A question on Shadow Blade.

[Abstruse]

Let's say a swordsage has Shadow Blade and insightful strike for Setting Sun. If he uses an unarmed attack or a spiked chain to perform one of the Setting Sun's throw maneuvers, would he gain both the Shadow Blade damage bonus and the insightful strike damage bonus, or only the insightful strike bonus?

Shadow Blade's text specifically says: "While you are in a Shadow Hand stance and attack with one of the discipline's preferred weapons, you can add your Dexterity modifier as a bonus on melee damage for attacks made with the weapon."

Technically, the Setting Sun maneuvers are only trip attacks, but some of them DO inflict damage -- thus my uncertainty.

[Eldariel]

If you'd normally get Str in melee, you can add Dex instead.

[Zeful]

Let's say a swordsage has Shadow Blade and insightful strike for Setting Sun. If he uses an unarmed attack or a spiked chain to perform one of the Setting Sun's throw maneuvers, would he gain both the Shadow Blade damage bonus and the insightful strike damage bonus, or only the insightful strike bonus?

Shadow Blade's text specifically says: "While you are in a Shadow Hand stance and attack with one of the discipline's preferred weapons, you can add your Dexterity modifier as a bonus on melee damage for attacks made with the weapon."

Technically, the Setting Sun maneuvers are only trip attacks, but some of them DO inflict damage -- thus my uncertainty.

I don't understant your uncertainty. It's a simple checklist.
Are you in Shadow Hand stance?
Are you attacking with one of the school's preferred weapons?
Does the attack deal damage?
If you answered yes to all of the above, you may add your Dex mod to that attack's damage (on top of all your other bonuses). Otherwise you don't. If both insightful strike, and Shadow Blade's requirements are ment then they both apply.

[Abstruse]

If you answered yes to all of the above, you may add your Dex mod to that attack's damage (on top of all your other bonuses). Otherwise you don't. If both insightful strike, and Shadow Blade's requirements are ment then they both apply.
The only reason I was iffy on it was due to the trip portion of it.

I assume the same would apply with the Mighty Throw maneuver, even though it normally does no damage, because it would have insightful strike damage given to it? Because of insightful strike, you'd do WIS damage; because of Shadow Blade, you'd do WIS+DEX damage.

[Vexxation]

If you'd normally get Str in melee, you can add Dex instead.

Isn't it in addition to Str? I don't remember it saying that it replaced the Str bonus.

[JackMage666]

Albeit cheesy you could interpret it as such. As a DM, I would rule no - Shadow Blade seems to just be like Weapon Focus, only for damage not attack (and quite a bit more limited.) So, since you weren't supposed to deal Strength Mod damage anyway, you couldn't add Dexterity mod in this case either.
Now, if an attack normally dealt damage, yes, you could. But in the case of strikes that don't deal melee damage, no.