Combat Actions
This material is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
- Name: The name of the action type.
- [ Type ]: The type of action - not an action, free, partial, move-equivalent, standard or full round.
- [ AoO ]: Attack of Opportunity: Yes, no or maybe, depending on the action description.
- Description: A brief description of the action.
- Not an Action: Some activities 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.
- Free Action: A character can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, the DM puts reasonable limits on what a character can really do for free.
- Partial Action: As a general rule, a character can do as much with a partial action as a character could with a standard action minus a move. Typically, a character may take a 5-foot step as part of a partial action.
- Move-Equivalent Action: Move-equivalent actions take the place of movement in a standard action or take the place of an entire partial action. The character can normally also take a 5 foot step.
- Standard Action: A standard action allows a character to do something and move that character's indicated speed during a combat round. A character can move before or after performing the activity of the action.
- Full-Round Action: A full-round action consumes all a character's effort during a round. The only movement a character can take during a full- round action is a 5-foot step before, during, or after the action. A character can also perform free actions. Some full-round actions do not allow a 5-foot step.
- Description: Many magic items don't need to be activated. However, certain magic items need to be activated. Activating a magic item is a standard action (unless the item description indicates otherwise).
Activating a spell completion item is the equivalent of casting a spell. It requires concentration and provokes attacks of opportunity. A the spell fizzles if the character's concentration is broken while activating the spell completion item. The character can attempt to activate the spell completion item while on the defensive, as with a spell.
Activating a spell trigger, command word, or use-activated item does not require concentration and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Description: If a character threatens an opponent with whom an ally is engaged in melee combat, the character can attempt to aid the ally as a standard action. The character makes an attack roll against AC 10. If the character succeeds, the character's ally gains either a +2 circumstance bonus to attack that opponent or a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against that opponent (the character's choice).
- Description: The character attacks an opponent in a space that character threatens. The attack roll is:
d20 + Attack modifiers vs. AC of target
Attack modifiers consist of the character's base attack bonus, size adjustment, strength adjustment, and any other bonuses that apply to the attack roll.
A natural 1 on the d20 is always a miss, and a natural 20 on the d20 is always a hit.
If the modified attack roll is equal to or greater than the AC of the target, the attack is successful. The attack may also be a Threat. See Critical Hits and Dealing Damage, below, for more details.
If the character is attacking an armed opponent while unarmed, the character provokes an immediate attack of opportunity from the target which is resolved before the character's attack. Note that under certain circumstances, a character attacking without a weapon is still considered "armed".
A character can choose to fight defensively when taking the attack action. If a character does so, the character takes a -4 penalty on all attacks in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC for the same round.
- Description: The character attacks an opponent in line of sight to the character, within range of the ranged weapon being used. A target is in line of sight if no obstructions between the character and the target grant 100% cover. The maximum range for a thrown weapon is five range increments, for projectile weapons it is ten range increments. The attack roll is:
d20 + Attack modifiers vs. AC of target
Attack modifiers consist of the character's base attack bonus, size adjustment, dexterity adjustment, and any other bonuses that apply to the attack roll. Each range increment of distance between the character and the target after the first will impose a penalty, per the weapon description.
A natural 1 on the d20 is always a miss, and a natural 20 on the d20 is always a hit.
If the modified attack roll is equal to or greater than the AC of the target, the attack is successful. The attack may also be a Threat. See Critical Hits and Dealing Damage, below, for more details.
If a character shoots or throws a ranged weapon at a target that is engaged in melee with an ally, that character suffer a -4 penalty on its attack roll. Two characters are engaged in melee if they are enemies of each other and either threatens the other. (A held, unconscious, or otherwise immobilized character is not considered engaged unless he is actually being attacked.)
If a character's target (or the part of a target a character is aiming at, if it's a big target) is at least 10 feet away from the nearest ally, the character can avoid the -4 penalty, even if the character being aimed at is engaged in melee with an ally.
A character can choose to fight defensively when taking the attack action. If a character does so, the character takes a -4 penalty on all attacks in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC for the same round.
- Description: A character can bull rush as an attack action or a charge action.
When a character bull rushes, the character attempts to push an opponent straight back instead of attacking him. A character can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than the character, the same size, or smaller.
- Initiating a Bull Rush: First, the character moves into the defender's space. Moving in this way provokes an attack of opportunity from each foe that threatens the character, probably including the defender. Any attack of opportunity made by anyone other than the defender against the character during a bull rush has a 25% chance of accidentally targeting the defender instead, and any attack of opportunity by anyone other than the character against the defender likewise has a 25% chance of accidentally targeting the character.
Second, the character and the defender make opposed Strength checks. The character adds a +4 bonus for each size category that the character is above Medium-size or a -4 penalty for each size category that the character is below Medium-size. The character gets a +2 charge bonus if the Bull Rush is attempted at the end of a Charge. The defender gets a +4 stability bonus if he has more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable.
- Bull Rush Results: If the character beat the defender, the character pushes the defender back 5 feet. If the character wishes to move with the defender, the character can push the defender back up to a distance of an additional 1 foot for each point by which the character exceeded the defender's check result. A character can't, however, exceed his or her normal movement limit.
If the character fails to beat the defender's Strength check, the character moves 5 feet straight back. If that space is occupied, the character falls prone in that space.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Casting a spell with a casting time of 1 action is a standard action. A character can move and then cast the spell, or cast the spell and then move.
A character may attempt to cast a spell while on the defensive. Casting a spell while on the defensive does not provoke an attack of opportunity. It does require a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level). Failure means that the character loses the spell.
- Description: The spell will take effect just before the caster's action in the next round.
A character can take a 5-foot step before, during, or after casting such a spell, but cannot otherwise move.
A character may attempt to cast a spell while on the defensive. Casting a spell while on the defensive does not provoke an attack of opportunity. It does require a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level). Failure means that the character loses the spell.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: As a full round action, a character can climb at one half base speed.
- Description: As a move equivalent action, a character can climb at one quarter base speed.
- Description: Per the spell.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: The character must move before attacking, not after. The character must move at least 10 feet and may move up to double base speed. All movement must be in a straight line, with no backing up allowed. The charge stops as soon as the character threatens the target. A character can't run past the target and attack from another direction.
After moving, the character may make a single melee attack or a bull rush. The character gets a +2 bonus on the attack roll. The character also suffers a -2 penalty to AC for 1 round.
A lance deals double damage if employed by a mounted character in a charge.
A target can ready certain piercing weapons, setting them to receive charges by using the ready action against receiving a charge. A weapon of this type deals double damage if the readied attack is successful.
- Description: Anything that could break a character's concentration when casting a spell can keep a character from concentrating to maintain a spell. If a character's concentration breaks, the spell ends.
- Description: A character can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace to a helpless foe. A character can also use a bow or crossbow, provided the character is adjacent to the target. The attacker automatically hits and scores a critical hit. If the target survives the damage, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die.
Its overkill, but a rogue also gets her extra sneak attack damage against a helpless foe when delivering a coup de grace.
A character can't deliver a coup de grace against an opponent that is immune to critical hits, such as a golem.
- Description: The character must make a Ride check (DC 20) each round to control a mount untrained for war (untrained mounts include light and heavy horses, and ponies). If the check is successful, the character can perform a partial action after the check. If the Ride check fails, the check is considered to have been a full-round action.
- Description: When a character delays, the character voluntarily reduces it's own initiative result for the rest of the combat. When a character's new, lower initiative count comes up later in the same round, the character can act normally. A character can specify this new initiative result or just wait until some time later in the round and act then, thus fixing the character's new initiative count at that point.
A character can only voluntarily lower its initiative to -10 minus its initiative bonus. When the initiative count reaches -10 minus a delaying character's initiative bonus, that character must act or forfeit any action that round.
If multiple characters are delaying, the one with the highest initiative bonus (or highest Dexterity, in case of a tie) has the advantage. If two or more delaying characters both want to act on the same initiative count, the one with the highest bonus gets to go first. If two or more delaying characters are trying to go after the other, the one with the highest initiative bonus gets to go last.
- Description: The character and an adjacent target make opposed attack rolls with the their respective weapons. If the weapons are different sizes, the opponent with the larger weapon gets a bonus on the attack roll of +4 per difference in size category. If the target is using a weapon in two hands, he gets an additional +4 bonus. If the character beats the target, the target is disarmed. If a character attempted the disarm action unarmed, the character now has the weapon. Otherwise, it drops to the ground at the target's feet. If the character fails, then the target may make an attempt to disarm the character as an immediate, free action.
- Note: A target wearing spiked gauntlets can't be relieved of the gauntlets by a disarm action. A target using a weapon attached to a locked gauntlet gets a +10 bonus to any disarm attempt made by an opponent.
This action substitutes for a melee attack, not an action. As melee attacks, it can be used once in an attack or charge action, one or more times in a full attack action, or even as an attack of opportunity.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Creatures that fly can make dive attacks.
A dive attack works just like a charge, but the diving creature must move a minimum of 30 feet. It can make only claw attacks, but these deal double damage.
- Description: A character can move up to double base speed.
The space where a character begins the move is not considered threatened, and therefore enemies do not get attacks of opportunity for a character's move from that space.
- Description: If a character has a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, a character can combine one of these actions with a regular move. If a character has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, a character can draw two light or one-handed weapons in the time it would normally take a character to draw one.
- Description: The item falls to the floor in the same space as the character.
- Description: The character is considered to be prone.
- Description: The description of the net involved will include information on how to determine if an escape attempt has been successful or not.
- Description: This action will extinguish small fires on equipment, furniture, or the character's person. Larger blazes will require the use of water, sand, or some other material to snuff the flames.
- Description: This is a specialized use of the Bluff skill. See the Bluff skill for more details.
- Description: If a character gets more than one attack per action, the character must use the full attack action to use those additional attacks. A character does not need to specify the targets of a the attacks ahead of time. A character can see how the earlier attacks turn out before assigning the later ones.
The character may take a 5 ft. step before, after, or between the attacks.
If a character gets multiple attacks based on a character's base attack bonus, the character must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest.
Deciding between an Attack or a Full Attack Action: After a character's first attack, if the character has not yet taken a 5-foot step, a character can decide to move instead of making a character's remaining attacks.
The character uses each attack to attack an opponent in a space that character threatens. The attack roll is:
d20 + Attack modifiers vs. AC of target
Attack modifiers consist of the character's base attack bonus, size adjustment, strength adjustment, and any other bonuses that apply to the attack roll.
A natural 1 on the d20 is always a miss, and a natural 20 on the d20 is always a hit.
If the modified attack roll is equal to or greater than the AC of the target, the attack is successful. The attack may also be a Threat. See Critical Hits and Dealing Damage, below, for more details.
If the character is attacking an armed opponent while unarmed, the character provokes an immediate attack of opportunity from the target which is resolved before the character's attack. Note that under certain circumstances, a character attacking without a weapon is still considered "armed".
A character can choose to fight defensively when taking the full attack action. If a character does so, the character takes a -4 penalty on all attacks in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC for the same round.
- Description: Grappling means wrestling and struggling hand-to-hand.
Repeatedly in a grapple, a character needs to make opposed grapple checks against an opponent. A grapple check is something like a melee attack roll.
A character's attack bonus on a grapple check is: Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + special size modifier
- Special Size Modifier: The special size modifier for a grapple check is as follows: Colossal +16, Gargantuan +12, Huge +8, Large +4, Medium-size +0, Small -4, Tiny - 8, Diminutive -12, Fine -16. Use this number in place of the normal size modifier a character uses when making an attack roll.
- A character provokes an attack of opportunity from the target the character is trying to grapple. If the attack of opportunity deals the character damage, the character fails to start the grapple.
- To start a grapple, a character first needs to grab and hold a the target. Attempting to start a grapple is the equivalent of making a melee attack. If a character gets multiple attacks in a round, a character can attempt to start a grapple multiple times (at successively lower base attack bonuses). A monk can use his unarmed attack rate of attacks per round while grappling.
- Step 1: Grab: The character makes a melee touch attack to grab the target. If the character fails to hit the target, the character fails to start the grapple.
- Step 2: Hold: Make an opposed grapple check. If the character succeeds, the character has started the grapple, and the character deals damage to the target as if with an unarmed strike.
If the character loses, the character fails to start the grapple. The character automatically loses an attempt to hold if the target is two or more size categories larger than the character is (but the character can still make an attempt to grab such a target, if that's all the character wants to do).
- Step 3: Move In: To maintain the grapple, the character must move into the target's space. Moving, as normal, provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening enemies, but not from the character's target.
- Step 4: Grappling: The character and the target are now grappling.
If a character's target is already grappling someone else, then the character can use an attack to start a grapple, as above, except that the target doesn't get an attack of opportunity against the character, and the character's grab automatically succeeds. The character still has to make a successful opposed grapple check to deal damage and must still move in to be part of the grapple.
When a character is grappling (regardless of who started the grapple), the character can make an opposed grapple check as an attack. If the character wins, the character can do the following:
- Damage A character's Opponent: A character deals damage as with an unarmed strike (1d3 points for Medium-size attackers or 1d2 points for Small attackers, plus Strength modifiers). If a character wants to deal normal damage, the character suffers a -4 penalty on the grapple check. Exception: Monks deal more damage on an unarmed strike than other characters, and the damage is normal. However, they can choose to deal their damage as subdual damage when grappling without paying the usual -4 penalty for changing normal damage to subdual damage.
- Pin: A character can hold an opponent immobile for 1 round. (If a character gets multiple attacks, the character can use subsequent attacks to damage the opponent. A character can't use a weapon on a pinned opponent or attempt to damage or pin a second opponent while holding a pin on the first.) While a character is pinned, opponents other than the one pinning the character get a +4 bonus on attack rolls against the character (but the character is not helpless).
- Break Another's Pin: A character can break the hold that an opponent has over an ally.
- Escape: A character can escape the grapple. A character can take whatever movement the character gets. If more than one opponent is grappling a character, the character's grapple check result has to beat all their check results to escape. (Opponents don't have to try to hold a character if they don't want to.)
When an opponent has pinned a character, the character is held immobile (but not helpless) for 1 round. The character can make an opposed grapple check as a melee attack. If the character wins, the character escapes the pin, but the character is still grappling.
In addition to making opposed grapple checks, a character has a few other options while grappling.
- Weapons: A character can attack with a light weapon while grappling (but not while pinned or pinning). A character can't attack with two weapons while grappling.
- Wriggle Free: A character can make an Escape Artist check (opposed by a character's opponent's grapple check) to get out of a grapple or out of being pinned (so that the character is just being grappled). Doing so counts as a standard action; if a character escapes a grapple, the character can also move in the same round.
Several characters can be in a single grapple. Up to four characters can grapple a single opponent in a given round. Opponents that are one size category smaller than a character count for half, opponents that are one size category larger than a character count double, and opponents two or more size categories larger count quadruple.
Additional enemies can aid their friends with the aid another action.
While a character is grappling, that character's ability to attack others and defend a itself is limited.
- No Threatened Area: A character doesn't threaten any area while grappling.
- No Dexterity Bonus: A character loses it's Dexterity bonus to AC (if a it has one) against opponents a it isn't grappling. (A character can still use the bonus against opponents the character is grappling.)
- Description: This may involve the use of a spell, administration of a potion, or a use of the Healing skill.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
A character can try to overrun as part of a charge action against an opponent that is one size category larger, the same size, or one size smaller than the character. Only one attempt to overrun can be made per charge.
An overrun takes place during the movement portion of a charge. With an overrun, a character attempts to move through the opponent's area.
First, a character must charge at least 10 feet in a straight line into the defender's space.
Then the defender chooses either to avoid the character or to block the character. If he avoids the character, the character keeps moving. (A character can always move through the space occupied by someone who lets a character by.) If the defender blocks a character, make a trip attack against the defender (see Trip, below). If the character succeeds in tripping the defender, the character can continue the charge in a straight line as normal.
If a character fails and is tripped in turn, the character is prone in the defender's space. If a character fails but is not tripped, the character has to move 5 feet back the way the character came. If that space is occupied, the character falls prone in that space.
- Description: A character must be in the same space as the item to be picked up.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: The ready action lets a character prepare to take an action later, after a character's turn is over but before a character's next one has begun. Readying is a standard action, so a character can move as well. It does not provoke an attack of opportunity (though the action that a character readies might do so).
Only partial actions can be readied. See the table in the description of "Start full round action" for a list of standard partial actions.
Specify the partial action a character will take and the conditions under which it will be taken. When those conditions are met, the character may take the readied partial action. The partial action comes before the action that triggers it. For the rest of the fight, the character's initiative result is the count on which the character took the readied action, and the character acts immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered the readied action.
If the character takes the readied action into a subsequent round, and the conditions are met before the character's normal initiative, the character's initiative rises to that new point in the order of battle, the character may take the readied action, and whether that action is taken or not, the character does not get a regular action that round.
- Description: Assumes the shield is being carried or worn, and is not secured in such a way that readying the shield can be done quickly.
- A character can ready an attack against a spellcaster with the trigger "if she starts casting a spell." If a character succeeds in damaging the spellcaster or otherwise distracting the spellcaster, the spellcaster may lose the spell the spellcaster was trying to cast (as determined by the Concentration check result).
A character may ready a counterspell against a spellcaster (often with the trigger "if she starts casting a spell"). In this case, when the spellcaster starts a spell, a character get a chance to identify it with a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If a character does, and if the character can cast that same spell (is able to cast it and has it prepared, if a character prepares spells), the character can cast the spell as a counterspell and automatically ruin the other spellcaster's spell. Counterspelling works even if one spell is divine and the other arcane.
A spellcaster can use dispel magic to counterspell another spellcaster, but it doesn't always work.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Refocus is a full-round action during which a character cannot move. The character moves up in the initiative count and is positioned as though it had rolled a 20 on the initiative check. Other modifiers (such as for Dexterity and for the Improved Initiative feat) also apply to this roll of 20 when determining the new initiative check result.
- Description: Self explanatory.
The character can move up to four times the character's base speed in a straight line (or three times base speed if the character is in heavy armor). The character loses any Dexterity bonus to AC since the character can't avoid attacks.
A character can run for a number of rounds equal to the character's Constitution score, but after that, the character must succeed at a Constitution check (DC 10) to continue running. The character must check again each round in which the character continues to run, and the DC of this check increases by 1 for each check a character has made. When a character fails this check, the character must stop running. A character who has run to the limit must rest for 1 minute (10 rounds) before running again. During a rest period, the character can move no faster than a normal move.
- Description: A character with the two-weapon fighting Feat can sheathe two weapons on the same action.
- Description: The DM may place limits on what may be reasonably communicated in a six-second combat round.
- Description: Self explanatory.
The start full-round action partial action lets a character start undertaking a miscellaneous full-round action, which the character can complete on the following round (even with a partial action). This option is normally used when a character has been magically slowed or is suffering some other condition that restricts the character from taking full round actions.
Partial Actions
Partial Actions
|
Move
|
Attack of
Opportunity*
|
Attack Partial Actions
|
|
|
Attack (melee)
|
5-ft. step
|
No
|
Attack (ranged)
|
5-ft. step
|
Yes
|
Attack (unarmed)
|
5-ft. step
|
Maybe
|
Partial charge
|
Yes (special)**
|
No
|
Movement-Only Partial Actions
|
|
|
Single move
|
Yes
|
No
|
Partial run
|
X2
|
Yes
|
Miscellaneous Partial
Actions***
|
5-ft. step
|
Maybe
|
Magic Partial Actions
|
|
|
Cast a spell****
|
5-ft. step
|
Yes
|
Activate magic item
|
5-ft. step
|
Maybe
|
Use special ability*
|
5-ft. step
|
Maybe
|
Concentrate to maintain a spell 5-ft. step
|
No
|
Dismiss a spell
|
5-ft. step
|
No
|
Special Partial Action
|
|
|
Start full-round action
|
No
|
Maybe
|
*Regardless of the action, if a character moves within or out of a threatened area, a character usually provokes an attack of opportunity. This column indicates whether the action itself (not the moving) provokes an attack of opportunity.
**A character must move in a straight line before attacking and must move at least 10 feet.
***Those actions defined as standard or move-equivalent actions. Most allow a 5-foot step, though actions that are variant charge actions follow the move for partial charge.
****Unless doing so is a full-round action, in which case a character could start a full-round action and then finish it the next round with a cast a spell action. Spells that take longer than 1 full round to cast take twice as long to cast.
- Description: A character can use a melee attack with a slashing or bludgeoning weapon to strike a weapon or shield that a character's opponent is holding. The attacking weapon must be no more than one size category smaller than the weapon attacked. (Treat a buckler as Small, a small shield as Medium-size, a large shield as Large, and a tower shield as Huge.) Doing so provokes an attack of opportunity from the opponent because the character is diverting it's attention from the opponent to the opponent's armaments.
Then the attacker and the defender make opposed attack rolls. If the attacker wins, the attacker has made a successful attack against the weapon or shield.
Attacking an inanimate, immobile object not in use by a character does not provoke an attack of opportunity. An inanimate, immobile object has an AC of:
10 - 5 for no Dexterity + its size modifier.
Immobile objects are easy to hit. With a melee weapon, the character gets a +4 bonus to the attack roll. If a character takes a full-round action to line up a shot (as with the coup de grace against a helpless foe), the character gets an automatic hit with a melee weapon and a +5 attack bonus with a ranged weapon. (Objects, however, are immune to critical hits.)
Animated objects count as characters for AC purposes.
Attacking a held, carried, or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity. Objects that are held, carried, or worn by a character, are harder to hit. The object uses the character's Dexterity modifier (not its own -5) and any magic deflection bonus to AC the character may have. The attacker doesn't get any special bonus for attacking the object. If the target object is in the opponent's hand, it gets a +5 AC bonus because the opponent can move it quickly out of harm's way.
Size and AC of Objects
| Size | AC Modifier |
| Colossal | -8 |
| Gigantic | -4 |
| Huge | -2 |
| Large | -1 |
| Medium-size | +0 |
| Small | +1 |
| Tiny | +2 |
| Diminutive | +4 |
| Fine | +8 |
- Description: Self explanatory.
A character can try to trip an opponent as a melee attack. A character can only trip an opponent who is one size category larger than a character, the same size, or smaller.
Making a Trip Attack: Make a melee attack as a melee touch attack. If the attack succeeds, make a Strength check opposed by the defender's Dexterity or Strength check (whichever ability score has the higher modifier). A character gets a +4 bonus for every size category he is larger than Medium-size or a -4 penalty for every size category he is smaller. The defender gets a +4 stability bonus on his check if he has more than two legs or is otherwise more stable than a normal humanoid. If a character win, a character trip the defender. If a character lose, the defender may immediately react and make a Strength check opposed by a character's Dexterity or Strength check to try to trip a character.
A tripped character is prone. Standing up from prone is a move-equivalent action.
A character may make a trip attack against a mounted opponent. The defender may use his Ride skill in place of his Dexterity or Strength check. If a character succeed, a character pull the rider from his mount.
This attack form substitutes for a melee attack, not an action. As a melee attack, it can be used once in an attack or charge action, one or more times in a full attack action, or even as an attack of opportunity.
- Description: A character doesn't attack or perform any other activity other than moving at base speed, but the character gets a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round. The character's AC improves at the start of this action, so it helps against any attacks of opportunity provoked while moving.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen in a reactive fashion. Those extraordinary abilities that are actions are usually standard actions that cannot be disrupted, do not require concentration, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity.
- Description: Self explanatory.
- Description: Self explanatory.
Using a spell-like ability works like casting a spell in that it requires concentration and provokes attacks of opportunity. Spell-like abilities can be disrupted. If a character's concentration is broken, the attempt to use the ability fails, but the attempt counts as if the character had used the ability. The casting time of a spell-like ability is 1 action, making its use a standard action, unless the ability description notes otherwise.
A character may attempt to use a spell-like ability on the defensive, just as with a spell. If the Concentration check (DC 15) fails, the character can't use the ability, but the attempt counts as if the character had used the ability.
Using a supernatural ability is usually a standard action (unless defined otherwise by the ability description). Its use cannot be disrupted, does not require concentration, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
- Description: A character may take a move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target. A character can automatically touch one friend or use the spell on itself, but to touch an opponent, the character must succeed at an attack.
- Description: A character can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action.