When a PC has at least one level in the Combat skill, they choose one Combat Stance to provide an additional level of expertise within a skill. Stances advance in ability along with the level of the Combat skill, providing greater benefits at higher levels. The Stance merit allows characters to attach an additional combat stance to the skill.
Many stances have strict requirements on when their benefits can apply. For example, the benefits of the Unarmed stance can not be used when attacking with a sword, the Berserker stance requires a melee weapon, and a few stances only work with a weapon that uses ammo.
Combat Stances
Berserk (requirement: melee weapon)
The stance of the Berserker is all about continuing the fight and getting many attacks in as possible. The Berserker’s dream is a crowd of enemies..
Level 1: Tooth for a Tooth: Whenever you take damage, increase the base damage of any melee attacks you make on your next turn by 3.
Level 2: Final Strike: When you pass a stress trigger or are knocked unconscious by damage, you may make one last melee attack at an adjacent opponent before the trigger sets off a splice or you fall unconscious.
Level 3: Another!: When you kill an enemy with a melee attack you may move to make another attack on a nearby enemy.
Bullet Storm (requirement: ranged weapon with autofire)
The Bullet Storm stance is intended to overwhelm an enemy with unending firepower.
Level 1: Quick Shot: When you attack with your weapon you may make a second attack that can do max low damage.
Level 2: Mana Ammo: You can coalesce your magic into bullets. Projectile weapons have a minimal ammo capacity of 5. You are also now able to reload at the end of any other action by spending 2 Stress. (If a weapon specialty currently provides additional ammo, you may choose a new specialty effect to replace it.)
Level 3: Thunder Storm: Spend 1 Mana to use this ability. Mana Ammo starts to rain down onto the greater area for the next minute. All actors unable to take shelter take 1 severe damage at the end of their turn. When you attack and hit a target that isn’t under shelter, you may spend 1 Fortune to increase the damage dealt by 5 severe lightning damage.
Close Quarters (requirement: ranged weapon)
The Close Quarters stance focuses on using a ranged weapon against enemies that are in your face.
Level 1: Point Blank Shot: Ignore the penalty for shooting at adjacent enemies.
Level 2: Recoil Movement: Each time you make a ranged attack against a nearby enemy, you may spend 1 ammo to move (at 2 speed) in the opposite direction of where you shot. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Level 3: Smoking Gun: Spend 1 Ammo to use this ability in addition to another action or by itself. Thick smoke forms falls from you weapon for the next 10 seconds, filling the air in an area twice your size. You can see through the smoke but all other creatures treat anything inside or behind the smoke as concealed (-2 penalty).
Disruptor (requirement: none)
The Disruptor stance focuses on reducing the enemy options during combat.
Level 1: Panic: You may spend 2 Stress or Fortune to activate Panic after an attack of yours hits an enemy. The target of the attack must make a Resolve ability check. On a partial success the target cannot move towards you. On a failure the target must use its next available action to dash away from you.
Level 2: Lingering Distraction: Opponents you hit cannot intercept or make opportunity attacks for the next minute.
Level 3: Cripple: When you attack an enemy of your size+2 or less, you may spend 2 stress or 1 Mana to paralyze one of that creature’s limbs for the next 10 minutes. When you attack an enemy of your size+3 or more, you may instead spend 1 stress to create a 1 die aspect “slowed limb,” which can be used to hinder the enemy.
Light-Footed (requirement: melee weapon)
The Light-Footed stance focuses attention on mobility and shifting an opponent’s own weight against them.
Level 1: Giant Fighting: Gain a +1 bonus when attacking a target larger than yourself. Attacks on larger targets deal +2(B) damage.
Level 2: Deflect and Riposte: When you take melee damage from an enemy, you may spend 2 Stress to lower the damage type and may spend another 2 stress to deal low weapon damage back to the enemy.
Level 3: Flickering Movement: Your steps carry you further than they should. Increase your speed by 2 during action scenes. If you attack and hit an opponent that is 1 size larger than you or less before your movement is finished, then you may carry that enemy with you for the rest of your movement.
Silent (requirement: ranged weapon)
The Silent stance focuses on remaining hidden when attacking from afar and not getting caught after taking a shot. This stance cannot be used with louder weapons such as un-silenced guns or explosives.
Level 1: Illusory Impact: Spend 1 ammo to have your shot(s) appear to hit from any direction.
Level 2: Vanish: When you take an action in combat, you may spend 1 Mana or Fortune to completely vanish from the scene after your action is taken. As soon as you take another action you reappear in the same position, or the nearest empty space.
Level 3: Retreat Route: Invest 1 Mana to make and place a retreat marker, a glowing orb of mana about the size of a pencil eraser. The marker is locked in the space it was created. Instead of moving during your action you can instead instantly teleport to any retreat marker on the map, expending it when you do. You cannot teleport to a marker if there is not enough space for you to fit where the marker is.
Sniper (requirement: two-handed ranged weapon)
The Sniper stance focuses on pinpoint accuracy from across large distances.
Level 1: Pin-Point Accuracy: Spend up to 1-3 Ammo to reduce the penalty of specifying a body part of a target by 1 per ammo spent. Normal penalties for specifying for specifying locations are a target are Torso -1, head or held item -2, and eye -3 (assuming a human sized target.)
Level 2: Instant Setup: All two-handed ranged weapons that you specialize in gain the Increased Range specialty benefit without the Setup detriment. If you already have the increased Range specialty then you can choose a another benefit to replace it.
Level 4: Finder’s Bullet: Spend 1 Mana to take a shot that seeks out a known target within range. The shot ignores cover and may turn and move around corners until it hits or misses the target. If the target is hit you learn of its current location.
Tank (requirement: wielding a shield)
The Tank stance focuses on defense, protecting yourself or others, and literally shielding people from harm.
Level 1: Innate Armor: Gain 1 permanent melee armor which cannot take bombardment damage. This armor stacks with armor from other sources.
Level 2: Guardian: When a Nearby ally is attacked you can spend 2 Stress or 1 Fortune to push them behind you and move into their spot, taking the attack in their stead.
Level 3: Shielding Dome: When you or a nearby ally is attacked, you can spend 1 Mana or 4 Stress to use this ability. Until the end of your third action, or the end of an action scene, your shield gains a +4 armor bonus and creates a dome covering up to a 10ft radius around you. Unlike most armor, the shield can block physical damage from any source, including heat and electricity. All other characters within the dome gain the +4 armor bonus against outside attacks.
Thrown Weapons (requirement: the “thrown” specialty benefit)
The thrown weapons stance focuses on utilizing melee weapons at range.
Level 1: Weapon Reserves: Your non-unique thrown weapons gain a “thrown ammo” quality of 3 which acts similar to ammo for ranged weapons. Unique thrown weapons gain an ammo of 1 instead. Thrown Ammo usages:
- [Ammo 1] Wounding Shot: Spend 1 Ammo after rolling for an attack to deal 1 additional damage. Not stackable
Level 2: Boomerang: When an attack with a thrown weapon misses, restore 1 ammo as the weapon returns to you.
Level 3: Stick Around: Gain the “Knock Down” and “Pin” thrown ammo usages:
- [Ammo 1] Knock Down: Spend 1 Ammo after hitting an enemy with an attack. If the target is equal to your size+Strength or smaller, they are knocked prone.
- [Ammo 1] Pin: Spend 1 Ammo after hitting an enemy with an attack to reduce their movement by 2 until their next turn.
Trick Shot (requirement: ammo-based weapon)
The trick shot stance focuses on manipulating the trajectory and impact of a projectile. It provides a new list of nondamaging ammo usages for ranged weapons. An attack can only use a single trick shot, until level 3 when multiple trick shots may be stacked.
Level 1: [Ammo 1] Ricochet Shot: When you make an attack you can spend 1 ammo to have the shot bounce off one target (inflicting bashing damage) and redirect to another target nearby the first. Both victims avoid the same attack roll.
[Ammo 1] Some Push Behind It: For targets with a Size < 7. You may spend 1 ammo to have each attack push the target by 5 feet.
Level 2: [Ammo 1] False Shot: When an attack misses a target, you may spend 1 ammo to choose another target within range and make the attack against them.
[Ammo 1] Shatter Shot: Spend 1 ammo to have your attack shatter upon impacting the target, dealing bashing damage to the target and severe low damage against all characters nearby the target. All victims avoid the same attack roll.
Level 3: Stacked Tricks: You can combine any number of trick shots, though they still use ammo. You choose how they blend together. For example, you may choose for a bullet to bounce off of the first target and shatter on the wall beside a number of other targets.
Two-Handed (requirement: two-handed melee weapon)
The Two-Handed stance focuses on hammering down damage on foes with the full power and weight of a two-handed melee weapon.
Level 1: Careless Swing: Before you attack, you can increase your weapon’s base damage (low and high) by 2, but you put yourself in a worse position.
Level 2: Cleave: When your attack deals high damage on an enemy, all other adjacent enemies must defend against it (taking half the usual damage).
Level 3: Wind Scythe: You may spend 1 Mana or 3 Stress to extend the range of your melee attack to Far Away Targets. Cleave applies to all creatures between you and the target.
Unarmed (requirement: at least 1 free hand)
The Unarmed stance focuses on techniques that utilize one’s own body as a weapon. A character must have at least 1 empty hand to use this stance, and attacks which benefit from this stance may not use a weapon (aside from weapons similar to brass knuckles). Unarmed attacks always deal bashing damage.
Level 1: Infighting: After hitting an enemy with an attack or dodging an enemy attack you can start infighting with that opponent until you or they disengage (leave engaged distance). While infighting you have perfect awareness of their location (ignore concealment penalties), nullify any reach advantage your opponent has, and any melee attacks from that opponent can only deal low damage.
Level 2: Snap Kicks: Up to two times per turn you may spend 1 Stress to add an additional attack on top of your other action (including other attacks).
Level 3: Sticky: When an enemy you are infighting moves, its speed is halved and you can move your speed to try staying with it.