Action Economy

Action Economy refers to the amount, duration, and type of actions available to a character in a given amount of time. Typically this is most important during combat encounters. These rules have not been changed from their original form as a part of the d20 SRD published by Wizards of the Coast. They have only been appended here to explain how some of the features and abilities contained in Element 133 make use of their Action Economy. Additionally, some features and abilities modify these rules slightly. Adding extra attacks, bonus actions, movement, etc. Take a second to refresh yourself on these rules!

The Combat Round

Each round represents 6 seconds in the game world. A round presents an opportunity for each character involved in a combat situation to take an action.

Each round’s activity begins with the character with the highest initiative result and then proceeds, in order, from there. Each round of combat uses the same initiative order. When a character’s turn comes up in the initiative sequence, that character performs his entire round’s worth of actions. (For exceptions, see Attacks of Opportunity and Special Initiative Actions.)

For almost all purposes, there is no relevance to the end of a round or the beginning of a round. A round can be a segment of game time starting with the first character to act and ending with the last, but it usually means a span of time from one round to the same initiative count in the next round. Effects that last a certain number of rounds end just before the same initiative count that they began on.

Action Types

An action’s type essentially tells you how long the action takes to perform (within the framework of the 6-second combat round) and how movement is treated. There are six types of actions: standard actions, move actions, full-round actions, free actions, bonus actions, and reactions.

In a normal round, you can perform a standard action and a move action, or you can perform a full-round action. You can also perform one or more free actions. And either a bonus action or reaction. You can always take a move action in place of a standard action.

In some situations (such as in a surprise round), you may be limited to taking only a single move action or standard action.

Standard Action

A standard action allows you to do something, most commonly make an attack, use an ability or cast a spell or program. See Table: Standard Actions for other standard actions.

Move Action

A move action allows you to move your speed or perform an action that takes a similar amount of time. See Table: Move Actions.

You can take a dash action as a full-round action. If you move no actual distance in a round (commonly because you have swapped your move for one or more equivalent actions), you can take one 5-foot step either before, during, or after the action.

Full-Round Action

A full-round action consumes all your effort during a round. The only movement you can take during a full-round action is a 5-foot step before, during, or after the action. Some full-round actions do not allow you to take a 5-foot step. You can also perform free actions (see below).

Some full-round actions can be taken as standard actions, but only in situations when you are limited to performing only a standard action during your round. The descriptions of specific actions, below, detail which actions allow this option.

Free Action

Free actions consume a very small amount of time and effort. You can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, there are reasonable limits on what you can really do for free.

Bonus Action

A bonus action consumes a very small amount of time but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. You can perform only a single bonus action per turn.

Reaction

A reaction is very similar to a bonus action but can be performed at any time — even if it's not your turn.

Not an Action

Some activities are so minor that they are not even considered free actions. They literally don’t take any time at all to do and are considered an inherent part of doing something else.

Restricted Activity

In some situations, you may be unable to take a full round’s worth of actions. In such cases, you are restricted to taking only a single standard action or a single move action (plus free actions as normal). You can’t take a full-round action (though you can start or complete a full-round action by using a standard action; see below).

Standard Actions

Attack

Making an attack is a standard action. Melee, Ranged, Unarmed Strike, Spell, Technomancy, and Improvised Weapon attacks fall under this action unless otherwise stated by the weapon or ability description.

Multiple Attacks

Certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature of the Bruiser, allow you to make more than one Attack with this Action.

Attacks of Opportunity

If you are given the option to do so, you may make a single melee attack against an enemy that is taking certain actions within your reach. Attacks of opportunity are considered reactions.

Cast a Spell or Program

Most spells and technomancy programs require 1 standard action to cast. But this is not always the case, view the spell or program's casting time and duration properties for more information. You can cast such an effect either before or after you take a move action.

Concentration

Some spells, programs, and other abilities require concentration. If you can’t concentrate you can’t use the ability. If you start using an ability but something interferes with your concentration you must make a Concentration check or lose the action. The check’s DC depends on what is threatening your concentration (see the Concentration skill). If you fail, the effort fails with no effect. Concentrating to continue an ability is a standard action that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. You may only concentrate on one ability at a time.

Ending Concentration

Dismissing an active ability is a free action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity.

Activate Item

Many items don’t need to be activated. However, certain items need to be activated, especially bombs, traps, computers, vehicles, and other machines. Activating an item is a standard action (unless the item description indicates otherwise).

Use Special Ability

Special abilities are any ability granted to your character by their race, occupation, or class. Using a special ability is usually a standard action, but whether it is a standard action, a full-round action, or not an action at all is defined by the ability.

Spell-Like Abilities

Using a spell-like ability works like casting a spell or program in that it requires concentration and provokes attacks of opportunity. Spell-like abilities can be disrupted. If your concentration is broken, the attempt to use the ability fails, but the attempt counts as if you had used the ability. The casting time of a spell-like ability is 1 standard action unless the ability description notes otherwise.

Standard Actions

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Action	Attack of Opportunity?
Attack (melee)	No
Attack (unarmed)	Yes
Attack (ranged)	Yes
Activate a item other than a potion or elixir	No
Aid another	Maybe (See #2)
Bull rush	Yes
Cast a spell or program (1 standard action casting time)	Yes
Concentrate to maintain an active spell or program	No
Dismiss a spell or program	No
Draw a hidden weapon (see Sleight of Hand skill)	No
Drink a potion or apply an elixir	Yes
Escape a grapple	No
Feint	No
Light a torch	Yes
Make a dying friend stable (see Medicine skill)	Yes
Overrun	No
Read a document	Yes
Ready (triggers a standard action)	No
Sunder a weapon (attack)	Yes
Sunder an object (attack)	Maybe (See #3)
Total defense	No
Use extraordinary ability	No
Use skill that takes 1 action	Usually
Use spell-like ability	Yes
Use supernatural ability	No

1. Regardless of the action, if you move out of a threatened square, you usually provoke an attack of opportunity. This column indicates whether the action itself, not moving, provokes an attack of opportunity.
2. If you aid someone performing an action that would normally provoke an attack of opportunity, then the act of aiding another provokes an attack of opportunity as well.
3. If the object is being held, carried, or worn by a creature, yes. If not, no.

Supernatural Abilities

Using a supernatural ability is usually a standard action (unless defined otherwise by the ability’s description). Its use cannot be disrupted, does not require concentration, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Extraordinary Abilities

Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen reactively. Those extraordinary abilities are actions, that are usually standard actions themselves or used in conjunction with another action, and cannot be disrupted, do not require concentration, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Disengage

You may use the Disengage action as a standard action. If you take the Disengage Action, your Movement doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks for the rest of the turn.

Dodge

You may use the Dodge Action as a standard action. When you take the Dodge Action, you focus entirely on avoiding attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any Attack roll made against you has a disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you make Dexterity Saving Throws with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are Incapacitated (as explained in Conditions ) or if your speed drops to 0.

Reload a Weapon

Most weapons take one standard action to reload, while others take a longer or shorter amount of time. View description of each of the weapon properties which can be found in the Bunker article for more information.

Ready

Sometimes you want to get the jump on a foe or wait for a particular circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready Action on Your Turn as a standard action, which lets you act using your Reaction before the start of your next turn.

First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your Reaction. Then, you choose the Action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it. Examples include “If the Cultist steps on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever that opens it,” and “If the Android steps next to me, I move away.”

When the trigger occurs, you can either take your Reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one Reaction or Bonus Action per round.

Start/Complete Full-Round Action

The "start full-round action" standard action lets you start undertaking a full-round action, which you can complete in the following round by using another standard action. You can’t use this action to start or complete a full attack, charge, dash, or withdraw.

Move Actions

With the exception of specific movement-related skills, most move actions don’t require a check.

Move

The simplest move action is moving your speed. If you take this kind of move action during your turn, you can’t also take a 5-foot step.

Many nonstandard modes of movement are covered under this category, including jumping, climbing (up to one-half of your speed) and swimming (up to one-half of your speed), and moving through difficult terrain (up to one-half of your speed).

Using Different Speeds

If you have more than one speed, such as your walking speed and a flying speed, you can switch back and forth between your speeds during your move. You may move more than your speed by taking the Dash Full-Round Action.

Whenever you switch, subtract the distance you’ve already moved from the new speed. The result determines how much farther you can move. If the result is 0 or less, you can’t use the new speed during the current move.

For example, if you have a speed of 30 and a flying speed of 60 because you have the Flight feature, you could fly 20 feet, then walk 10 feet, and then leap into the air to fly 30 feet more.

Move Actions

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Action	Attack of Opportunity?
Move	Yes
Pilot a Vehicle	Yes
Control a frightened mount	Yes
Draw a weapon	No
Mount a beast or dismount	No
Enter or exit a vehicle	No
Move a heavy object	Yes
Pick up an item	Yes
Sheathe a weapon	Yes
Stand up from prone	Yes
Ready or loose a shield	No
Retrieve a stored item	Yes

Breaking Up Your Move

You can break up your Movement on Your Turn, using some of your speed before and after your Action. For example, if you have a speed of 30 feet, you can move 10 feet, take your Action, and then move 20 feet.

Accelerated Climbing and Swimming

You can climb or swim your entire speed as a move action by accepting a -5 penalty on your Climb or Athletics check.

Crawling

You can crawl 5 feet as a move action. Crawling incurs attacks of opportunity from any attackers who threaten you at any point of your crawl.

Pilot Vehicle

Piloting a vehicle is a move action, you may move the full distance of the vehicle's speed. You may not Dash in vehicles. Most vehicles require a successful Navigation (Dexterity) check to make difficult maneuvers during your movement successfully. Some vehicles are complicated to pilot such as tanks, fighter jets, and naval vessels. These vehicles may require you to maintain concentration, or have Full-Round Move actions.

Draw or Sheathe a Weapon

Drawing a weapon so that you can use it in combat, or putting it away so that you have a free hand, requires a move action. This action also applies to weapon-like objects carried within easy reach, such as bombs or traps. If your weapon or weapon-like object is stored in a pack or otherwise out of easy reach, treat this action as retrieving a stored item.

If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you may draw a weapon as a free action combined with a regular move. If you have the Two-Weapon fighting style, you can draw two light or one-handed weapons in the time it would normally take you to draw one.

Drawing ammunition for use with a ranged weapon (such as arrows, bolts, sling bullets, or magazines) is a free action.

Ready or Loose a Shield

Strapping a shield to your arm to gain its shield bonus to your AC, or unstrapping and dropping a shield so you can use your shield hand for another purpose, requires a move action.

Dropping a carried (but not worn) shield is a free action.

Manipulate an Item

In most cases, moving or manipulating an item is a move action. This includes retrieving or putting away a stored item, moving a heavy object, and loading heavy ammunition. Examples of this kind of action, along with whether they incur an attack of opportunity, are given in Table: Move Actions.

Stand Up

Standing up from a prone position is done as part of a typical move action and expends half your speed. And provokes attacks of opportunity.

Mount/Dismount a Steed or Enter/Exit Vehicle

Mounting or dismounting from a steed entering and exiting a vehicle requires a move action.

Some vehicles are easy to enter/exit such as a bicycle or motorbikes and their descriptions may modify this action.

Fast Enter or Exit Vehicle

You can enter/exit a vehicle as a free action with a DC 18 Navigation check (your armor check penalty, if any, applies to this check). If you fail the check, entering/exiting is a move action instead. (You can’t attempt a fast enter/exit unless you can perform the enter/exit as a move action in the current round.)

Full-Round Actions

A full-round action requires an entire round to complete. Thus, it can’t be coupled with a standard or a move action, though if it does not involve moving any distance, you can take a 5-foot step.

Use Special Ability

Using a special ability is usually a standard action, but some may be full-round actions, as defined by the ability.

Withdraw

Withdrawing from melee combat is a full-round action. When you withdraw, you can move up to four times your speed in a straight line (or three times your speed if you’re in heavy armor). You lose any Dexterity bonus to AC. The square you start in cannot be considered threatened by any opponent you can see, and therefore visible enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against you when you move from that square. (Invisible enemies still get attacks of opportunity against you, and you can’t withdraw from combat if you’re blinded.) You can’t take a 5-foot step during the same round in which you withdraw.

If during the process of withdrawing, you move through a threatened square (other than the one you started in), enemies get attacks of opportunity as normal.

You may not withdraw using a form of movement for which you don’t have a listed speed.

You may only take the Withdraw action once per combat encounter.

Restricted Withdraw

If you are limited to taking only a standard action each round you can withdraw as a standard action. In this case, you may move up to twice your speed (rather than up to four times your speed).

Dash

You can dash as a full-round action. You may move up to twice your movement speed as a part of the dash action. (If you do, you do not also get a 5-foot step.) unless you have the Run feature.

You can dash for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution score, but after that, you must make a DC 10 Constitution check to continue running. You must check again each round in which you continue to dash, and the DC of this check increases by 1 for each check you have made. When you fail this check, you must stop running. A character who has run to his limit must rest for 1 minute (10 rounds) before dashing again. During a rest period, a character can move no faster than a normal move action.

You can’t dash across difficult terrain or if you can’t see where you’re going.

You cannot Dash using a movement type you do not have a speed for or as a part of Piloting a Vehicle.

A dash represents a speed of about 14 miles per hour for an unencumbered human.

Move 5 Feet through Difficult Terrain

In some situations, your movement may be so hampered that you don’t have sufficient speed even to move 5 feet (a single square). In such a case, you may spend a full-round action to move 5 feet (1 square) in any direction, even diagonally. Even though this looks like a 5-foot step, it’s not, and thus it provokes attacks of opportunity normally.

Free Actions

Free actions don’t take any time at all, though there may be limits to the number of free actions you can perform in a turn. Free actions rarely incur attacks of opportunity. Some common free actions are described below.

• open or close a door
• withdraw a potion from your Backpack

• pick up a dropped axe
• take a bauble from a table
• remove a ring from your finger
• stuff some food into your mouth
• plant a banner in the ground
• fish a few coins from your belt pouch
• drink all the ale in a flagon
• throw a lever or a switch
• pull a torch from a sconce
• take a book from a shelf you can reach
• extinguish a small flame
• don a mask
• pull the hood of your cloak up and over your head
• put your ear to a door
• kick a small stone
• turn a key in a lock
• tap the floor with a 10-­foot pole
• hand an item to another character

Bonus Actions

A bonus action consumes a very small amount of time but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. You can perform one bonus action per turn without affecting your ability to perform other actions. In that regard, a bonus action is like a free action. However, you can perform only a single bonus action per turn, regardless of what other actions you take. You can take a bonus action any time you would normally be allowed to take a free action.

Hide

You may use the Hide action as a bonus action. When you take the Hide Action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide, following the rules for Hiding. If you succeed, you gain certain benefits, as described in the “Unseen Attackers and Targets” section of the 5E Player's Handbook.

A target hidden only by thin wood, glass, or fabric has quarter cover and has a +1 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target with half cover has a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. A target with three-quarters cover has a +3 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. Rules for total cover are the same as stated in the Player’s Handbook.

Start Vehicle

You may start or park a vehicle as a bonus action. Difficult parking, or hotwiring a vehicle takes a Standard Action and a relevant skill check.

Trigger Bomb or Trap

Triggering most traps, bombs, and weapons systems takes a bonus action.

Reactions

Much like a bonus action, a reaction consumes a very small amount of time but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. However, unlike a bonus action, a reaction can be performed at any time — even if it's not your turn. Opening a parachute is a reaction since the item can be cast at any time.

Using a reaction on your turn is the same as using a bonus action and counts as your bonus action for that turn. You cannot use another reaction or a bonus action until after your next turn if you have used a reaction when it is not currently your turn (effectively, using a reaction before your turn is equivalent to using your bonus action for the coming turn). You also cannot use a reaction if you are surprised.

Miscellaneous Actions

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 when 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.

Use Feature

Certain features let you take special actions in combat. Other features do not require actions themselves, but they give you a bonus when attempting something you can already do. Some features are not meant to be used within the framework of combat. The individual feature descriptions tell you what you need to know about them.

Use Skill

Most skill uses are standard actions, but some might be move actions, full-round actions, free actions, or something else entirely.

The individual skill descriptions tell you what sorts of actions are required to perform skills.