Hooray! Opinions!
Lend Me Your Life: That's actually a good idea too. I was kinda dissatisfied with it as-is, so it's nice to have another direction for that to go. Changed.
Vehementian Draghignazzo: So here, I was going for a simple tradeoff between damage dealt and damage received instead of how the other stances get [fancy drawback] + [powerful bonus]. Yeah, the damage you take scales up, but five points of damage at level 20 isn't going to amount to much when you're doing even more, since you can add your Charisma modifier and expend a use of Harm Touch to pile it all on. I suppose lowering it just a bit (one point every six levels beyond 1st means 4 extra damage at 19th) wouldn't be so bad, and would keep the amount of damage you get out of it notably higher than what you receive. I'll change the duration of the extra damage down to "a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier" as well, though; I had been kind of on the fence about that, and I've found that it's always easier to nerf something and make it come out balanced right instead of trying to buff up something that's just not doing any good.
Invidia Scarmiglione: My goal was less to add other elements and more to make the stances basically let you be the Diet Coke to the Elemental Archfiend's Coca-Cola, in essence. In FFIV, Scarmiglione throws around the Curse status a lot, so I was trying to focus a bit on that. The penalty that comes from the stance is a little less dangerous than the other 1st-level stance, and so having the bonus be more limited in scope seemed fair. I could do something like using a boost that grants damage while in this stance grants the bonus earth/shadow damage on top of that, and using a strike maneuver that has effects reliant on the Cursed status add that plus your Charisma modifier in damage, maybe? I'm not entirely sure on how to do this one properly, because most of the ways to make the bonus more worthwhile are kind of overpowered for the penalty you suffer. Maybe instead of messing with the damage boni, it could be that enemies within range are Cursed in the same way that malitia Cagnazzo are Drenched?
Malitia Cagnazzo: Yes, that was intended, and is now clarified in the entry.
Superbia Malacoda: Noted, I'll touch that up to make it easier to read.
Concupiscentia Barbariccia: Another example of me trying to follow the watered-down-Archfiend concept. I would be kind of leery to use her full power (throwing the Petrify status everywhere, reducing foes to critical HP immediately, and zapping everyone with lightning) even as an 8th-level stance, so I was trying to emphasize the whirlwind itself. I'll look into ways of making it seem less all over the place, I suppose; this is another situation where having more than one other person's thoughts would be helpful. Not that I don't like or want your help, but more input results in a better product.
Honorem Rubicante: Yet again, a milder emulation of the Archfiend is what I was aiming for here. Your resist/immune/absorb idea is great, and I implemented that (immunity at 16th, absorption at 18th), and to help make the vulnerability to ice a bit more fair, I've added that you absorb fire at 17th while in impetum mode. Just trying to keep it in line with being at least similar to the way the boss fights were in IV.
Beatitudo Calcabrina: Now, I do understand what you're saying about the stance being a little too far on the powerful side, so I went and reduced the effective size modifier for damage by one step. I also reduced the damage you take after expending one use of harm touch to 15 per round to help make it slightly less dangerous for what you get out of it. While Calcabrina is not an Archfiend in IV, it is an iconic enemy (it even has its own bit of the soundtrack), and I was trying to capture the huge boost in strength the boss gets when it turns into a crazy ceramic doll Megazord. How I aimed to do that was by making something similar to the Frenzy ability that the Frenzied Berserker got in D&D 3.5 (huge boost of damage, you take damage every round), but less cheesy. It's still a very risky way to bolster your damage as well, but only harmful to yourself instead of your allies. As for the supercharge mode, I was looking at it that if engaging the stance was like hulking out, then using harm touch would be like going Super Saiyan.
Unbending Malice: Thanks!
Lamina Timoris: Also thanks!
Ferit Tranquilla Morte: Also also thanks!
Lend Me Your Life: That's actually a good idea too. I was kinda dissatisfied with it as-is, so it's nice to have another direction for that to go. Changed.
Vehementian Draghignazzo: So here, I was going for a simple tradeoff between damage dealt and damage received instead of how the other stances get [fancy drawback] + [powerful bonus]. Yeah, the damage you take scales up, but five points of damage at level 20 isn't going to amount to much when you're doing even more, since you can add your Charisma modifier and expend a use of Harm Touch to pile it all on. I suppose lowering it just a bit (one point every six levels beyond 1st means 4 extra damage at 19th) wouldn't be so bad, and would keep the amount of damage you get out of it notably higher than what you receive. I'll change the duration of the extra damage down to "a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier" as well, though; I had been kind of on the fence about that, and I've found that it's always easier to nerf something and make it come out balanced right instead of trying to buff up something that's just not doing any good.
Invidia Scarmiglione: My goal was less to add other elements and more to make the stances basically let you be the Diet Coke to the Elemental Archfiend's Coca-Cola, in essence. In FFIV, Scarmiglione throws around the Curse status a lot, so I was trying to focus a bit on that. The penalty that comes from the stance is a little less dangerous than the other 1st-level stance, and so having the bonus be more limited in scope seemed fair. I could do something like using a boost that grants damage while in this stance grants the bonus earth/shadow damage on top of that, and using a strike maneuver that has effects reliant on the Cursed status add that plus your Charisma modifier in damage, maybe? I'm not entirely sure on how to do this one properly, because most of the ways to make the bonus more worthwhile are kind of overpowered for the penalty you suffer. Maybe instead of messing with the damage boni, it could be that enemies within range are Cursed in the same way that malitia Cagnazzo are Drenched?
Malitia Cagnazzo: Yes, that was intended, and is now clarified in the entry.
Superbia Malacoda: Noted, I'll touch that up to make it easier to read.
Concupiscentia Barbariccia: Another example of me trying to follow the watered-down-Archfiend concept. I would be kind of leery to use her full power (throwing the Petrify status everywhere, reducing foes to critical HP immediately, and zapping everyone with lightning) even as an 8th-level stance, so I was trying to emphasize the whirlwind itself. I'll look into ways of making it seem less all over the place, I suppose; this is another situation where having more than one other person's thoughts would be helpful. Not that I don't like or want your help, but more input results in a better product.
Honorem Rubicante: Yet again, a milder emulation of the Archfiend is what I was aiming for here. Your resist/immune/absorb idea is great, and I implemented that (immunity at 16th, absorption at 18th), and to help make the vulnerability to ice a bit more fair, I've added that you absorb fire at 17th while in impetum mode. Just trying to keep it in line with being at least similar to the way the boss fights were in IV.
Beatitudo Calcabrina: Now, I do understand what you're saying about the stance being a little too far on the powerful side, so I went and reduced the effective size modifier for damage by one step. I also reduced the damage you take after expending one use of harm touch to 15 per round to help make it slightly less dangerous for what you get out of it. While Calcabrina is not an Archfiend in IV, it is an iconic enemy (it even has its own bit of the soundtrack), and I was trying to capture the huge boost in strength the boss gets when it turns into a crazy ceramic doll Megazord. How I aimed to do that was by making something similar to the Frenzy ability that the Frenzied Berserker got in D&D 3.5 (huge boost of damage, you take damage every round), but less cheesy. It's still a very risky way to bolster your damage as well, but only harmful to yourself instead of your allies. As for the supercharge mode, I was looking at it that if engaging the stance was like hulking out, then using harm touch would be like going Super Saiyan.
Unbending Malice: Thanks!
Lamina Timoris: Also thanks!
Ferit Tranquilla Morte: Also also thanks!