[RPG] Can one use a breath weapon and a melee attack in the same turn

actionsdnd-3.5edragonborn

My character is Dragonborn, and has a breath weapon. Making a breath weapon attack is a standard action. I am wondering if I can make a breath weapon and also make one attack with my weapon?

I know that you can make a move action and a standard action in a combat. If one can normally make one attack, then move 30ft, why couldn't one simply not move and make one melee attack?

Best Answer

Not normally. As Colin explained, attacking and using a breath weapon are both standard actions. You can't normally take two standard actions in a round, and you can't substitute a move action for a standard action.

You can however take the Metabreath Feat Quicken Breath (Draconomicon). That lets you use your breath attack as a free action, which would let you do both in one round. Using it adds +4 to the number of rounds you have to wait before using your breath weapon again.

Alternately, if you have an way to gain additional standard actions (like from the Factotum class), you could use that additional action to let you both breathe and attack.

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