Initiator Level and Prestige Classes

[Kaje]

I've recently been looking through tome of battle-y threads on this and other boards and I've noticed a lot of people assuming that only the prestige classes in ToB give full IL progression, when the text actually states that "In most cases, you add the full prestige class level to your martial adept level to determine your initiator level." It gives no indication that only the prcs in the book advance thusly, and with the several hundred prestige classes in 3.x, it seems impossible that the 8 given in the Book of Nine Swords can possibly represent "most cases."

Is there an answer from WotC as to how this should work? Are people just assuming this as a reasonable houserule?

[PersonMan]

I think most would fall under the 'other classes add 1/2 their level to your IL'. Could only be for full BAB classes, but I'm AFB.

[Veyr]

Almost certain that there's a rule somewhere stating that "PrCs that grant maneuvers known, readied, or stances advance Initiator Level fully."

Note that this means the Bloodstorm Blade does not fully advance IL.

[Kaje]

I've looked around, and I can't find anything like that. I'll concede that all the prcs in the book besides bloodstorm blade do explicitly state that they fully advance IL, but the fact remains that the book also states that most prestige classes do, without restricting it to just the prcs in the book or saying what types of prcs would.

Note: I do admit it was almost certainly intended to only refer to the prcs in ToB, but near as I can figure, by RAW there's not a single prc that doesn't advance fully.

[Darrin]

Is there an answer from WotC as to how this should work? Are people just assuming this as a reasonable houserule?

"Ask Wizards" officially answered this question on 9/27/2006:

https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20060927a

It may also be possible to track down one of the older "Tome of Battle Q&A" threads, either on gleemax/wayback machine, the wizards community, or whatever the heck WotC is trying to claim as their current forums. Here's a link:

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19525942/Tome_of_Battle_Q38;A

This Q&A thread was compiled from several sources, but mostly "Ask Sage", "Ask Wizards", and Custserv responses. As with all "official" rulings, these are all someone's subjective opinion on how the rules should be interpreted, generally whoever happened to be answering that question that day, and they may not be aware of any previous rulings or other related questions already brought up somewhere else in an FAQ. They aren't RAW or official errata... *grk*...

*GKLKKFJGHGHH* don't .... #JK
@!##@
don't mention... ToB errata...

!!%KJGRRRRK#@#!

[Kaje]

Danke a lot.