I recently had an argument about five foot steps combined with other move actions. I know that you cannot move any squares and then take a five foot step, or vice-versa.
However, the people I was playing with said that if you take a five foot step, you can't take a move action. At all. Of any kind.
I argued against that because it doesn't make any sense that you can't take a five foot step and then not be able to draw a weapon or retrieve a stored item or etc. It made even less sense that you can still take a five foot step when making full-round actions, but not be able to take a move and a standard after taking a five foot step.
I know that you can take a five foot step and still take move actions that don't involve moving out of your square. I know it. That's how everyone else I've played with has interpreted it, including venture captains and all kinds of GMs, and no one I know has ever questioned it until now.
However, while I knew it to be true, I couldn't find anything in the rules that proved them wrong.
Under Miscellaneous actions in the Core Rulebook on pg. 189, it states:
"Take 5-Foot Step
You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement. Taking this 5-foot step never provokes an attack of opportunity. You can't take more than one 5-foot step in a round, and you can't take a 5-foot step in the same round that you move any distance.
You can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after your other actions in the round.
You can only take a 5-foot-step if your movement isn't hampered by difficult terrain or darkness. Any creature with a speed of 5 feet or less can't take a 5-foot step, since moving even 5 feet requires a move action for such a slow creature.
You may not take a 5-foot step using a form of movement for which you do not have a listed speed."
Actually, the part I bolded seems to support what they are saying.
A little help?
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No, the bolded part does the opposite.
"Don't perform any other kind of movement". A Move Action and a Movement are two entirely different things.
A Move Action is something that takes up your Move Action. Be it moving squares, retrieving items, activating an ability that takes a Move Action, etc.
A Movement is specifically that "Moving squares" option encompassed by the overall Move Action umbrella.
They're wrong, flat out.
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Page 181:
Move Action: A move action allows you to move up to
your speed or perform an action that takes a similar
amount of time. See Table 8–2 for other move actions.
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.
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if you take a five foot step, you can't take a move action. At all. Of any kind.
you can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round that you move any distance
You can take any move action so long as you don't leave the square you are in during the round.
This "you can't take a move action and 5 ft step" seems to come up more often now than it did years ago. About half the tables I've been playing in the last 6 months have had someone question this rule.
My best advice is to do what I do:
1) If you are the DM, over rule the PC saying you can't do it and if he objects appeal to "Rule 0"
2) If you are the player, say what I say "that isn't what the rules say, but I'll abide by your ruling" and move on.