Author Topic: Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?  (Read 2778 times)

Offline ImperatorK

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Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?
« on: June 29, 2016, 12:28:57 PM »
I'm considering making a houserule where a character would gain an extra standard action whenever he would get an iterative. So for example with full BaB you would get one at 6, 11 and 16 BaB. Obviously only BaB from classes would count.
What are the pros and cons of this? What are the interactions with other rules and abilities (good or bad) you foresee?
Of course some tweaking would be needed to not make it too abusable. For example if you use a standard action you can't perform a full-round action, even though you still have a move and standard available. Or in case of higher levels you can't convert two extra standards into an extra full-round. Things like that.
Also, with those two restrictions from above, how do you think does this look compared to a full attack? Is it strictly better? Worse? On par (given all of the "full attack only" options there are)?
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Offline Kethrian

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Re: Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2016, 03:31:38 PM »
One thing that jumps out at me immediately is that if you restrict full-round actions, you harm martial characters far more than casters.  I would instead set a limit of 1 non-quickened spell per round, regardless of how many standard actions you have, so that casters do not get overly OP.
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Offline Stratovarius

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Re: Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2016, 03:56:36 PM »
It makes gishes supremely powerful as currently construed - they can toss off 4 spells a round instead of a normal caster's 2. Likewise, it massively boosts ToB classes - they can now chuck in 4 strikes a round instead of just one. As a crusader, that means a never ending spam, for instance.

Offline ImperatorK

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Re: Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2016, 04:03:27 PM »
One thing that jumps out at me immediately is that if you restrict full-round actions, you harm martial characters far more than casters.  I would instead set a limit of 1 non-quickened spell per round, regardless of how many standard actions you have, so that casters do not get overly OP.
I get what you're saying, but my goal for this was to be an alternative to a full-round action, not a straight out boost, that's why I'm wary of letting it give full-round actions. Although I'm mostly thinking in terms of "full attack" vs "5 standard attacks", so maybe that's what skews my opinion.

It makes gishes supremely powerful as currently construed - they can toss off 4 spells a round instead of a normal caster's 2. Likewise, it massively boosts ToB classes - they can now chuck in 4 strikes a round instead of just one. As a crusader, that means a never ending spam, for instance.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. Or a good thing, for that matter.
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Offline Dr_emperor

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Re: Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2016, 06:19:58 AM »
It makes combat very fast one round mostly making initiative the most important feature.  Pity the party that fails to kill a dragon or the dragon wins initiative. I thought most standard action attacks use your full base attack so I think its strictly better from a power attacking barbarian frame of mind.

Offline ImperatorK

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Re: Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2016, 08:10:12 AM »
Pity the party that fails to kill a dragon or the dragon wins initiative.
This doesn't affect monster BaB. Although I'm considering letting it.
And dragons are overpowered either way, so that's an extreme example.

Quote
I thought most standard action attacks use your full base attack so I think its strictly better from a power attacking barbarian frame of mind.
Yes, each standard attack would use full BaB.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2016, 08:14:25 AM by ImperatorK »
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Offline Kethrian

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Re: Extra standard action per iterative - pros and cons?
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2016, 09:38:24 AM »
Had an idea that might help get what you want for martial characters, without allowing casters going crazy OP.  Instead of a standard action granted, the player can choose either an attack action (can't cast spells with those!) or a move action (can't use for casting either, and there's no standards to combine with for full-rounds).
What do I win?
An awesome-five for mentioning Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.