Near crouch

The near crouch is a posture referenced on MA99.
It is listed as a requirement to "stoop" into for a Standing foe to hit enemies who are lying down (and even then an Elbow Strike or Knee strike will not reach.
The near crouch gives a "-2 to hit" penalty, which is the exact same penalty that B551 applies to attackers who are crouching, so it may just mean a normal crouch.
category:postures