Style Stance at Start of Combat

I have seen several threads talking about style feats and action economy and re-read the section

"As a swift action, you can enter the stance employed by the fighting style a style feat embodies. Although you cannot use a style feat before combat begins, the style you are in persists until you spend a swift action to switch to a different combat style"

It says that the style you are persists until you switch to a different style, so you could read it as you are always in a stance, since the only way for it not to persist is for you to adopt a different combat style. You can't actually use the feats while out of combat, but assuming you ended your last combat using a stance, you start the new combat in the stance.

Thoughts?

Only if the new combat begins immediately after the previous. That is gaming the system otherwise.

This becomes a debate on RAW vs RAI. In this case the intended rule is that you are only in a stance during Combat. While RAW would allow for you to spend your whole life in crane style, RAI is rather clear that you don't. The indicator that this is the intended interpretation is that it clearly states you can't use the feat out of Combat.

While the rules are a bit convoluted and unclear, the intention is no. You must spend the swift action at the start of combat to enter the stance.

Although you cannot use a style feat before combat begins, the style you are in persists until you spend a swift action to switch to a different combat style"

It persists until you fall out of combat, then you are no longer persisting.

The simplest way is to think of initiative as something that drops you out of all styles.

For this to be at all feasible, it would imply that your character walks around in a kung fu stance all the time.

For this to be at all feasible, it would imply that your character walks around in a kung fu stance all the time.

That would make an amazing visual. Just hopping around on one leg like the Karate Kid, with your arms up and everything. Whenever you go to pay for something, you do a swishy martial arts movement to put the gold down on the desk, while still maintaining an effective defense. And on top of that, you never, ever get mugged.

Wouldn't that be fine after the pre-battle buffing tho?

Wouldn't that be fine after the pre-battle buffing tho?

Ask you GM, but you could read the RAW to reject that line of thinking.

Combat Style Master is what you want.

Benefit: You can switch your style as a free action. At the start of combat, pick one of your styles. You start the combat in that style, even in the surprise round.

Normal: It takes a swift action to begin or switch your styles.