You have learnt certain stances that you use in battle. The way you position your feet, hold your weight and angle your body, as well as the way you hold your sword all change the advantage you gain in battle.
As a bonus action you can adopt a guard. Once you adopt a guard, you maintain that guard until you use a bonus action to change to another guard or take a free action to ‘cease’ all guards. Your guard will be broken if you are knocked prone, grappled, shoved, put in a bind or fall unconscious or as described below.
High Guard: you are on high alert; your stance and footwork are slow and precise anticipating battle, with your sword high and senses enhanced. You gain +1 to initiative rolls and perception checks when prepared for combat in this guard; however, your move speed is halved. You can only maintain high guard for a number of minutes equal to your CON bonus, then you must take a break from high guard for a minimum of the same time that you were in high guard x 2.
Extended periods of high guard or not enough break time before re-entering high guard cause you to gain 1 level of exhaustion.
Forward Guard: your feet and sword are poised ready to spring into an attack, while in this guard you gain +5ft reach to hit in any horizontal direction, that attack is also at advantage. Until you spring your attack your speed is 0 and this guard is broken once you attack.
Evasive Guard: your feet and weight are balanced to afford you static protection while your sword moves quickly to recover from attacks to parry, beat and deflect incoming blows. You have a move speed of 5, but gain +1 to AC while in this guard.
Light Guard: your sword is at the ready but becomes secondary to your footwork, your feet are light and ready to move, you gain +10 speed while in this guard, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity; however, are at disadvantage to all attack and skill checks.
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