ToB Feats ?

[BardicDuelist]

I am currently borrowing a copy of my friends ToB, and our DM said that we can use it for feats but not the classes. He said that we can take the feats which let us gain maneuvers and stances (Martial Study, Martial Stance).

My question is this: It says that you still must meet the prereqs. for the maneuvers. Does this include the class level requirements as well? Those aren't technically listed as prereqs.

Could I learn one Saphire Nightmare Blade with Martial Study, then take Martial Stance and learn Pearl of Black Doubt?

[MeklorIlavator]

For level requirements, your level=1/2 a martial adept class.

Remember, you can't recover maneuvers, so they are once per encounter abilities.

[Ryuuk]

It would depend on your initiator level. You have a minimum of one, but non ToB classes have an initiator level of (Character Level)/2. If you wanted a 3rd level stance for example, you would need a Character level of 10 (Initiator level of 5) to get it, as well as any other maneuver prerequisites.

[BardicDuelist]

So I could take Martial Study at first level and learn Saphire Nightmare Blade, then at 10th level take Martial Stance to learn Pearl of Black Doubt?
Also, I could use Sudden Recovery to get the maneuver back, correct?

Does the bonus from Pearl of Black Doubt stack with that of fighting defensively or combat expertise?

When you use Saphire Nightmare Blade, do you get sneak attack too?

[Hamster_Ninja]

dodge bonuses stack, so Pearl of Black Doubt and Fighting Defensively would stack.
Sudden Recovery could go either way, as Martial Study says they have no recovery method and are 1/encounter, however Sudden Recovery makes no mention of either of those. It'd be up to your DM.

[BardicDuelist]

If I'm a rogue who takes martial study to learn Saphire Nightmare Blade, would I also apply my sneak attack damage since my foe is flat footed?

[The_Snark]

Yup. Assuming the Concentration check succeeded, that is.

[BardicDuelist]

For a rogue, is there an other maneuver that you would recommend to take instead of Saphire Nightmare Blade?

[The_Snark]

Well... not really. Some of the Shadow Hand maneuvers are good for rogues, but not the 1st-level ones. Island of Blades is a nice 1st-level Shadow Hand stance for rogues, but you can only take Martial Stance once, so it might not be worth it.

Oh, Distracting Ember's not bad too. Get flanking for a round.

[deadseashoals]

For a rogue, is there an other maneuver that you would recommend to take instead of Saphire Nightmare Blade?

If you're using TWF, you might want Wolf Fang Strike.

If you weren't planning on it already, tou should also take Martial Stance and pick up Island of Blades, and then take the Shadow Blade feat, as adding your Dex to damage is just too good to pass up, and the easier flanking is never bad.