What if there was a "minor" action 1 / round for things like shifting grip?

[sherlock1701]

It should be a free action. It's normal while fighting with many two handed weapons (and even more so with one handed weapons) to quickly switch between one and two handed grips while parrying and attacking.

I also feel like all one handed weapons that can reasonably be held in two hands (read:most weapons bigger than a camp knife) should get a damage dice or flat damage bump when used in this way, because it makes a significant difference in how much strength you can bring to bear.

[Liir]

As other posters have noted, I think the simplified 3 action system is one of the best innovations of 2E. Adding a new action type would turn us back around in the wrong direction. One version of D&D had a rule that changed movement speed into a currency. Instead of using an action, you would spend 10 feet of movement to stand up from prone. I would embrace and expand upon that concept, to fix several issues in 2E.

..break into design mode, feel free to skip…

Instead of a race granting 25 feet of movement they would instead grant 5 points of Speed. Well, scratch Speed, because we’re going to expand the concept further.. so let’s call it Stamina. (Note: I don’t like that term either). What can you do with Stamina?

Move 5 Feet = 1 Stamina
Move 5 Feet in Difficult Terrain = 2 Stamina
Draw a Weapon = 1 Stamina
Open an (unlocked) Door = 2 Stamina
Stand up from Prone = 2 Stamina
Grab an Item out of a Backpack into Hand = 2 Stamina

..now we’re really going to break things..

Raise a Shield = 2 Stamina
At this point, we drop the 3 action system into a 2 action system. Everyone can take 2 actions and spend Stamina.
Stamina is reset to full at the end of your turn (you start at full).

Make an Opportunity Attack = 2 Stamina
Nimbly Dodge an Attack = 2 Stamina

..and we just rewrote the Reaction system.

What about Running people down?
Action (1): Adrenaline Rush – You gain 2 Stamina

What about Spellcasters and “full-round” casting?
Gather Power = 1 or more Stamina (this may require a skill check).
Description: You convert Stamina to Spell Power at a 1 for 1 ratio.
Some spells cost Spell Power (you will need to build up in combat to cast), metamagic uses Spell Power..

.. and I’m done stream of consciousness designing -- thanks if you made it this far…

[Darthbevis]

Player complained about this when he wanted to

Stand Up
Move to Enemy
Grip Two Handed
Strike

Making shift grip an action that can be performed with a move would solve it.
Extra reaction with training too.
Or, to the point of making the greatsword too powerful, make 2 handed weapons make you sluggish(1) or something when held in one hand.

[scoutmaster]

re-gripping should cost 1 action. otherwise the two-handed weapon is too strong.
there is no rule that when you lie down, you release the weapon from one hand. However, lay of hands, casting spells drinking potions is too much for free (the shield also costs the action as we know)

[Excaliburproxy]

Darksol the Painbringer wrote:

Excaliburproxy wrote:

Darksol the Painbringer wrote:

Excaliburproxy wrote:

WizardoftheNorth wrote:

What I would like to know...is what those folks commenting on the switch hand/draw sword "action tax" want to do with that extra action with their free hand?

I can only assume it is to do something like get in a spell, heal or other type of attack. But I could be completely missing something obvious.

While it is possible a better subset of rules could be created, the inherent purpose is to prevent attacking and casting in the same turn breaking the action economy.

A solition that I see...is you have to make the basic strike action take two actions.
And casting a spell take two actions.

Drink a potion, use an item, open a door, drag the unconscious wizard to safety, give a high five to a deserving friend, etc. etc.

None of these things have nothing to do with regripping taking an action, because those are actions that are being taken before regripping a weapon, since you need a free hand anyway to do those actions, and dropping grip from a weapon is free to do. In short, these are strawman problems.

What a bizarre response.

You will still need to spend that action to actually rejoin the fight. You are still paying the "action tax". I am not even saying that I am against the "action tax" per se. I am just saying that there are plenty of things people might want to do with their free hand besides casting spells.

While I'm thinking of it, if I had a longsword and shield out, and I wanted to do those actions, wouldn't I similarly have to sheathe or drop one of those, to do one of those actions, and then spend an action to redraw or pick up either item? Comparatively speaking, it's not much different than with a two-handed weapon. It's actually more intrusive, truth be told. So why is it that the Two-Handed Weapons need a special rule again?

Well, a character with a sword and shield could drop his shield and fight with just a sword if he foresaw that he would want to spend the rest of the fight on the offensive (and using all his actions to attack). A character with a shield, a gauntlet, and a doubling ring could even use two weapon fighting strategies with his newly freed gauntlet hand.

Edit: for clarity, I am not advocating for the removal of the "action tax" for changing the grip of your weapon. I am just saying that the "tax" has implications beyond limiting characters' abilities to caste a spell and attack in the same turn.

[Mad Master]

In my P1 games, I used the 3.5 standard for actions such as swapping weapons from one hand to the other, losing grip with one hand from a 2-handed weapon and then regripping it, etc.

Basically, they were all compared to drawing a weapon, with losing grip being a free action. It made sense, since you were passing from "carrying a 2-handed weapon with one hand" to "wielding a 2-handed weapon in combat", while losing grip was basically like dropping the weapon.
A different approach was used for a "bastard" weapon: once drawn, you could swap between 1-handed and 2-handed use as a free action made as part of whatever action you were using to fight with that weapon, since this kind of action is part of the normal use of that kind of weapons in combat.

I think that that old solution is still the best, even with the new 3-actions + reaction system.

[Starfox]

There should not be any new types of actions. The 3 action system demands that all actions fit into the pattern of action, reaction, and free action.

However, too many things are now actions that could be free actions. Why is taking out a potion an action, while readying a material component is not? Why is re-gripping a weapon an action? It all feels very gamey and unintuitive.

[Mad Master]

Readying a material component could be done as part of the action required to cast a spell. Maybe that's why it's not an action.

[Igor Horvat]

I would go with 6 actions per turn mode.

Reduce move speed to 15/20/25 for slow/normal/fast ancestries, armor reduces speed by 5ft only

Move: 1 action
Draw/regrip weapon: 1 action
Drink potion: 1 action
Stand up: 1 action
Drop prone: 1 action
Dash: 3 actions, 4×speed, -1 attack, AC, reflex.
Run: 6 actions, 10×speed, straigh line only, non-dificult terrain, -5 attack, AC, reflex.

Normal attack: 2 action,
Somatic casting: 2 actions,
Verbal casting: 2 actions,
Material casting: 1 action,
Raise shield: 1 action,

Possible modes(feats):

Power attack: 3 actions.
Defensive strike: 3 actions, +1 AC until the next round.
Cleave: 1 action, Strike after scoring melee crit or reducing oponent to 0 with melee Strike
TWF: attack with both main and off hand agile weapons: 3 actios
Rapid shot(feat): 2 attacks: 3 actions
Crossbow reloading 1,2, or 3 actions, depending on crossbow.
Fast reload: reduce reloading by 1 action

Rapid casting: reduce one of your casting action cost by 1.

Eschew materials: replace non costly material casting with somatic.

Subtle spell: replace 2 action verbal componenent with 3 action somatic or vice versa.

[Excaliburproxy]

Igor Horvat wrote:

I would go with 6 actions per turn mode.

Reduce move speed to 15/20/25 for slow/normal/fast ancestries, armor reduces speed by 5ft only

Move: 1 action
Draw/regrip weapon: 1 action
Drink potion: 1 action
Stand up: 1 action
Drop prone: 1 action
Dash: 3 actions, 4×speed, -1 attack, AC, reflex.
Run: 6 actions, 10×speed, straigh line only, non-dificult terrain, -5 attack, AC, reflex.

Normal attack: 2 action,
Somatic casting: 2 actions,
Verbal casting: 2 actions,
Material casting: 1 action,
Raise shield: 1 action,

Possible modes(feats):

Power attack: 3 actions.
Defensive strike: 3 actions, +1 AC until the next round.
Cleave: 1 action, Strike after scoring melee crit or reducing oponent to 0 with melee Strike
TWF: attack with both main and off hand agile weapons: 3 actios
Rapid shot(feat): 2 attacks: 3 actions
Crossbow reloading 1,2, or 3 actions, depending on crossbow.
Fast reload: reduce reloading by 1 action

Rapid casting: reduce one of your casting action cost by 1.

Eschew materials: replace non costly material casting with somatic.

Subtle spell: replace 2 action verbal componenent with 3 action somatic or vice versa.

That sounds a lot like action points in Five Moons. Is that you SKR? If that is you, I want my money back for Five Moons.