personally I would go with the monk variant zen archer, but then it sounds like you are still wanting the spell list
If it's not PFS play, what about asking your DM if you could take regular AA levels despite being no elf? Wouldn't be broken or anything like that .(In my opinion, heroes are exceptional and thus one should not impose that many rules on them. And even if you want elves to have a knack humans don't get, there are still some interesting Kyonin feats that would seperate elven archers from Kyonin from human archers)
When I saw your title, I thought that you were going to take advantage of the recent Pathfinder rule change that removed the racial requirement of Elf or Half-Elf from the Arcane Archer prestige class. Did you know about this change? (Yes, Ksorkrax, Paizo agreed with your line of reasoning.)
Your character's progression could be
ranger 1/sorcerer 6/eldritch knight 2/arcane archer x
or
ranger 4/sorcerer 4/arcane archer 3/eldritch knight x.
Datsi, does your GM allow the archetypes from the APG? The Guide archetype for ranger with its flexible Ranger's Favor replacing Favorite Enemy seems more suitable for your character.
Why not take a second level of Ranger? The skills, BAB, bonus feat, both Ref and Fort bonus, it all adds up to a very good level.
Ask the DM if you could just be a Ranger and use the Wizard spell list in an old edition of D&D that is exactly what they used to have.
The prestige class Arcane Archer no longer has a race requirement (errata to last printing) so think about picking that up instead of EK.
There is a Magus archetype that uses a bow if that is available.
Gravity bow + Deadly Aim + shooting a ton of arrows a round is your friend.
This is a recent build I came up with for a Mage-Assassin, you might like it:
Wizard 4/Rogue 1/Assassin 1/Arcane Trickster 6/Arcane Archer 4/Arcane Trickster 4
Your BAB won't be as high with this build, but you'll have 3 attacks and a ton of Sneak Attack damage. You could also go Preferred Spell(True Strike) with your Imbue Arrow if you're missing a lot.
Another build I suggest is Sorcerer(Boreal)/Monk(Zen Archer)/Arcane Archer/Eldritch Knight.
All your spells and everything is based on Wisdom, so your AC and Attack Bonus will be through the roof.
Use Eldritch Knight instead of Arcane Archer. It's just plain better, IMO. More caster progression and still full BAB. AA's unique class features are pretty easy to do without.
I spam this build in every thread like this, so might as well include yours...
Fighter (Lore Warden) 1/Wizard (Transmuter) 5/Eldritch Knight 10/Arcane Archer 4
You can find the Lore Warden archetype on PFSRD, but if it's not allowed in your campaign it's no big worry, it really only just gets you a couple extra skill points at first level.
I'd go Wizard over Sorc, as there are lots of different buff spells you're going to want. The key to an Eldritch Archer is that they are damage hoses in combat and super-versatile out of combat because of their spells and skills. You lose the versatility of both by going Sorcerer. Int base gets you more skills, while the Wizard gets higher level spells faster as well as the chance to really diversify in spell choice.
(Do you really want one of your few spells known at 2nd level to be Darkvision? Or would you rather just mem it once per day? Same with Overland Flight, teleport, etc. later on)
You're missing Constitution in your listed ability scores, btw. But just get a 14 in Int, highest in Dex, 14 in Str, and then pick with Wisdom and Con. Charisma is the least priority for the build I propose.
While this build is a bit more "optimised" than you were going for, it's also much better at what you claim you want to do (damage in combat through arrows an versatility out of combat).
As for blasting, it's really sub-par considering how much damage you do as an Archer style character already. Honestly, unless you are fighting a horde of really low level stuff, you're almost always going to be better off just unleashing a storm of arrows. At tenth level a fireball does 10d6 with a save for half (and might hit team-mates...and your DCs won't be that high), while your arrows may very well be doing 5d6+static modifiers apiece, with 5 attacks (4 at highest BAB bonus).
Featwise (with the build I outlined above, but if you stick with ranger/sorc you can still get some good ideas):
* = bonus feat from class or race
1 - Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot*, Weapon Focus*
2 - Scribe Scroll*
3 - Rapid Shot
5 - Arcane Strike
6 - Craft Wondrous Item OR Craft Magic Arms and Armor* (whichever one is most useful to your group...remember you can probably take your Bow as your bonded object as a wizard and enchant it at half price, too)
7 - Deadly Aim, Improved Initiative*
9 - Manyshot
11 - Weapon Specialization, 2nd Crafting Feat (if you want more crafting earlier on, take Improved Initiative here and your second crafting feat at 7).
13 - Greater Weapon Focus
15 - Improved Precise Shot*, Quicken Spell
17 - XXXXX
19 - XXXXX
That's how I normally do it.
Edit: If traits are used (which I hope they are!) you'll want Magical Knack and one that gets you +2 to Initiative (Reactionary or take adopted[elf] and grab warrior of old). Magical Knack makes a big difference in these kinds of builds, actually.
remember you can probably take your Bow as your bonded object as a wizard and enchant it at half price, too
Not a good idea. As a two-handed weapon a character would need to use both hands in order to wield it, leaving no hands available for spellcasting. I'd recommend selecting something else for a bonded item (ring is my favorite choice in this case), take Craft Magic Arms and Armor, and craft your own bow and ammunition.
Eldrich knight isn't really intended for rangers or sorcerers. The class is really designed to support fighter/wizard multiclass characters and several of its class abilities will be limited without such a class combination. I would recommend you rethink your build with AA in mind.
If it's not PFS play, what about asking your DM if you could take regular AA levels despite being no elf?
Actually, being an elf is no longer a prerequisite for the class.
remember you can probably take your Bow as your bonded object as a wizard and enchant it at half price, tooNot a good idea. As a two-handed weapon a character would need to use both hands in order to wield it, leaving no hands available for spellcasting. I'd recommend selecting something else for a bonded item (ring is my favorite choice in this case), take Craft Magic Arms and Armor, and craft your own bow and ammunition.
Eldrich knight isn't really intended for rangers or sorcerers. The class is really designed to support fighter/wizard multiclass characters and several of its class abilities will be limited without such a class combination. I would recommend you rethink your build with AA in mind.
The bow thing is why I said "probably" as there is a lot to debate there. A bow isn't actually a two handed weapon, or you wouldn't be able to draw ammunition, for instance. To fire a bow may require two hands, but wielding it requires only one, for very obvious reasons. Note that the line after it says "wield" in the bonded object description it then says simply "have the item in hand". It's honestly going to come down to how your DM sees it, but I haven't ever met one that is a big enough D to parse words on the Bow as bonded object, especially when you can hold a staff and be just fine.
@Datsi: I'd recommend just going full Ranger. They get to be very good archers on their own, and with skills and limited spellcasting you're still going to be fairly versatile and useful. Also, Instant Enemy is where it's at as a 3rd level Ranger spell. Just make scrolls/get pearls of power and rock that thing as soon as you can. You also get Gravity Bow.
If you really want to go AA, I'd actually suggest Ranger 6/Sorc 2/AA 4/EK 8. It's 12 levels of Casting and only 1 BAB lost. You'll be able to do some stuff that you want, and there's really no point along the road where you'll suck (as opposed to a few levels in ranger then a bunch in Sorc, where you'll just be a crappy archer AND crappy caster).
The bow thing is why I said "probably" as there is a lot to debate there. A bow isn't actually a two handed weapon, or you wouldn't be able to draw ammunition, for instance. To fire a bow may require two hands, but wielding it requires only one, for very obvious reasons. Note that the line after it says "wield" in the bonded object description it then says simply "have the item in hand". It's honestly going to come down to how your DM sees it, but I haven't ever met one that is a big enough D to parse words on the Bow as bonded object, especially when you can hold a staff and be just fine.
I'm pretty sure it was officially clarified some time ago; if the weapon requires two hands to use it, the weapon requires two hands to "wield" it, and a character must wield a bonded weapon to avoid the possibility of losing the spell.
Link by any chance? I believe you with some of the "clarifications" I've seen on here, I'd just like to see if it was specifically about bows or greatswords.
As I've said, it's an ask your DM, thing. I've never seen a DM object to a character flourishing a three pound object in one hand. It seems illogical to suggest that in order to cast a spell with a bow in hand, you would need to be pulling the bowstring back...A greatsword or spear I can understand (though taking a hand off it to cast seems easy enough, but I'm not going to argue how ridiculous the rule itself is).
Meh. Either way. It's not essential to make the bow the bonded object. Make it a ring, and that way when you grab craft wondrous items and craft arms and armor you'll also be able to make a ring at half price. Additional bonus points for your bonded object being way less sunderable/stealable/disarmable. Rings are important to this build, too. You need to have a ring of counterspelling loaded with dispel magic/greater dispel magic to keep your buffs from poofing under duress.
Bonding your Bow (legal or not) may be great flavor, but I'm not sure I would ever do it. Weapons are usually the first thing confiscated whenever you're captured or meeting someone important. A ring or amulet? Not so much, plus it'd be pretty easy to argue against someone taking your "family heirloom" ;)
Link by any chance? I believe you with some of the "clarifications" I've seen on here, I'd just like to see if it was specifically about bows or greatswords.
I'll have to do some searching. It was some time ago that I found the post, and though I can't recall the details I'm pretty sure it did apply to bows equally; I found it when I was planning out my own archery-based Fighter/Wizard/Eldritch Knight, and I remember the clarification being the reason why I didn't go with a weapon bond.
I'm not a huge fan of the clarification myself; I've always liked the idea of wizards with two-handed weapons. There's significant precedence for it, both in the fantasy genre in general and the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting. These wizards' personalities were defined significantly by their weapon, and it makes no sense to me that they wouldn't be very suitable for such a basic class feature. It is a GM decision, but the official rulings on such things still carry a lot of weight.
To touch on an earlier point bows are defined as two-handed weapons by the general rules for weapons, specifically those for projectile weapons, and their item descriptions. This leads to the clarification from James Jacobs in 2010. I've quoted part of his initial post below, and additional clarifications can be found in the thread itself (link):
An arcane bonded weapon must be wielded in order for it to have effect. This, unfortunately, does mean that two-handed weapons make for relatively poor bonded objects, since they'd limit your spellcasting to things without somatic components. Carrying a 2-handed weapon in one hand isn't "wielding" it... you're just carrying it. You have to have both hands to cast spells with a two-handed weapon bonded object.
Hello, A first time pathfinder player here, but I have some experience on 3.5. For our campaign I want my character to be a spellcaster-archer. ATM he is a Ranger1 with ... feats point-blank and precise shot.
The thing is, that he already exists and has existed for three sessions so no starting over as fighter and those stat scores are to stay.
I don't remember his exact con score but the bonus was +2, with that wis it's not too useful to be a wizard anymore. Is there any way to make this work as a ranger/sorc/whatever or should I just go full ranger or something?
I didn't know that Arcane Archer is available to humans, so that is a really good option.
I played D&D Third Edition from its beginning and multiclassing in D&D 3.0 and 3.5 has a different dynamic than multiclassing in Pathfinder. Let me explain the difference so that you can make a more informed decision about your character's destiny.
In D&D 3.5 going up in a single class gave a strong feeling of becoming better in a narrow specialization and that to break out into a well-rounded character or a unique character one had to multiclass, especially to a Favored Class or a Prestige Class to avoid multiclassing experience penalties. One of my favorite 3.0 characters was a cleric archer. Rather than making the party nervous by endangering their only healer on the front line, I made a Dex 18 elf cleric and gave him archery feats. It turned out that everyone in the party either had high Dex or had Hide and Move Silently as class skills, so the party became very stealthy, regularly sneaking into the enemy strongholds undetected. Unfortunately, at higher levels my cleric, with ony 5 skill points from class and intelligence and with Hide and Move Silently being cross-class for him, was falling behind on the stealthy skills. Fortunately, my cleric was an elf. I took one level of wizard (favored class for elves so no penalty) to gain arcane spells and then switched over to arcane archer, which received 2 more skill points than a cleric and had Hide and Move Silently as class skills. My original concept of a cleric archer had grown from gameplay into a new concept of a sneaky cleric and I needed to multiclass to keep the concept workable. It was also fun imbuing arrows with divine spells.
Pathfinder does not narrow characters like that. It offers more feats, moved some class skills to feats, consolidated skills, and does not penalize cross-class skills. Archetypes offer different interpretations of every class. Thus, a character can practice more skills and abilities that are not the stereotypical progression of his or her class. My cleric archer could have remained a full cleric in Pathfinder.
In Pathfinder, there is no multiclass experience penalty. Losing a Favored Class bonus is the only explicit drawback of multiclassing. However, there is a hidden drawback. Pathfinder had fixed a hidden flaw in D&D that growth was only linear. In Pathfinder, a character improves in hit points and BAB linearly and gains an occasional new ability with levels, yet also the old abilities grew in power and versatility too. The characters are exponential: every two levels the character becomes twice as powerful. The hidden drawback of multiclassing is that those old abilities stop improving. Consider the sorcerer as an example. The D&D sorcerer and the Pathfinder sorcerer gain the same BAB, saves, and spells. But the Pathfinder sorcerer also gains a bloodline power at 1st level. At third level, the bloodline gives the sorcerer another power and an extra spell. At 5th level another bloodline spell. At 7th level a bloodline spell and a bloodline feat. The bloodline keeps paying off as long as the character keeps taking levels in sorcerer. But if the sorcerer switches over to Eldritch Knight or Arcane Archer, the bloodline stops offering new benefits.
In D&D 3.5 characters multiclassed to get out of a rut that trapped them in a weakness. In Pathfinder, the rut has been paved to become a road to power. Multiclassing in Pathfinder is to create a particular character concept, such as spellcaster archer, not to create a workable character.
And you don't need Prestige Classes to multiclass. Take Arcane Archer only if you like Imbue Arrows and similar abilities. Take Eldritch Knight only if you want to keep both BAB and spellcasting in tiptop shape at the expense of everything else. Otherwise, multiclass by simply taking two core classes.
You want a spellcaster archer and started first level as a ranger. If you are patient, you could wait until your ranger reached 4th level and developed spellcasting on his own. The ranger spells in the APG are pretty good, unlike the watered-down druid spells that the ranger could cast in D&D 3.5 and that were carried over to the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. Alas, the spellcasting of a ranger is still meager, because a ranger can cast very few spells each day. A spellcaster ranger would be buying scrolls, wands, and pearls of power in order to cast a reasonable number of spells each day. The Spirit Ranger archetype gives one extra spell per day.
If you are not patient and are not satisfied with a meager number of spells, then your character multiclasses at second level. I think that a spellcaster archer would be interested in Cat's Grace (alchemist 2, bard 2, druid 2, magus 2, ranger 2, sorcerer/wizard 2, summoner 2), so let's consider bard, druid, sorcerer, and wizard as the spellcasting classes.
Bard
Pro: The Inspire Courage bardic performance compensates for the +0 BAB at first level, and the bard does not lag in BAB again until 5th level. Bards cast off of Charisma, one of your character's strongest stats. The bard earns 6 skill ranks per level, the same as a ranger, so your character won't fall behind in skills. This combination has dozens of class skills that benefit off the character's good rolls.
Con: Bards are only secondary spellcasters, so they gain a new level of spells only once every three levels. Given the multiclassing, your character would wait forever to learn a third-level spell. As arcane casters, armor gives them a chance of spell failure and they don't know Mage Armor to compensate. As spontaneous arcane casters, they learn few spells at the levels your character can cast.
Druid
Pro: The only divine spellcaster on the list and, thus, the only one that has no spell failure while wearing non-metallic armor. The druid is a primary spellcaster. The Aspect of Falcon spell can sometimes compensate for the +0 BAB at first level, and the druid does not lag in BAB again until 5th level. Ordinarily multiclassing significantly hurts a druid's animal companion, but once the ranger receives Hunter's Bond the ranger levels stack with the druid levels. The druid's wildshape abilities will make the ranger a better scout than ever. The ranger's Natural Weapons combat style combines nicely with wildshape or the ranger's Mounted Combat combines nicely with a mount as an animal companion.
Con: The druid does not qualify for Eldritch Knight nor Arcane Archer.
Sorcerer
Pro: Sorcerers are a primary spellcaster. They cast off of Charisma, one of your character's strongest stats. The Abyssal and Draconic bloodline give claws, which combine well with the ranger's Natural Weapons combat style.
Con: 1/2 BAB progression hurts the archery. Armor gives them a chance of spell failure, though Mage Armor can let them chose to go without armor. As spontaneous arcane casters, they learn few spells at the levels your character can cast.
Wizard
Pro: Wizards are primary spellcasters and the fastest route to Eldritch Knight. Wizards can boost the Spellcraft skill with the ranger's skill ranks and study new spells even while leveling up as rangers.
Con: 1/2 BAB progression hurts the archery. Armor gives them a chance of spell failure, though Mage Armor can let them chose to go without armor. Wizards cast off of Intelligence, your character's worst stat, though 13 isn't bad.
I think I'm gonna stay with the sorcerer and go ranger4/sorc4/Arcane Archer 4/EK8
What order should I go through? I was thinking first ranger2 and then sorc1 for a fast arcane strike so it doesn't hurt my BAB, but what then? two levels in ranger and then four in sorc or a mix of both?
Also, what spells should I invest in, for example should I invest in Gravity bow on Sorc spell list or will 1 cast per day from the ranger list be enough?
I think I want to have Gust of wind and Hydraulic push, but what else? Magic missile worth it? I get burning hands from the Elemental bloodline, so should I go sorc5 to get Scorching ray for free?
Magic missle? Your character wields one of the most deadly weapons in the game, the longbow, and has worked hard to increase and maintain his prowess with it, and he is considering casting first-level attack spells instead of using the longbow?
Don't take a spell that does close to what your character's bow does. A sorcerer learns only two spells at first level and does not learn another one until third level. Redundancy is not a good strategy. Pick spells that either enhance the character's longbow, such as Gravity Bow, or do something entirely different from targetted ranged attacks. If you want attack spells, consider short-range area of effect attacks, because those will combine well with the arcane archer's Imbue Arrows ability.
That is why I am curious about sticking with the Elemental Bloodline. The first-level bloodline power is
Elemental Ray (Sp): Starting at 1st level, you can unleash an elemental ray as a standard action, targeting any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This ray deals 1d6 points of damage of your energy type + 1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
The ray is different from an arrow, for example it hits touch AC and cannot benefit from Rapid Shot, but it is still very similar. Your character gains little from it. The third-level bloodline power, energy resistance, is circumstantial. Only the third-level bloodline spells aids your arcane archer concept, because Burning Hands is an area of effect spell.
I mentioned in a previous comment that Abyssal and Draconic bloodlines give claws, though their third-level abilities are nothing special. Being able to switch from archery to melee as a free action is usually worth taking the Quick Draw feat. The sorcerer who can grow claws or fangs as a free action essentially has Quick Draw. And the sorcerer does not have to worry about resheathing his weapon later in order to switch back to his bow. That allows Rapid Shot full-attack actions the round after he vanquished the enemy who got too close for comfort.
The melee touch attacks from Fey, Infernal, and Undead bloodlines have a similar use. From the Advanced Players Guide, Aquatic gives a Dehydrating melee touch attack at first level and a Swim speed and the Hydraulic Push spell at third. Serpentine gives Diplomacy as a class skill and fangs for melee. Shadow gives a Shadowstrike melee touch attack at first level and darkvision at third.
At second level, your ranger will be wearing a chain shirt for +4 armor. At third level, that chain shirt would give a 20% chance of spell failure. Is he going to keep wearing the shirt, let his Armor Class drop by 4, or start casting Mage Armor? He won't be able to avoid melee combat, because he is not a vulnerable 100% spellcaster that the other characters will protect. They know he can fight. The ranger/sorcerer does not have to learn Mage Armor. At third level he could afford a wand of Mage Armor. However, if the party has other low-armor characters like a rogue or a monk, then he should learn Mage Armor, share the spell, and make friends.
What order should I go through? I was thinking first ranger2 and then sorc1 for a fast arcane strike so it doesn't hurt my BAB, but what then? two levels in ranger and then four in sorc or a mix of both?
Arcane Strike adds +1 to damage but does not add anything to attack rolls. Nevertheless, it is making up for the +0 to BAB from first-level sorcerer, because you are taking it instead of Deadly Aim, which gives +2 to damage but -1 to attack rolls.
If you really hate losing the bonus to attack rolls, take Weapon Focus. You have only three unchosen level-based feats before starting arcane archer at 9th level, so one of them has to be Weapon Focus in longbow or shortbow. If you decide on a horse for a ranger animal companion, your character might specialize in shortbow. Otherwise, go with longbow.
No need to plan the order of the levels that far in advance. Planning ahead four or more levels is useful for picking bloodlines, archetypes, and prestige classes, but once you have those planned out you can go with the needs of the moment. Planning feats is difficult, too, because archery is feat-hungry. Check out Treantmonk's Guide to Rangers in Pathfinder for advice on feats. One non-archery feat to consider for later is Arcane Armor Training, so that your character could wear a mithral shirt.
You could plan a budget. A first-level ranger starts with 175 gp, and I presume you spent 100 gp of it on a composite longbow to apply your ranger's strength to archery. So he could afford only 25 gp for studded leather armor. That gives him AC 16. By second level, he should have the money to purchase a chain shirt to reach AC 17 or even a breastplate for AC 19 if the party does not mind a walking speed of 20ft per move action. And 400 gp for a masterwork composite longbow.
By third level, your ranger/sorcerer will want to upgrade his weapon again, but he spent 750 gp on a wand of Mage Armor, so scrapping up the 2100 gp for a +1 composite longbow will be difficult. Maybe halfway through third level he can afford it. The +1 on the bow will become useless once your character gains Enhance Arrows as an arcane archer, but he will have moved on to a different bow by then.
Why not go straight Bard (arcane duelist)? The arcane duelist, due to his misleading name, is often overlooked when thinking about an archery build, but everything he gets is compatible with archery.
Bladethirst on a bow is quite fun: (An arcane duelist of 6th level or higher may use performance to grant one weapon, one natural weapon, one end of a double weapon, or 50 items of ammunition of the same type within 30 feet a +1 enhancement bonus. This enhancement bonus increases by +1 for every three levels after 6th (maximum +5 at 18th level). These bonuses stack with existing bonuses and may be used to increase the item's enhancement bonus up to +5 or to add any of the following weapon properties: defending, distance, ghost touch, keen, mighty cleaving, returning, shock, shocking burst, seeking, speed, or wounding. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before adding special abilities. This performance replaces suggestion.)
You can the get into arcane archer of eldritch knight if you so coose, by myself would stick with the pure bard.
Why not go straight Bard (arcane duelist)? The arcane duelist, due to his misleading name, is often overlooked when thinking about an archery build, but everything he gets is compatible with archery.
Bladethirst on a bow is quite fun: (An arcane duelist of 6th level or higher may use performance to grant one weapon, one natural weapon, one end of a double weapon, or 50 items of ammunition of the same type within 30 feet a +1 enhancement bonus. This enhancement bonus increases by +1 for every three levels after 6th (maximum +5 at 18th level). These bonuses stack with existing bonuses and may be used to increase the item's enhancement bonus up to +5 or to add any of the following weapon properties: defending, distance, ghost touch, keen, mighty cleaving, returning, shock, shocking burst, seeking, speed, or wounding. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before adding special abilities. This performance replaces suggestion.)
You can the get into arcane archer of eldritch knight if you so coose, by myself would stick with the pure bard.
I had mentioned bard in my lengthy Thursday 9:12am post (my internet-savvy daughter says that "wall of text" is my writing style), but seeing CunningMongoose's notion, I see I did not give the bard proper justice. The bard gains third-level spells only one level later than sorcerer and the fact that the bard has 3/4 BAB progression instead of 1/2 BAB progression means that we can use more levels of bard and get those spells sooner. I blame my bias against using secondary spellcasters for the "+1 level of existing spellcasting class" ability in Arcane Archer and Eldritch Knight.
Let's compare.
Original Plan
1st level: Ranger 1, Favored Enemy 1, feats Point-Blank Shot and Precise Shot, BAB +1
2nd level: Ranger 2, gain Rapid Shot from Archery combat style, BAB +2
3rd level: Sorcerer 1, Ist-level sorcerer spells, Eschew Materials, Bloodline power, feat Arcane Strike, BAB +2
4th level: Sorcerer 2, BAB +3
5th level: Sorcerer 3, Bloodline power, Bloodline spell, feat Weapon Focus(longbow), BAB +3
6th level: Sorcerer 4, 2nd-level sorcerer spells, BAB +4
7th level: Ranger 3, Endurance, 1st favored terrain, feat Arcane Armor Training, BAB +5
8th level: Ranger 4, 1st-level ranger spells, Hunter's Bond, BAB +6/+1
Arcane Duelist Bard
1st level: Ranger 1, Favored Enemy 1, feats Point-Blank Shot and Precise Shot, BAB +1
2nd level AD Bard 1, 1st-level bard spells, Arcane Strike, Bardic performance(rallying cry, distraction, fascinate, inspire courage +1), BAB +1
3rd level: AD Bard 2, Combat Casting, feat Rapid Shot, BAB +2
4th level: AD Bard 3, Bardic performance(inspire competence +2), BAB +3
5th level: AD Bard 4, 2nd-level bard spells, feat Weapon Focus(longbow), BAB +4
6th level: AD Bard 5, Lore Master, Bardic performance(inspire courage +2), BAB +4
7th level: AD Bard 6, Disruptive, Bardic performance(bladethirst), feat Arcane Armor Training, BAB +5
8th level: AD Bard 7, 3rd-level bard spells, Bardic performance (inspire competence +3), Start bardic performance as move action, BAB +6/+1
Same hit points and BAB at eighth level. The ranger/sorcerer has a better fortitude save, the ranger/bard has a better reflex save. The bard has many more skill ranks. The sorcerer and ranger spells are more combat-oriented, but the bard spells are higher level.
The main difference is that for the ranger/sorcerer to stick to the concept of spellcasting archer, it needs to switch to a unifying prestige class such as arcane archer. The arcane duelist bard may continue as bard or switch to arcane archer.
The campaign uses the whole CRB and feats, spells and equipment from APG. Magic items aren't going to be sold anywhere but they can be crafted so I might want to get some crafting feats?
The ranger/bard would have more caster levels, so that path would be better for crafting magic items. The ranger/bard could take Craft Wondrous Items at fifth level. He could take Craft Magic Arms and Armor at seventh level. Wizards are best at crafting, since they can learn all the prerequisite spells. Spellcasters who don't know the spells take a +5 to DC on the Spellcraft check to successfully craft wondrous items, magic weapons, and magic armor. Making potions and wands requires the spells.
He's probably not going to go with Bard for the simple reason he's already played this character for a few sessions and can't start over. But yes, Bards do make decent archers.
Edit: As for progression, get Manyshot at 9th level. It's the earliest you'll be able to, as far as I can figure it, with your build. It's a big deal. Other than that, just take things as they become available and you should be fine. Use the first level of Eldritch Knight to splash the free feat on a level where you really want something that just became available.