Post/Author/DateTime	Post
wizard of Newfoundland 10-21-06, 01:33 PM	It seems kinda stupid to me that by RAW a spell caster can only use one spell with a casting time of 1 swift action even if he is willing to forgo his other actions to do it. So I was wondering if anybody out there has some advice on house ruling this Should 1 move = +1 swift? Should 1 standard = +2 swift? My personal standpoint is that you should be able to trade off a move action for one swift, but for the sake of balance leave all other actions untradeable
Seerow 10-21-06, 01:41 PM	Yay, you get 4 quickened spells per round!
DM Zoc 10-21-06, 02:08 PM	I do not believe that would work well, both in terms of game mechanics and the reality they try to represent. Flavor text aside, casting four magic missile spells in a round would be overpowered, even if they all took up fifth-level spell slots. I have nothing wrong with using a standard action to cast a swift spell, though, if you really need to cast two in a round and don't mind the diminished effect (swift invisibility vs. regular, for instance, if you don't know the latter or have it prepared).
risner 10-21-06, 03:34 PM	So I was wondering if anybody out there has some advice on house ruling this Just don't do it.
jaelis 10-21-06, 03:41 PM	I think using a standard action to perform one swift action is reasonable. Using a move action certainly is not, nor is getting two swifts for a standard. The point of the rule is to limit you to two spells per round. Don't try to get around that.
Asciiman 10-21-06, 03:45 PM	The point of the rule is to limit you to two spells per round. Don't try to get around that. And this is exactly why 3.0 haste was a problem, because it gave spell casters the VERY easy way of casting a second spell every round with almost nothing invested into it. 2 spells per round is plenty. Don't try and shoe horn it.
Loki5654 10-21-06, 06:02 PM	Swift Actions 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 one swift action per turn without affecting your ability to perform other actions. In that regard, a swift action is like a free action. However, you can perform only a single swift action per turn, regardless of what other actions you take. You can take a swift action any time you would normally be allowed to take a free action. Swift actions usually involve spellcasting or the activation of magic items; many characters (especially those who don't cast spells) never have an opportunity to take a swift action. Bolded for emphasis. It seems to me that the RAW is pretty clear. You only get one Swift action per turn. No more, maybe less.
Rulebook 10-21-06, 08:10 PM	in theory you could use a standard action to perform a swift action, but that serves no real purpose.
Draneth 10-21-06, 08:48 PM	How about for more mundane things, such as using alchemical weapon capsuls? Isn't it within the realm of reason that one could use a swift action (casting a quickened spell, or something that only requires a thought), then, instead of moving, activate the alchemical weapon capsul, while still having time to take a standard attack? What I would imply is that as long as the taks isn't too mentally demanding (ie, popping/biting the lid off a container to release an alchemical substance) (this subject to the DM's discretion) it seems logical that a character would be able to execute some swift actions as move actions.
Dheran 10-21-06, 09:32 PM	Isn't it within the realm of reason that one could use a swift action (casting a quickened spell, or something that only requires a thought), then, instead of moving, activate the alchemical weapon capsul, while still having time to take a standard attack? It's not only in the realm of reason, it's in the rules: Cast a swift action spell (swift action) Manipulate capsule (move action) Attack (standard action) In most cases, moving or manipulating an item is a move action.I'm assuming that you're either using the alchemical weapon in place (release of gas that you're immune to, e.g.), or throwing it with your attack action. You can make one of each of swift, move, and standard actions per round. You can even include a 5' step ("not an action") if you need it.
Draneth 10-21-06, 10:23 PM	It's not only in the realm of reason, it's in the rules: Cast a swift action spell (swift action) Manipulate capsule (move action) Attack (standard action) In Complete Adventurer it states the following: Using an alchemical weapon capsule requires only a swift action... So does this mean that (proveded one is using the proper equipment), an alchemical weapon capsul can be activated as a move or swift action?
runestar 10-21-06, 10:34 PM	It seems kinda stupid to me that by RAW a spell caster can only use one spell with a casting time of 1 swift action even if he is willing to forgo his other actions to do it. You could think of it as some property inherent in swift/quickened spells preventing a caster from casting more than 1 in a single round.:)
Dheran 10-22-06, 12:00 AM	So does this mean that (proveded one is using the proper equipment), an alchemical weapon capsul can be activated as a move or swift action? Yes, that's what it means. You can default to the regular timing (a move action) for manipulating an item even though having the capsule holder only requires as much time as a swift action; there's no penalty for being slower and more methodical with nonmagical manipulations. (There is a penalty for trying to do 2 swift actions in one round: you just can't, by the RAW.)