So, we all know Eldritch Heritage is an extremely cheesy feat and can make for some fun. But I know, especially for people who are not fluent in sorcerers, that the choices can be over-whelming. So I was thinking, why not make a thread discussion which builds (like, fighter archer or Barb 2 hander, ect.) can actually make use of Eldritch Heritage without costing them too much and which bloodlines are most useful for that build?
For any face, EH: Rakshasa is incredible. You need SF: Disguise, which isn't great, but is handy for a face, but otherwise you're getting +5 to your Bluff checks and can even sometimes beat truth-forcing magic. Eventually, once you reach 11th level, being able to just have non-detection is very useful for any spy-type.
The only real drawback to the Eldritch heritage line is the CHA reqs. So, classes that already use CHA extensively pay the least.
So: Paladin, Ninja, Bard, Summoner, Sorcerer, Oracle, Cleric.
Out of these, a THF paladin with either Orc or Abyssal seems like an obvious choice, as well as being really flavorful (using the powers of your dark past to do good).
EH: Fey is good at the higher levels for a manipulator caster. Although the Laughing Touch isn't that much, the line pays off with Fleeting Glance (free greater invis when you need it) and Fey Magic (reroll failed spell resistance checks). Recommended for Sorcerers and Oracles.
Anyone who chooses EH: Arcane can have a familiar. This means that you can have an Improved Familiar.
Abyssal bloodline is a boon to any Barbarian, both for the claws and the inherent bonus to Strength; although the Skill Focus feat tax is quite lame. What barbarian is ever going to use knowledge planes?
Shadow bloodline is useful for any character who relies upon staying unseen, particularly rogues and bards. You should have already skill focus Stealth, and the effective Hide in Plain Sight + Dimension Door is great fun.
Honestly, whenever I take the feat, I do it more for fluff than anything else.
The thing we also need to remember though, is that EH is pretty heaft feat wise (requires 3 feats usually to get an ability work anything [arcane being a notable exception]) so if a build is rather feat intensive (like archers or dual wielders) then EH will be very painful.
Some cool characters I've made using the feats:
Fei Kune (13th-level human war hero) - an attempt at a balanced half-dragon concept
Raven King, The (18th-level human shadow herald) - mutant king of shadowfolk
Taur Thelyn (13th-level human forest warden) - marshal protector of the ancient forests
Eldrictch Heritage Orc is the best one for a melee Barbarian/Paladin IMO. Free Scaling bonus to Strength, along with an Improved Enlarge Person and [with the right trait] an ability to add 1/2 level to attack rolls.
I think it's also an excellent one for Monks, if you can spare the CHA to start with 11, and buy items. Big plus to hit across a lot of attacks can make a huge difference for them.
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Eldrictch Heritage Orc is the best one for a melee Barbarian/Paladin IMO. Free Scaling bonus to Strength, along with an Improved Enlarge Person and [with the right trait] an ability to add 1/2 level to attack rolls.I think it's also an excellent one for Monks, if you can spare the CHA to start with 11, and buy items. Big plus to hit across a lot of attacks can make a huge difference for them.
The problem is monks on a point buy can't spare the CHA unless they either tank AC or go DEX based and then there isn't as much need for the STR from the Orc/Abyssal bloodline.
Moving on, if your GM allows Wildblooded bloodlines to be taken with EH, Pit-Touched is mandatory if you are a Scarred With Doctor.
Ok, yeah, on a 20 pt buy it's hard to justify. On 25 you can afford it though.
And even if you have to have a lower STR on a 20 pt buy, it could be worth it to get that high bonus to hit and free inherent STR. I'll have to run some numbers to see which makes more sense.
Honestly, I don't ever play a monk without rolled stats or a 25 pt buy. Anything else is just asking to suck IMO.
I find that certain classes tend to have the feats for this and others don't. I see it fit into Oracle and Cleric the most often and almost always with the Arcane bloodline to Improved Familiar. I can see a Paladin with a two handed weapon going for a number of bloodlines. I have seen Sorcerers take the chain into Verdant for the powers while selecting something with a more useful arcana for the actual bloodline.