Action points give you the means to aect game play in significant ways, by improving important rolls or unlocking special abilities. Each character has a limited number of action points, and once an action point is spent, it is gone for good.

A 1st-level character starts the game with 5 action points. Characters who start the game at higher than 1st level have a number of action points equal to 5 + 1/2 their current character level. Every time a character advances, the action points are resetted to 5 + 1/2 the new character level. Some prestige classes might allow a faster rate of accrual, at the DM’s option.

Action Points and existing games

Adding action points to an existing campaign is easy, since you don’t need to make any special changes. Characters simply gain a number of action points equal to 5 + 1/2 their current character level.

NPCs and Action Points

Rank-and-file NPCs shouldn’t have action points. Important villains or other significant characters, however, can have action points to use against the player characters. A number of action points equal to 1/2 the NPC’s level is a good baseline.

You can spend 1 action point to add to any single d20 roll, to temporarily improve a feat’s benefit, or to take a special action. Only 1 action point can be spent during a given round. If you spend a point to use a special action, you can’t spend another one during the same round to improve a d20 roll, and vice versa.

Add to a roll

When you spend 1 action point to improve a d20 roll, add the result of a d6 roll to your d20 roll to help you meet or exceed the target Diculty Class. You can declare the use of 1 action point to alter a d20 roll after the roll is made, but only before the DM reveals the result of that roll. You can’t use an action point to alter the result when you are taking 10 or taking 20. Depending on your character level (see the table), you might be able to roll more than one d6 when spending 1 action point. When rolling more than one d6, apply the highest result from among the rolls, disregarding the others. The player of a 15thlevel character, for instance, can roll 3d6 and take the best result of the three. So, if that player rolled a 1, 2, and 4, the 4 applies to the d20 roll.

Special Actions

You can perform certain tasks by spending an action point. Spending an action point to accomplish a special action is a free action. In addition to the actions described in this entry, some prestige classes and feats might allow the expenditure of action points in order to gain or activate specific abilities, at the DM’s option.

• Boost Defense:

You can spend 1 action point when fighting defensively. This grants double the normal benefit for fighting defensively for the entire round (+4 dodge bonus to AC).

• Extra Attack:

You can spend 1 action point to make an extra attack at your highest attack bonus when you take a full attack action.

• Spell Boost:

You can spend 1 action point to increase the effective caster level of one spell by 2. You must decide whether or not to spend an action point in this manner before casting the spell.

• Spell Recall:

You can spend 1 action point to cast a spell without losing that prepared spell, if you prepare spells, or a daily spell slot, if you’re a spontaneous spellcaster. Either use must be done during the same round that the spell is cast.

• Stabilize:

When dying, you can spend 1 action point to become stable at your current hit point total.

Improving Feats

You can improve existing feats to take advantage of action points. Here are a few examples of how action points can be used with existing feats. Unless otherwise stated, each eect requires a free action to activate and lasts 1 round. The DM can expand these options.

• Blind-Fight:

You can spend 1 action point to negate your miss chance for a single attack. Combat Expertise: You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus to Armor Class granted by the feat. For example, if you take a penalty of –3 on your attack roll, you gain a +6 dodge bonus to AC. Dodge: You can spend 1 action point to increase the dodge bonus granted by the feat to +2. The eect lasts for the entire encounter.

• Improved Critical:

You can spend 1 action point to double your critical threat range. Since two doublings equals a tripling, this benefit increases your threat range from 19–20 to 18–20, from 17–20 to 15–20, or from 15–20 to 12–20, including the eect of your Improved Critical feat. This benefit stacks with the benefit from Improved Critical, but not with other effects that increase threat range. Improved Initiative: You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus on initiative checks granted by the feat, from +4 to +8.

• Metamagic Feats:

You can spend 1 action point to add the effect of any one metamagic feat that you have to a spell you are casting. The spell is cast at its normal level, without any level adjustment because of the feat, and it takes no extra time to cast.
Heighten Spell automatically raises a spell’s effective level to the highest level of spell you are capable of casting. For example, if a 7th-level wizard with the Heighten Spell feat casts burning hands and spends 1 action point to heighten the spell, the spell is treated as if it were a 4th-level spell in all respects even though the wizard prepared it normally as a 1st-level spell.

• Power Attack:

You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus on damage rolls granted by the feat. For example, if you take a penalty of –3 on your attack roll, you add +6 to your damage roll. Spell Focus: You can spend 1 action point to double the increase to save DCs granted by the feat, from +1 to +2.

• Spell Penetration:

You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus on caster level checks granted by the feat, from +2 to +4. The eect lasts for the entire encounter.