Clawdancer, Subordinate Actions & The Stance Trait
Hi, i'm extremely new to the game, i'm preparing my first character (a gymnast swashbuckler clawdancer, can't wait!), and i have a question regarding some of the clawdancer actions.
So, i understand that if an action involves other subordinate actions, their traits still count (so something like the wrestler's Elbow Strike would still be an attack action, even without the attack trait written on it). This worries me over the stance trait, that says:
> A stance is a general combat strategy that you enter by using an action with the stance trait, and you remain in for some time. A stance lasts until you get knocked out, until its requirements (if any) are violated, until the encounter ends, or until you use a stance action again, whichever comes first. ***After you take an action with the stance trait, you can’t take another one for 1 round.*** You can enter or be in a stance only in encounter mode. You can Dismiss a stance.
This worries me because, a lot of the clawdancer is ''dancing'' between both stances right? Many of it's actions say something like ''shift into talon stance/claw stance if you weren't in it already'' and i'm curious if that's different from taking a stance action?
Something like Talon Sweep:
> Your long clawed legs let you catch enemies to either side. ***You shift to talon stance if you weren't in it already.*** If the Strike misses, you can make a spinning talon Strike against any creature flanking you.
This is a reaction you can do when someone is attacking you while flanking you. My question is, if back on my turn i entered claw stance, would Talon Sweep be unavailable? I guess what i'm really asking is if something like Talon Sweep is a stance action, or if the phrasing is bypassing it by ''shifting into'' the stance, i genuinely don't know.
The entire archetype is like this, and i'm not sure what is right necessarily.
Posted Apr 9, 2025, 8:28 PM UTC