Stances for other classes?

[keftiu]

I think one of 2e’s most fun tricks is the number of feat-based Stances you see; they’re easy to understand, and give an awesome feeling of tactical choice at the table once you decide to adopt one mid-fight. With how much fun the Monk gets to have (and prompted by a reddit thread asking for Fighter Stances to represent different sword-wielding styles), I wanted to ask - is it a design space you want to see explored for other classes?

[Deriven Firelion]

Some magical battle stances might be cool. Something similar to Magus Arcane Cascade, but for wizards or some full caster.

[Ravingdork]

There are already non-monk stances I believe, though I don't recall where. Ranger maybe?

[breithauptclan]

The Stance Trait crosslinks to them.

Swashbuckler has several, such as Buckler Dance and Disarming Stance.

Fighter has a couple, like Point-Blank-Shot and Ricochet Shot (Rogue also gets that second one).

Marshal Archetype has a couple of stances that are basically the core of the archetype.

And a Knight of Lastwall Champion can get Impassable Wall Stance. (Which looks like the Monk's Stand Still reaction that you have to pay an extra action at some point during the battle in order to use. So I am a bit underwhelmed by that one.)

[Ascalaphus]

I think they're nice design elements, but they do work best when not overused either.

For example: I play a magus with a monk multiclass and flurry. I can't also take a monk stance because that would just compete with arcane cascade. (By the way, flurry as a magus is glorious.)

If too many classes leaned on a stance for one of their main shticks, then that would really reduce how well multiclassing worked.

[HumbleGamer]

Given the limit to 1 stance ( apart from the monk which by lvl 20 could take a lvl 20 feat meant to fuse 2 stances, with some limits ), I see no real harm introducing new ones.

But rather than giving them to existing classes, I'd go and create archetypes meant for that specific stance.

I'd also look at those stances that, at the moment, are only available for specific classes, and consider using them as feats for new archetypes.

To make some quick example:

- A fencer dedication could be given the buckler/parry stance that the swashbuckler has, but by lvl 14 rather than lvl 10.

- A protector dedication could be given the paragon's guard, but by lvl 16 rather than lvl 12.

- A shadow master could be given the shawo initiate stance by lvl 12

- A master of the wind could be given the wind initiate stance by lvl 12

and so on.

Note that these are just examples, and that the level difference is meant to show how currently work an archetype ( it roughtly has 2-4 level difference, compared to the normal class. I think I could have seen a few feats having the same level requirement, but maybe I am just mistaking things ).

Obviously there will also be new stances which could be either available through archetype or specific class.

[Nicolas Paradise]

I would love to see Divine fighting techniques return as feat based styles. With a base dedication granting trained proficiency in the required weapon or armor.

Specifically I want to see bladed brush, shooting star and tankard + rapier.

[Sanityfaerie]

Technically, Martial Artist archetype also offers access to a bunch of the monk stances.

Nicolas Paradise wrote:

I would love to see Divine fighting techniques return as feat based styles. With a base dedication granting trained proficiency in the required weapon or armor.

Specifically I want to see bladed brush, shooting star and tankard + rapier.

Shooting Star already exists as a monk stance (level 2)

[PossibleCabbage]

I would like to see more stances available. It's a really easy to understood mechanic, and if stances became more common it would cement the monk as the "master of stances" class (since the monk stance feats Stance Savant, and Master of Many Styles are kind of underwhelming with just Monk tech).

[Nicolas Paradise]

Sanityfaerie wrote:

Technically, Martial Artist archetype also offers access to a bunch of the monk stances.

Nicolas Paradise wrote:

I would love to see Divine fighting techniques return as feat based styles. With a base dedication granting trained proficiency in the required weapon or armor.

Specifically I want to see bladed brush, shooting star and tankard + rapier.

Shooting Star already exists as a monk stance (level 2)

1E Shooting Star is specifically using Star Knives and imparting an extra spin to do damage with more than 1 of the 4 blades.

So what I would want would be a style that grants proficiency with Star knives and eventually gives some kind of trick with them since stat replacement and extra damage aren't really given by feats in 2E.

[Cydeth]

I've been building an archetype that gives access to magical stances (similar to Wild Winds Stance in that they cost a focus point to enter) and some associated special moves to allow some neat stuff.

One example is that I have a group of neutral dark elves in one of my settings that are all about fire dragons, and the stance is all about fire resistance and not suffering from smoke, while the techniques are things like fire breath, a flying meteor charge, and things like that. I decided to make it so all of the abilities can be used outside the stance, but they're more powerful in the stance.

All that said, yeah, I'd love to see more stances for other classes as well.