A swordsage is a disciplined and accomplished student of numerous forms of combat in addition to being a cunning and patient warrior. Students of the sword train and practice rigorously, some would say obsessively, perfecting their martial stances and fighting forms.

Fighting Forms

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn three martial stances of your choice from the list of stances at the end of this archetype description. You can prepare two martial stances by spending at least one hour during a short or long rest practicing your fighting forms through drills or katas.  

You can learn and prepare additional martial stances as indicated on the Martial Stances table below.

In combat, as a bonus action on your turn, you can enter a martial stance, granting you special abilities for as long as you are in that stance. You can exit your current stance or enter a new stance as a bonus action. Your martial stances end if you are incapacitated, knocked prone, or when combat ends. You may only benefit from one stance at a time.

 

Martial Stances
Fighter Level	Stances Prepared	Stances Known
3	2	3
7	3	5
10	4	7
15	5	9
18	6	11

Ready for Action

By 7th level, your martial stances have become second nature. When you roll initiative, you can immediately enter a stance.

Innovated Techniques

By 10th level, you have unlocked the secret to combining martial stances. You can now gain the benefit of two different martial stances at the same time. They must both be activated following the rules for entering stances.

The two stances may have conflicting features; when this happens, the second stance’s rule overrides the previous stance’s rule. For example, if you gained a +2 bonus to Armor Class when you entered Defensive stance, then you enter Aggressive stance using this feature, the Aggressive stance reduces your Armor Class based on your current Armor Class (Defensive stance bonus included), not your original AC.

Shifting Stances

At 15th level, you can rapidly switch from one stance to another. You can now enter or exit a stance as a reaction.

Stance Mastery

At 18th level, you have mastered your fighting stances. Pick one stance you know. You always gain the benefits of this stance and it doesn’t count against the number of stances you can have active at once. You cannot enter this stance any longer, since you are always in this stance.

Martial Stances

These martial stances may vary in name depending on the schools and masters who teach them.

Aggressive

You raise your weapon high and lash out with fury, harnessing your forward momentum to force your weapon to hit its mark. While in this stance, you gain a cumulative +2 bonus (to a maximum of +6) to melee weapon attack and damage rolls each round, but your Armor Class is reduced by the same amount.

Crippling

You use dirty street-fighting techniques to hinder your foes: bashing with pommels, jabbing at eyes, battering ears, or slashing calves. While in this stance, as an action, you can make a special melee weapon attack against a creature. If the attack hits, it deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) instead of its normal damage, and the creature must make a Constitution save (DC = 8 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus) or suffer one of the following conditions of your choice until the end of your next turn: blinded, deafened, restrained, or stunned.

Defensive

You plant your feet firmly on the ground and take a deep breath, readying yourself for an opponent’s attack. While in this stance, you gain a +2 bonus to AC and your speed is reduced by 10 ft. In addition, you can use your action to spend hit dice to recover hit points as if you had completed a short rest.

Dueling

Your posture becomes straight and tall, as you take on an air of confidence and bravado. You lure enemies to their doom with goading words or gestures. While in this stance, when you use the Attack action, you can first make a Charisma (Deception) check contested by your target’s Wisdom (Insight) check as long as the creature can see and hear you. If you succeed, you make your next attack against that creature with advantage.

Foot & Fist

Your weapon is only one part of your arsenal. While in this stance, you prepare to lash out with your fists, feet, and head as a complement to your weapon attacks. On each of your turns, you can make one unarmed attack as a bonus action.

Forceful

You prepare to use the weight of your weapons against your enemy’s center of balance, enabling you to push your enemies around. While in this stance, when you hit with a weapon attack, you can force your target to make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by a Strength (Athletics) check of your own. If your check succeeds, your attack knocks the target prone or pushes it 5 feet in a direction of your choice.

Leaping

You prepare to spring at your enemies. While in this stance, as a reaction, you can leap up to 30 feet toward a hostile creature you can see. You may still trigger an opportunity attack if you leave a creature’s space, but you don’t trigger opportunity attacks along the path you travel.

Offensive

You study your enemy’s movements and strike where it hurts most. While in this stance, you gain +1 to attack rolls and, once per turn, you can add 1d6 extra damage when you hit with a melee weapon attack.

Protective

You steel yourself to incoming blows to protect yourself and your allies. While in this stance, you resist nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. As a reaction, you can intercept an attack that would have hit that ally within 5 feet of you, causing you to take the damage and any additional effects, instead of the ally. You must use this reaction before the damage is rolled.

Quick

You raise up on your toes and become more nimble, almost weightless. While in this stance, your speed increases by 10 feet and your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. While in this stance, none of your attacks may add your ability modifiers to damage. However, when you take the Attack action to make any number of melee weapon attacks, you can make one additional melee weapon attack as part of the same action.

Reactionary

You ready your weapon behind your back and prepare to use your enemy’s momentum against them. While in this stance, when a creature would hit you with a melee attack, but before the damage is rolled, you can use your reaction to cause the attack to miss, as long as it wasn’t a critical hit. As part of that reaction, if the attacker is Large or smaller, you can move the attacker to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you; whether or not it moved, you can also cause the attacker either to repeat the attack against another creature now within its reach or you can attempt to grapple the attacker.

Stealthy

You crouch and use shadows, blind spots, and nimble footwork to escape the notice of your enemies. While in this stance, when you move on your turn, you can make a Dexterity (Stealth) check against the Passive Wisdom (Perception) of any creatures in the area. Until your turn ends or you make an attack or cast a spell, you are invisible to creatures whose Passive Wisdom (Perception) scores are lower than the result of your check.

Sweeping

You stretch your limbs and prepare to make wide, sweeping blows. While in this stance, when you make a melee weapon attack, you can use the same attack roll on simultaneous attacks against a number of creatures of your choice equal to your Strength modifier. These creatures must still be within range of your initial attack.