Sometimes, you want to create a unified system to represent a Fighting Style that’s passed from master to student, father to son and shared by a group of warriors. Through this set of Optional Rules, you can make your own Fighting Style and bring it into the Dragon Universe!
Fighting Style Creation
Fighting Styles are generally created by your ARC, to be gained when they see fit. When creating a Fighting Style, you must:
- Name the Fighting Style.
- Select 2 Talents. These become known as the Fighting Styles’ Style Talents. If a Talent has any effects that require you to make a choice or apply an Option effect, you must select it when deciding that Talent is a Style Talent. This decision remains constant whenever the Talent is gained as a Style Talent.
- Create a Signature Technique with a TP Cost of up to 25. This becomes known as your Style Signature.
- Select a Stance State (see below). The State’s name changes to that of your Fighting Style’s name with ‘Stance’ after it.
Gaining a Fighting Style. To gain a Fighting Style, you must meet the Prerequisites of both Style Talents. Upon gaining a Fighting Style, you gain access to the Style Signature and you may use the Stance Change Maneuver to enter the Stance State with a corresponding name. While in that Stance State, you also gain access to the Style Talents for that Fighting Style. If you already possess any number of the corresponding Style Talents, for each Style Talent you possess before entering the Stance State, increase your Tier of Power Extra Dice by 1 Dice Category (min. 1d4).
Off-Balance. If you are knocked through a Health Threshold and fail your Steadfast Check, you leave any Stance State you are currently in and cannot enter another Stance State until the end of your next turn.
Stance Change [1/Round]: You shift your body into a combat stance related to a Fighting Style you possess.
–Action Cost: 1 Action
–KP Cost: N/A
–Effect: Enter a Stance State you have access to. If you are already in a Stance State, leave that Stance State – you may then enter any other Stance State you have access to.
Stance States
Stance States are Special States that will usually have their name adjusted to be linked to a particular Fighting Style. You can possess multiple Stance States that were originally the same State, as their names change to fit a particular Fighting Style.
Stance Prerequisites. Some Stance States may require specific Style Talents to be selected for a Fighting Style to gain that Stance State for that Fighting Style.
Stance Strain. Fighting stances can apply mental strain to their user or require a degree of concentration. While in a Stance State, reduce your Stress Bonus by 1.
Balanced Stance
–Prerequisites: Balanced Warrior, Balanced Defender or Balanced Mind
-[Passive]: Increase the Natural Result of all your Combat Rolls by 1.
-[Triggered/Start of Combat Round]: For every pair of Attributes that have the same Attribute Score with their corresponding Attribute (FO+MA, AG+TE, SC+PE), increase a Combat Roll of your choice by 1(T) until the end of the Combat Round. You cannot increase a single Combat Roll by more than 2(T) through this effect.
Critical Stance
–Prerequisites: N/A
-[Passive]: Increase your Extra Dice gained from scoring a Critical Result on a Combat Roll by 1(T) Dice Categories.
-[Passive]: Reduce the Critical Target of your Combat Rolls by 1.
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you score a Critical Result on the Strike Roll for an Attacking Maneuver, increase the Natural Result of the Wound Roll for that Attacking Maneuver by 1.
Powered Stance
–Prerequisites: N/A
-[Passive]: Increase your Wound Rolls by 2(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you hit an Opponent with an Attacking Maneuver that would deal Standard Damage after all calculations, you can spend 3(bT) Ki Points to deal Direct Damage instead.
Evasive Stance
–Prerequisites: N/A
-[Passive]: Increase your Dodge Rolls by 1(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you are hit by an Opponent’s Attacking Maneuver, roll Greater Dice and apply that to your Dodge Roll. If this causes your Dodge Roll to exceed the Attacking Maneuver’s Strike Roll, you are not hit by that Attacking Maneuver.
Castle Stance
–Prerequisites: N/A
-[Passive]: Increase your Soak Value by 2(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round, Resource]: If you receive Damage from an Attacking Maneuver, gain an amount of Castle Points equal to 1/2 of the Damage received. Your number of Castle Points cannot exceed twice your Tenacity Modifier, if they do for any reason then lose those excess Castle Points.
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you make an Attacking Maneuver, you may spend any number of Castle Points to increase the Wound Roll of that Attacking Maneuver by an equal amount.
Efficient Stance
–Prerequisites: N/A
-[Passive]: Reduce the Ki Point Cost of all Attacking Maneuvers by 1(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: When making an Attacking Maneuver through the Basic Attack Maneuver, you do not pay the Ki Point Cost for that Attacking Maneuver if the Ki Point Cost is 6(T) or less.
Dragon Stance
–Prerequisites: N/A
-[Passive]: Increase the:
- Natural Result of all your Combat Rolls by 1.
- Dice Score of your Steadfast Checks by 1.
- Stress Bonus by 1 while you are below the Critical Health Threshold.
-[Triggered/Start of Combat Round]: For each Health Threshold you are below, increase a Combat Roll of your choice by 1(T) until the end of the Combat Round. You cannot increase a single Combat Roll by more than 2(T) through this effect.
Proud Stance
–Prerequisites: N/A
-[Triggered]: Each time you receive 6(bT) or more Damage from an Attacking Maneuver, regain 3(bT) Life Points and 2(bT) Ki Points.
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: When using the Signature Technique Maneuver, you may increase your Wound Rolls for that Attacking Maneuver by 2(bT) for every Health Threshold you are above.
Assassin Stance
–Prerequisites: Stealth Strike
-[Passive]: Increase the Natural Result of your Stealth Skill Checks by 1.
-[Passive]: Increase your Wound Rolls against Opponents with the Oblivious Combat Condition by 1(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you would use the Basic Attack Maneuver, treat your Opponent as if they had the Oblivious Combat Condition for the duration of this Attacking Maneuver.
Mystical Stance
–Prerequisites: Magic Master
-[Passive]: Increase the Wound Rolls of your Magic Attacks by 2(T) and reduce the Ki Point Cost of your Magical Unique Abilities by 1(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you would use a Magical Unique Ability, you may use any Standard Maneuver with an Action Cost of 1 Action as an Out-of-Sequence Maneuver before or after using that Unique Ability. If you do, it cannot be an Attacking Maneuver.
Grapple Stance
–Prerequisites: Brawler
-[Passive]: Increase your Grapple Checks by 1(T).
-[Passive]: While in a Grapple as the Grappler, increase your Might by 2(T) and your Wound Rolls by 1(T).
-[Triggered]: If you make an Attacking Maneuver, you may apply a rank of the Powerbomb Advantage to that Attacking Maneuver if you could activate its effects.
Additional Talents: Styles Talents
Master of Many Stances: You have learned to switch quickly between many different fighting styles.
–Prerequisites: Access to 2+ Stance States with different effects
-[1/Round]: Use the Stance Change Maneuver as an Instant Maneuver.
-[Triggered, 1/Encounter]: If you use the Stance Change Maneuver while in a Stance State to enter a different Stance State, you may apply the effects of Legend Realized.
-[Triggered, 1/Encounter]: If you would leave a Stance State due to failing a Steadfast Check, you may instead enter another Stance State immediately.
My Own Style: You have eschewed formalized learning to achieve power of your own design.
–Prerequisites: You do not have access to a Fighting Style
-[Passive]: Create a Fighting Style and gain access to it. You cannot gain access to any other Fighting Styles.
-[Passive]: While in a Stance State, increase your Morale Saving Throw by 1(bT) and ignore the effects of Stance Strain.
Counter Style: You have developed a Fighting Style specifically designed to defeat another Fighting Style.
–Prerequisites: Access to a Fighting Style
-[Passive]: Select a Stance State. Increase your Combat Rolls by 1(bT) against any Opponent who is in a Stance State that has the same effects as your chosen Stance State.
-[Passive]: Select a Style Signature from a Fighting Style (you do not need to possess that Fighting Style) you are aware of. You gain access to that Style Signature.
-[Passive]: Increase the Wound Rolls of your Style Signatures by 2(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you are targeted by the Style Signature selected for the second effect of Counter Style, you can spend 5(bT) Ki Points to reduce the Damage you would take from that Attacking Maneuver to 0.
Limit-Testing Technique: You have pushed your Style Signatures to their absolute maximums.
–Prerequisites: Access to a Fighting Style, Insight Score of 5+
-[Passive]: Reduce the Ki Point Cost of your Style Signatures by 1(T).
-[Passive]: Increase the Wound Rolls of your Style Signatures by 1(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: When you use a Style Signature through the Signature Technique Maneuver, it gains an Energy Charge.
Additional Trait: Pure Progress
This is the Stance: Your repertoire of fighting styles gives you a tool for every situation.
-[Passive]: Upon gaining access to Pure Progress, select 2 Stance States. You gain access to those Stance States.
-[Triggered, 1/Encounter]: If you use the Stance Change Maneuver while in a Stance State to enter a different Stance State, you may use the Power Up Maneuver or Transformation Maneuver as an Out-of-Sequence Maneuver.
Additional Trait: Martial Focus
Flexible Focus: You’ve honed the techniques of your Fighting Styles to near-perfection, allowing you to use them reflexively.
-[Permanent, Ruling]: Each time you gain access to a Fighting Style, name a choice from the Option effect of Honed Skill that hasn’t previously been named by this effect. The Stance State you gained access to through that Fighting Style becomes connected to your chosen effect, with that effect becoming known as a “Focus”.
-[Triggered]: Upon entering a Stance State connected to a Focus, change your choice for the Option effect of Honed Skill to be your Focus while in that Stance State, if you are not already benefiting from that effect.
Additional Trait: Grandmaster
Master’s Style: After achieving total mastery over your Fighting Style, using the style you’ve spent your life training in actually makes you stronger.
-[Ruling]: Upon gaining access to this Transformation, create a Fighting Style. This is known as your ‘Perfected Style’. Select two different Attributes to represent your Perfected Style.
-[Passive]: Increase your Combat Rolls by 1(T) while in your Perfected Style’s Stance.
-[Triggered/Power, 1/Encounter]: If you are in a Core Transformation while in your Perfected Style’s Stance, increase the Attribute Modifier Bonus (your selected Attributes for your Perfected Style) by 1(T) until you leave that Transformation. If you do, that Transformation gains a level of the Draining Aspect until you leave it.
Additional Apparel Quality: Style Uniform
Style Uniform: This Apparel bears the mark of a school of combat, emboldening practitioners of that school’s Fighting Style in combat.
–Effects: Upon creating a piece of Apparel with this Apparel Quality, select a Fighting Style you possess. The Style Signature for that Fighting Style has its Wound Roll increased by 3(bT), and the first time you enter that Fighting Style’s Stance State in each Combat Encounter, regain 2d8(bT) Ki Points.
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