Can a stance be maintained when knocked unconscious?

[Hypersmurf]

This, to me, is one of those instances where it's up to the DM to make whatever ruling he feels is most appropriate, so long as he's consistent.

I suspect you'd find that most DMs would give the same answer to "Can a 4E character maintain a stance while unconscious?" and "Can a 3E/3.5 barbarian continue to rage while unconscious?" - some would say yes to both, some no to both, but few would give different answers to both.

(Of course, every one of those few is about to reply to this thread to tell me how wrong I am! )

-Hyp.

 

[jensun]

I would have said yes but then i dont necessarily treat 0 HP as being unconcious, more that you are simply unable to continue the fight for whatever reason fits the situation.

 

[Baumi]

I can see no problem to assume you can return to your stance after you got unconscious, since you can also resume your stance after you was pushed around, knocked down or you ran as fast as you could.

Also if you compare it to rages who also have similar restrictions (only one rage, until end of encounter) but rage explicitly includes unconscious. Since they included it in rage but not in a stance, I think it is made on purpose.

 

[Mercule]

This, to me, is one of those instances where it's up to the DM to make whatever ruling he feels is most appropriate, so long as he's consistent. In my case, I'd rule that no, you don't maintain the stance when unconscious. The rules may not say that specifically, but that's the sort of judgment call that I think falls firmly within the DM's purview without even qualifying as "house rules."

This is almost exactly what I was planning on saying, just better phrased.

 

[Plane Sailing]

This, to me, is one of those instances where it's up to the DM to make whatever ruling he feels is most appropriate, so long as he's consistent. In my case, I'd rule that no, you don't maintain the stance when unconscious. The rules may not say that specifically, but that's the sort of judgment call that I think falls firmly within the DM's purview without even qualifying as "house rules."

That is an expanded version of my reasoning.

 

[Starfox]

An odd parallel is the Swordmage's Swordmage Warding, which does end if you fal unconscious, and then takes a short rest to restart. I find this odd for a Defender. In what little I've played so far, the Fighter was the character most likely to end up unconscious, and he'd tend to get healed to stand up and resume the fight. A Swordmage wouldn't be able to do that.

 

[Szatany]

Sure it does. It just doesn't work if you're at 0 HP or less.

The only way in the rules to end a Stance is to choose to end it, the Encounter ends, 5 minutes passes, or you use another stance.

But does the encounter end for him since he falls unconscious and thus no longer participates in it?

 

[DracoSuave]

But does the encounter end for him since he falls unconscious and thus no longer participates in it?

If that were the case, his death saving throws would reset every round because he'd be short-restin', or other shinanegans. The encounter is -definately- not over for someone unconscious.

If anything, they're in the encounter deeper.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Stances keep on going while unconscious.
As said before, hp at 0 or less = regeneration does not work.
For most other stances, the fighter is not able to take OAs, and therefore they don't work.

There doesn't seem to be much room for confusion here.

 

[Plane Sailing]

There doesn't seem to be much room for confusion here.

It's not an issue of confusion.

It's a case of, as Mouseferatu put it, "(up to) the DM to make whatever ruling he feels is most appropriate"