Rogues don't usually have proficiency with Greataxes. Did you take a feat to become proficient with it? In this instance, you're better off taking Quick Draw instead. Spend a Move action to sheath your weapon, and draw your ranged weapon as a free action without needing to move. Most thrown weapons are range 10'. I'd also say your're better off with a crossbow.
Every character should always have a ranged (not-thrown) weapon. Or some sort of at-will magical attacks with an equivalent range.
There will be times when you can't engage the enemy in melee (or don't want to). With no real ranged weapon, you would be sitting that fight out. With a ranged weapon, you can at least contribute some.
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Rogues don't usually have proficiency with Greataxes. Did you take a feat to become proficient with it? In this instance, you're better off taking Quick Draw instead. Spend a Move action to sheath your weapon, and draw your ranged weapon as a free action without needing to move. Most thrown weapons are range 10'. I'd also say your're better off with a crossbow.
I'm assuming Half-Orc for proficiency.
Even if you intend to normally use a thrown weapon as your ranged backup, I still think you should get a bow.
There have been quite a few instances in home games and a few in PFS games where the bad guys were just plain out of range for thrown weapons. Tower, across river, atop cliff, flying, mounted, etc...
Even if I don't want to use it very often, I just go ahead and buy a +1 or MW composite bow rated for my strength (or eventually with the adaptive property if my strength goes up and down a lot due to magic or rage). That way, if it happens I have something I can do other than curse and hide.
1st level, just buy a normal shortbow. (Maybe not with my initial cash, but as soon as I have just a little extra).
2nd or 3rd, level buy a MW composite short or long bow with the proper strength rating.
4th level, +1 enchantment (some things by this level just need magic to hurt).
5th level, adaptive property if needed.
If the party has a dedicated archer, I might delay those by another level. But I still get them. What if he dies or fails a SoS save?
We once had to engage in sniping for a specific mission, and no one's character had used their crossbows, but we all broke them out and took positions when the time came. Silly ogres standing on the walls.
Even if you intend to normally use a thrown weapon as your ranged backup, I still think you should get a bow.
There have been quite a few instances in home games and a few in PFS games where the bad guys were just plain out of range for thrown weapons. Tower, across river, atop cliff, flying, mounted, etc...
Even if I don't want to use it very often, I just go ahead and buy a +1 or MW composite bow rated for my strength (or eventually with the adaptive property if my strength goes up and down a lot due to magic or rage). That way, if it happens I have something I can do other than curse and hide.
1st level, just buy a normal shortbow. (Maybe not with my initial cash, but as soon as I have just a little extra).
2nd or 3rd, level buy a MW composite short or long bow with the proper strength rating.
4th level, +1 enchantment (some things by this level just need magic to hurt).
5th level, adaptive property if needed.If the party has a dedicated archer, I might delay those by another level. But I still get them. What if he dies or fails a SoS save?
The one without, follows him! When the one with the bow gets killed, the one who is following picks up the bow and shoots!
Rogues don't usually have proficiency with Greataxes. Did you take a feat to become proficient with it? In this instance, you're better off taking Quick Draw instead. Spend a Move action to sheath your weapon, and draw your ranged weapon as a free action without needing to move. Most thrown weapons are range 10'. I'd also say your're better off with a crossbow.
He's probably a half-orc.
@Jeraa when does acid splash get up to bow range?
It doesn't. Attack cantrips usually have a range of Close (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels), so you would need to be level 14 before you could even reach the range a shortbow gets as its first increment (60 feet).
But I never said to use cantrips.
Or some sort of at-will magical attacks with an equivalent range.
I don't have all the Pathfinder materials. Its possible somewhere out there is a magical attack power useable at will that has comparable ranges to bows. I personally don't know of any, which is why I didn't list a specific ability.
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A sling is free. A shortbow is 30 gp. That is nothing.
A sling WEIGHS nothing too (it has a - as weight, indicating it is negligible to the point of not being counted)
Slings are free, and weigh nothing. There is no reason not to have one other than the fact that it adds a tiny bit of clutter to your inventory page.
Even if you are a bow using ranger, having a sling as a back up hurts nothing. Having it as a back up to your proper back up hurts nothing.
If you get caught and your equipment stolen, then wearing the sling as a belt or something gives you options, especially since your GM would quite honestly forget it is there.
But yeah, undernormal circumstances, just sticking with spring loaded daggers should cover most of your problems. If something gets 50 feet away in the middle of a battle, then it starts being the archer and mage's job. I would still pick up a non masterwork short bow after a few levels, when the 30 gp seems like the quarter you give to a kid that wants gum from a gumball machine. But for early levels, and as a general plan for most circumstances, the dagger works.
A bow also offers more adaptability than daggers. Magic ammunition is cheaper and durable cold iron/silver arrows are easier to get than having to buy separate daggers for everything.