Not sure if I should have posted this in general discussion or not but I was curious how people get around the severe action economy in Pathfinder. As most combat with a D20 system doesn't usually last more then 5 rounds having to spend a round of actions buffing, debuffing, moving into position, preparing actions, etc. seems wasteful. So the question is how do people overcome this issues? The only solution I really know of that reduces action economy at all is the Quicken Spell, Quick Draw and Rapid Reload...
remember, if you have a BAB of +1 you can draw a weapon as part of a move action. My group also interprets this to mean a charge. And if your barbarian can brain their wizard before he finishes buffing, you don't have to worry so much about the debuff.
but maybe my group plays a bit more brashly than yours?
For spells that last minutes/level or longer, it's often possible to buff before combat. You're also free to walk around with your weapon drawn, depending on the location (it's sensible in wilderness or a dungeon, but will get you into trouble in a town).
The enemy has the same action economy problem, perhaps a bit worse if the party outnumbers them.
I won't lie, action economy can sometime depend on the GM. I mean, if you only have like...1 encounter per day, then yea, action economy can be very important. However, sometimes combat can be more strenuous depending on the situation. A few of my GMs have actually made some of our encounters last for over 12 rounds or so, and they also include multiple encounters throughout the day.
I think the longest battle I was involved in lasted close to 30 rounds (It was basically a siege battle protecting a castle, and the engagement was actually broken up into several parts).
So really, if your GM likes prolonged combat, combined with multiple encounters, the players who take the time to buff up will really benefit more.