Action Types
During each round of combat, each participant may take one Standard Action, one Shift Action, and one Swift Action on their turn in any order. In addition, they may take any number of Free Actions, though actions with a Trigger can only be activated once per Trigger.
As an important note, no matter what Action Type is listed in this section, generally Trainers do not have to spend actions at the very beginning of Combat to draw a weapon or send out their first Pokémon for the fight. It’s just tedious and doesn’t add anything to the game, and in fights against other Trainers it just becomes an action tax that both sides have to pay. The exception, of course, is ambushes and otherwise getting caught off guard.
Standard Actions: Moves and many Features require a Standard Action during your turn to activate and use. Examples of what you can do with a Standard Action:
» Using a Move
» Using a Struggle Attack
» Retrieving and using an Item from a backpack or similar on a target
» Throwing a Poké Ball to Capture a wild Pokémon
» Drawing a Weapon, or switching from one Weapon to another.
» Using the Pokédex to identify a Pokémon
» You may give up a Standard Action to take another Swift Action
» You may give up a Standard Action to take another Shift Action, but this cannot be used for Movement if you have already used your regular Shift Action for Movement. However, it may be used to activate Features or effects that require a Shift Action.
» Use Combat Maneuvers. Shift Actions: The Shift Action is the most straightforward action during a Pokémon or Trainer’s turn; it’s simply used for movement most of the time. Trainers may hand other Trainers a small item they have on hand as part of a Shift Action, as long as the ally is adjacent at either the beginning or end of the shift. A Trainer can also sacrifice their Shift Action to perform certain other actions:
» Returning a Pokémon, or sending out a Pokémon
» Returning a Fainted Pokémon and sending out a replacement Pokémon Free Actions: Many features can be activated as Free Actions. Features with Triggers are often Free Actions. You can activate as many Free Actions as you like, or when they are triggered. Swift Action: Trainers have exactly one Swift Action a round, and it can only be used on their turn. Many Features are Swift Actions. Extended Action: Extended Actions take at least a few minutes to complete, depending on the task. If unspecified, assume at least a few minutes with concentration adequate to the task. Simply, these actions cannot be performed in the middle of combat. Full Action: Some Features are Full Actions. Full Actions take both your Standard Action and Shift Action for a turn. The Take A Breather (page 245), Coup de Grace (251), and Intercept (242) Actions are all Full Actions. Priority Actions: If the user has not already acted this turn, an action with the Priority keyword may be declared to act immediately; the user takes their full turn, ignoring Initiative. This counts as their turn for the round. A priority action may not be declared during someone else’s turn; it must be declared between turns. Priority also comes in Priority (Limited) and Priority (Advanced) varieties. The Priority (Limited) keyword is like Priority except the user may not take their full turn; they may only take the action that itself has Priority and take the rest of their turn on their own Initiative Count. For example, Orders are Priority (Limited), meaning the user only uses their Standard Action and does not take a full turn. Priority (Advanced) actions don’t require that the user hasn’t acted that turn; if they have, they simply give up their turn on the following round. Interrupt Actions: Interrupt Moves may be declared in the middle of another combatant’s turn to allow the user to take an action. They work similarly to Priority (Advanced, Limited) effects in that they only allow you to take the action that has Interrupt and not a full turn.
» Using a Move
» Using a Struggle Attack
» Retrieving and using an Item from a backpack or similar on a target
» Throwing a Poké Ball to Capture a wild Pokémon
» Drawing a Weapon, or switching from one Weapon to another.
» Using the Pokédex to identify a Pokémon
» You may give up a Standard Action to take another Swift Action
» You may give up a Standard Action to take another Shift Action, but this cannot be used for Movement if you have already used your regular Shift Action for Movement. However, it may be used to activate Features or effects that require a Shift Action.
» Use Combat Maneuvers. Shift Actions: The Shift Action is the most straightforward action during a Pokémon or Trainer’s turn; it’s simply used for movement most of the time. Trainers may hand other Trainers a small item they have on hand as part of a Shift Action, as long as the ally is adjacent at either the beginning or end of the shift. A Trainer can also sacrifice their Shift Action to perform certain other actions:
» Returning a Pokémon, or sending out a Pokémon
» Returning a Fainted Pokémon and sending out a replacement Pokémon Free Actions: Many features can be activated as Free Actions. Features with Triggers are often Free Actions. You can activate as many Free Actions as you like, or when they are triggered. Swift Action: Trainers have exactly one Swift Action a round, and it can only be used on their turn. Many Features are Swift Actions. Extended Action: Extended Actions take at least a few minutes to complete, depending on the task. If unspecified, assume at least a few minutes with concentration adequate to the task. Simply, these actions cannot be performed in the middle of combat. Full Action: Some Features are Full Actions. Full Actions take both your Standard Action and Shift Action for a turn. The Take A Breather (page 245), Coup de Grace (251), and Intercept (242) Actions are all Full Actions. Priority Actions: If the user has not already acted this turn, an action with the Priority keyword may be declared to act immediately; the user takes their full turn, ignoring Initiative. This counts as their turn for the round. A priority action may not be declared during someone else’s turn; it must be declared between turns. Priority also comes in Priority (Limited) and Priority (Advanced) varieties. The Priority (Limited) keyword is like Priority except the user may not take their full turn; they may only take the action that itself has Priority and take the rest of their turn on their own Initiative Count. For example, Orders are Priority (Limited), meaning the user only uses their Standard Action and does not take a full turn. Priority (Advanced) actions don’t require that the user hasn’t acted that turn; if they have, they simply give up their turn on the following round. Interrupt Actions: Interrupt Moves may be declared in the middle of another combatant’s turn to allow the user to take an action. They work similarly to Priority (Advanced, Limited) effects in that they only allow you to take the action that has Interrupt and not a full turn.