Five-breath VanguardSource Tian Xia Character Guide pg. 90Tian elementalists of the School of Five Breaths seek mastery over the five elemental martial arts expressed by the following stances:
Ironblood Stance for metal,
Mountain Stance for earth,
Reflected Ripple Stance for water,
Stoked Flame Stance for fire, and
Tangled Forest Stance for wood. They’re collectively referred to as the elemental stances. Those of the School of Five Breaths who practice martial arts are taught to harness the elemental cycle by learning, mastering, and moving quickly between the elemental stances, creating a versatile and potent martial art form. Monastic training is essentially a requirement for five-breath vanguards, but martial artists from a variety of classes might find ways to master the techniques.
Uncommon Archetype Dedication Source Tian Xia Character Guide pg. 90Archetype Five-breath VanguardPrerequisites Two of the five elemental stances (
Ironblood Stance,
Mountain Stance,
Reflective Ripple Stance,
Stoked Flame Stance, and
Tangled Forest Stance)
Access Tian Xia origin or exposure to Tian elementalism
You flow like the elemental cycle, adapting your stance and techniques constantly in response to whatever circumstances you face. You gain the Cycle Elemental Stance action.
Activate [one-action] Cycle Elemental Stance;
Requirements You’re in one of the elemental stances;
Effect Stride or
Step, and then enter a different elemental stance from the one you’re currently in.
Archetype Healing Magical Source Tian Xia Character Guide pg. 90Archetype Five-breath VanguardRequirements You're in an elemental stance.
The first time each round that you Cycle Elemental Stance, you gain temporary Hit Points equal to half your level that last until the start of your next turn. After you’ve gained temporary Hit Points for entering a specific elemental stance, you can’t gain temporary Hit Points from entering that stance again until you’ve entered every other elemental stance you know or 10 minutes passes, whichever comes first.
Archetype Flourish Source Tian Xia Character Guide pg. 90Archetype Five-breath VanguardRequirements You're in an elemental stance.
Your blows can disrupt the delicate balance of elemental energies that keep a body in good health.
Strike the target using the unarmed attack associated with your current elemental stance. On a success, the target must attempt a Fortitude save against your class DC. On a failure, the target is
clumsy 2 until the end of your next turn. On a critical failure, the target is clumsy 3 for 1 minute. Elementals take a –2 circumstance penalty to their save.
Archetype Source Tian Xia Character Guide pg. 90Archetype Five-breath VanguardTrigger You take damage from an attack.
Requirements You're in an elemental stance.
You react to harm by flowing into an elemental stance with new advantages. You Cycle Elemental Stance and gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC until the end of your next turn.
Archetype Source Tian Xia Character Guide pg. 90Archetype Five-breath VanguardFrequency once per 10 minutes
Trigger Requirements You're in an elemental stance, and the target is under the effects of Induce Imbalance.
You cycle through the elements in a devastating combination attack.
Strike the target using the unarmed attack associated with your current elemental stance, then Cycle Elemental Stance. Then, Strike the target with the unarmed attack associated with your new elemental stance. You can continue to Cycle Elemental Stance and Strike until you’ve made a Strike using the unarmed attack of every elemental stance you know, applying the multiple attack penalty as usual. If you successfully hit the target with all five elemental Strikes using this ability, it must attempt a Fortitude save against your class DC or die as each elementally associated organ within its body shuts down; this is a
death effect.
Special