D&D 4E Stances in 4e? Wooopie!!!

[hong]

Shouldn't be +2 to Reflex or AC? I mean, you are in a defensive martial stance, and it won't help you against melee attacks but will help you against Sleep spells?

It's a ki thing.

 

[Crashy75]

Alternatively, a stance might be maintained with a minor action, the way certain spells have a duration of "sustain minor" so that it takes a small but nontrivial amount of effort to keep up. It would be an elegant application of similar mechanics to stances and spell effects and heck, why not since exploits are the same as spells mechanically anyway.

That does sound good.

 

[Deadstop]

Shouldn't be +2 to Reflex or AC? I mean, you are in a defensive martial stance, and it won't help you against melee attacks but will help you against Sleep spells?

I am a little surprised that the Defensive Training description doesn't read "defenses" rather than "save rolls."

The description is obviously a brief blurb that merely summarizes the actual power, so it could be that defenses are what is meant. ("+2 to all defenses" seems to be a common "defensive" modifier in 4e; it's the natural after-effect of using a Second Wind, for example.)

How closely is this teaser material connected to WotC? I seem to recall reading that it's actually an issue of an independent promotional magazine, not a direct WotC mailing. Could they have it wrong?

(Still, anyone who's been playtesting 4e should know the difference between defenses and save rolls, one would think. So it could easily be correct as written. That doesn't sound so much like "defensive training" as some kind of "shrugging-off training," though. And how do you maintain a "defensive stance" if you've just been put to sleep, for example?)


Deadstop

 

[Jack99]

Stances are so WoW-ish!

 

[Belphanior]

And how do you maintain a "defensive stance" if you've just been put to sleep, for example?

The initial effect of Sleep is to make you drowsy - mechancially speaking, it slows you. Still easy to justify why you can maintain the stance. If Magus Coeruleus is right then this stance will require a minor action to maintain, so if you're really asleep it won't work anymore.

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Li Shenron]

Stances are perfectly fine for me, and much better than marks fwiw.

As long as they are "at-will" and not per-encounters or daily, of course.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Stances are perfectly fine for me, and much better than marks fwiw.

Hmm, never thought about that, but yes. For example: Iron Guard's Glare from the Bo9S - gave adjacent enemies -4 on attacks against your allies. I've seen that in my last game *very* often.

It fulfils the same purpose, but is less tracking. Even Divine Challenge could be such a stance, just affecting all adjacent enemies. Add in some immediate exploits helping against moving, and you get the same functionality without tracking issues.

Cheers, LT.

 

[med stud]

I thought about the Dwarven Defenders stance when I read about this. Add me up for those who like stances, a nice way to emulate maintained spell like effects in a martial way.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Stances are so WoW-ish!

Strange. Somehow, I believe you're saying this in a very cheerful tone of "Hooray!"

 

[Wormwood]

Strange. Somehow, I believe you're saying this in a very cheerful tone of "Hooray!"

If so, he's not alone. Hooray!