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I'm going to put the bulk of this post in spoiler tags because my players sometimes read these boards. Please don't feel that any replies need to be similarly posted.
I want to create a level 2 wererat archer for an upcoming adventure, and I see two options. I'm curious as to everyone's opinions on these two options and which one I should use. I like the flavor of the elf archer's Archer's Mobility and Not so Close abilities because they seem to fit the flavor of a wererat artillery - scurrying around to get a better shot and out of the way of larger opponents.
1. Build from Scratch: Use the DMG rules for building an artillery monster and just give it the Archer's Mobility and Not so Close abilities along with the wererat's Bite and Shapeshift.
2. Transform: Use the elf archer as written, but get rid of Elven Accuracy and Mobility and add Bite and Shapeshift.
Is there even a difference, or will both routes basically lead me to the same destination?
Just as a note, there isn't a substantial elf population in the campaign, so I'd prefer not to just use the elf archer as an elf with the lycanthrope abilities on top of it.
Bonus Question: Any suggestions for an elite ability for a wererat archer?
The wererat in the Monster Manual is a good starting point, since its only level 3. You could port this guy over to the artillery role and build it from scratch, maintaining pretty much all of the wererat's existing abilities.
The big change is to give him a ranged weapon. If you wanted to make him more thematic, you could give him a power like Sniper (if he misses with a ranged attack while hiding, he is still considered to be hiding). If you want him to be more mobile, you could allow him to shift before or after making a ranged attack.
Thats about it for the "base" model. For an elite wererat "archer", I would really just go with the above wererat concept and add the ranger template to it.