Stance

Stance

Stances are class abilities which generally take a swift action to initiate, can be sustained for free, but are broken when knocked prone or subjected to a condition which reduces your number of available actions for the round. For example, Rattled prevents you from using either a standard or a move action, and thus would end a character's active stance immediately upon being afflicted with it. You can restart the stance with another swift action once the condition has been cleared.

A player character can only have one stance-type ability active at a time.

Stances can only be maintained continuously for 1 minute, though it may be restarted with a new swift action after the duration expires, assuming the character meets any other requirements to re-initiate the stance.

Dropping a stance voluntarily usually costs a swift action. Refer to the stance ability's description for details.

Holding Your Breath

You may declare you are holding your breath at the start your turn, or as an immediate action, in order to attempt to avoid the effects of an environmental hazard or creature ability which is triggered by being inhaled. The first round you hold your breath, it costs only a swift action to maintain (this is in addition to any immediate action you may have already spent). The second consecutive round of holding your breath requires a move action to maintain. The third consecutive round you hold your breath requires a standard action to maintain. The fourth consecutive round, and all additional rounds after that, holding your breath requires a full-round action to maintain. During any round in which you expend the appropriate action, you are not subject to the inhaled effect, and may otherwise act normally with your remaining actions.

Creatures may only voluntarily hold their breath a maximum number of rounds equal to their CON modifier (minimum 1), after which point, they must take a breath or gain the Asphyxiating condition. If you elect to gain the Asphyxiating condition, you continue to avoid the effects of the environmental hazard or creature ability which is triggered by being inhaled, at least until you fall unconscious or die.

You can only voluntarily hold your breath if you are aware of the effect and are not surprised. If the effect occurs outside of your turn, and you are unable (or unwilling) to expend the immediate action to initiate holding your breath, you can't voluntarily hold your breath. In such a case, you resolve the inhaled effect against you as normal. The same is true if you are unable (or unwilling) to expend the action to maintain holding your breath in a given round.

Creatures which do not need to breathe are not subject to these rules. They probably can't enjoy the smell of freshly-baked bread any more, but at least they have this going for them.

Out of combat: The above rules only apply to in-combat situations. Out of combat, character can hold their breath for a couple of minutes (subject to GM discretion) as long as they take only move actions or free actions. As soon as they attempt to take any standard actions or full-round actions (such as making an attack, or taking the run action), the remainder of the duration they can hold their breath is measured as though they are in combat, following the rules above.