Basic Actions
Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Second Edition), page 469
Basic actions represent common tasks like moving around, attacking, and helping others. As such, every creature can use basic actions except in some extreme circumstances, and many of those actions are used very frequently. Most notably, you’ll use Interact, Step, Stride, and Strike a great deal. Many feats and other actions call upon you to use one of these basic actions or modify them to produce different effects. For example, a more complex action might let you Stride up to double your Speed instead of just up to your Speed, and a large number of activities include a Strike.
Actions that are used less frequently but are still available to most creatures are presented in Specialty Basic Actions starting on page 472. These typically have requirements that not all characters are likely to meet, such as wielding a shield or having a burrow Speed.
In addition to the actions in these two sections, the actions for spellcasting can be found on pages 302–305, and the actions for using magic items appear on pages 531–534.
In this section
- Aid ↩ Trigger An ally is about to use an action that requires a skill check or attack roll.
- Crawl ◆ Requirements You are prone and your Speed is at least 10 feet. You move 5 feet by crawling and continue to stay prone.
- Delay ◇ Trigger Your turn begins.
- Drop Prone ◆
- Escape ◆ You attempt to escape from being grabbed, immobilized, or restrained. Choose one creature, object, spell effect, hazard, or other impediment imposing any of those conditions on you.
- Interact ◆ You use your hand or hands to manipulate an object or the terrain. You can grab an unattended or stored object, open a door, or produce some similar effect.
- Leap ◆ You take a careful, short jump. You can Leap up to 10 feet horizontally if your Speed is at least 15 feet, or up to 15 feet horizontally if your Speed is at least 30 feet.
- Ready ◆◆ You prepare to use an action that will occur outside your turn. Choose a single action or free action you can use, and designate a trigger. Your turn then ends.
- Release ◇ You release something you’re holding in your hand or hands. This might mean dropping an item, removing one hand from your weapon while continuing to hold it in another hand, releasing a rope suspending a chandelier, or…
- Seek ◆ Traits: concentrate, secret
- Sense Motive ◆ Traits: concentrate, secret
- Stand ◆
- Step ◆ Requirements Your Speed is at least 10 feet.
- Stride ◆ You move up to your Speed (page 463).
- Strike ◆ You attack with a weapon you’re wielding or with an unarmed attack, targeting one creature within your reach (for a melee attack) or within range (for a ranged attack).
- Take Cover ◆ Requirements You are benefiting from cover, are near a feature that allows you to take cover, or are prone.
- Specialty Basic Actions These actions are useful under specific circumstances. Some require you to have a special movement type (page 463).