Lines like this imply one might be in a stance all day long:
"A stance remains in effect indefinitely and is never expended. The benefit of your chosen stance continues until you change to another stance you know as a swift action."
Though this implies there could be some limit, or at least that they're intended for combat more than out of combat:
"A stance is a type of fighting method that you maintain from round to round. So long as you stay in a stance, you gain some benefit from it. A martial disciple who performs a kata and assumes a specific posture as he prepares to fight is using a stance."
Lets take as an example this stance from the Shattered Mirror discipline (which was just released in the Harbinger PDF):
"Silvered Mirror Stance (Su): When you assume this stance, choose a single non-personal range power, psi-like ability, spell, or spell-like ability affecting you. While you maintain this stance, allies within 30 feet of you also gain the benefits of the chosen effect for as long as it is affecting you."
This would be an amazing way to share buffs out of combat, e.g. casting Overland Flight or Stoneskin on the Harbinger and getting it for free on any ally within 30'. What are the limits to this?
Considering there are several stances that grant bonuses to Initiative, I don't see how it could be argued stances were only intended to be used during combat - because you can't gain the benefit of initiative bonuses if you can't have a stance up until after initiative is rolled. :/
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Stances are indeed always on, even out of combat. The benefits of a stance end if you become helpless, if you enter a new stance, or if you spend a swift action specifically to leave the stance without assuming a new one.
In the case of Silvered Mirror, the most notable limit is that eventually the shared buff expires.
It's worth noting that Overland Flight is a personal range spell, so I don't think it can be shared via silvered mirror stance.
Out of curiosity, what level does Silvered Mirror become available on?
It's worth noting that Overland Flight is a personal range spell, so I don't think it can be shared via silvered mirror stance.
Out of curiosity, what level does Silvered Mirror become available on?
It's a fifth level stance, meaning it'll come online at level 9 or so.
Thanks Commando and Prince--and great to get an authoritative answer!
Kudaku, it's a level 5 stance so it comes at 9th level.
It's worth noting that Overland Flight is a personal range spell, so I don't think it can be shared via silvered mirror stance.
Out of curiosity, what level does Silvered Mirror become available on?
Just wanted to add - you can share personal-range spells. Just use Equivocate on the wizard when he casts the spell to duplicate it on yourself, then share it with Silvered Mirror.
Equivocate is a very powerful second level counter :).
It's worth noting that Overland Flight is a personal range spell, so I don't think it can be shared via silvered mirror stance.
Out of curiosity, what level does Silvered Mirror become available on?
Just wanted to add - you can share personal-range spells. Just use Equivocate on the wizard when he casts the spell to duplicate it on yourself, then share it with Silvered Mirror.
Equivocate is a very powerful second level counter :).
Ah, but Silvered Mirror specifically calls out non-personal spells to be shared ~_^
I'd been more worried about acquiring them through a party alchemist thanks to their trick that lets them make potions of personal buffs, but your method of acquisition works too. Mirror just won't spread the love.
Plan foiled :(.
Though if you can hold out until 15th level, I think Unholy Mirror Stance would still work if your party is six members or less.
So what, is your character constantly standing around in a prepared fighting stance even when he/she is talking to other players and NPCs? It must be "stance" in an abstract sense.
So what, is your character constantly standing around in a prepared fighting stance even when he/she is talking to other players and NPCs? It must be "stance" in an abstract sense.
They always kinda were, even back in Tome of Battle; stances like Blood in the Water or Hearing the Air were more attitudes than fighting stances. The flip side of course is stuff like Punishing Stance, which only really has an effect if a fight is going on - but could affect the start of a fight (in this case, because of your lowered armor class). In those particular cases, the fluff is yours to handle.
Harbinger's got some special cases going on with its new disciplines, though, because their stances are more ongoing supernatural attitudes than they are, again, traditional fighting stances. Going further, stances are sometimes meant to have out-of-combat utility, a paradigm that reaches back to Tome of Battle; for instance, take a look at The Dragon Knows, in Cursed Razor.
Lastly, and this is just speaking as a martial artist, a trained combatant will go from rest to an appropriate stance in less time than it takes them to realize A. that they're fighting and B. they already hit someone. All those drills, katas, and practices are there precisely to cause that.