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| 3 | %% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Take care to put your example in its proper place in accordance with Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings! |
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| 7 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1519174719044303200 |
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| 10 | [[quoteright:322:[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sfagenstance.png]]]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | ->''"The S-BLAST '92 is an exciting new blaster that's equipped with two distinct ink-firing mechanisms. You'll switch between the two on the fly based on your movements! When firing normally, this is a weapon with balanced accuracy, range, and power. [...] However, when you fire while jumping, this weapon transforms into a heavy-duty powerhouse, launching large blasts of ink that explode nearby. It's a whole different beast!"'' |
| 13 | -->-- '''Sheldon''' describing the [[https://splatoonwiki.org/wiki/S-BLAST_%2792 S-BLAST '92]] to the player, ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'' |
| 14 | |
| 15 | The ability to switch between sets of abilities or attack styles. The Stance System is frequently used to make it possible to map a large number of actions to the finite number of buttons on a controller without resorting to increasingly complicated combos. Each action may require as little as a single button press to execute, but the same buttons will perform different actions depending on the stance the character is currently in. The character's current stance may be visually accompanied by a change in IdleAnimation. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Normally a stance remains as-is until switched; an occasional variant gives a character access to a new series of moves, but only for a short window of time before going back to their base stance. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | See also DualModeUnit, RealTimeWeaponChange, and AnchoredAttackStance. Compare JobSystem and LimitedMoveArsenal. Also compare DoubleEdgedBuff, which temporarily enhances the character's status in exchange for hindering them in another. If the change in stance is accompanied by a [[ShapeShifting change in physical form]] then you probably have a SwissArmyHero on your hands. If the change consists of swapping out for a different person, see SwapFighter. |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | !!Examples: |
| 22 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 23 | [[folder:Action Adventure]] |
| 24 | * In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'', Altair can switch between low-profile mode, which has moves like blending with crowds and gently pushing people aside, and high-profile mode, which allows freerunning, throwing, and attacks. In combat, different moves are available depending on whether the player is blocking. |
| 25 | * In ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'' the player can unlock various sword stances, each meant to directly counter a specific category of enemies (Water Stance works against shielded enemies while Wind Stance is meant for enemies wielding polearms). |
| 26 | * The ''VideoGame/LittleBigAdventure'' series - Twinsen can switch between four "moods" that influence his movement, his magic ball throwing, his swordwork, and, in the sequel, his use of the ray gun. Normal is used for interacting with other beings, Sporty gives him faster movement and the ability to jump, Aggressive lets him attack enemies with his fists, and Discreet is used for sneaking. |
| 27 | * ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' allows you to change between 'High' and 'Low' stances depending on how you hold the Wiimote. |
| 28 | * Episode 3 of ''VideoGame/PennyArcadeAdventures'' has the Cardboard Tube Samurai class. Different stances that the samurai can take will both raise one stat and offer a stance-selective option of moves. |
| 29 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'', Red's MiniMecha can utilize this system come the second half of the game, coming in four different types (S, R, G, and C), that can alter his moveset to become more agile, more resistant, or gain access to different types of attacks. Said types can be upgraded even further to enhance how much they influence Red's stats on NewGamePlus runs. |
| 30 | * This trope was the entire selling-point of ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows''. Spidey could switch between the black symbiote suit which infects him throughout the game or the classic red-blue outfit at any time with the press of a button, the use of each deciding his path down the KarmaMeter. The black suit favored combat, brutality and [[CombatTentacles black tendrils]] while the classic suit preferred webbing, combo-slinging and [[CombatParkour acrobatics]]. |
| 31 | [[/folder]] |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[folder:Adventure]] |
| 34 | * ''VideoGame/EscapeFromMonkeyIsland'' has the Monkey Kombat minigame, which combines this trope with ElementalRockPaperScissors. |
| 35 | [[/folder]] |
| 36 | |
| 37 | [[folder:Beat'Em Up/Hack and Slash]] |
| 38 | * ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': |
| 39 | ** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'': [[SecretCharacter Trish]]'s melee moveset varies depending on whether she holds the Sparda sword or not. By default, she uses the Sparda in a swordplay fighting style. But when she throws it to an enemy via the Round Trip skill, Trish will employ enhanced punches and kicks instead. A button can be tapped to manually recall the Sparda and have her revert to swordplay, while another input allows her to [[SwordPlant plant the Sparda on the ground]] and switch to hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately, her second stance in this game is mostly just noticeable via the Round Trip, as [[GuideDangIt plenty of her moves and their controls aren't listed nor named in-game]]. |
| 40 | ** The series was one of the first to use a straightforward stance mechanic in an action game form thanks to ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' and its Styles system; Swordmaster allows advanced use of melee weapons, Gunslinger grants new techniques to ranged weaponry, Trickster adds advanced dodging and aerial abilities, and Royal Guard allows you to stop nearly any attack cold. Dante later obtains [[ColourCodedTimestop Quicksilver]] and [[DoppelgangerAttack Doppelganger]] as spoils for defeating Geryon and Doppelganger. Dante is restricted to only one Style at a time, which can be swapped at a Mission Start screen or Divinity Statue. In the Platform/NintendoSwitch release, there's an option to use a Real-Time Style Switching feature that was implemented in later games past ''[=DMC3=]''. |
| 41 | ** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'': |
| 42 | *** The game decided to push the previous stance system to its natural evolution with the ability to switch styles on the fly as Dante with the push of a direction on the D-pad, allowing for even ''crazier'' combos than ''[=DMC3=]''. Although Dante is back to his basic four Styles, midway through his segment of the game, he unlocks Dark Slayer, a homage to Vergil's single style of battle in ''3''; unlike his brother, Dante doesn't focus on Vergil's various [[FlashStep teleportation "Trick" techniques]], instead using [[KatanasAreJustBetter Yamato]] to emulate a few of his brother's trademark moves. |
| 43 | *** In the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Special Edition]]'', Trish retains her Sparda swordplay and hand-to-hand abilities from ''[=DMC2=]'', but the latter stance is now officially called "Bare Knuckle" and utilizes her lightning powers. For ease-of-use, her Sparda moveset is tied to the Style button, while her Bare Knuckle moveset is tied to the standard melee button. Few of her Bare Knuckle moves are also dependent on the Sparda being thrown beforehand via the Round Trip skill. |
| 44 | ** In ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'', developed by ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword'' creator Ninja Theory, the stance system returns in the form of your standard Rebellion sword, an Angelic weapon (focusing on fast, crowd-hitting attacks) and a Demonic weapon (focusing on slow, heavy-damage attacks). Vergil in the ''Vergil's Downfall'' DLC campaign uses this gameplay system too. Though he only has Yamato, Vergil has three different stances just like Dante. His normal stance with Yamato, his Angelic stance which imbues his katana with lightning-fast, crowd-hitting attacks, and his Demonic stance which imbues his katana with slow, but heavy attacks. Vergil's Devil Trigger, Doppelganger, can also be switched to any stance and will mimic any of the player's input. |
| 45 | ** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'': |
| 46 | *** Aside from his returning four basic Styles, several of Dante's weapons have multiple stances or modes that can be switched between. The Balrog gauntlets and greaves can switch between a [[BoxingBattler boxing mode]] and a [[DanceBattler capoeira-style mode]], while the King Cerberus has three transformations depending on the move; the ice-elemental nunchucks from ''[=DMC3=]'', a fire-elemental bo-staff and an electrical three-sectioned staff. His Styles can also directly affect some of his other weapons; the properties of his "Swords Formation" skill vary depending on his current style, Swordmaster converts the Cavaliere from two buzzsaws into a [[CarFu motorcycle weapon]], Gunslinger now provides separate button inputs for the Ebony & Ivory, and a hidden Gunslinger mechanic of the Double Kalina Ann allows Dante to use just one rocket launcher instead of DualWielding them. |
| 47 | *** Nero's "Tomboy" Devil Breaker gives him an entirely different moveset when activated, the drawback is that you lose it if Nero takes damage while it's active. |
| 48 | * ''VideoGame/{{Genji}}: Days of the Blade'' (the one with [[MemeticMutation "real-time weapon change"]]) gives the ability to switch between four characters who can themselves switch between two weapons in real-time. The concept isn't the same, but from a gameplay standpoint, it's a stance. |
| 49 | * This shows up in ''VideoGame/HeavenlySword''. Each stance is oriented towards some specialty (power, speed and range). |
| 50 | * ''VideoGame/{{Onechanbara}}'s'' stance system has been a staple of the series, that also doubles as RealTimeWeaponChange. Aya can switch from single to dual-wielding swords, Saki has access to grapple moves with her fists, Reiko pulls out a shotgun or SMG, and Misery's sword becomes a WhipSword (the latter two ladies are playable in ''Bikini Zombie Slayers''). Kagura and Saaya from ''Z'' and ''Z2'' more so count as real-time weapon changing, but the game(s) themselves count them as stances. |
| 51 | * Pretty abundant in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', sometimes overlapping SuperMode. |
| 52 | ** Date Masamune has the War Dance/Six Swords stance in which he foregoes blocking and defense for wielding ''all his katanas'' at once for a more aggressive fighting style, and in the 3rd game, modifies his normal skills. Either it's activated manually by equipping the skill/his unique item or it's an aftereffect of his BASARA attack. |
| 53 | *** His second-in-command and BattleButler, Katakura Kojuuro, can pull off a "Berserker Mode" which also forfeits his ability to block and evade to add some GoodOldFisticuffs to the action. This mode also comes with a cool SwordDrag to complete the picture of the wrath of a usually calm and reserved man when he chooses to [[LetsGetDangerous get REALLY serious]]. |
| 54 | ** Honda Tadakatsu has the Heavy Mode skill, which turns his style from a LightningBruiser into a MightyGlacier by trading his normal drill-spear into a gigantic {{Pilebunker}}. |
| 55 | ** Magoichi can switch guns with certain attacks, going from a pistol to a shotgun or machine gun. |
| 56 | ** Nobunaga can do this in the third game as well, where he can switch from using SwordAndGun to attacking with his GuardianEntity, the latter of which makes him an outright GameBreaker. |
| 57 | ** The fourth game introduces newcomers Shima Sakon and Goto Matabe. The first is a happy-go-lucky, [[TheGambler gambling-loving]] jock who can switch between [[ExtremityExtremist kick-]] and [[DualWield blade-based]] moves, and the latter is a murder-obsessed madman who can switch between swinging around his PrecisionGuidedBoomerang or swiping at enemies with his gauntlets after tossing said boomerang. |
| 58 | * All of the Autobots in ''VideoGame/TransformersDevastation'' can switch between their robot and vehicle modes on the fly (and said vehicle modes can be used for CarFu). There is also a close combat and ranged combat stance, and each of the five playable characters has varying degrees of ability at both (e.g. Wheeljack is primarily geared for long-range firefights, while Grimlock is primarily up close and personal). |
| 59 | * Since ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', this mechanic has been a staple of the ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' series, with each style bringing their own moves and abilities. |
| 60 | ** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' Kiryu can switch between "Brawler", a balanced style that can CounterAttack, "Beast", a slow style that can NoSell attacks and automatically use environmental weapons, and "Rush", a FragileSpeedster moveset built around dodging. Majima gets "Thug" (balanced and based on being TheGrappler), "Slugger" (power-based using BatterUp attacks), and "Breaker" (a DanceBattler focused on crowd-control and building Heat). [[spoiler:Both characters have a fourth stance based on their future combat styles, unlocked by completing their main side-mission: "Dragon of Dojima" for Kiryu, and "Mad Dog of Shimano" for Majima]]. |
| 61 | ** ''[[VideoGame/Yakuza1 Yakuza Kiwami]]'' features "Brawler, "Beast" and "Rush" again, this time with a fourth stance, "Dragon", which starts with [[MagikarpPower almost no moves and severe restrictions]] and requires NonstandardSkillLearning to unlock its abilities. |
| 62 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Judgment}}'' features two stances for Yagami, "Tiger" based on defensive traits and single-target attacks, and "Crane" based on acrobatic crowd-clearing attacks and dodging. ''VideoGame/LostJudgment'' adds "Snake" as a grappling style focused on parrying and disarming opponents, and the DLC "Boxer" which has a unique control scheme and a focus on dodging, breaking guards and building EX. Kaito in ''The Kaito Files'' has two stances of his own, "Bruiser" and "Tank", which are similar to Kiryu's "Brawler" and "Beast" modes from prior. |
| 63 | ** ''VideoGame/LikeADragonGaidenTheManWhoErasedHisName'' gives Kiryu two stances: "Yakuza", a 'final form' of his classic moveset from prior games, and "Agent", an agile moveset centered around an array of mechanically unusual gadgets. LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards is in effect here, with "Yakuza" being mostly fully-formed from the beginning while "Agent" takes a lot more levelling up and ability unlocks to reach the stance's full potential. |
| 64 | ** On the turn-based side of things, Kiryu's character job in ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' adapts the Brawler/Beast/Rush system with each bringing their own benefits: "Brawler" has the ability to perform context-sensitive HEAT Actions, "Beast" boosts power and defence and causes basic attacks to break guards, and "Rush" increases your movement range and allows you to perform two basic attacks per-turn. |
| 65 | ** However, all of them pale in comparison to Ukyo Tatsuya of ''VideoGame/KurohyoRyuGaGotokuShinsho'' (and its sequel ''VideoGame/Kurohyo2RyuGaGotokuAshuraHen''), as Ukyo has the highest amount of any ''Like A Dragon'' character so far, boasting a preposterously broad '''''28''''' stances total throughout both ''Kurohyo'' games. |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Fighting]] |
| 69 | * ''Franchise/BlazBlue'': |
| 70 | ** Litchi Faye-Ling usually starts out carrying her staff, but can switch into a different stance by planting the staff on the ground and fights more on chi control and martial arts. Though she can still command her staff with telekinesis. |
| 71 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueChronophantasma Chronophantasma]]'', Nu-13 has this system where one form she's her usual self, in another form, she took on Lambda-11's style. Newcomer Kagura Mutsuki also has this of sorts, which would change what kind of normal attacks he has, the only thing that's constant in him would be just his [[Franchise/StreetFighter Sonic Boom/Flash Kick-esque charged attacks]]. |
| 72 | * ''VideoGame/BushidoBlade'' - The stance system was the foundation of the game as, with the exception of projectiles and a few speciality moves, all characters had the same moves with the same weapons in each of the three stances, just different speed and power. The sequel moved from the ability to shift up and down to only being able to shift up in a circular manner. The spiritual sequel, ''Kengo: Master of Bushido'', changed this to allowing up to four combo-sets to switch between that were earned by defeated the practitioners of various styles. |
| 73 | * ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' |
| 74 | ** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Cecil]] is capable of switching between his Paladin and Dark Knight classes by performing aerial and grounded HP attacks respectively. As a Paladin, he favors close-range aerial attacks, while as a Dark Knight, he favors ground-based ranged attacks. His EX Mode allows him to switch between both without needing to attack beforehand. |
| 75 | ** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Lightning]] can switch between different Paradigms: Commando for close-range combat and Ravager for ranged magic attacks, plus Medic to recover Bravery. |
| 76 | ** In [[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015 the 2015 game]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Exdeath]] has three different modes: Berserker, which favors heavy attacks and grants the Bravery-sapping Black Hole move; Nullifier, which lets him seal some of his opponents' skills with his attacks and The Power of the Void; and Obstructor, which inflicts status debuffs and increases their effectiveness. |
| 77 | ** Also from the 2015 game, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV Y'shtola]] has two stances: Conjurer, a support-oritented stance which favors a slower and more methodical playstyle and grants the Bravery-recovering skill Aetherial Pulse; and Thaumaturge, which favors a more aggressive playstyle and grants the Bravery-stealing skill Foul. |
| 78 | * ''VideoGame/DiveKick'' has Uncle Sensei, who alternates between two different angles of DivingKick depending on whether he's standing on his feet or his hands. His air special lets him switch stances (and angles) mid-kick. |
| 79 | * ''VideoGame/DualBlades'' has a version of this called the "power combining system" that is similar to the ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' series' Slash/Bust system, which is rather fitting given that series is one inspiration for this game and its sequel, ''Slasher: The Power Battle''. |
| 80 | * In ''VideoGame/ForHonor'', the [[BraveScot Highlander]] switches between a Defensive Stance (by default) and an Offensive Stance (by holding the heavy attack button down). In Defensive stance his options for attacks are limited, but he can parry and block, as well as use light attack combos and Celtic Curse (a mix-up capable rush attack). In Offensive Stance, his attacks become unblockable (meaning they can only be avoided by dodges or parries) and he has access to new combos and mix-up options, as well as a powerful kick and grab, all at the expense of being unable to block and parry, meaning he has to rely on dodges and aggression to survive. Switching between these stances is key to winning with the Highlander. |
| 81 | * Zappa from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', as represented with the spirit possessing him, grants him about three default stances, the 3-Ghost, the Demon Dog and Flying Sword stance, which grants him quite the diversity of moves depending on which spirit is active. Under certain circumstances, then he will get the Raou spirit (an armored, energy being spirit thing) which is more powerful than the rest. In Gold Mode, he's permanently using Raou, thus losing his StanceSystem. |
| 82 | ** Leo Whitefang, who made his debut in ''Guilty Gear Xrd Sign'', is noted for his aggressive Brynhildir Stance, in which he faces backward. Leo gains quite a few new moves and specials but at the cost of limited mobility as he cannot jump, giving his already poor mobility. Furthermore, he cannot block. Using Brynhildir Stance allows Leo for some terrifying pressure and mixups. |
| 83 | * The VideoGame/GundamVsSeries uses a Stance System to imitate machines with {{Mecha Expansion Pack}}s, letting them change gear on the fly. A prime example is the Strike Gundam from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', which can swap between the speedy Aile Striker, melee-focused Sword Striker, and long-range Launcher Striker; ''Extreme Vs.'' also threw in the I.W.S.P. from ''SEED-MSV'', which can do [[AllYourPowersCombined a little bit of everything]], but runs on a timer. |
| 84 | ** There's a similar set-up for machines that can swap equipment; the prime example is the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam Gundam Ez8]], which can switch between a fairly orthodox playstyle and one where he busts out his 180mm cannon for long-range bombardment. |
| 85 | ** The [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Shining Gundam]] as it appeared in ''Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus'' worked like this during its SuperMode; it can fight bare-handed, which is mostly identical to its base form, or pull out the [[{{BFS}} Shining Finger Sword]], which limits it to melee moves which are incredibly powerful and have more reach than one might suspect. |
| 86 | * Several characters in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' have multiple fighting styles. Wonder Woman switches between using her lasso and a Sword and shield, while Nightwing uses escrima sticks which can combine into a staff. |
| 87 | * Most Stand users in ''VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureAllStarBattle'' can choose between having their stand on or off, with different moves between the two stances as well as a bigger hitbox in the former stance. |
| 88 | ** Shigechi has "offensive formation" and "defensive formation" instead. |
| 89 | ** Johnny and Gyro can mount on their horses, getting a number of benefits (bigger reach, resistance to knockdowns, cannot be grappled) and disadvantages (bigger target, cannot recover their Guard gauge, grapple, or collect corpse parts) as well as different movesets. |
| 90 | * ''VideoGame/{{Kengo}}'': this mechanic is most elaborate in the second game of the series (known as ''Sword of the Samurai'' in EU): not only the player has access to pretty much all the nine stances based on the position of the sword (high, upper right, right, lower right, low, lower left, left, upper left, center) but the martial schools of Edo will have their own personal variation of these stances, while some of the illustrious swordsmen will have their personal stances. What type of stance you adopt determines which Ko, Ken and Tai techniques (Attack, Parry and Counterattack) you can use in combat. The more you practice with a stance, the more points you'll gain to add techniques to said stance, with certain techniques (usually the most effective and complex ones) requiring more points than others. |
| 91 | * In ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' Season 3, The two-headed Eyedol has a moveset for each of his heads. The first head is the Warrior Head, which is played like a rushdown character, while the other head, the Mage Head, is more of a zoner. Unlike most examples, the player has no direct control over what stance they're in; It switches randomly as Eyedol uses special moves, and can be forced by [[CastFromHitPoints punching the other head awake]]. |
| 92 | * ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' |
| 93 | ** Hotaru Futaba from has moves that change her stance which in turn give access to different attacks. Note that she debuted in ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Garou: Mark of The Wolves]]'' and didn't have a StanceSystem. Only after her inclusion in ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum'' did she get that. |
| 94 | ** May Lee Jinju from the same series also has a 'Hero Mode' which offers her different and more powerful attacks. |
| 95 | ** Jhun Hoon also has a mode in which he stands on one leg and his attacks differ. |
| 96 | ** Shion, the sub-boss of ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXI KoF XI]]'' can switch between using a spear or martial arts. |
| 97 | ** OldMaster Chin Gentsai may as well be the first one to use this in the series proper, being able to attack (and dodge attacks) in a drunken stance or from a lying position. In ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIII XIII]]'' onwards, he has a new set of stances entirely, with him standing on one foot or in a ducking position. |
| 98 | * In ''VideoGame/MagicalBattleArena'', [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Fate Testarossa's]] block special lets her switch between Lightning and Sonic form. Lightning Form is her default and gives her a Mid-Range fighting style (5-hit melee combos and 3-hit long-range attacks), while Sonic Form turns her into a more FragileSpeedster with a Short-Range fighting style (7-hit melee combos and 1-hit long-range attacks). |
| 99 | * ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'': |
| 100 | ** This is [[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright's]] niche in ''Ultimate'' (along with ConfusionFu), whose three modes make him DifficultButAwesome. He starts fights in Investigation mode, where his attacks leave a lot to be desired damage-wise, but keep his opponents away long enough for him to search for good pieces of evidence. In Trial mode, his moves change and each good piece of evidence turns into a decent, spammable projectile. With three good pieces of evidence, connecting with an "Objection!" attack makes him enter Turnabout mode, a SuperMode that makes him a lot stronger and faster, with awesome attacks and one of the most damaging Level 3 Hyper Combos in the game. |
| 101 | ** Other characters in the game that use stances are [[VideoGame/{{Okami}} Amaterasu]] (though that kind of borders between this and RealTimeWeaponChange) and [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Jill]]. |
| 102 | * The ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' series seems to have had different stances added in recent years in order to make things more interesting. |
| 103 | ** ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' has Kai, who can change to a handstand position and use an array of kicks. |
| 104 | ** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'' actually ''called'' it Stance shifting. ''Deadly Alliance'' was one of the earliest examples to use literal switches of fighting stances and weapons to expand the move-list without compromising user-friendliness. The first two games gave characters 3 stances - 2 hand-to-hand styles and 1 for their weapon, while ''Armageddon'' removed the second hand-to-hand style. |
| 105 | ** In ''Videogame/MortalKombatX'', each character has three variations that they can choose from at the beginning of the match that gives them differing movesets. Liu Kang and Tremor also have two different modes in one variation, and Triborg has a fourth variation: [[spoiler:Cyber Sub-Zero]] |
| 106 | ** By ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', an interesting variation of this was implemented through the use of customizable gear and variations. |
| 107 | ** Shang Tsung can switch between young and old in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'', changing his move set between them, as well as assuming his opponent's form to use their own moves against them. |
| 108 | * [[VideoGame/Persona3 Aigis]] in ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' has one in form of Orgia Mode. In the original game, it's just a temporary boost in strength for several turns. Here, while her old moves are still available, the way she moves changes drastically that their play styles tends to get very different. |
| 109 | * Toro Inoue, the Sony Cat in ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' fights like this (during the reveal, the Platform/PlayStation blog referred to Toro as having "a unique stance-based fighting style"). Justice Toro is a martial arts master who specializes in close combat, Torobi is a {{Ninja}} that uses long-ranged tactics and Oni Toro is a {{Youkai}} that prefers a wide-area assault. |
| 110 | * ''VideoGame/PrayerOfTheFaithless'': Mia's Battle Tactics are based around her sword stances and switching between "sheathed" and "drawn" in a balance. |
| 111 | * Mito from ''VideoGame/TheRumbleFish'' has 2 stances, one which she swings her wooden sword in wide arcs and another where she uses mainly thrusts. |
| 112 | * ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', starting with the third game, gives the player access to a Slash or Bust version of each character, Slash being closest to their original moveset, and Bust being a brand new one. From ''V'' onward, certain Bust versions [[DivergentCharacterEvolution became their own characters]], usually the EvilCounterpart to the original character. Throughout the series, characters can also have their weapons knocked out of their hands, giving them a different, more limited hand-to-hand moveset until they can recover their weapon. |
| 113 | * ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'' |
| 114 | ** Squigly has a rather unique twist on this concept. All of her ground specials are based off of one of two stances, the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] stance, and the whip stance. Holding the button while performing the special, however, allows Squigly to stay in the stance. Doing so alters her movement, charges up her moves, and after a while makes the next move used from that stance a Level 2 variant, giving it more unique and powerful properties as well as more combo opportunities. In addition, she can actually end her stances extremely quickly if another button is tapped while she's in the stance, allowing her to continue her combos via LagCancel. Having a Level 2 stance allows her to end the stances even quicker to offer even more unique combos. |
| 115 | ** A more traditional version is Eliza. While she acts as a pretty standard air-dashing character normally, using any of her quarter-circle back and punch moves will cause her parasite Sekhmet to [[BodyHorror come out of her body]] and act as a different character. Sekhmet is completely ImmuneToFlinching, has hard-hitting normals, and travels very fast, but her only reliable mixups are high/low and cross-ups, and any time Sekhmet is active she will cause the super meter to drain. Proper Eliza play involves knowing how to utilize both forms effectively. |
| 116 | ** To a lesser extent, there is also Ms. Fortune and Beowulf, whose moves differ depending on whether the former's head is still attached to her shoulders, and whether the latter is brandishing his [[ChairmanOfTheBrawl folding chair]]. |
| 117 | * All of the ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'' games. The iconic example is Maxi, who has different stances depending on what side of his body his nunchaku end an attack on. This has become more prominent in later entries in the series, as the movelist has expanded. |
| 118 | ** There's also Tira, who switches between her 'Gloomy' and 'Jolly' personas, with different movesets as a result. Certain actions can be taken to manually switch her between these modes, and it'll also happen with certain damage calculations. |
| 119 | ** [[ConfusionFu Voldo]] deserves special mention: his stances include [[BadassBack turning his back to his opponent]], attacking from a prone position, ''doing the worm'', and ''crab-walking'' in both head-first and feet-first configurations. |
| 120 | ** [[MsFanservice Ivy]] can use her WhipSword in either whip or sword mode (or in IV onward, a third mode that resembles a chakram). Most games add additional stances, such as swinging it above her head or to one side. |
| 121 | ** Nightmare (up to SCII) / Siegfried's (SCIII and beyond) stances involve holding his {{BFS}} in both hands, dragging it along the ground with one hand (which limits mobility), or holding it behind his back. In III and onward, Siegfried also has a fourth stance where he crouches down behind his sword. He can't move at all in this stance but he will automatically Guard Impact anything that hits the sword. |
| 122 | ** [[{{Samurai}} Mitsurugi]] typically has a few stances, including one in which he holds his sword above his head and pointed toward his opponent and another in which he sheathes it in preparation for a few different variations of SheathStrike or [[IaijutsuPractitioner Iaijutsu]]. |
| 123 | * ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' |
| 124 | ** Featured in the current trope image above, Gen is one of the earliest examples in video games. He could change between Crane and Mantis-style Kung Fu on the fly. This was originally averted in his debut appearance in the first ''VideoGame/StreetFighterI'' game, where he had only one moveset like all the other fighters. It wasn't until his reappearance in ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Street Fighter Alpha 2]]'' where he'd receive this mechanic, having it ever since. |
| 125 | ** Zeku as seen in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' incorporates this with his ability to instantaneously [[DualAgeModes shift between two different ages of himself]]. The first is his present-day self as a OldMaster and the other is younger, [[VagueAge appearing to be around his 20s or 30s]]. In-game, his older self's use of his own conceived ninjutsu style (stemming from his mastery of [[FantasticFightingStyle Bushinryu Ninjutsu]]) focuses on zoning and keepaways. He can perform a number of mid to far-ranged strikes for poking opponents from afar, often knocking them back to prevent them from getting too close to him. That being said, these knockbacks won't allow old Zeku much combo opportunities. In contrast, his younger self's use of traditional Bushinryu techniques make more use of speedy rushdowns. Reminiscent of his former pupils [[VideoGame/FinalFight Guy and Maki]], young Zeku becomes far more combo-oriented with quicker, close-ranged attacks. |
| 126 | * ''VideoGame/SuperCosplayWarUltra'' has EX versions of certain characters, changing the properties of their special attacks. Most notably, it turns their normal specials into EX Supers, and vice versa. |
| 127 | * ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' |
| 128 | ** Both ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee Melee]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]'' have characters that can completely change their moveset via "transformations": Zelda can transform into Sheik, Pokémon Trainer changes between his 3 Pokémon, and Samus' PowerArmor can break and reveal Zero Suit Samus. Due to the huge difference between each "stance", both the community and development team considers each of them separate characters. |
| 129 | ** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'' gets rid of transformations, instead giving most of the involved characters their own character slots. However, it also gives a more straight use of the stance system in the form of Shulk: Shulk has a set of 5 Monado Arts that can boost one of his attributes [[MultiformBalance at the cost of weakening others]] for a few seconds; so he can, for example, increase his speed at the cost of his attack and jump height, or [[StoneWall greatly increase his defense at the cost of his movement abilities and attack power]]. |
| 130 | ** [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 Pyra]] in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' can [[TagTeam switch out]] with Mythra and vise versa. Compared to the other transformation characters, their differences are more downplayed but still notable enough. They share the same base moveset, with Pyra excelling in longer-ranged and powerful strikes and Mythra's focus being on faster and combo-oriented attacks. Their physical attributes are also affected: Pyra is slightly heavier and is less likely to get launched farther at lower percentages whereas Mythra has better movement. Lastly, all of their specials are entirely different from each other. |
| 131 | * Almost a constant for jugglers and chaotic type fighters in ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'', from small time-window activation (Flicker Stance, Kenpo Step) to constant switches (Lei's five animal kung fu, [[BadassBack back-turning]], Hwoarang's left and right stances). ''VideoGame/Tekken7'' Season 4 newcomer Lidia even has stances ''within'' stances. |
| 132 | * In ''VideoGame/TouhouShinkirouHopelessMasquerade'', characters select a religious faction at the start of each match which affects the properties of most of their attacks, corresponding to the Japanese equivalent of the FourTemperamentEnsemble. There's Buddhism (Anger) which greatly prefers [[AllMonksKnowKungFu short-range and melee attacks]], Taoism (Joy) which prefers low-spread, fast-moving projectiles, Shinto (Melancholy) which prefers high-spread and homing projectiles, and Atheism (Calm) which is somewhere in the middle. [[FinalBoss Hata no Kokoro]], being an [[MoodSwinger unstable]] living collection of theatre masks who attacks with {{Emotion Bomb}}s, is capable of changing the "religious stance" of both herself and her opponent mid-match. |
| 133 | * Several characters from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' have different sets of attacks depending on their stance, most notably Lei-Fei and Vanessa Lewis. |
| 134 | * In ''VideoGame/XMenNextDimension'', three characters (Beast, Gambit and Toad) have different stances listed. Forge can also play to a different style depending on what type of ammo he's loaded in his variable gun. |
| 135 | [[/folder]] |
| 136 | |
| 137 | [[folder:First-Person Shooter]] |
| 138 | * ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' uses this trope in regards to your PoweredArmor. It has five modes you can switch between at any time; Armor, Speed, Strength, and Cloaking, and Regeneration. |
| 139 | ** ''VideoGame/Crysis2'' simplified the stance system by specifying Cloaking and Armor as the two 'major' stances (dedicated keys to instantly swapping to either, most of your energy is consumed by these two stances) while relegating Speed and Strength as minor stances (they automatically activate if you're sprinting or pushing an object out of the way), with passive regenerative health. |
| 140 | * Starting with ''[[VideoGame/JediKnightIIJediOutcast Jedi Outcast]]'', the ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'' allows the player to switch between three different lightsaber styles (light, which is weak but fast and can chain attacks indefinitely; strong, which is slow and can't chain more than one attack but is powerful; and medium, which can chain five attacks at once and is decently quick and powerful). Enemies with lightsabers also use one of the three styles, and are ColorCodedForYourConvenience. ''[[VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy Jedi Academy]]'' expands a little further by adding the [[DoubleWeapon saber staff]] and [[DualWielding dual sabers]], which are respectively sort-of evolutions of one of the other styles (dual sabers are like the fast style with more power owing to the second saber added, saber staff is closer to strong style with medium's speed) and can also still be used with a single blade in one of the other styles, respectively fast for one of the dual sabers and medium for one blade of the staff. |
| 141 | * ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'': |
| 142 | ** Lucio swaps between two music tracks, either healing all allies over time or giving them a major speed boost. |
| 143 | ** D.Va pops out of her mech when he dies or uses Self-Destruct, which gives her a powerful pistol but leaves her as a vulnerable GlassCannon. |
| 144 | * ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' series' examples: |
| 145 | ** ''VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict'' has Melee and Weapon modes for every fighter. |
| 146 | ** ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004'' has the Leviathan vehicle, which has two modes: mobile artillery with a giant swarm homing missile launcher, and stationary with a huge WaveMotionGun which outputs an explosion which rivals the one of the Redeemer. |
| 147 | ** ''VideoGame/UnrealTournamentIII'', in addition to the Leviathan, has the Nemesis, one of the Necris vehicles, which has three different modes: slow, but with increased rate of fire; the regular one; and a fast, but FOV locked one. |
| 148 | [[/folder]] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[folder:Idle Game]] |
| 151 | * ''VideoGame/SwordFight'': Five stances are selectable, with Attack and Defend available from the start and the other three having to be unlocked by earning Awards. |
| 152 | ** Attack: Balanced. Raises Attack, Defend, and Hit if the skill is improved. |
| 153 | ** Defend: Defense and Damage Resistance goes up but Attack drops. Atk% is halved to 50% and attacks reduce Stamina by 5%. |
| 154 | ** Barrage: Raises Attack at the cost of Defense. +20% Damage, 2x Power Strike chance, 50% chance to ignore Combo Attacks. |
| 155 | ** Blitz: Raises Attack and Hit but reduces Damage. +15% Attack Speed, 2x Combo Attack chance, lowers enemy's Counter Chance by 50%. |
| 156 | ** Guard: Raises Defense and Damage Resistance but reduces Attack. 2x Counter Attack chance. |
| 157 | [[/folder]] |
| 158 | |
| 159 | [[folder:Maze Game]] |
| 160 | * Styles in ''VideoGame/PacMan99'' are a series of named buttons that can be swapped at will with the right face buttons. A chosen Style will become active upon picking up a Power Pellet, and will augment its effect in different way depending on the chosen Style. |
| 161 | ** ''Standard'' is as it says: default Power Pellet functionality, just like in normal ''Pac-Man''. |
| 162 | ** ''Stronger'' doubles your attack power, allowing Pac-Man to fire two Jammer Pac-Man for every blue ghost consumed. However, it greatly decreases the active time of the Power Pellet. |
| 163 | ** ''Speed'' boosts Pac-Man's movement speed by 75%, but substantially decreases his attack power, lowering the number of Jammer Pac-Man sent. |
| 164 | ** ''Train'' doubles the number of ghosts added to the ghost train when touching a sleeping ghost. However, touching a sleeping ghost while Train is active also adds an extra Jammer Pac-Man to the queue, which can be suicidal at later stages. |
| 165 | [[/folder]] |
| 166 | |
| 167 | [[folder:MMORPG]] |
| 168 | * The Monks in ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline'' have stances that change their KiManipulation and their ElementalPowers, creating offensive or defensive advantages at the sacrifice of another ability. Many general and combat stances in the game for other classes have similar tradeoffs. |
| 169 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': |
| 170 | ** All of the tank jobs had a stance for tanking, sacrificing damage for defense, higher "enmity" or threat generation and access to certain abilities, but also one for increased damage. ''Shadowbringers'' got rid of the offensive stance and removed the drawbacks from the tanking stance. |
| 171 | ** Healer classes and jobs had access to ''Cleric Stance'', which swapped their offensive spellpower and healing power around. Then the devs realized that "stance dancing" was not actually fun for healers, so healer damage calculation was changed to run off healing power all the time, and Cleric Stance's effect was changed to something that no longer qualifies for this trope. |
| 172 | ** The ranged jobs (Bard and Machinist) both have a stance that sacrifices their mobility advantage over spellcasters for increased damage. |
| 173 | ** Pugilists and Monks have three stances: Fists of Wind (increased movement speed), Fists of Earth (improved defense), and Fists of Fire (increased damage output). In Endwalker, these were removed and replaced with similar thematic short-term buffs (Riddle of Fire, Wind, Earth), but the animal-named stances attached to other combat moves became more relevant for the new Beast Chakra system. |
| 174 | ** Thaumaturges and Black Mages have two stances called Astral Fire and Umbral Ice. Astral Fire increases the the damage of fire spells and halts MP recovery. Umbral Ice increases the damage of ice spells and provides significantly increased MP regeneration. Switching between the two stances is the key to success as these classes. |
| 175 | ** Astrologians can switch between Diurnal Sect and Nocturnal Sect when out of combat, which give certain healing spells an additional regeneration or shielding effect, respectively. Their Level 80 ability Neutral Sect temporarily gives their spells the effects of both stances. Endwalker removed Nocturnal Sect as an option, after rebalancing healers, leaving Astrologians as effectively "always Diurnal", with the Neutral Sect ability still temporarily bringing the Nocturnal Stance effects online, as it did before. |
| 176 | * ''VideoGame/GranadoEspada'' gives all of its characters at least three stances. PlayerMooks have more, but are limited by what weapons they're holding, occasionally requiring a RealTimeWeaponChange. |
| 177 | * In ''VideoGame/GrandChase'', Amy can switch between Performance and Fight modes in all three of her classes. While both can fight, Performance mode is more focused on buffs and singing/dancing/violining, while Fighting mode more on hand to hand combos. |
| 178 | * ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' has two stances for each class that specializes in melee combat: |
| 179 | ** Hunters have Assault Stance (increased damage output at the cost of defense) and Guard Stance (increased defense at the cost attack power). |
| 180 | ** Fighters have Brave Stance (increased damage to the front of enemies, but less when attacking from behind) and Wise Stance (more damage when attacking from behind, less from the front) |
| 181 | ** Bravers have Weak Stance (increased damage when hitting enemy weak spots, but less damage to all other parts of the body) and Average Stance (increased overall attack, though not as significant as other stances) |
| 182 | ** Bouncers have Break Stance (increased damage to breakable body parts, but less damage to other parts of the body) and Elemental Stance (more damage when exploiting elemental weaknesses, but less damage otherwise). |
| 183 | * ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors learn different lightsaber stances that offer passive boosts: specifically, Shii-Cho (I), Shien (V), Ataru (IV), Soresu (III), and Juyo (VII), though all but the first one are additionally restricted to a particular PrestigeClass. Bounty Hunters and Troopers can switch out ammo for similar effects. The Imperial Agents and Smugglers have truer stances, being able to take cover, required for many of their attacks. Several classes can go into a stealth mode as well, effectively another stance. |
| 184 | * ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline'' has two stance-based classes. The Marauder is a servant of the Changer of Ways, and as can adopt different stances by painfully mutating his left arm; the mutations are claw, club, and blade, for anti-magic and utility, fighting a group, or fighting a single target. The Shadow Warrior is an elf trained in the guerilla warfare style necessary to fight against the Dark Elves in their own land; their stances are sniping/scouting, skirmishing, and close combat. When players switch stances frequently in the middle of combat, players call that "stance dancing." |
| 185 | * In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': |
| 186 | ** The warrior class was like this until the Mists of Pandaria expansion: Berserker Stance (does more damage and takes more), Battle Stance (balanced) and Defensive Stance (less damage) had restrictions on what abilities could be used, and switching between them was part of gameplay. While the stances still exist, the ability restrictions were removed as they were felt to not make a dynamic playstyle, and what stance to use is now a matter of the player's role in the party and how much damage they are taking. |
| 187 | *** [[spoiler:General Nazgrim]], in his boss fight, switches between these same stances. When he's in Battle Stance, his attacks grant him rage. While he's in Berserker Stance, he does more damage and gets more rage, but also takes more damage. While he's in Defensive Stance, he takes less damage and gets Rage every time he's struck by anyone but the tank. |
| 188 | ** Druids have shapeshifting, in which cat and bear forms completely change their abilities and playstyle. However they usually stay in one form most of the time (determined by their specialisation and role), only shifting for brief periods to give emergency healing, gain mobility or providing a temporary tank. |
| 189 | ** They also had or used to have specialized shapeshifts for either offensive spellcasting or healing tied to the respective talent trees. The treant for healing now only exists as a visual flavor option and the moonkin for offensive spellcasters is more of a buff than anything now. |
| 190 | ** The T440 Dual-Mode robot alternates between melee and ranged attack modes based on how close the player fighting him is. Regardless of whether your class and spec is best at melee or ranged combat, you must periodically force him into the other mode, because he gradually does more damage the longer he stays in one mode. |
| 191 | [[/folder]] |
| 192 | |
| 193 | [[folder:MOBA]] |
| 194 | * ''VideoGame/{{Awesomenauts}}'': |
| 195 | ** Derpl switches between a mobile form that can lay snaring traps and fire a {{Catapult}} and a stationary siege mode with a Gatling gun and detonatable nuke. |
| 196 | ** Ted [=McPain=] can freely swap between a machine gun with the ability to call in an airstrike and a ShortRangeShotgun with an attack-speed boost. |
| 197 | ** Chucho hops on and off his flying hyperbike. On the bike, he can freely fly, fire a forward-facing gun, and activate a NitroBoost. On foot, his bike fights for him as a turret while he uses dual pistols and throws sticky bombs. |
| 198 | * ''VideoGame/Dota2'': Brewmaster's Drunken Brawler lets him switch between three stances that give him different passive bonuses. Earth Brawler grants Armor and magic resist, Storm Brawler grants evasion and movement speed, and Fire Brawler grants crit chance. With Aghanim's Shard he gains a fourth stance, Void Brawler, which grants Status Resist and slow on attack. He can consume his Cinder Brew to [[BoozeBasedBuff triple the stance effects]]. |
| 199 | * ''VideoGame/HeroesOfNewerth'': |
| 200 | ** Solstice changes form based on the time of day, and all of her abilities gain different properties based on the form. Her day form is more tank-focused and have bigger [=AoE=], while her night form has better single-target damage and is stealthier. |
| 201 | ** Master of Arms used to have different abilities based on which gun he had equipped. The Bulldozer has enhanced range, fires charged shots that stuns, a lightning shot that splits on hit and slows enemies, and grants a damage absorbing shield to an ally globally. The Cheetah fire rapidly but requires ammo, fires charged shot that knocks back, lobs an acid bomb that deals damage over time and reduces armor over a large area, and grants a speed and damage boost to an ally globally. A rework merged both his skillsets into one package and only kept the gun bonuses. |
| 202 | * ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'': |
| 203 | ** Alexstrasza is able to transform into the Dragonqueen. Dragonqueen grants Alexstrasza a different set of basic abilities, which function like stronger versions of her normal kit (Q is free to cast, W has a bigger radius and heals more, E knocks enemies back) but have independent cooldowns and are unaffected by Alexstrasza's talents. |
| 204 | ** Valeera's [[{{Invisibility}} Vanish]] gives her a new set of abilities which are powerful openers. She's a softer example since breaking stealth - either by attacking or being attacked - switches her back to her regular kit. |
| 205 | ** Greymane switches between a human with a pistol and a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent worgen]] that attacks with his claws. There is a major limitation on this though, since Greymane can't transform unless he has an enemy to pounce on and always changes back into a human when he mounts up. |
| 206 | ** Deathwing swaps between the melee damage-dealing Destroyer and the ranged crowd-control based World Breaker. There's no limit to how often he can swap, only requiring a brief channel or a use of his mount ability. |
| 207 | ** Fenix is a softer example, switching between two different basic attack modes, either a long-ranged bomb or a rapid blaster. His other skills are unaffected. |
| 208 | ** Ana's Aim Down Sights ability lets her extend the range of Healing Dart and Sleep Dart and lets them pierce one target, at the expense of slowing down her movement speed. |
| 209 | ** Lucio swaps between two auras (songs), either healing all nearby allies over time or giving them a speed boost, both of which can be amplified with his E. |
| 210 | ** D.Va pops out of her mech when it's destroyed or she uses Self-Destruct, which gives her a powerful pistol and can be talented to have a new set of abilities while outside her mech but leaves her as a vulnerable GlassCannon. |
| 211 | * A few of the champions in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' are based around stances: |
| 212 | ** Udyr, the Spirit Walker, has four stances based around animal totems that give him a different passive ability when he activates them (Tiger Stance boosts his attack damage, Turtle Stance heals him as he does damage, Bear Stance lets him stun enemies, and Phoenix Stance deals bonus fire damage). |
| 213 | ** Jinx can switch between Pow-Pow, a short range machine gun that grants her bonus attack speed, and Fishbones, a rocket launcher that increases her attack range and attack damage and also makes her basic attacks deal area-of-effect damage, but costs mana per basic attack. |
| 214 | ** Shyvana is able to transform into a dragon once she has her Fury meter fully charged, which grants her basic abilities a boost; her Q damages all opponents in front of her, her W has its radius increased, and her E explodes on impact. She will remain transformed for as long as she has Fury left, which will rapidly deplete while transformed. |
| 215 | ** Gnar shapeshifts from a squishy ranged form into a brutal melee form. His passive has him build Rage as he deals and receives damage. At reaching maximum Rage will transform him into Mega Gnar, gaining bonus damage, health, and defenses, as well as a new set of abilities for a duration until his Rage depletes and he transforms back to normal. |
| 216 | ** Aphelios [[ExaggeratedTrope has five different guns]]. He holds two at a time which he can freely switch between, and cycles his weapons as each run out of ammo. Each gun has its own passive and active ability and alters his Ultimate. |
| 217 | [[/folder]] |
| 218 | |
| 219 | [[folder:MUD]] |
| 220 | * ''VideoGame/LostSoulsMUD'' has this in the form of a "combat mode" system, encompassing both such basics as aggressive and defensive modes and esoterica like berserking and combat meditation. |
| 221 | [[/folder]] |
| 222 | |
| 223 | [[folder:Platform]] |
| 224 | * In ''VideoGame/TheLostWorldJurassicParkConsole'', the Compy's attacks will change depending on whether it is crouched, standing normally, or upright. |
| 225 | * ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' centers around the Double Gear system. The Speed Gear enables BulletTime, while the Power Gear drastically powers up Mega Man's attacks. They have to be turned on manually and can only be used one at a time (both with a time limit), and has a short cooldown. |
| 226 | * ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', which featured the ability to choose one of three characters on the fly while having the other two invincible and in some sort of formation with your character. The swap is so near-instant that it's pretty much a glorified stance change. Contrast to other games that used this idea before, which often had some sort of delay or disadvantage to switching characters mid-game. |
| 227 | [[/folder]] |
| 228 | |
| 229 | [[folder:RPG]] |
| 230 | * ''VideoGame/SeventhDragon 2020'' gives us a rare dungeon crawler instance with the Samurai class. The Samurai is able to switch between Iai and Battou stances, where the Iai stance allows the usage of elementally-imbued, single-hit attacks while Battou stances are for multiple-hit physical attacks. |
| 231 | * ''VideoGame/AtelierSophieTheAlchemistOfTheMysteriousBook:'' Party members can take an Offensive or Defensive stance in battles: |
| 232 | ** Offensive does more damage, and performs bonus attacks. |
| 233 | ** Defensive does less damage, but can block enemy attacks. |
| 234 | ** Two or more characters in the same stance can combine to perform powerful offensive or defensive actions, depending on the Chain gauge and their position on the VisualInitiativeQueue. |
| 235 | * ''VideoGame/BravelySecond'' gives us the Fencer Asterisk, which has three stances. The Wolf Stance focuses on attack, the Aurochs Stance relies on defense, and the Falcon Stance focuses on speed. |
| 236 | * Meganada in the second ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' has two stances that he can switch between, one based on physical attacks and defense and the other on magic and magic resistance. |
| 237 | ** The first form of the FinalBoss of the first game had this as well. Each time their HP drops below a certain point, they switch between their Vishnu and Shiva forms. Vishnu is a more passive stance, mainly inflicting StatusEffects on the party (although it does have the nasty [[LiterallyShatteredLives Vaikunta]] spell), and Shiva focuses on dealing raw damage. |
| 238 | * ''Franchise/DragonAge'': |
| 239 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', Shale has [[strike: three]] four different modes she can use: Attack (melee), Attack (ranged), Defense, and Passive Defense. Her abilities in each mode change radically, as does her performance on the battlefield, and the bonuses she bestows to party members within range. In the fourth mode, she is actually completely disabled, while all nearby party members enjoy massive bonuses. |
| 240 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' allows usage of some {{Prestige Class}}es' abilities only if that class' basic Sustained ability is active, e.g. Blood Magic, Spirit Healer's Aura, and Berserking. Non-prestige class [[SkillScoresAndPerks skill trees]] occasionally include mutually exclusive Sustained abilities that offer different bonuses, essentially functioning as stances, e.g. Rogue Specialist's Precision, Speed, and Power; Warrior Defender's Elemental Aegis and Turn the Blade; and Vanguard's Control and Might. Lastly, some companions' specializations have Sustained abilities akin to prestige classes, like Fenris' Lyrium Ghost and Merrill's Wrath of the Elvhen, but Anders takes it a step further, only using half of his special abilities when the mutually exclusive Panacea or Vengeance modes are active. |
| 241 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has the Tempest specialization's Flask abilities, which provide powerful temporary boons to the user. Flask of Frost [[StoneWall significantly reduces damage]] and briefly freezes enemies who attack the Tempest (and can be upgraded to provoke nearby enemies to attack the Tempest), Flask of Fire knocks enemies who attack the Tempest away and [[SpamAttack eliminates the stamina cost (and cooldown when upgraded) of abilities]], and Flask of Lightning allows the Tempest to [[BulletTime move much faster than everyone else (with time coming to a near-stop if upgraded)]]. Only one can be active at a time, but the Tempest can learn a passive that increases Flasks' durations if used immediately after one expires. |
| 242 | * All the characters of ''VideoGame/DungeonSiegeIII'' have two attack stances that they can use. |
| 243 | ** Lucas uses either a sword and shield for single enemies or a two-handed {{BFS}} for groups. |
| 244 | ** Anjali can attack with a spear or turn into an Avatar and use fire blasts. |
| 245 | ** Katarina uses GunsAkimbo for close quarters or a rifle for range. |
| 246 | ** Reinhart switches between [[EntropyAndChaosMagic Entropic Magic]] or Dynamic Magic. |
| 247 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Earthlock}}'' each character has two different stances that they can switch between to change how they fight |
| 248 | ** Amon acts like a standard video game thief in his [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Thief]] Stance complete with VideoGameStealing, StatusEffects, and [[CombatPragmatist dirty attacks]] like bleeding cuts. In his Blaster Stance he acts more like an alchemist doing elemental damage with a [[NerfArm spud gun]] that fires [[AbnormalAmmo magical potatos]] that you craft yourself in an aversion of BottomlessMagazines. |
| 249 | ** Gnart focuses on [[StatusBuff party wides buffs]] in his Focus Stance to the point of [[CripplingOverspecialization not even being able to attack]]. His Pestle Stance acts more like a standard WhiteMage with various healing spells, weak attacks, and a few StatusEffects. |
| 250 | ** Olia's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Warrior]] Stance is your typical fighter with various physical attacks and a few Shouts that augment the party's physical attacks. Her Veteran Stance makes her automatically CounterAttack when enemies attack her and has a varity of [[StatusBuff personal buffs]] and a PracticalTaunt to draw aggro but [[CripplingOverspecialization has no ways of directly attacking]]. |
| 251 | ** Ive's Scout Stance acts like a {{Foil}} to Amon's Thief Stance with the exact same VideoGameStealing but with [[StatusBuff defensive buffs]] and a healing spell instead of StatusEffects and indirect magical Trap spells that do damage when an enemy attacks instead of straightforward physical attacks. Her Sniper Stance similarly imitates Amon's Blaster Stance but with crossbow bolts instead of potatos and favoring [[ShockAndAwe lightning ammo]] early on instead of Amon's [[PlayingWithFire fire ammo]]. |
| 252 | ** Taika deals elemental damage in his Predator Stance and can [[PowerCopying copy new elements from enemies]]. In Packmate Stance he instead prevents elemental damage. |
| 253 | ** [[spoiler:PAT's ATK-bot Stance has a speed buff and debuff, but mostly does physical and [[ShockAndAwe lightning damage]] with an ActionBomb attack thrown in. DEF-bot Stance lets him grant defensive bonuses to the party and penalties to the enemy based on which [[PowersAsPrograms Upgrade Talents he has equipped]] as well as some tanking abilities.]] |
| 254 | * ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'': The Ronin class, debuting in the first game, has certain skills based on which of the three stances are active. Overhead/Upper increases offence and defence, with focus on offence, Seigan/Clear increases the same, but with focus on defence, and Iai/Drawing increases speed. Subsequent games in the series tweak and refine the stance mechanics, adding new skills that interact with or enable Stances, on top of a stance that combines the effects of all three. |
| 255 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' has Cloud who can switch from his default Operator Mode which allows him to run and do basic swings to his enemies, to his Punisher Mode where his movement speed slows down to a crawl but he can counterattack and his swings build up the ATB gauge faster. |
| 256 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII:'' Paradigms are a fine-grained Stance System. There are up to three members in the active party, and six different roles: Commando (physical attacks), Ravager (magical attacks), Synergist (buffs the party), Saboteur (debuffs enemies), Sentinel (protects the party) and Medic (heals the party). Different members have different specialities. Paradigms are combinations of roles that you set up before battle, and can switch between during battles. For basic enemies, COM RAV RAV will do fine. For tougher enemies, you might start with COM SYN SAB, switch to COM RAV RAV for a few turns, then COM SEN MED to heal up, and finish with COM RAV RAV again. |
| 257 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' has the Attack and Guard Stance system. Allies adjacent to an attacking unit will follow up their attacks, while allies that have paired up with another unit increase their stats and nullifies an attack after the shield gauge fills, in addition to negating all attacks made by an Attack Stance unit. A skill (Attack & Guard stance) exists that adds the follow up attack ability to Guard Stance units, but removes the ability to negate enemy follow up attacks. |
| 258 | * In the ''Steven Universe'' fangame ''VideoGame/FlawedCrystals'', [[FusionDance Stevonnie]] can switch between letting Steven, Connie, or themself dominate the fusion, leading to a different set of abilities for each. Steven is TheMedic but lacks offensive abilities, while Connie has access to more powerful offense but loses Steven's healing abilities. Stevonnie can use a limited set of abilities from both, but has to learn them through level up. Steven and Connie also gain stat bonuses to defense and attack, respectively. |
| 259 | ** At the beginning of the game, switching personalities is a free action, making Stevonnie very versatile and capable of making up for the gaps in other gems' abilities. However, as the game progresses, the personality switch will gain a cooldown, requiring Stevonnie to wait up to 5 turns before they can switch again. This has the effect of turning Stevonnie into a CrutchCharacter in the late game. |
| 260 | * ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' has several characters whose primary gimmick is one of these. |
| 261 | ** Sturm can switch between Impetuous Blade and Deft Blade using her Sword Switch skill. Impetuous gives her a stacking attack buff when she attacks, while Deft gives the enemy a stacking defense debuff instead. Additionally, her Blitzkrieg skill gives Sturm an extra attack boost during Impetuous Blade, while in Deft Blade, it activates whenever Sturm dodges an attack and gives the enemy a delay effect |
| 262 | ** In a similar vein, Drang has two stances named That's How I Roll and Bursting Bubbles that he can swap between in the same way Sturm does, which mostly influence the behavior of his Fair Trick skill. In the former stance, it delays enemy attacks and also automatically activates when Drang does a charge attack; this stance also gives him a gradual boost to his attack specs. The latter instead gives Fair Trick healing properties and has it automatically activate when the ''enemy'' does a charge attack instead, in addition to giving a gradual boost to Drang's defense specs. |
| 263 | ** Yuisis has two "modes"; Starslayer and Heavensbane. Starslayer is much more defense-oriented, allowing her to tank hits meant for her teammates and dish out strong counters, while Heavensbane is offense-focused and gives her very strong charge attacks. |
| 264 | ** Threo's weapon is able to switch between axe and sword forms, though unlike the other examples who can change their stance with the use of a skill, Threo's changes after using a charge attack. The axe form focuses on keeping Threo alive through healing and countering attacks, while the sword form focuses on taking advantage of Threo's low health (usually achieved through using [[CastFromHitPoints Ground Zero]]) to deal massive damage to her enemies. |
| 265 | ** Narmaya has two stances, named Dawnfly and Freeflutter, that she can switch between, though she can only do so every few turns and can't use other skills the turn she switches. In Dawnfly, she can boost her own multi-attack rate and delay enemy attacks, while in Freeflutter she can lower an enemy's defense and boost her own attack against enemies in Overdrive. When she's fully leveled up, she unlocks a skill that makes her next attack have the properties of both stances at once. |
| 266 | * The primitive ActionRPG ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}}'' gave the player character "Attack" and "Defend" stances. |
| 267 | * ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' has this in spades: 6 martial arts forms, 4 weapon forms, 5 transformation forms, and several support or magic forms (throw fireballs, slow enemies down, sap their [[{{Mana}} spirit]], etc). |
| 268 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': |
| 269 | ** The Drive Forms from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. Valor Form gives Sora [[DualWielding a second keyblade]] and enhances melee attacks but prevents casting of magic, Wisdom Form enhances magic, Master Form is focused on crowd-control and enhances both melee and magic, and Final Form increases ...well, [[GameBreaker everything]]. There's also Anti Form, which can't be chosen automatically and instead occurs randomly when Sora tries to enter one of the other forms besides Final. Anti Form is an extreme FragileSpeedster, having increased movement speed and rapid but weak attacks, but takes increased damage and can't replenish HP (among other downsides). The ''[[UpdatedReRelease Final Mix]]'' version adds Limit Form, which gives Sora access to his old abilities. |
| 270 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' expands on the Drive system with Command Styles and Dimension Links. By filling up a meter with special moves, you'll enter a "Command Style" that gives elemental powers to your attacks and enables a special finishing move to be used. Dimension links will replace your entire command list with ones related to characters you've met throughout the story, allowing you to completely change the way your character fights for a short time. Both of these are useful for adapting to the three characters' strengths and weaknesses. |
| 271 | * ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' gives the player the ability to set each character's combat style in order to determine what kinds of tactics they use. It's expanded further for Jedi characters, who can learn a number of lightsaber forms, each with different advantages and disadvantages. |
| 272 | * Juna Crawford in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'' is the only character in the game to change between the close range but single target and powerful Striker Mode or the longer range but multiple target weaker Gunner Mode. In the fourth game [[spoiler:Crow]] can also switch between similar stances. |
| 273 | * The ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series has two weapons that utilize differing modes: |
| 274 | ** The Switch Axe's default form is an axe that has long reach and affords a fair amount of mobility to the wielder. It can morph into a sword form after building up power, which sacrifices its reach and mobility for fast, powerful slashes and elementally-charged finishing moves. |
| 275 | ** The Charge Blade's default form is a sword and shield, which has minimal reach and modest attack power, but good mobility and defensive capabilities. After gathering power into phials, it can morph into an axe form, sacrificing defense and mobility for long reach, overwhelming attack power, and elementally-charged blows. |
| 276 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'', the player can hold their weapons in one of three stances. A high stance produces slow, but strong attacks; a low stance allows for weak, but quick strikes; and a middle stance balances the two out, while also being the easiest stance for [[DefendCommand blocking incoming attacks]]. |
| 277 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has a few cases, though not all are manual: |
| 278 | ** [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Aegislash_(Pokémon) Aegislash]], which takes the form of an animate sword and shield, has the unique Ability "Stance Change". In its Shield Forme, it has some of the [[StoneWall highest defenses in the game]]; in its Blade Forme, its [[GlassCannon attack stats skyrocket and its defenses drop to almost nothing]]. |
| 279 | ** [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Minior_(Pokémon) Minior]] follows a similar defensive stat setup in the form of a round floating chunk of rock. Once its HP dips below half, however, it can then activate its unique Ability "Shields Down," upon which the rock casing breaks off and reveals its true form inside, a brightly-colored star. Its stats then shift to an emphasis on offense and speed as one of the fastest Rock-types in the game. |
| 280 | ** A [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Darmanitan_(Pokémon) Darmanitan]] with the Ability "Zen Mode" functions in this way. Normally, it's a fast-moving physical hitter and a pure Fire-type. Entering Zen Mode, however, causes it to turn a teal green and curls up into a largely stationary ball, appropriately enough, as if in a meditative stance. When in Zen Mode, it gains the Psychic-type and its defensive and special-attack stats skyrocket at the cost of its physical stats. The [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Galarian]] counterpart, meanwhile, also has a Zen Mode, but it goes from pure Ice-type to gaining the Fire-type and gets a boost in Attack and Speed instead. It's also a {{foil}} in that its regular state is calm and peaceful while its Zen state is violent and aggressive. |
| 281 | ** [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Morpeko_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Morpeko]] switches between Full Belly Mode and Hangry Mode at the end of each turn. Aside from it looking different, however, the only difference is that its SignatureMove, Aura Wheel, is Electric-type when in Full Belly and Dark-type when Hangry. |
| 282 | ** [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Eiscue_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Eiscue]] begins a battle in Ice Face Forme, in which its head is surrounded by a large ice cube. During this time, it has MightyGlacier stats, with high defenses but low Speed. When hit with a physical attack, however, the ice breaks and Eiscue assumes Noice Forme, which is how it ''really'' looks without the ice on its head. In this state, Eiscue's defenses drop drastically but it gets an even more drastic increase in Speed, able to outrun all but the speediest Pokémon. Eiscue will get its ice back and revert back to Ice Face Forme if it starts hailing mid-battle, if Eiscue switches out and returns to battle while it's still hailing, or if the battle ends and a new one begins. |
| 283 | ** [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Castform_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Castform]] has four forms, depending on the weather at the time. When sunny, it becomes the Fire-type Sunny Forme that looks like a highly stylized sun. When rainy, it becomes the Water-type Rainy Forme that looks like a raindrop. When hailing or snowy, it becomes the Ice-type Snowy Forme that looks like a cumulonimbus cloud. Otherwise, it's a Normal-type nameless form that resembles a round cloud. Castform itself can induce any of those three weather types and has a SignatureMove, Weather Ball, that doubles in power and changes to match Castform's type when sunny, rainy, hailing, or snowy.[[note]]Weather Ball can also become Rock-type within a sandstorm, but Castform has no corresponding form to sandstorm.[[/note]] |
| 284 | ** The Normal/Psychic [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Meloetta_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Meloetta]] always begins a battle in Aria Forme, in which its green hair flows down the side of its head and it specializes in singing. When Meloetta uses the move Relic Song, however, Meloetta becomes Pirouette Forme, which is Normal/Fighting instead, and its hair becomes reddish-orange and is tied around its head. As Meloetta in Piroette Forme fights by dancing, its stats get shuffled around from a moderately fast special (magic) attacker to an exceptionally fast physical attacker. |
| 285 | ** [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Cramorant_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Cramorant]] uses this trope in an odd way, adopting stances based on [[AchievementsInIgnorance not paying attention]]. Cramorant begins a battle with its mouth closed and not attempting to eat anything. When Cramorant uses Surf or Dive, however, it will then assume Gulping Forme if its HP is over half full, during which it attempts to eat an Arrokuda. If its HP is half or less, however, it enters Gorging Forme, during which it attempts to eat [[BlackComedy Pikachu]]. Any attack on Cramorant when in Gulping or Gorging Forme will revert it back to its base form by Cramorant launching the hapless Pokémon in its mouth at the attacker, dealing damage and inflicting different effects depending on if it's Arrokuda or Pikachu. |
| 286 | ** If [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Wishiwashi_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Wishiwashi]] is at Level 20 or higher and is at a high enough HP, it will begin a battle in Solo Forme, then large amounts of other Wishiwashi will come to its aid, upon which it enters School Forme, causing the school overall to resemble a submarine. The school counts as a single Pokémon and has stats rivaling or exceeding some OlympusMons. When its HP is low enough, however, the other Wishiwashi leave, bringing it back to Solo Forme, dropping its stats to the lowest in the entire series. |
| 287 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'', a Pokémon's moves can be mastered by leveling it up or giving an item to an NPC, unlocking the ability to use that move in Strong Style and Agile Style. Strong Style boosts the move's damage or effects and increases its accuracy if it's under 100, but at the cost of potentially making the user's next turn come later. Agile Style lowers the move's damage, but will give the user a free turn either after their current one or later in the match, allowing them to get two hits off before the opponent can react. |
| 288 | * ''VideoGame/SomaUnion'': All playable characters can switch between Power and Support roles. The former gives them offensive skills while the latter gives them healing and buffing skills. They can change their role in battle, but if they end the turn in a different role from what they started the turn in, a cooldown will be placed on their role changing command. |
| 289 | * Nearly every game in the entire Soulsborne series including ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'', ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', and ''Videogame/EldenRing'' have the ability for various weapons to be able to be changed and allow for different attacks. Bloodborne especially as *every* main weapon is a "Trick Weapon" with an alernate variant that alters its attack style either slightly or drastically. |
| 290 | ** Numerous bosses also change their attack styles and, instead of gaining new attacks, just gain entirely new attack styles completely. Just to name a couple examples: [[spoiler:Gherman the First Hunter]], Martyr Logarius, Ancient Hero of Zamor, and the [[spoiler:Soul of Cinder]]. |
| 291 | * In ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'', Mysterion has two different movesets [[TheyKilledKennyAgain that rely on his resurrection powers]]: while alive, he's a GlassCannon who uses hand-to-hand combat and shadow powers to deal damage. Upon dying, he becomes "Dead Mysterion", a support character who applies debuffs to enemies, but cannot inflict damage, counts as KO'd, and cannot be revived using items. The two stances even have separate [[LimitBreak Ultimate Power Moves]] that toggle to the next moveset - alive Mysterion performs a SuicideAttack that kills him instantly and deals heavy damage to adjacent enemies, while Dead Mysterion resurrects himself and heals nearby allies. |
| 292 | * Ki-Adi-Mundi in ''Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes'' has two lightsaber styles that dictate his combat style in-game: an offensive Ataru form that deals high and more frequent damage and a defensive Makashi form that aids himself or the player squad with debuff cleansing, defensive stat buffs and increased tenacity. One of Ki-Adi-Mundi's abilities allow him to switch between these two forms depending on the situation, with a constant cooldown of two turns. |
| 293 | * In ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'', every playable character switches between two different sets of artes (apparently being called Alpha and Beta), each using a different style [for example, Cheria switches between throwing knives (her Alpha artes) and light spells (her Beta artes), likewise, Asbel switches between a combo of sheath bunts and kicks (Alpha artes) and sword combat (Beta artes]. |
| 294 | * Patty in the [=PS3=] version of ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' has four battle modes when fighting: Normal, Advance, Brainel, and Critical. Normal is exactly what it sounds like, Advance emphasizes direct attacks, Brainel prefers range and spell casting, and Critical has the benefits of both Advance and Brainel. Knowing the difference between the modes is crucial, since certain techniques are different depending on her form. |
| 295 | * ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeNewYorkCity'' has four (not including the default) individually trainable martial arts forms: Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, and Muay Thai. Marcus can switch between them in real time, and cannot use them with weapons. |
| 296 | * ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' allows the player to switch between Strong, Fast, and Group styles of swordfighting. Some enemies can only be hurt effectively by fast or strong style, while [[{{Gamebreaker}} group is effective anytime you fight more than one foe]]. |
| 297 | * In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': |
| 298 | ** The player characters are "Drivers" who bond with magical creatures called "Blades" that lend them their weapons and power. Each Driver can engage with three Blades at a time, each with their own weapon and associated Arts, elemental affinity and unique Special attacks and skills, and can switch between them during battle. |
| 299 | ** The prequel DLC ''Torna ~ The Golden Country'' allows you to play as the Blades themselves. Each Driver has two Blades as well as their own weapon so you still have three movesets to choose from per team. |
| 300 | [[/folder]] |
| 301 | |
| 302 | [[folder:Real-Time Strategy]] |
| 303 | * Several RealTimeStrategy games have three stances consisting of Aggressive (an attack bonus at the cost of a defence penalty), Defensive (a defence bonus at the cost of an attack penalty), and Balanced (neutral) stances. |
| 304 | * Sort of used in the Chinese Overlord tank from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'', where you can build on top of them a [[CombatMedic propaganda speaker that heals your troops]], a [[GatlingGood gatling gun]], or a [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier bunker]]. |
| 305 | ** The American Strategy Center can use 3 different battleplans: "Bombardment", which increases unit attack power and equips with an artillery piece, "Hold the Line", which increases unit defence and improves its own armour (depicted as sandbags), and "Search & Destroy", which deploys scanners and improves unit weapon range. The bonuses are strong enough to make the American faction play very differently in each mode. They are ''also'' free to be switched at any time, though that takes a few seconds and disables all units to adjust. |
| 306 | * ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' has a variation where the stances decide how far the squad engages spotted enemies (until destruction/chase for a while and go back/hold position), adding the "Burn" stance (prioritize buildings in range higher than enemy troops) and "Hold Fire" (a, aha, [[{{Pun}} relic]] from the previous games where cloaked units decloaked to attack, automatically switching to hold fire to prevent LeeroyJenkins. Useful against human enemies, but pointless against the computer, who always knows where your sneaky units are). Most units also have a secondary set of stances indicating whether to use ranged or melee weapons. This is relevant because units hit with a melee attack must respond in kind, meaning that all-round units like Tactical Marines will have an easier time defeating ranged combat specialists like Fire Warriors by leaving their usual ranged attack stance. On top of this, units engaged in melee only take 50% ranged damage, so getting into a slugfest can preserve a squad under heavy fire until reinforcements arrive. |
| 307 | * ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': |
| 308 | ** Terran Siege Tanks have two modes, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Tank Mode]] and Siege Mode. Siege mode transforms the already-formidable tank into powerful long range artillery, but renders them immobile and unable to defend themselves if the enemy somehow manages to [[ArbitraryWeaponRange get close enough]]. |
| 309 | ** Zerg Lurkers have to burrow to be able to attack. Burrowing grants them invisibility, but prevents from moving. |
| 310 | * ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': |
| 311 | ** Druids of the Claw and Talon can shapeshift into bears and crows, giving them more damage and resilience but leaving them unable to cast spells (the expansion allows them to cast their basic spell when shifted). |
| 312 | ** Footmen can use Defend; raising their shields to greatly reduce the damage (and in the expansion, reflect) damage done by some ranged attacks at the cost of movement speed. |
| 313 | ** The Berserk ability temporarily increases attack speed but also increases damage taken. |
| 314 | [[/folder]] |
| 315 | |
| 316 | [[folder:Roguelike]] |
| 317 | * ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'': ''Afterbirth'' added a new character called the Forgotten, who behaves both like this and a TagTeam. They consist of the Body, who has a skeletal physical form and can't fire tears and instead uses a bone club to melee attack enemies or toss it and boomerang back to him, and the Soul, who can fire tears and has flight, but can't move too far away from the Body. Additionally, both have seperate life bars. The Body can only hold red hearts and the Soul can only hold soul hearts, and running out of either kills them both. |
| 318 | * The Abomination in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' plays the role of mid-range support in his human form, with access to ranged attacks that stun or inflict blight on enemies and a self-healing skill. He can transform into his beast form once every battle, giving him access to high damage close-range abilities, but it stresses out the party and himself when transforming and while transformed. |
| 319 | * ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon2'' has the Binding Blade DLC character, the Duelist. Her skills can create, remove or depend on Aggressive and Defensive Stance Tokens. The Aggressive skills are straight up attacks or attacks that can rebuff enemies to make them more vulnerable to other heroes, while Defensive skills are about making the enemies weaker in their own assault. Different stances also provide bonuses to skills in form of damage buffs or resistance piercing. |
| 320 | * ''VideoGame/SlayTheSpire'': This is the Watcher's whole gimmick. She can switch between Calm and Wrath, a defensive and aggressive stance respectively, at the start. Calm gives her two energy upon exiting it and Wrath doubles both her and her enemies' damage. Learning to play her well involves using cards with the energy boost from Calm that allow her to power up more and go ham in Wrath, while also being able to exit Wrath when needed so she doesn't get two-shot. In addition, there is also [[SuperMode Divinity]], which can be gained by [[GatheringSteam collecting 10 Mantra during a battle]], which grants three energy and ''triples'' her damage. Entering Divinity with a good hand almost always means an instant win. A certain card, "Blasphemy," exploits this by granting her Divinity instantly but killing her at the end of her turn. |
| 321 | * Martial arts in ''VideoGame/{{Cataclysm}}'' works this way. Select the martial art style your character is using, and they'll gain access to the various techniques associated with that martial art. Changing the active style doesn't use up your turn, allowing you to mix various styles as needed; for example, you might use Ninjutsu to sneak attack the most powerful enemy in a group, and then immediately switch to Silat to dodge incoming attacks from the rest of the group. |
| 322 | [[/folder]] |
| 323 | |
| 324 | [[folder:Third-Person Shooter]] |
| 325 | * A handful of weapons from the ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' games can change their methods of attack, typically by firing while jumping: |
| 326 | ** ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'': |
| 327 | *** As of this game, all rollers perform a horizontal swing by pressing the ZR button while on the ground, which flings a mid-ranged sheet of ink before the player. However, pressing ZR while jumping instead performs a vertical swing, which flings a column of ink that has longer range but leaves a narrower trail. This state of affairs is {{exaggerated|Trope}} with the Flingza Roller, which has quick, shorter-ranged horizontal swings, but changes shape during a long vertical swing to send ink as far as a Dynamo Roller, the heaviest, slowest, and longest-ranged roller of all. In [[VideoGame/Splatoon1 the first game]], all rollers could only perform horizontal swings. |
| 328 | *** The Squeezer's range and shot spread instead changes depending on whether the ZR button is tapped or held down. Tapping ZR over and over again sends out accurate, long-ranged bursts, the better for pounding faraway opponents, while holding down the trigger instead gives a medium-ranged rapid-firing setting, which is better suited for inking ground and fighting at close range. |
| 329 | ** ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'': |
| 330 | *** {{Downplayed|Trope}} with the [[TheStraightAndArrowPath Stringers]], which [[{{Multishot}} launch an array of three darts]], arranged horizontally while grounded or arranged vertically while jumping. The differences in horizontal or vertical shots only come about when the shots aren't fully charged, better for inking walls and the ground and for repelling nearby opponents. While fully charged, the three reticles are bunched so close together that it hardly makes a difference in painting, but vertical shots are better for picking off foes to ensure that all three arrows strike home, as a player's hitbox is taller than it is wide. |
| 331 | *** The S-BLAST sends out long-ranged, accurate shots while grounded and a larger, closer-ranged blast while jumping that's better for taking out nearby enemies. Both firing modes deal the same amount of damage -- a [[OneHitKill One-Hit Splat]] with a direct strike, and a two-or-three-shot splat with indirect shots -- but the closer-ranged blast's area of effect is far larger than the pinprick-accuracy long-ranged burst. |
| 332 | [[/folder]] |
| 333 | |
| 334 | [[folder:Non-Video Game Examples]] |
| 335 | !! Anime & Manga |
| 336 | * In ''Anime/CrushGearTurbo'', the VT chassis enables Crush Gears to have an incredible boost of speed depending on which side the battery box slides into (front for dash, and back for spins). |
| 337 | |
| 338 | !! Fan Works |
| 339 | * ''Fanfic/OniGaShikuSeries'': Over time Izuku develops a stance system style for himself much akin to the other ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' protagonists, each with their own Heat Moves: |
| 340 | ** The Scrapper style is an unarmed combat style mostly inspired by Kiryu and Majima, and focuses on dealing with multiple opponents. Izuku's Heat glows blue when he uses it. The style takes most of its cues from Majima's Thug style. |
| 341 | ** Armsmaster style is mostly focused on the use of weapons; usually a bat, but {{Improvised Weapon}}s including [[GrievousHarmWithABody people]] are not out of the question. It's inspired by Taiga, Tetsuo Shinada, and Death Arms, and Izuku's Heat glows yellow when he uses it. |
| 342 | |
| 343 | !! Literature |
| 344 | * The Alethi swordfighting stances from ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''. Each represents a different fighting style named after one of the Ten Essences, ranging from the elegant Windstance to the brutal Ironstance. |
| 345 | |
| 346 | !! TV Series |
| 347 | * Jordan Li in ''Series/GenV'' is a Supe whose power specialties are tied to their SexShifter abilities. Both of their forms are superhumanly fast and strong, but male Jordan has more of a focus on their strength making them functionally invincible whereas female Jordan has more pronounced speed and can shoot out energy projectiles in turn. |
| 348 | * Normally, the eponymous ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' needs to be possessed by his four/five Imagin to fight (with an appropriate form for each Imagin). Late in the series, he gets a form that doesn't need possession, Liner Form, whose main weapon, the [[{{BFS}} DenKamen Sword]], allows him to switch between the fighting styles of his previous forms. |
| 349 | |
| 350 | !! Tabletop Games |
| 351 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition'': |
| 352 | ** In the ''Tome of Battle'' supplement, the techniques of each fighting discipline are divided into maneuvers (which function as {{Special Attack}}s) and stances (which provide passive bonuses), which are learned through separate progressions. While a character [[LimitedMoveArsenal can only access a subset of their known maneuvers at any one time]], all their known stances are always available, although only one is usable at a time. There are also a number of feats which provide benefits while in a stance of a specific discipline. The capstone ability of the Warblade CharacterClass is "Stance Mastery", allowing a character to remain in two stances at once. The [[JackOfAllTrades Master of Nine]] PrestigeClass receives the more limited "Dual Stance" ability, which allows them to combine stances from two different disciplines for a short time. |
| 353 | ** The Master of Masks PrestigeClass can swap between different "Persona Masks", each of which grants abilities and a false CharacterAlignment related to the persona (e.g. the Assassin mask grants [[BackStab sneak attack]] and stealth bonuses, while disguising their alignment as LawfulEvil). They're also slightly [[ItemCaddy better at using]] other magic items worn on the face, giving them more reason to swap out. At higher levels they gain the ability to switch between masks more quickly or turn them invisible. |
| 354 | ** The Dragon Descendant PrestigeClass is a [[BareFistedMonk monk]] who can switch between channelling the spirits of various dragon ancestors mid-combat, each granting a different benefit -- Rampaging ([[BoringButPractical raw combat bonuses]] + immunity to fear), Subtle (StealthExpert + BackStab), Eldritch (has [[HandBlast a weak ranged attack]]), Enduring (SuperToughness) or Ancient (CounterAttack specialist). As they gain levels, they can switch between ancestors more quickly and eventually channel two at the same time. |
| 355 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': |
| 356 | ** Style feats give access to special bonuses or abilities while a particular style is active, and can be upgraded up to twice with additional feats. In contrast to the stances from ''Tome of Battle'' and ''Path of War'', styles are not active at the start of combat (meaning it's sometimes better not to spend time entering one), and each must be invested in independently (meaning that learning more than one style is difficult and rarely useful). The "Master of Many Styles" monk archetype comes the closest to the spirit of this trope - gaining floating style upgrades that apply to whichever style they're currently in, and the ability to stack an additional style each turn of combat. The Unchained Monk can also learn the "Formless Mastery" ability, which grants bonuses against enemies using style feats and can be selected only by a monk with no style feats of their own. |
| 357 | ** The Hunter class's "Animal Focus" class feature grants one of twelve minor bonuses which can be switched between as a swift action. Both the Hunter and their animal companion can maintain a focus, but for the Hunter it acts as a limited-use StatusBuff (meaning that like style feats, they generally need to spend an action in combat to activate it) while for the companion it's continuously active. If the Hunter's companion is currently dead then as compensation the Hunter gains ''both'' Animal Focus mechanics, which operate independently. |
| 358 | ** ''Psionics Unleashed'', a third-party update of [=D&D 3.5=]'s psionic rules, adds the "active energy type" mechanic, which limits psionic characters to using one [[ElementalPowers element]] at a time; they can change their energy type each time they [[ChargedAttack pause to regain psionic focus]], and some specialists can ignore the restriction entirely. |
| 359 | ** The third-party supplement ''Path of War'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to [=D&D 3.5=]'s ''Tome of Battle'' above, inheriting its stance mechanics. Each discipline also has its own style feat (see above) which can be learned by characters who know at least one stance from that discipline. Finally, it has Elemental Flux, a SupernaturalMartialArts discipline whose maneuvers and stances function differently depending on which of the four elements the character is currently focusing on (layering a second stance system on top of the first). |
| 360 | * [[SizeShifter Sky-Scraper]] of ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse''. Most of her cards are tagged with Tiny, Normal, or Huge. Playing them replaces her primary card with the version for that size, changing her power - with her standard card, Tiny lets you deploy and recover Link gadgets, Normal provides card draw, and Huge has a sonic thunderclap that can do impressive mass damage - but also risks harming her allies if her damage is increased. |
| 361 | ** Additionally, the video game based on the universe (not the video game based on the card game. That's a different one.) will feature a stance system. |
| 362 | ** The Naturalist is a shape shifter who has three different forms he can assume; Gazelle, Alligator, and Rhino. While able to use his cards in any form, each also could confer an additional benefit based around health recovery, attack boosting, or defence boosting respectively. |
| 363 | ** Mr. Fixer, a martial arts master, has multiple copies of three "style" cards, which grant his attacks different effects ranging from double attacks to paralyzing his opponents. Mixing them with his various tool cards is how you make his deck effective. |
| 364 | |
| 365 | !! Other Video Games |
| 366 | * The Doctor in ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'', prior to patch 3.5.0, functioned in this way. He would switch between Punishment Mode, which allowed him to inflict damage to survivors and move at his regular speed, and Treatment mode, which slowed him down, allowed him to inflict Madness passively to survivors inside of his Terror Radius, and replaced his regular attack with Shock Blasts that inflict Madness and briefly prevented survivors from performing any actions but moving. |
| 367 | * The Watcher in ''VideoGame/SlayTheSpire'' does this for card games. Wrath stance causes her to deal double damage but also take double damage. Calm stance doesn't do anything on its own, but leaving it grants extra Energy. There's also the Divinity stance, which gives a burst of Energy and triple damage, but it only lasts a turn and usually require slowly building up 10 Mantra to activate. There are cards and effects that interact differently based not only which stance you're currently in, but also from switching stances. |
| 368 | * From ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': |
| 369 | ** Weapons can be modified with stance mods, which allow you to give them new comboes. Beyond just changing up the comboes, these can also add in unique effects, like guranteed elemental procs or openings to launch finishers. Most weapons have a specific stance polarity, but the stance forma makes them compatible with any stance. |
| 370 | ** The New War segments that [[UnexpectedGameplayChange allow players to control Teshin]] mark the first time where it is possible to change stances within a mission - when changing the element of his SpellBlade, Teshin also changes the stance he is using - [[PlayingWithFire Heat damage]] uses the Crying Mantis stance and its highly mobile attacks, [[AnIcePerson Cold damage]] uses the slower but heavier hitting Crossing Snakes stance, while [[ShockAndAwe Electricity damage]] uses the rapidly consecutive strikes of Swirling Tiger. |
| 371 | [[/folder]] |
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