VMC and the Ghoul Bloodline

[Morrison]

I was looking at eldritch bloodline VMCs for another build and I noticed that the Ghoul bloodline gets some really cool melee powers and looks like it would make a great VMC, especially with those vicious claws, so I thought I'd come up with a build based around that. What would be the ideal class to get into this VMC? Brawler? Monk? Regular old Fighter?

[Psyren]

VMC Sorcerer is an odd one because you can get most of the same abilities via the Eldritch Heritage feat chain. It's a good approach to compare the pros and cons of each before deciding to use VMC.



Feature
VMC Sorcerer
Eldritch Heritage Chain


Feat Cost
Always 4 (5 minus one)
Up to 5, can be as little as 2 if you want fewer abilities


1st level power
Available at 3, costs 1 feat and no Cha
Available at 3, costs 2 feats (Skill Focus + EH) and 13 Cha


3rd level power
Available at 7, costs 2 feats and no Cha
Available at 11, costs 3 feats and 15 Cha (SF + EH + IEH), can be skipped


9th level power
Available at 15, costs 3 feats and no Cha
Available at 11, costs 3 feats and 15 Cha (SF + EH + IEH), can be skipped


15th level power
Available at 19, costs 4 feats and no Cha
Available at 17, costs 4 feats and 17 Cha, can be skipped



The trouble with Ghoul is that it is Cha-dependent - your claws only last 3+Cha rounds per day, which isn't enough for even 1 combat if you dump Cha; you'll want at least 20 Cha after items so you can use them in at least 2 fights (8 rounds total). The paralysis effect on the claws also wants high Cha for the fort save. Finally, the 9th-level power (Ravenous Frenzy) is also weak - haste effects are easy to come by and the bleed damage is miniscule and doesn't stack. Earth Crawler is a nice ability (burrow and healing), and GEH gets it to you sooner (17 rather than 19.)

So since you want a high Cha to use your claws effectively anyway, EH might be the better option for this particular bloodline than VMC.

Given the Cha dependency and the nature of the bloodline (claws, paralysis, natural armor, burrowing, and Stealth) I would go with Ninja or Rogue, and use SF (Stealth) + EH (Claws) + IEH (Leathery Skin) + GEH (Burrrow) to pick up this bloodline instead of VMC. These classes also want SF (Stealth) anyway for abilities like Hellcat Stealth or Dampen Presence.

[Morrison]

What about Monk as just a one-level dip, then? If I have a finite number of rounds in which I can manifest my hideous claws, Flurry of Blows would really help to maximize when I can do in those rounds.

[Psyren]

What about Monk as just a one-level dip, then? If I have a finite number of rounds in which I can manifest my hideous claws, Flurry of Blows would really help to maximize when I can do in those rounds.

That won't work - or at least, not in the way you want it to. Flurry gives a fixed number of attacks - you can't combine it with claws (at least, not without Feral Combat Training), and even if you do, the claws won't give you any additional attacks beyond what punching and kicking would have done. In short, you get pretty much nothing from using your claws in a flurry, and it costs you several feats to do too.

If you do want to fight unarmed with the Ghoul bloodline, I suggest doing it with Ninja rather than monk. The high Charisma you'll need also gives you ki, and a TWF full attack without flurry will let you add on the claws as secondary natural weapons. You will only do 0.5 Str damage with them, but Agile and sneak attack will make up the difference.