Combat Techniques

The Combat Techniques mechanic is unlocked by one of the following methods:

• Martial Arts I feat
• 1st Degree in any combat school
• Weapon Focus feat
• Armored Defense talent
• Endurance skill training

A character may only have a number of combat techniques readied for use equal to their Intelligence Modifier + Wisdom Modifier + 1 (minimum 1), plus an additional technique readied at level 7 and every 6 levels thereafter. Changing readied combat techniques can be done by practicing for five minutes.

Stances and Stance Enhancements

Stances do not count against the number of combat techniques a character can ready. A stance is a special way of standing developed by practitioners of various fighting styles to enhance the goals of that style. As long as a character is not flat-footed, he may gain the benefits of his stance, but characters that are proficient in more than one stance may not gain the benefits of multiple stances. These characters are more versatile, however, as they can change stances from round to round to gain different benefits and to throw off their opponents. Once per round, as a free action, a character may adopt or change his stance during his action. Stances remain active until you spend a swift action to change them, combat ends, or you fall unconscious.

Some stances also have Stance Enhancements which boost or alter the effects of a given combat stance. Stance Enhancements must be readied as a combat technique and activate immediately upon entering the corresponding stance.

Armor Optimization

By taking care to minimize the exposure of weak points in your armor, you improve it’s ability to protect you.
REQUIRES: Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium)
You increase the bonuses your armor provides to your Fortitude and Reflex Defenses by 2. In order you maintain this extra protection, your movements become determined and ponderous, lowering your speed by 2 squares.

Assault Gunner

Rather than walking your fire across targets to maximize accuracy, you try to direct your attacks to the vital areas of your opponents to maximize effectiveness.
REQUIRES: Weapon Focus (Rifles) or Weapon Focus (Heavy) While under the effect of this Stance, you deal one more die of damage with all your attacks with autofire-only weapons and with weapons set to autofire. All attack rolls you make suffer a -2 penalty as you forfeit traditional means of improving accuracy for the chance to deal extra damage. Pistols and Simple Weapons cannot benefit from this stance.

Battle Dancer

REQUIRES: Musician or Trained in Acrobatics
While under the effect of this stance, you can move at full speed while using the Tumble aspect of the Acrobatics skill. Due to your constant movement and dodging, it's very difficult to bring any but the lightest weapons to bear, so you take a -2 penalty to any attack that isn't made with an unarmed strike or light melee weapon.

Pole Dancer

STANCE ENHANCEMENT: Battle Dancer
No, not like that, you perv. While you are in the Battle Dancer stance you can use any weapon that is your size or larger which has a shaft (spear, quarterstaff, electrostaff, electropole, static pike, force pike, shockstaff, etc) as if it was a light melee weapon.

Techniques

Techniques must be readied. Some techniques can have use frequency restrictions.

Armored Deflection

With a quick adjustment to your position, you place the maximum amount of protective gear between you and your attackers.
REQUIRES: Armor Proficiency (Light), Armor Proficiency (Medium)
As a swift action once per encounter, you can double your equipment bonus to Fortitude defense from your armor along with any Damage Reduction you might have from species abilities, classes, or equipment. This doubling lasts until the start of your next turn.

Axe Kick

An Axe Kick is a vicious kick in which you bring your leg up above your head, then bring your heel down on your target.
REQUIRES: Martial Arts I or 1st Degree of any combat school that has feet as an associated weapon Your feet damage is increased by one die size (d4->d6->d8->d10->d12->each d12 is replaced with 3d6), and you add one-and-a-half times your Strength modifier to your damage. You may only use this technique once per round, but you may make additional, non-Axe Kick attacks, provided that you have the ability to make multiple attacks.

Deceptive Attack

REQUIRES: Combat Trickery
Once per round when you attack a target that you have flat-footed via Combat Trickery, you add your Charisma modifier to the damage roll.