I want to make a CORE arcane archer/eldritch knight character but do not know what to take for martial (ranger or fighter or paladin) or arcane (sorcerer or wizard). was thinking fighter since eldritch knight levels stack with fighter levels for feats. although ranger and paladin offer some decent versatility but give up fighter feat quals (like wpn spec). figured an elf for the bonuses and comp longbow for the primary weapon. many thanks.
If you want an elf that means wizard over sorcerer. Which also likely means you won't have the charisma to go with paladin; you won't be continuing ranger long enough for the skill points or class features to make a difference, so fighter it is.
(It's certainly possible to make a halfling sorcadin BTW)
If you want Imbue Arrow as quickly as possible without sacrificing casting power (I would) that means
Fighter 1/Wizard 5/EK 3/AA 2, then continue with whichever prestige class you like most.
For feats with the above maybe
1: Point Blank Shot
1F: Precise Shot
1W: Scribe Scroll (or Spell Focus if PFS)
3: Rapid Shot
5: Arcane Strike
7: Craft Magic Arms and Armor (or Extend Spell if PFS?)
7EK: Weapon Focus
9: Manyshot or Snap Shot
11: Quicken Spell
It doesn't look possible to squeeze Weapon Spec in there without losing feats you really, really want. or alternately taking extra levels in fighter which ruins the point of being an arcane archer IMO.
Fighter/Wizard is definitely the way you want to go, especially as an elf. The question becomes do you want to focus more on the 'arcane' part pr the 'archer' part... that'll determine whether you go Fighter 4/Wizard 1 or Wizard 4/Fighter 1.
Archetype-wise I'd recommend Weaponmaster and Transmuter.
He specifies Core. No Warpriest, No Weaponmaster Archetype. Wiggs does make a good point though. I saw an Arcane Archer in 3.5 who pretty much just dropped the archery and focused on casting at mid to high levels. In Core you lack access to Clustered Shots so dealing with DR will be harder.
My build got its martial via a warpriest of Shelyn.
EDIT: spelling
Which, of course, is a wonderful core option, as we all know.
/sarcasm.
Seriously though, the amount of non-core suggestions we see in threads asking for advice on core-only builds is staggering.
Can't people read or something?
Yet they consistently understand the topic... It's somewhat baffling.
Core only:
[Fighter or ranger]* 1/[wizard or sorcerer] 6/eldritch knight 2/arcane archer 3/eldritch knight +8. BAB +17 and spell progression as a 17th-level wizard or sorcerer (wizard is preferred, to qualify for 9th-level spells).
For a Cha-based version, paladin 2/sorcerer 6/eldritch knight 1/arcane archer 3/eldritch knight +8 gives BAB +17 and spell progression as a 16th-level sorcerer (8th-level spells), but also some of the paladin bennies (like Smite Evil and Divine Grace). Alternately, for a bit more toughness/melee capability in addition to being an archer, paladin 3/sorcerer (Draconic bloodline) 2/dragon disciple 4/arcane archer 3/eldritch knight 8 gives BAB +18 and spell progression as a 14th-level sorcerer (7th-level spells), plus a Mercy, immunity to disease, +4 Str, and +3 natural armor.
* - fighter for the bonus feat or ranger for Favored Enemy (either Humanoid (Human) or whatever will be the thematic focus of the campaign) and the ability to use wands of ranger spells (like cure light wounds and lesser restoration) without Use Magic Device checks.