Level Up (A5E) Flashy Hero Prestige Class and Maneuver Degree Advancement

[Sepulchre]

Does Flashy Hero advance your maneuver level? I think RAW the answer is no, but it seems like an oversight for a class whose major features work with maneuvers.

 

[Selganor]

RAW you'd add your Flashy Hero levels to you other class that gives combat maneuvers to see what your highest grade would be.

AG Multiclass: "You use your class levels in every class that grants combat maneuvers to determine the highest degree of combat maneuvers you can learn, determined by the class with the greatest access. For example, if you have 3 levels of fighter and 10 levels of herald you can learn combat maneuvers of up to 4th degree (like a 13th level fighter)."

 

[Sepulchre]

Interesting. I see your point.

Flash Hero has features that grant maneuver proficiency instead of granting access to maneuvers.

I tend to think, for example, that the Guardian Cleric subclass, which grants maneuvers and a special exertion pool doesn’t mean that your Cleric levels now stack with martial levels to determine your degree.

I would be very happy to be wrong on that point though and inclined to house rule it that way for my own players.

 

[Toan Li]

I was going to argue the difference is that Flashy Hero requires you to have access to maneuvers to even take the class, but it really doesn't. You could be a spellcaster and take Fear Breaker. Which also complicates Miraculous Stance. Said spellcaster wouldn't have access to maneuvers of any degree. So they couldn't technically gain proficiency with any stance.

 

[Selganor]

I'd interpret "granting proficiency with X stances" as "granting combat maneuvers" since a stance is a combat maneuver.

People who just have the Fear Breaker feat and then go to Flashy Hero (and don't have a class that grants them other maneuvers) only have access to grade 1 stances (from their Powerful Stance feature), but by level 8 (Flashy Hero 2) they'd have seven stances, can use two of them simultaneously, use them for free and change them each time they use the attack action (if they don't want to use a bonus action)

But these six (besides the Victory Pose) stances could be from any Tradition that you know of (and the Narrator allows) and you can change the last 3 every level (one per level) if you "ourgrow" them.

The last part could be really bad if combined with a martial class since the later 3 stances can be of any grade you have access to. And since all martial classes have this as part of their class description

Additionally, whenever you learn a new maneuver, you can choose one of the maneuvers you know and replace it with another maneuver of the same degree from a tradition you are proficient with.

RAW a martial could "upgrade" their maneuvers via those stances. They'd have fewer stances (since those were changed to other maneuvers from traditions they know, but honestly... who really needs 7 stances ) but they might get 3 more maneuvers at higher degrees (which you usually can't)

 

[Sepulchre]

Yeah, I’ve come around. I think RAW if any class features grants the use of any combat maneuver, it should stack with other maneuver-granting classes to determine highest degree.

Opens up some interesting possibilities for sure.

 

[Selganor]

So a Fighter 7 who takes Flashy Hero at 8 and 9 would have:

• Maneuvers up to Grade 3 (Probably 4 of them 1st Grade and 3 of 2nd Grade)
• 7 Stances (Victory Stance, 3xGrade 1 Stance, 3xGrade 1-3 Stance)

At level 10 (Fighter 8) he'd get another Grade 3 (or lower) Maneuver in his traditions and he could change one of the later stances to a Maneuver of his known Traditions (let's just assume it is Grade 3) which would then be: 4x1 (+4 Stances), 3x2, 1x3 (+2 Stances) and doesn't have to pay for the two stances he can use simultaneously.
A pure Fighter 10 would probably have: 4x1, 3x2, 3x3 (and would have to pay for his one stance that he can use)

So, if your thing is the stance... Flashy Hero might broaden your options