Several months ago, I looked at the idea of a two-action economy for OSR games that played off the AD&D rule of being able to move half your movement rate and still attack for the round and also the old-school idea of multiple attacks a round.

I’ve rethought this a bit and now think that attacks-per-round should probably be limited to two. Additional damage should probably be left to class features (feats) that, for example, allow one hit to damage more than one opponent.

Therefore, I now think a two-action economy should work like this….

A round is 15 seconds. Your movement rate is 30 feet per round. You can perform any combination of two actions: attack, move, defend, etc.

• If you use both your actions to attack with a melee weapon, your second attack is at disadvantage. As martial characters advance, they may get a feat that removes this disadvantage.
• Longbow and short bow get 2 arrows per attack. However, any time you get disadvantage on a bow attack (such as when making a second bow attack in a round), that attack becomes 1 arrow at normal instead of 2 with disadvantage. (Any time you get advantage, it only applies to one arrow.)
• You second attack can instead be combat maneuver (shove, kick, etc.) without disadvantage.
• If you choose to defend, you gain +2 to your armor class for the round or lend +2 to the AC of an ally within 5 feet.
• If you use both your actions to defend, you can gain or lend +4 (or +2 to yourself and an ally).

Now every fighter has the option to move, to attack aggressively, or fight defensively each round–a nice, simple set of options that opens up OSR without making it so expansive with feats that it’s hard for players to even keep track of them.

This defense idea comes from Hearthfire, by the way, which itself has a two-action economy, altho for some reason, they regard “guarding” as requiring both actions.

Things that Cost 1 Action

• Move 30 feet (includes saving throw to dodge a magic effect)
• Attack with a melee or ranged weapon✽
• Attack with a combat maneuver (kick, shove, etc.)
• Defend with a melee weapon
• Aim and shoot a crossbow
• Reload a light crossbow
• Cast a spell costing 1 action
• Retrieve a potion on your person and drink it
• Switch weapons
• Standing from prone

✽ If you use both your actions to attack, your second attack has disadvantage, altho a bow attack with disadvantage means shooting one arrow instead of two and without disadvantage.

Things that Cost 2 Actions

• Load a heavy crossbow
• Cast a spell costing 2 actions
• Make a sweep attack✽ (half damage to all within melee range, move up to 5 feet)

✽ Requires a weapon with the sweep trait.

Things that Cost Zero Actions

• Speak, shout, etc.
• Throw a lever
• Drop something, including a pack or shield
• Drop prone
• Shoot a loaded and aimed crossbow

There should be no opportunity attacks except where a creature tries to pass thru your melee range (that is, squeezes past you in your square, if you’re using a grid). Traditional opportunity attacks make combat very static.

Playtesting

This is only theory and would have to be playtested to see how players switch between attacking against weaker opponents and defending or moving against stronger opponents.