Marshmallow’s Revised Revised Action Economy for

OGL 3.5/Pathfinder RPG

This updated version of the revised action economy system is a more active system that allows lower-level
characters more options in a round while slightly limiting how much higher-level characters can do during
their turns. Presented here is a tested revised version of the system presented in Pathfinder Unchained which
often enables players to have more versatility than the default action economy system while for the most part
retaining the functionality of said system.

Overview
In this system, a character can commit up to 3 acts on their turn; these can be committed individually as
single-act actions, double-act actions, or triple-act actions. In addition each character has a single passive-act
action and a single reaction per round. Iterative attacks have been discarded in this action economy; instead,
any character can make multiple attacks during their turn simply by committing multiple acts to do so.

Initiative
At the start of combat, each participant rolls an initiative check as normal. ​Characters are flat-footed before they
act in either the surprise round or the first round of combat.

Surprise Round
When combat starts, if some but not all of the participants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round
occurs before the first round of combat. Those who are aware can ​commit up to 2 acts ​during the surprise
round, and ​gain a reaction when that round is over​. If all combatants are aware of their opponents, ​skip the
surprise round​.

Your Turn
You can take actions in any order you choose, except when the rules for individual actions state otherwise. You
can also take a number of free actions your ​GM deems appropriate​. Your turn ends once you have committed or
readied all 3 acts, your passive act, and any free actions you wish to take. ​Once your turn has begun,​ you gain
the ability to take one reaction before the start of your next turn, you must have already had a turn in order to
take a reaction.
When your turn comes up in the initiative order, you can choose to delay instead. When you do, you can't
commit acts. You keep any reactions you haven't used since your previous turn, but don't gain any more. At any
point after another combatant has taken its turn, you can choose to end your delay and reenter the initiative
order. When you do so, your initiative changes to the point in the initiative order directly after the last acting
creature's turn.
Reactions
Reactions are like actions, but can be taken only when they are triggered, and normally after your turn. Usually,
reactions are triggered by actions taken by other combatants. For instance, the most common reaction you'll
likely take is the attack of opportunity: an attack you can make when a foe in your threatened area drops his
guard (typically by moving, making a ranged attack, or attempting a complicated attack for which he lacks the
proper training). Some reactions may provoke attacks of opportunity. Other times, something that happens to
you might grant you the ability to take a reaction. Spells and abilities that are used as immediate actions in the
default action economy are reactions in this system. For example, the spell ​feather fall​ is cast an immediate
action in the default action economy—in this system, it's a reaction.

Counterspells now follow similar rules for Dueling Counters presented in Ultimate Magic’s section on ​Spell
Duels​, and as a result they are now reactions. However, dueling counters cannot be performed as presented by
spending a spell slot equal to or higher than the spell to be countered without the Improved Counterspell feat.
Countering a spell with ​dispel magic​ functions as presented in the Spell Duels section. Abilities that would
otherwise enable a character to spend an immediate action to counterspell in the default action economy now
will grant an additional reaction(s) per round, but this additional reaction may only be used to counterspell. A
character may still ready an action to counterspell, following the same rules.

Free Actions
Unless stated otherwise in the action's description, a free action can be taken only on your turn. Theoretically,
you can take as many free actions in a turn as you wish, though the GM may apply reasonable limitations on
free actions. For instance, although speaking is a free action, since a round is only 6 seconds in length, your GM
might stop you from spouting off a long diatribe during your turn (or between turns), and may even rule that if
you are casting a rather complex spell with a verbal component, you aren't able to verbally warn your
companions of some danger that you notice before they do. Typically, this limitation shouldn't be applied to
reloading ranged weapons as a free action.
Sometimes a free action stipulates that you can take it only in conjunction with another action, or at a certain
time during your turn. In these cases, you must take any requisite actions before you can take the free action.

Readied Actions
You can ready a free, passive-act, single-act, double-act, or triple-act action. To do so, specify the action you will
take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the
readied action in response to that condition. ​The action occurs just before the action that triggers it.​ If the
triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming they are
still capable of doing so, they continue their actions once you complete your readied action. Doing this does not
require you to commit any of your 3 acts, but you must have the appropriate number of committable acts
remaining at the end of your turn to commit to the action you wish to ready.
Single-Act Actions
Single-act actions only require 1 act to commit in order to complete. Generally speaking, anything in the default
action economy system which previously required a swift or move action is now a single-act action.
Additionally, an individual attack roll is committed by a single-act attack action. Any ability in the default system
which can take place instead of an attack roll can be done using a single-act attack action. The first attack
action (or action which would take place of an attack roll) is considered a primary attack. Primary attacks use
your full Base Attack Bonus. Attacks after the primary attack all take a -5 penalty and ​any attack that would
normally be allowed at full Base Attack Bonus is considered a primary attack.​ Attacks which take the -5 penalty
are considered secondary attacks. ​Abilities and rules which only affect your first attack in a round instead apply
to all primary attacks​. Full attack actions no longer exist as they did in the default system, and as a result
abilities which only function during a full attack action now either require the combatant to commit to a
triple-act action (such as a charge), or they follow the method for Two-Weapon Fighting in this system,
depending on the action’s wording: ​When you fight with a second weapon in your off hand or with a double
weapon, you can make two attacks with the single-act attack action you take during your turn: one with your
primary hand and another with your off hand. You take penalties on these attack rolls as listed on ​Table:
Two-Weapon Fighting Penalties​.​ For example, the feats Two-Weapon Fighting, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, and
abilities like Flurry of Blows and Spell Combat all follow these rules. Because of this wording, feats like Greater
Two-Weapon fighting are no longer necessary, and should be removed along with their listings as prerequisites
for other feats and abilities. ​Additionally, because full attack actions no longer exist in this system, the monk
class and any class which uses the Flurry of Blows mechanics should be treated as having full Base Attack
Bonus progression. Abilities which function like haste or a Speed weapon grant an additional single-act action,
but this action can only be used to make a primary attack.

Double-Act Actions
Double-act actions need 2 acts to commit in order to complete, and generally include any ability that functions
as a standard action in the default system. This includes most spellcasting and class abilities. Abilities that
require the attack action in the default system (such as Vital Strike, Cleave, and many combat maneuvers) still
function, but doing so forbids committing any remaining acts to single-act attack actions. Usually such abilities
will be considered primary attacks.

Triple-Act Actions
As you could expect, a triple-act action is an individual action which costs a commitment of all 3 acts a character
can take in a round. Typically only full-round actions will become triple-act actions in this system. There are
special rules for certain creatures who otherwise would not be able to make full use of the full-attack action
and those creatures may take a special triple-act full attack action. ​A creature that is using only its natural
attacks can make all its natural attacks with this action instead of making separate attacks with single-act attack
actions.​ Certain swift actions are intended to be performed in conjunction with full-round actions in the default
system, as with the ​Dimensional Agility​ feat line. ​When commiting 3 acts to an action, abilities intended to be a
swift action commit to the passive-act, rather than a single-act, effectively committing the whole turn. Spells,
Spell-Like Abilities, or other abilities that are Quickened or reduced from a double-act action ​cannot​ be used
this way, but a spell or ability whose required action is normally committed to a single-act action ​can​ be.
Passive-Act Actions
In the original Revised Action Economy system released, there was no analogue for a character’s swift action.
Additionally there were strange nonactions that characters can take in the default system. The passive-act
action is an action that can only be taken once per round, and it covers many uses of the swift action in the
default system, with a few caveats. Abilities which take a swift action, but are not limited in number of uses per
day, can now be performed by committing the passive-act.​ Examples of this would be the feats Arcane Strike
and Arcane Armor Training.​ Abilities that require a swift action, ​but are limited in their uses per day by ​class
features​, still require commitment of a single-act action. Examples of this would be a paladin’s smite evil ability,
and the Shift (Su) ability of the Conjuration (teleportation) Subschool available to wizards. The one exception to
this rule are class features or abilities which ‘downgrade’ the action required to spend in order to activate.
Examples of this are the brawler’s martial flexibility and bardic performance.​ Magic items which require a swift
action to activate (such as a ​Quickrunner’s Shirt​) are activated using the passive-act. Nonactions in the default
system, such as the five-foot step, are performed by using the passive-act in this system.