Reference: Stances

[Vutall]

Stances
A character’s Stance determines what actions they may or may not take during their Turn in a combat Round. Stances reflect the basic postures every samurai is taught to prepare them for combat, and even the most pious shugenja or effete courtier is familiar with them. During the first Round of a skirmish, characters assume their Stance during Stage 1. On every subsequent round, they can change their Stance or choose to maintain it at the beginning of their Turn in Stage 2. The Stances a character may adopt are as follows:

c Attack – Attack is the standard Stance adopted by most bushi in a combat situation, and is tied closely to the Ring of Water in that it is fluid and versatile. A character in the Attack Stance has no restrictions on the kind of Actions he may take.

c Full Attack – Full Attack is the Ring of Fire, raging and consuming all in its path. A character in the Full Attack Stance may take no Simple or Complex Actions other than those used to make attacks, and may only use Move Actions to get closer to his enemies. Characters may not use the Full Attack Stance to deliver ranged attacks. A character in the Full Attack Stance gains a bonus of +2k1 to attack rolls made that round, but his Armor TN is reduced by 10 to reflect the all-or-nothing nature of the attack. A character in the Full Attack Stance who takes a Move Action during his turn may move an additional 5 feet beyond the normal amount allowed for the Move Action. This bonus movement is granted only once per Round, and the character still may not exceed the normal maximum distance he may normally move in one Round. Full Attack may not be used while mounted.

c Defense – Defense is the Ring of Air, adaptable and reactive. Defense allows for the greatest freedom of action. Characters in the Defense Stance add their Air Ring plus their Defense Skill Rank to their Armor TN. There are no restrictions on what kind of Actions a character in the Defense Stance may take, other than that they may not attack. The Defense Stance is useful for making oneself less vulnerable while making Skill Rolls or Spell Casting Rolls during skirmishes. A bushi attempting to light a spark for a burning arrow in the middle of a melee would use Defense, as he may still need to drop what he is doing to defend himself from an enemy who attacks.

c Full Defense – The Full Defense Stance is the Ring of Earth, reserved, unmoving, and unassailable. Upon declaring his Stance, a character in the Full Defense Stance makes a Defense / Refl exes roll and adds half of the total (rounding up) to his Armor TN until his following Turn. This Skill Roll is considered a Complex Action, so a character in this Stance may only take Free Actions.

c Center – The Center Stance is the Ring of Void. The principle function of Center Stance is related to the benefits it offers in iaijutsu dueling (see the rules for Iaijutsu Duels later in this chapter), but it has benefits in skirmishes as well. Characters in the Center Stance take no Actions, instead focusing their energy in preparation for action the following round. A character in the Center Stance forfeits all Actions while in that Stance. On the round following his adoption of the Center Stance, the character gains a bonus of 1k1 plus his Void Ring on any one roll made during his Turn. The character also adds 10 to the total of his Initiative Score for that Round only.