Does the Shadow Blade feat work with Aptitude weapons?

[SimonMoon6]

The Shadow Blade feat 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."

But maybe I don't want to use one of the discipline's preferred weapons. So, I take the weapon that I do want to use and I give it the Aptitude weapon ability which says, "A wielder who has feats that affect the use of a particular type of weapon such as Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, or the like can apply those benefits to to any weapon that has the aptitude quality."

The example feats are specific to a specific weapon type and the Shadow Blade feat applies to a whole category of weapons. So, does this work? Or are the "discipline's preferred weapons" not "particular" enough?

[Darg]

As written, it does not. Particular weapon "types" are as listed in the weapon table such as greatsword, rapier, club, etc. Weapon references are specific>type>attack. Specific is the weapon the character is currently wielding. A dagger one character is wielding is not the same dagger another is wielding, or what is the point of all the fun enhancements? Type is the category of weapon specific weapons fall under. Attack is simply referencing the type of weapon being used to attack a target. For example, some monsters have greatsword attacks in their stat block.

[Saintheart]

I agree with Darg - preferred weapons are not a type as the WF feats, etc., contemplate them. Sorry, that one doesn't work.

[RNightstalker]

What weapon would you prefer to use? You could always use a Shadow Hand weapon with the Aptitude enhancement so you feats from other weapons would apply.

[SimonMoon6]

What weapon would you prefer to use? You could always use a Shadow Hand weapon with the Aptitude enhancement so you feats from other weapons would apply.

This is totally theoretical for a totally theoretical character in a totally theoretical game.

But... I was thinking about a tiny character using a tiny "elven courtsword" so that he can use a two-handed weapon that allows the use of weapon finesse. With the exotic weapon proficiency, the elven courtsword counts as a greatsword for feats and stuff so that the Weapon Focus (at 1st level of swordsage) for all Stone Dragon weapons (which includes greatsword) would apply as well.

The only comparable Shadow Hand weapon is spiked chain, but... bleah. A lot of the spiked chain benefits (reach and being good at trip) don't really apply to a tiny character (can't get reach from weapons and tiny people get -8 to trip). And "spiked chain" already has a reputation for being super-cheesy (even though that wouldn't be true for this build) and this build does have a lot of borderline cheesy things in it already, so I want to avoid that.

Anyway, I'm actually glad that I wouldn't be able to use Shadow Blade with Aptitude weapons for a couple of reasons: (1) I really don't have feats to spare and (2) the implications would be absurd (like I guess you could put Aptitude on any weapon and then use Weapon Finesse on it... thank goodness you can't do that).

[Saintheart]

This is totally theoretical for a totally theoretical character in a totally theoretical game.

But... I was thinking about a tiny character using a tiny "elven courtsword" so that he can use a two-handed weapon that allows the use of weapon finesse. With the exotic weapon proficiency, the elven courtsword counts as a greatsword for feats and stuff so that the Weapon Focus (at 1st level of swordsage) for all Stone Dragon weapons (which includes greatsword) would apply as well.

The only comparable Shadow Hand weapon is spiked chain, but... bleah. A lot of the spiked chain benefits (reach and being good at trip) don't really apply to a tiny character (can't get reach from weapons and tiny people get -8 to trip). And "spiked chain" already has a reputation for being super-cheesy (even though that wouldn't be true for this build) and this build does have a lot of borderline cheesy things in it already, so I want to avoid that.

Anyway, I'm actually glad that I wouldn't be able to use Shadow Blade with Aptitude weapons for a couple of reasons: (1) I really don't have feats to spare and (2) the implications would be absurd (like I guess you could put Aptitude on any weapon and then use Weapon Finesse on it... thank goodness you can't do that).

By technical RAW that might not have worked anyway because an Elven Courtblade is only considered a greatsword for the feats nominated in its entry, which include Weapon Focus. But Swordsage 1 doesn't give you a Weapon Focus feat. It gives you the benefit of the feat in relation to Stone Dragon weapons, which is not the same thing, at least arguably.

As it is, if you want to use Weapon Finesse on virtually any one-handed weapon in existence, there's a simple way to do it: make it a feycraft weapon. Feycraft weapons are considered light solely for the purposes of Weapon Finesse, which is to say, it is then a weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse. But since it's only considered light for Weapon Finesse, you can then take a feycraft bastard sword (which is a one-handed weapon even if it takes an EWP to wield in one hand), wield the bastard sword in two hands and still pick up x1.5 STR bonus on damage and use it freely with Power Attack. The only drawback is that a feycraft weapon's damage dice is one less than standard: from d10 to d8 in the case of the bastard sword.

So, to take this hilarity further, if you want a weapon that does the damage of an Elven Courtblade, is finessable, but can still be used in two hands for x1.5 Str bonus ... a feycraft Warmace (CWar) does precisely that. Its d12 damage dice drops to d10 as a feycraft weapon, which matches the Elven Courtblade.