Master of Nine Build Advice

[Simeon Simian]

So I have this build I came up with to use Master of Nine (M9). I was hoping for some feedback. Please don't pull any punches; I want to hear what you really think.

Human (Dodge)
1 - warblade (Adaptive Style)
2 - warblade
3 - warblade (Improved Unarmed Strike)
4 - warblade
5 - warblade (bonus feat: Blind Fight)
6 - crusader (Improved Initiative)
7 - M9
8 - M9
9 - M9 (Superior Unarmed Strike?)
10 - M9
11 - M9
12 - M9 (?)
13 - X

All the feats through level 6 are prereqs for M9. The 9th level feat is just me trying to figure out how to make the most of a lame prereq.

[Fouredged Sword]

Well, I would consider snap kick at 12th level. It applies to strikes, so can rack up some extra hits fairly easily. One question is why are you going for master of the nine, and what schools do you want to focus on?

It looks like you are focusing on warblade, so lets add your M9 slots and known to that.

I would use your native progression to focus on devoted spirit and Iron Heart. They provide a good base for dealing with mooks and bosses. Pick up the save replacement counters and max your concentration check for the razor strikes. There is a vest that adds 20 to your concentration check 3/day. Get that, use it as a damage booster/ auto pass for saves. Get 4-5 and switch them out as you burn the charges. Get wall of blades to counter touch attacks.

Ok, so now you dip crusader. I would mostly ignore this level. Pick up some healing strikes for emergencies, and maybe an extra copy of the save replacers in case you get hit by two saves in a row.

With M9, add countercharge to your warblade set, and advance your school of choice.

Now you cannot be charged, resist almost any save effect, and can resist touch attacks with your massive bab. When you hit, you are going to deal tons of damage (100+) with your 2X concentration check.

[Nightraiderx]

It wholly depends on what level this is starting at and what type of build you want with it. AoO? Pure offensive power?

if you are going for the full 20 I can suggest dips that will be favorable to your build.

Monk for improved unarmed strike- there is also unearthed arcana variants for dodge as a bonus feat I think I am afb on it.
Rokugan ninja for free dodge feat and an extra 1d6 SA
Fighter for blind fight
Clerics also have some domains that grant blind fight and improved initiative.

A nice dip actually would be an ordained champ after a cloister cleric dip for two levels and 1 loss of bab you can turn all domain powers into bonus fighter feats, it would free up quite a bit for this build.

Two stances I think are best in your situation:
Assassin's Stance and Thicket of Blades.


edit: If you invest in twf and two weapon fighting you can grab double hit which lets you attack with both weapons in an AoO, if you take snap kick and change it's focus with warblade aptitude, you can net three attacks in an AoO attempt (snap kick activates any time you attack with two of the same weapon)

[Adverb]

Well, for starters, you can't take six levels of Master of Nine. There are only five levels. Also, the earliest you can take it is with your eighth level, since you need to already have 10 skill ranks before you take it.

What level are you playing at? It looks like you're starting 13. If so, how badly do you want to start game as a full-bore Mo9? If you go up to Wrb 9 before entering Mo9, you essentially free up a feat slot. (Mo9 is kind of funny in that you generally want to take it as late in your build as you possibly can, but if you're in a campaign you probably want those juicy powers ASAP.)

If you're riding off of a Warblade chassis, you should decide if you want to be a Stormguard Warrior or not. It's a tactical feat that's a big enough deal that builds wrap around it. If yes, Ironheart Aura is required for Stormguard Warrior and is a Wrb bonus feat, which is worth thinking about.

If you're getting your sixth school by taking a level of Cru, consider taking another level of something that's neither Wrb nor Mo9 in there somewhere. Cru2 gets you another stance (nice) and +Cha to Will (probably meh for you). SwSa1 costs you a point of BAB, but gets you a whole other selection of maneuvers from schools you didn't have access to, which means that you can jump right in to the stuff you really want in any school with your Mo9 levels. Also two good saves and some spare skill points, but mostly the ability to walk into a fight with an ungodly number of maneuvers readied/granted, including every counter you want. (Wrb 9/SwSa1/Cru1/Mo91 starts an encounter with 14 maneuvers readied, though a couple of those are ungranted Crusader maneuvers.) If your DM is a believer in the Unarmed Swordsage variant, SwSa 1 also gives you a feat you need. If your DM isn't a believer in such, consider taking SwSa2 instead of Cru1/X1 for Wis to AC for that "I have mastered the ways of the ancients and my wisdom gives me power" kind of feel.

Folks ask a good question, though - what do you want to be doing with this? Do you just want a giant pile of maneuvers, or what? That is usually what I want, and AFAICT what most people who go Mo9 are interested in, but you haven't said much about what you want.

[Nightraiderx]

And you are also getting into Mo9 pretty early on,
which means to finish out your build and have 9th level manuevers need to hold till the end of your build, or grab prestiege classes that advance the prestiege after. I wonder how Legacy champion would affect Mo9 and if you'd still get the alternating manuever/stance progression. which flavor wise would be cool with one of the discipline weapons near the back of Tome of Battle.

[danzibr]

And you are also getting into Mo9 pretty early on,
which means to finish out your build and have 9th level manuevers need to hold till the end of your build, or grab prestiege classes that advance the prestiege after. I wonder how Legacy champion would affect Mo9 and if you'd still get the alternating manuever/stance progression. which flavor wise would be cool with one of the discipline weapons near the back of Tome of Battle.
Agreed. It's best to not take all 5 in a row. Time it so that you can pick up more higher level maneuvers.