Any reason you don't want to use Hunter?
Elven Summoner with an Azata eidolon? Twin archers, raining fire upon their enemies..... Could prove fun.
The feat Animal Ally lets anyone gain an Animal Companion (you also need Boon Companion for full level companion). So any class that works for archery can work.
The Sohei Monk can be a pretty interesting archer at level 6 by taking Weapon Training with bows (allows bow flurry). They have great ki abilities that help a 'mount', and those can be used on any animal companion whether you actually ride it or not.
The Sohei also keeps regular Flurry of Blows, so they can be pretty good at both archery and melee. They don't need Wisdom like a normal Monk since they can wear mithral medium armor and still use Flurry of Blows, so you can build them for strong DEX and STR.
I mean, how far do you want to go with what is available?
Any character can always take Martial Weapon Proficiency as a feat, so they can become proficient with a bow. So, any pet class can be an archer if they really want.
Similarly, any character class that has proficiency with a bow could take the Wild Soul and Animal Ally feats (by the time they're 4th level), so they can have a pet if they want.
The easiest options are Ranger and Hunter, depending on whether you want to focus more on the bow or the pet, and most people would go that way. Or you could go Cavalier (or Samurai) if you're ok with your pet being a mount, since they both get bow proficiency.
Ranger is better the with bow.
Hunter is better with the pet.
Which is your priority?
Inquisitor with the Chivalry inquisition, if the pet being a mount wouldn't be a problem.
Free teamwork feats are nice if you automatically have a buddy, being able to apply whatever Bane you like to attacks is awesome, decent utility casting, bow proficiencies, encounter-long versatile buffs...
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Sacred Huntmaster Inquisitor - similar to a hunter but with better self buffs.
Sanctified Slayer - with the eagle domain (mauler familiar, requires green faith), animal domain, or Chivalry Inquisition. Great self buffs, animal companion, bonus feats, boosts to DCs. A strong all a around combination.
Ravener Hunter Inquisitor - lunar or nature for revelations that give animal companions. Revelations are very powerful this is another great inquisitor option.
Ranger - Full bab, some spell casting, great feat access. I hate favored enemy it is a strong personal bias but I should recommended it.
Natures Fang Druid - 9th level caster with studied target to boost accuracy and damage, full strength animal companion, lots of bonus feats. I dipped one level of fighter for mine but you don't have to.
Hunter - Divine hunter may be a good option there are a limited number of teamwork feats that work well with range. You can ignore them for a domain and a buff to your AC. I like a grappling AC for a hunter as your accuracy is lower than the other build so the grappled or pinned condition help you hit. Domains can grant you access to divine favor or heroism. Hubris has divine favor and hollow heroism.
Sacred Huntmaster Inquisitor is another option, arguably better than Hunter.
I just wish there were better archery teamwork feats. None of them look very good to me.
Sacred Huntmaster Inquisitor is another option, arguably better than Hunter.
I just wish there were better archery teamwork feats. None of them look very good to me.
Friendly Fire Maneuvers is great for a class that has Solo Tactics, and doesn't qualify for Improved Precise Shot until level 15.
Another thing to consider is that ranger normally has a limited selection for his animal companion. There are archetypes that can improve the rangers selection, but they usually also alter other aspects of the class. The hunter has the full gambit of animal companions to choose from.
When it comes to magic both have their advantages. The ranger gets fewer spells and of lower level than the hunter. But he is a prepared divine caster, which means he gets access to the whole list. This actually gives him more flexible, but less powerful magic. The hunter has a larger selection of spells to choose from but once chosen he is stuck with them. He also gets more spells and access to higher level spells, but is stuck with what he knows.
The ranger is going to be more powerful in combat due to full BAB, and bonus feats. Being able to ignore prerequisites and early access to feats will also tip things in the rangers favor. Since the hunter does not get access to point blank mastery it is easier to shut down his archery. The hunters more powerful animal companion and stronger magic will even things out .
All in all they are probably about equal in power but it is a matter of what you want your character to focus on.
A Mauler Familiar can also work as a battle companion, which opens up many options. Battle Shaman with a Mauler Battle Spirit Animal could be a really deadly archer with a very powerful Mauler.
Spending feats on Animal Ally can work very well for classes that have lots of feats. Warpriests can be very strong archers, and they have no shortage of feats. Warpriests with the Animal Blessing also get an ability that can be very nice for a companion (grant something like a wolf or roc claw attacks).
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I really like the idea of a Cleric of Erastil with the Feather domain to get an animal companion, with Boon Companion to boost its effectiveness. The domain also grants some other nice benefits, including a Perception boost, and Fly as a 3rd level domain spell.
I've been toying with a way to use the deity-specific WIS-to-hit with longbows feat (name escapes me right now) to reduce the MADness of the build, but it's hard to get online early as I'd like (the BAB requirement for Weapon Focus delaying that being the biggest issue) and there is the additional problem of DEX being a required stat for several archery related feats. (Then again, this build is meant to mix full level casting with archery and a companion, so it only really needs to be an effective archer , not an amazing one).
Warsighted Oracle gets bonus combat feats as well.
Hunter, with two levels of fighter (drill sergeant) dipped in for four more Teamwork feats.
Before you build an archer hunter, think about the archer druid.
Better spellcasting, strong animal companion, same BAB and you have enough feats.
The druids Area of effect spells allow to control the battlefield and with a good bow he rocks.
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Actually the animal hunter’s animal companion is stronger. Hunter’s get the full choice of animal companions and also have several class features that make them stronger. The hunter’s animal companion gets the benefits of the hunter’s animal focus but it lasts until the hunter changes it. This effectively gives the hunter’s animal companion a permanent bonus, and at 8th level they gain an additional animal focus. The hunter also can grant his animal companion his teamwork feats, and can change those like an inquisitor. They also gain more bonus tricks that a druid’s animal companion. All this combines to make the hunter’s animal companion much stronger than the druid’s.
As far as archery goes the druid is not proficient with the bow so has to spend a feat, or pick a race that grants proficiency with the bow. Hunters also get precise shot for free at 2nd level. This puts them down two feats below the hunter. The druid also has a more limited selection of armor because of not being able to wear metal armor. Since an archer is probably going to have a high DEX being able use a mithral breastplate is going to be very useful. The druid can use a dragonhide breastplate but they have a lower Max DEX bonus, and a higher armor check penalty. Lastly the hunter is proficient with all martial weapons. Since neither class gets access to point blank shot or any other means of not provoking an attack of opportunity this is a plus for the hunter. These things make the hunters combat ability much stronger than the druid's.
When it comes to magic the druid will have an advantage. He is a full 9th level caster compared to the druids 6th level casting. He is also a prepared divine caster so he gets full access to his spell list. Some of this is offset by having to memorize spells. If he did not memorize the right spells, or enough of the right spells his spells may be useless. If on the other hand he has adequate warning about what he is going facing he will be much more useful. The hunter does have some advantages when it comes to magic. Firs is that he has access to both the ranger and druid spell list. There are a few ranger only spells that would be very useful, like gravity bow. Having access to both lists means that the hunter often gets access to some spells at an earlier level than the druid. This is somewhat offset by the druids getting earlier access to higher level spells. Being a spontaneous caster means the hunter gets has a limited number of spells known, but can cast any spell without needing to memorize it. Since they share a spell list any of the spells the druid can use for battle field control are available to the hunter. Overall the druid is the more powerful option when it comes to magic.
I've played hunter, and will probably will continue to do so. Ranger used to be my go to class for a fighting nature with pet class. Full BAB can be mitigated with animal spirits and lead blades and or gravity bow. I think they make a better switch hitter, and the pet is better, and stronger than a ranger's AC, if not better than a druid's as well.
Not only that, but the things you can do with the pet are better, RP wise, than druid or hunter, including getting a raise dead SLA for your pet at 10th level. This class is a perfect mix of druid and ranger, and imho, is overall better than both.
I currently play a divine hunter/warpriest of Gorum in Iron Gods. He destroys things and his animal companion is ridiculous. Very fun. The core of this combo is the hunter.
Boon Companion is the name, iirc.
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@Mysterious stranger. Have you looked at the nature fang? An elf nature fang quickly out paces a hunter in feats, accuracy, and damage.
As far as armor goes spider silk gets you to the same total of 10 from armor and max dex. When you could buy the breast plate the Mithril money can be put to +2 ac leaving you only a single point being. Overall pretty comparable. And, you don't have to sell anything.
Hunters have the stronger AC until you consider the spell level the druid have access to. If the druid has a spell like atavis, which they get first and will have more of the point is moot.most of the day.
Lead blades is an ok spell not worth going crazy for. It should never be used in combat. You won't have time time make up for the lost round of damage. If you know what coming it's a decent little damage boost when precast.
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An elf takes a penalty to CON and gets no WIS bonus so the stats for an elf are not optimal for a combat focused druid. That puts him 1 down for both fortitude and will save. Now a druid does have strong fortitude and will saves, but those are the most important saves of the game. The lack of WIS bonus means the DC of his spells are lower than a race with a WIS bonus. It’s not a bad choice but there are better choices for a WIS based caster. A Garuda blooded Aasimar for example, would give him +2 DEX, +2 WIS and no penalty. He would also get Darkvision and see invisibility once a day.
The bonus feats from the slayer talents do help with the archery. I am not familiar with spider silk armor so I did not factor that in. But the hunter is also getting teamwork feats that he shares with the animal companion. Since he can change one of the feats this gives him an incredible amount of flexibility. Coordinated Shot, Improved Spell Sharing, Intercept Charge, Lookout, and Shake it Off are all very useful for an archer focused caster.
As far as spells go that is not that big of a deal until higher level. Since the hunter gets access to both the druid and the rangers spell list it often means the hunter gets the spell as lower level spell. For example Aspect of the wolf is a 5th level druid spell, but a 4th level ranger spell, so the hunter gets it as a 4th level spell. At higher level the druids spell start becoming more important, but at low level the difference it not that much.
One big advantage the hunter has is because of a teamwork feat. Share spell allows the hunter to split the duration of buffs between himself and his companion. At higher level the combat rarely last long enough for the buffs to wear off. By being able to affect both himself and his animal companion the hunter significantly improves the utilization of his spells. Where the druid is using a standard action to cast Avavism on his animal companion the hunter is casting Aspect of the Wof on both of them. So using one standard action the hunter has buffed both himself and his animal companion with a single spell. To get the same affect the druid is casting two spells.
Lead blades are useless for an archer but gravity bow is not. At higher level many of the low level spells become less relevant, so having access to some good spells that are still useful is always good. If your GM tracks ammunition than Abundant Ammunition is something any high level archer is going to need. Druids do not have access to it, but hunters do. You may not want to use it as a known spell, but having a wand of Abundant Ammunition is well worth the cost.
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Sorry meant gravity bow. Don't post with a fever.
Going to try to reply. I hope I don't missread anything.
My personal favourite build is fighter 1 nature fang. That covers proficency, allows you to play any race I like raptor kin skinwalker and still gives 9th level spells.
There are two useful teamwork feats which net you a +4 on attacks where studied target adds to attack and damage and can benifit from lenes of the predator. Better yet the study bonus applies to spell dcs. This allows the druid to have much better spell dcs if that is the goal.
Share spell is amazing, I will grant you that but the spells you are talking about sharing you can share via the horse masters saddle and spell share. As for the buffs themselves I would not cast any of these buffs in combat. Spell sponge should allow you, at this level, to cast them out of combat with little problem.
Aspect of the wolf will do little for you ac. You should have a belt and 2 animal focuses that don't stack.
To be clear I'm not trying to cut down your build. It's a great build and I love hunters! I'm sure the OP would enjoy the build.
Abundant ammunition is ok but with durable arrows your cost should not be too crazy. The spell I would miss is named bullet. Make three of these bad boys to drop on a boss. It is quite the Nova.
The thing that gets me about Hunters as an "archer + pet" package is that it really feels like it's a bit of a waste of the teamwork feats. There are lots of teamwork feats connected to flanking, and the buffs are massive. While there are not many connected to archer+pet, and they seem underwhelming. So while it doesn't look awful by the numbers, it feels like it's wasting the classes biggest trick, to me.
Pets are great for archers in that they can block access to the archer. Lacking melee counters early helps a bow/crossbow focused Hunter survive longer. Plus there are the advantages of riding your pet around to stay away from danger.
A switch hitter with opening volley feat would make for a nice charger build. Archery fire in, animal charge+melee for you as part of a full round action.Fighters could also take advantage of your party pet, they have the feats to spare for teamwork since you already have them anyways.
Also - Summoner with a bipedal eidelon and tower shields. Full cover whenever you want it =D
But seriously, Hunter looks like a fun class, despite peoples general dislike of it on the forums.
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The great thing about Pathfinder is that there is usually more than one way to do things. Often the tactics of a particular build may be better suited for one person, but someone else may have an easier time with another build. If your own tactics don’t mesh well with the build then it rarely does well. I have a player who does well playing paladins except that he tends to ignore their spells. He does really well with all the other aspects of the class, but for some reason he always forgets about the spells. Paladin’s spells can significantly boost the power level of the character if used correctly. If he were to use a build emphasizing paladin’s spells his character would be significantly weaker than If another player was using it. What is a good build for one player may not work as well for another. The more builds the player knows about the better chance one of them will be what he is looking for.
Teamwork feats take more planning to utilize and are often undervalued. Most people look at them as ways to get a bonus to your primary tactic and that is certainly a valid use, but there is a lot more that can be done with them. A class that can swap out teamwork feats is sometimes more difficult to play because you have to be familiar with a lot more feats to take advantage of them. If you know that when you are flanking you can get a bonus to hit that is fairly easy and you will look for ways to get flanking. But other feats are more situational and require more thought.
Allied Spellcaster can be used by the hunter who need to deal with spell resistance, but does not want use on of his own feats to get Spell Penetration. Intercept Charge allows your animal companion to stop a charging foe from reaching you. Lookout not only allows you one of you to act if you would not normally, but can allow a full attack during the surprise round. Shake it Off is basically a free +1 cloak of protection that stacks with an actual cloak of protection. Stealth Synergy allows essentially allows you to roll stealth twice and both of you can take the better roll. Starting at 3rd level the hunter can use any of these and more depending on his needs. The ability to swap out feats on the fly is something that many people underestimate.
Chosen One paladin could also be "archer with a pet". No animal companion, but it has a familiar.
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One of my favourite character is my eldritch guardian martial master mutation warrior arguably the kind of feat switching. Doing so as a move or a swift really does make the whole thing or vialble in combat.
Some other good combat feat options include sacred legion and escape route.
I would caution against changing teamwork feats mid combat it is strategically pretty weak. A standard to get a +2 overcome spell resistance is much worse than any obvious alternative like packing sr no spells, just full attack instead of potentially wasting a spells, or having a rod piercing spell.
The out of combat options like stealth synergy are good too if you have a group capable of stealthing. Most groups I gm for have one pc that just can stealth. Worth switching into for a quick stealth ahead, but you may want to burn a second use to get a combat feat back before entering the fray.
Shake it off is a good feat but again does not seem worth a standard. The same action could be used to ready an attack against a caster which depending on your damage can cause the spell to fail. If the chance of failure is equal to or better than 1/10 it is mechanically better than a +1 to saves. If you full attack and the enemy dies a round earlier that is also one fewer saves and a superiors out come. Again if you know you fighting a caster and can prep it ahead of time it's a great use but this is campaign dependent.
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The feat Animal Ally lets anyone gain an Animal Companion (you also need Boon Companion for full level companion). So any class that works for archery can work.
Since the vanilla Fighter has so many feats, would Animal Ally/Boon Companion make for a decent use of some of them, to make a pure Fighter 'archer + pet?'
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I found a melee focused Hunter to be a blast to play, reasonably competent in combat, not useless as a caster, and with an awesome pet. I GMed a group that had an archery focued Hunter, though, and she was a TERROR, combining the usual high damage output of an archer with a pretty tough pet for melee.
I'm not sure that a Hunter is the BEST at anything other than "having a pet," but the class is definitely competent at more than that.