitting twice instead of once.
Just limit movement to a maximum of double your speed, unless you use the full round action of run. Seems like a pretty simple fix.
Of course spell-based attacks should also suffer the -5 penalty for consecutive standard actions. Why should spells be different? An attack roll is an attack roll.
This leaves non-attack spells. I think every standard action spent imposes a -2 (cumulative) penalty to the DCs of spells.
So the first Hold Person in a turn would be at DC 17, the next at DC 15, then DC 13, etc.
hmmm intersting. I would have to see or do alot of playtesting before I thought about doing something like this. Alot of abilities are based around the idea that you only have one standard action. All those class abilities like channel energy, or a paladins divine bond, breath weapons, stuff like that are assumed to be the only (or almost always the only) offensive action you take in a round. They are presumably balanced around that fact or they wouldn't be standard actions. You would have to look at all of them to see how they fit in with a system like this.
Even if successive spells took a hit to attack rolls and dcs (as suggested) what about buffs? A cleric 15th level could apply 3 buffs in 1 round to himself and then wade into combat. That is a big power swing for clerics and druids (less so for the slower bab sorcs and wizards but still significant i wouldnt want to meet a 12th level wizard who got 2 spells off in around or 3 with quicken in a dark alley, penalty or no penalty)
To Warcolonel: I was thinking about limiting movement to double you base speed in a round unless you ran as a full round action, as Irontruth suggested.
To Bobson: multiple wands per round is something I was worrying about, I was thinking about having spell trigger and spell completion items follow the same rule as spells (once per round). Potions would require a move action to draw and a move action to drink, meaning a fighter could only drink 2 per round normally.
To Paraxis: Interesting idea...something to think about.
To Lorekeeper: The reason I didn't apply the attack penalty to spells is because you can (normally) only cast one spell per round, even if it required multiple attacks. This would be penalizing spellcasters over the standard system, more than they just have fewer standard actions.
To Kolokotroni: I know some things would require some sort of limitation and I will have to work on that.
I agree this system would need a lot of work but that is why I have put it up here.
I think the problem is just how much work it needs, and what will be left afterwards. Almost every standard action ability will need to be looked at. Then you have to look at things designed to work with full attacks. Rapid shot, many shot, spell combat, whirlwind attack, Haste, these things work off of full attack actions, how does that weigh into this system? How does a spell that takes more then a standard action to cast fit in? And when you are finished with all of that work, will you be left with anything that still resembles pathfinder?