Full Attack Action

Full Attack Action

If you get access to more than one physical attack per round because your class grants you this ability, or because you fight with two weapons or a double weapon, you must use a full-attack action to get your additional attacks. (There are rare exceptions to this, such as the Monk's Echoing Strike ability, which is specifically a standard action that grants two attacks.) Bonus attacks (typically attacks of opportunity, certain Fighter attacks, or the bonus attack granted by certain spells, such as Haste) are free actions that can be made as soon as they are gained and are governed by the specific rules of the bonus attack.

A full attack action uses up a combined standard action and move action. If you do not have both a standard action and a move action available to you in a given round, you cannot perform a full-attack action this round. Declaring a Full Attack 'uses up' your standard action and move action for the round. In exchange, you may make a number of attacks equal to your maximum allowed by your class abilities, albeit at escalating penalties to-hit (see classes for details), OR, you may make a number of 5-foot steps equal to your maximum number of attacks allowed by your class abilities, OR, any combination of attacking and 5-foot stepping as you see fit. If you choose to both make attacks and take 5-foot steps, your attacks are made at your highest BAB first and then taken in descending order, while your 5-foot steps always use up your lowest BAB attacks first. Attacks count from the highest BAB, steps count from the lowest BAB, and when you have expended all of your available attacks, your Full Attack is complete.

The standard action portion of a full-attack action is always your first attack at your highest BAB. If you are using two weapons or a double-weapon, you can strike with either weapon (or either end) first. Note that actions which require a 'standard action' (such as cleave, or many combat maneuvers) MAY be used during a Full Attack action, but can only be used during the first attack (at your highest BAB) of a full attack action.

You do not need to specify the targets of your attacks ahead of time. You can see how the earlier attacks turn out before assigning the later ones.

A full attack action is 'severable', meaning that a character can abort the full attack after the standard action portion of it to take a move action instead. If you've already taken a 5-foot step, you can't use your move action to move any distance, but you could still use a different kind of move action.

The only movement you can take during a full attack is one or more 5-foot steps. You may take the step before, after, or between your attacks.

You may still take a swift action before or after a full attack unless the full attack action specifically disallows it.

Some common uses for a full-attack action include:

• Full attack, using all available opportunities to attack
• Multiple 5-foot steps to move safely around the battlefield
• Attacking and taking 5-foot steps in a mobile attack style
• Charge
• Whirlwind Attack (Feat)