Hi I was thinking of a character concept and I have this question:
If I have crane style, crane wing, and crane riposte
And a Bastard Sword
Using it one handed, I can activate all the crane abilities.
In combat on my turn , can I
1. Grab with the other hand as a free action
2. Attack as normal
3. Move or 5ft step
4. Release hand as a free action.
So that on the enemies turn, i can
Crane wing to block, then Crane riposte.
Also, during a crane riposte - must I swing the weapon 1 handed for the attack of opportunity? or can I grasp it with the free hand for the 2-handed damage?
The weapons I'm looking are a katanas and bastard swords - which this seems to work with.
Would this work with a two-handed sword or greatclub as well?
While it certainly does not prevent you from enjoying the better use of defensive fighting due to crane style and riposte (I mean, up to +4 AC at the cost of just -1 on attack rolls? That seems fair enough; also good if you have to use total defense while closing in, since that is up to +7), I think that the fact that crane wing says that you can only use it "when you have at least one hand free and are either fighting defensively or using the total defense action", it means you have to do the 'fighting defensively' part with a hand free.
Otherwise, you are completely circumventing the fact that you need a free hand. Also, moving your hand on and off your weapon is a free action, so you can't do it outside of your turn (as far as I am aware), so the 2 handed riposte is out.
On a sidenote: I seem to remember that there is a magical weapon, a katana called "The Blade of the Sword Saint", that actually works around this problem. It allows you to treat it like you are unarmed for the purpose of feats (calls out deflect arrows, but the mechanics are similar enough), and you can flurry with it.
I FOUND THE KATANA, IT's AWESOME!
It's also 75,000 gp
Not happening in PFS.
You got right what you can do on your turn. but when you release the hand at the end of your turn you cant put it back onto the sword during anyone else's turn, as it requires a free action which you are only allowed on your turn.
So you can fully enjoy crane style/wing/riposte, while making your regular attacks two-handed and AoOs and ripostes one-handed.
You could even pull this off with a greatsword, but then you would have to use your unarmed strike or, if you have any, natural weapons for AoOs. Which is quite a step down in AoO damage but a step up in our regular damage and requires no exotic weapon proficiency.
While it certainly does not prevent you from enjoying the better use of defensive fighting due to crane style and riposte (I mean, up to +4 AC at the cost of just -1 on attack rolls? That seems fair enough; also good if you have to use total defense while closing in, since that is up to +7), I think that the fact that crane wing says that you can only use it "when you have at least one hand free and are either fighting defensively or using the total defense action", it means you have to do the 'fighting defensively' part with a hand free.
^^ This ^^
You have to have a hand free to use Crane Style at all, not just to deflect and riposte. The stuff about free hands is likewise important, but is trumped by this.
Sorry, you need to be using that bastard sword one-handed or not at all to work with Crane Style. Face it, Crane Style is good enough as it is without pairing it up with two-handed weapons.
Let me tell you, that you're wrong
Crane Style: Crane style focuses on defense and agile counterattacks. Practitioners are known for graceful, one-legged stances and folding arm techniques that mimic a crane’s enormous wings.
Feat Path: Crane Style, Crane Wing, Crane Riposte.
Your unarmed fighting techniques blend poise with graceful defense.
Prerequisites: Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +2 or monk level 1st.
Benefit: You take only a –2 penalty on attack rolls for fighting defensively. While using this style and fighting defensively or using the total defense action, you gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to your Armor Class.
It doesn't mention having to have a hand free anywhere before Crane Wing.
But the main reason many take the style is due to crane wing followed by a riposte. The bonuses to defense are just nice side benefits that have far less restrictive rules on its use. Still, I feel that the RAI, and the fairly simple interpretation of RAW I mentioned, would be against using crane wing in the suggested manner.
Sorry that the magical weapon I brought up didn't help you out too much jfkg306.