Battle Oracle advice

Question

We are wrapping up our campaign and the GM is going to run another game, which has us all talking about what our new characters will be. After both my character and his cohort took single level dips into the class, I wanted to create a pure Oracle. Human for the rediculous favored class option, with the Deaf/Tongues dual curse and Battle mystery to utilize the Surprising Charge + Silence counterspell combo. Also, silent swordswomen are really frigging cool.

My questions:

1) I'll probably be using the Combat Maneuver revelation from 7th level on. I had been thinking about the Dirty Trick maneuver for its versatility and the fact that it will probably never go stale. But if you're using a CMB a lot, you'll really want a weapon that grants a bonus to it, and a weapon that grants a bonus to Dirty Trick doesn't exist. Then of course, there's the Improved Crit and final revelation to consider when choosing a weapon... So. What combat maneuver and weapon should I choose?

2) I'll be taking Eldritch Heritage for the Arcane bloodline, for the automatic quicken spells and the 3 Wizard spells to be added to the spell list. The first ability you get from that chain is Arcane Bond. I know that, in a vacuum, getting the familiar is almost always the right way to go, but since I'll always be using one weapon, the ability to bypass Craft Magic Arms and Armor could be huge... Is there reason enough to actually get an arcane bond instead of a familiar?

I'm restricted to the PRD (not d20pfsrd). Finding Haleen would have been a wonderful option for the character, but alas...

Answer 1

Tackling question #2. Eldritch Heritage is a really tantalizing, but tricky Feat. First, I'm concerned that you might be expecting more from it than is really there. You have to wait until you are L3 (and your effective Sorc level is Oracle - 2) to get the L1 power. You have to have Skill Focus in the skill granted by the bloodline, but you don't get that skill granted as a class skill if it isn't already. You won't qualify for quickening or extra wizard spells directly from this feat - although, if you play long enough and spend your feats right, you can get one of your other desired powers at L11, and the other at L13 (using Improved Eldritch Heritage. That's a long time to wait for the really stellar parts of this chain.

That said, of course the choice of familiar or bonded object is up to you. An object is less independent and so is a little harder to kill. It will allow you an extra cast of a spell of your choice from your spell list. Personally, I'd pick a ring or necklace because they're closer to the body and thus harder to drop or injure, but YMMV. A familiar, on the other hand, gives you a fixed specific bonus, plus (when nearby) +2 on Perception and Sense Motive (both really awesome). It can also be used to attack or deliver touch spells, although that would expose it to the risk of injury or death. So all will depend on your personal preferences and game style. :)

Good luck! I hope this helps!