Post/Author/DateTime	Post
akorpanda 06-25-07, 06:55 PM	where can i find the rules for swift & immediate actions, clearly explained? the rules confuse me, why get rid of free actions in the first place? they wern't broken and now this swift action/immediate action IS broken, case in point, an immediate action spell going off BEFORE the NPCs action, this reminds me of pre-sixth edition magic rules buffonary. somebody please explain this to me!!
Salla 06-25-07, 06:59 PM	The rules for Swift and Immediate actions have been reprinted in nearly every book since the idea came out. An immediate-action spell will have its versatility accounted for in the spell's level or other requirements, no big deal.
caeruleus 06-25-07, 07:02 PM	From d20srd.org: Swift Action A swift 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 swift action per turn. Immediate Action An immediate action is very similar to a swift action, but can be performed at any time — even if it's not your turn. There was nothing wrong with free actions--except how they were described. Rather than have one category of free actions with different conditions in different circumstances (eg, with quickened spells, only one per round, with feather fall, even when it's not your turn), they introduced these other terms to make things more clear. It's not quite that free actions were replaced, nor that anything really new was introduced. They just introduced different terms for types of actions that were already part of the game.
Empiro 06-25-07, 07:04 PM	http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#swiftActions That tells you all about swift actions. The section on immediate actions is right after it. Immediate action spells aren't necessarily overpowered. They're designed to be cast as a reaction. Don't forget that you only get one swift/immediate action a turn, and that using an immediate action "uses up" your swift action for your next turn. That said, there are overpowered Immediate/Swift action spells (e.g. Wraith Strike/Wings for Cover), but they're overpowered because they're just poorly designed. There are plenty of balanced Swift/Immediate action spells like Feather Fall.
Morwen 06-25-07, 07:13 PM	the rules confuse me, why get rid of free actions in the first place? Free actions still exist. Swift actions and Immediate actions are both variant free actions with additional limitations (such as the "once per round" limit).
Kouk 06-26-07, 01:53 AM	Swift and Immediate are subdivisions of Free actions. All three still exist. For instance, drawing a weapon as part of a move, or dropping a weapon are still "Free" actions, and do not belong to either Swift or Immediate. Swift and Immediate are subdivisions, and it may help to think of Swift actions as being subdivisions of Free actions, while Immediate actions are subdivisions of Swift actions (making Immediate also a subdivision of Free). As was said, the reasons for introducing these concepts was to clarify the Free Action rules. Quickened spells were free actions that you could only do once a round. Some other abilities were similar to this in that they were once a round only. The "once a round as a free action" became Swift Actions. Any time something says you can do it once a round as a free action, it probably means a swift action. Feather Fall was a free action that you could use even when it wasn't your turn. If you are Bull Rushed off a cliff, and had to wait until your next turn to cast a spell, then you may have already fallen (making Feather Fall useless). Free Actions that specifically can be used even during someone else's turn are now called Immediate Actions. If you use an Immediate Action, it counts as your Swift Action for the coming turn, just so you don't do too many free actions that have a significant impact.
pmurray@bigpond.com 06-27-07, 11:38 PM	Free actions, mechanically, are things where you don't get an advantage when you can do as much as you like. The classic example is ceasing to concentrate on a spell or dropping a weapon. A swift/immediate action is a game thing allowing for "counter" style effects. It also allows or a new category of spells - very limited buffs such as Assay Resistance or Expeditous Retreat (swift). It also creates a formal niche for all those abilities that used to say "this is a free action, but you can only do it once per round", such as the Invisible Blade's "feint as a free action" ability or casting a quickened spell. It's just something that the game has *kinda* had for a while, which now has proper rules.