This might seem a bit cornercase and odd but I was curious if you can stop a full-action attack in the middle or if you're committed to it once you start. So if I have 3 iterative attacks and declare a full round attack against a foe, can I attack once and then decide to change my mind forgoing the rest of the attacks?
The reason this comes up is with the idea of gunslingers and misfires. If you misfire on the first shot, are you forced to take the remainder of your attacks or can you stop there to avoid the chance of kaboom?
This is from the PRD -
Deciding between an Attack or a Full Attack: After your first attack, you can decide to take a move action instead of making your remaining attacks, depending on how the first attack turns out and assuming you have not already taken a move action this round. If you've already taken a 5-foot step, you can't use your move action to move any distance, but you could still use a different kind of move action.
This leads me to believe you can stop after the first attack with no issues.
You can even take your 5' step between attacks if you want.
You are never required to take an attack you have available. You don't need to take an AoO just because one is provoked. You don't need to finish an attack sequence if you don't wish to do so. Specifically int his case: you are allowed to change targets based on the results of attacks, rather than needing to declare all attacks and targets up front, so I see no reason you couldn't choose to stop due to a misfire... or even drop that weapon and quick-draw another if you had such available and the appropriate feats for free-action draws, continuing your attacks with the second weapon.
Not specifically relevant here, but worth reiterating I think, is that if you do choose to take an action which requires the use of the Full Attack Action (for instance, Manyshot), then you cannot benefit from the "deciding between" language which ordinarily would let you abort a Full Attack after making your first attack roll.
Note that this does not mean you have to make all of your attack rolls, even if you choose to utilize Manyshot. But what it does mean is that you cannot make the first roll for an attack using Manyshot (to hit with two arrows), then decide to not make a Full Attack and move instead.
Correct.
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I know I'm breathing new life into a long dead thread, but these last posts seem to be directly relevant to something I'm trying to work out.
By my interpretation a Zen Archer (Up to level 8) performing a Flurry of Blows could take a single shot at a target realize that her arrow hit and did no damage suspecting that a creature has DR/Slashing, Drop her bow and move forward drawing a Temple Sword/Kama to begin using a slashing weapon next round. Up to level 8 this works because the normal BAB is >= Flurry Attack Bonus at that level.
The questionable ruling would come into play at level 9 once Flurry Attack Bonus exceeds the Zen Archer's Normal BAB. At which point I would suspect the Zen Archer can no longer take a move action instead after starting a Flurry because flurrying increased attack bonus above her normal BAB. Thus she had an extra bonus to hit that would not have been there if she were only doing a single attack.
There is a slight reasoning (though I suspect is not permitted by RAW) that as long as the attack with normal BAB would still have hit, she might still be able to interrupt the full attack and instead take a move action. This might be a reasonable choice for a House Rule, but would not be a valid option for PFS.
Any Confirmation/thoughts on this?
nope. special full round actions can't be stopped, flurry is one of those. You can forgo shooting your other arrows, but you've spend your full round action.
This might seem a bit cornercase and odd but I was curious if you can stop a full-action attack in the middle or if you're committed to it once you start. So if I have 3 iterative attacks and declare a full round attack against a foe, can I attack once and then decide to change my mind forgoing the rest of the attacks?
The reason this comes up is with the idea of gunslingers and misfires. If you misfire on the first shot, are you forced to take the remainder of your attacks or can you stop there to avoid the chance of kaboom?
You can cancel the rest of the action, but you're not getting any bonuses for doing so. For myself though, I'd probably continue shooting anyway if I'm fighting for my life. But then again, that's because the only way I generally get multiple shots per round is by using multiple flintlocks.
So the problem you run into is that Flurry is a full action with special consequences for your bonus to attack because it changes your BAB. If you stop after the first attack, you didn't use flurry because you didn't use a full action. Which means the bonuses you got for the attack you did make should have been different from what they were.
Unfortunately, by the rules I don't think you can start a flurry, stop after the first attack, and then move. Once you start a flurry it uses up both your standard and move actions.
So yes, you appear to understand correctly. You can't abort your Flurry and move afterwards, as it is a different kind of action than a full attack action, and only the full attack action says you can stop after the first attack.