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Combat Actions Quick Reference

Quickly check action types, attacks of opportunity, movement rules, and common combat actions in Pathfinder 1e.

Your Turn at a Glance

Option AStandard Action + Move Action
Option BFull-Round Action
Action economy details

A round is about 6 seconds and gives each combatant a turn. Your turn is when you normally take your actions.

An Immediate Action on your own turn uses that turn’s Swift Action. Outside your turn, it uses your next turn’s Swift Action. You cannot take another Immediate or Swift Action until after that next turn. You cannot take Immediate Actions while flat-footed.

Surprise rounds and restricted activity can limit you to one Standard or Move Action, plus permitted Free and Swift Actions. Some Full-Round Actions forbid a 5-foot step.

Core Rulebook p. 181 · Action types · p. 189 · Immediate actions

Search & Filters

All combat actions are listed below. Search and filters become available when JavaScript is running.

Combat Actions

AoO badges describe the action itself. Movement through threatened squares can provoke separately. “Provokes” means normally; specific exceptions appear in the details.

5-Foot Step

No ActionDoesn’t provoke AoOMovement: 5 feet

Move 5 feet without provoking an attack of opportunity.

At most one per round. Cannot combine with other movement of any distance during the same round. Must have a listed speed for the movement mode; a speed of 5 feet or less prevents it.

Common 5-foot step situations
SituationResult
Standard Attack without other movementNormally allowed
Full Attack without other movementNormally allowed
Move your speedNot allowed
ChargeNot allowed
WithdrawNot allowed

Difficult terrain or darkness that hampers movement prevents a normal 5-foot step. Specific abilities may override this.

A legal step may happen before, during or after your other actions, including a Full Attack. Charge, Run and Withdraw do not allow it.

Core Rulebook p. 189 · Archives of Nethys · Find the action card

Attacks of Opportunity

Threatened squares

You threaten spaces you can reach with a melee attack, including outside your turn. Reach weapons and creature reach change those spaces. An unarmed creature normally does not threaten unless it counts as armed.

Movement

Leaving a threatened square normally provokes. Simply entering one normally does not. A legal 5-foot step avoids movement AoOs; Withdraw protects only its starting square against visible enemies.

Distracting actions

Ranged attacks, ordinary spellcasting and many item interactions normally provoke in a threatened square. A separate movement opportunity can still exist when the action itself does not provoke.

How many?

Normally one AoO per round: a single melee attack at your normal attack bonus, resolved before the provoking activity continues. You may decline it. Combat Reflexes adds your Dexterity bonus to the limit.

Exceptions and separate opportunities

Combat Reflexes does not grant multiple attacks for the same opportunity. Leaving multiple squares threatened by one enemy in a round is only one movement opportunity for that enemy; a separate provoking action may create another.

Feats, class abilities, spells, conditions and reach can change these rules. Flat-footed creatures normally cannot make AoOs; Combat Reflexes is an exception. This reference does not calculate threatened squares.

Core Rulebook pp. 180–181 · Attacks of Opportunity

Rules & Limitations

Rules checked 9 October 2026 against the Core Rulebook combat table and individual rules on Archives of Nethys. Summaries are written for quick reference; consult the cited rule and your GM for the full context.

Rules and source attribution: Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Paizo Inc. Online rule references: Archives of Nethys.