What is a toon? Another word for character, or is there a difference?
Imho an archer should have: Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot. Don't take a second companion - it's a trap option.
Honestly, ever since Rangers got access to Point Blank Master in the Advanced Player's Guide there hasn't been a reason to build a switch hitter.
A switch hitter does ranged combat for approximately 1 round, until the enemy gets in melee range. Then the switch to melee combat (which admittedly doesn't take much to be competent at).
The switch hitter worked well at the time. It was able to do melee and range passably well, and didn't get itself into trouble by focusing on ranged attacks and getting backed into a corner by a melee monster.
But those times have long passed by. With Point Blank Master you can safely fire your bow right next to the enemy and not provoke. You can focus your character entirely on ranged attacks.
And general speaking, ranged attacks will enable you to do way more damage than any melee routine. Ranged characters are almost guaranteed a full attack every round, where melee characters are not.
Staying in melee combat isn't the problem, the problem is every time you move, even if it's just your mount that moves you, you don't get a full attack. You only get to make a single attack.
There is a late stage feat that can fix this, with Mounted Skirmisher. But it's not available until level 14.
Worship Gozreh of course.
I think there is still a place for the switch hitter ranger. The advantage of the build is that you don't need a huge dex (since ranger combat style ignores prerequisites) while giving flexibility.
A great sword wielding ranger can dish out quite a bit of damage without needing a lot of feats.
Kingmaker having a lot of outdoor action is an especially good AP for this concept.
Personally, I would be pretty happy with just rapid shot and many shot for my ranger style feats. There are some other nice ones, but those would be my focus. I probably wouldn't bother with deadly aim.
You don't say what you don't like (if anything) about your character as it is. If there is something you have identified as a problem, you are more likely to get useful advice.
Does switch hitter mean he has 2 weapons?
Does switch hitter mean he has 2 weapons?
No Maybe, depends on what you mean by two weapons. When you say two weapons it makes me think "two weapon fighting". Switch hitting means to switch between melee and ranged attacks. Usually a longbow and something like a greatsword or nodachi.
With the exception of instant enemy, I don't find many ranger spells to be worth casting in combat. There are several buffs that are useful if you can cast them before combat however.
I also like having a cure or two handy for an emergency.
Boon companion will stop working for you at level 12, when you get full ranger levels as druid levels (unless you multi-class out of ranger of course) and you can't do something like 9 druid levels, 5 for one animal + 4 (boon companion) and 4 for another. The boon companion bonus comes first, capped by your level and then divided between your companions. As you rise in levels, even a full level animal companion tends to fade in power (since a 20th level druid has a 15 Hit Dice AC) so even a single HD hurts. If you were just an archer, relying on your AC for maneuverability but not direct combat I would say it wouldn't hurt to put a HD or two into a scout, but since you want your cat to be in melee with you, I wouldn't recommend it.
I don't think Mammoth Rider is a great choice. For one thing, an animal companion being huge can often be a negative.
I played a great sword and bow switch hitter in RoftRL and it was a blast! Archery really is the back-up style or a way to draw enemies to you so you can squash them in melee. I would suggest Furious Focus and Vital Strike chain for your feat selection, especially if you ride your AC around the battlefield. Greatsword would be best IMO.
Instant Ennemy and Gravity Bow/Lead Blade are nice buffs when you got time to cast before a fight. I discovered Bloodhound too, combined with pheromone arrows it gives a nice boost to your DPR. Works for the big cat too!
If you go with Vital Strike, some levels of barbarian could be nice along with Furious Finish.
Since you're riding your companion, I recommend Indomitable Mount.
In fact, since you have a one-level-remaining freebie from Boon Companion, dip a single level of Fighter[Dragoon], and pick up both Mounted Combat (so you can retrain the first instance of the feat) and Skill Focus:Ride (which will fuel both Mounted Combat and Boon Companion) -- and your companion continues advancing full level while you pick up three feats. Next level (at 10th), you'll be +6 to Ride checks.
Staying in melee combat isn't the problem, the problem is every time you move, even if it's just your mount that moves you, you don't get a full attack. You only get to make a single attack.
There is a late stage feat that can fix this, with Mounted Skirmisher. But it's not available until level 14.
Curious though I dont get full attacks on the move my Great Cat does through pounce if I can charge and then I get mine. Also been thinking of taking vital strike to help offset this.
Would you recommend mounted feat progression? With remaining feats or even Mammoth rider?
I'm having a bit of trouble understanding your sentence, so I will restate your question:
"If my cat has pounce and I'm riding him, he gets to full attack when he charges, so don't I get a full attack?"
The answer is no. Your cat has pounce, which enables him to make full attack. You do not have pounce, so you only get to make a single attack. As to the benefit of your cat making a full attack...well animal companions get weaker over time relative to enemies. Unless you spend a significant portion of your WBL to outfit them with magic items they will not keep up with enemy AC and their damage output wont keep up with enemy HP.
Vital strike would kind of offset the damage you lose, but honestly it's usefulneess depends on how quickly you kill things.
If you're charging a new enemy every round, vital strike can be very useful. If you're charge and then melee an enemy in place for two rounds before charging the next it's probably not that useful.
With the level your character is at I don't really have much advice. You've split your character build between mounted combat, melee combat, and ranged combat. Without retraining your feats I'm not sure anything can really be pulled together cohesively.
Honestly, ever since Rangers got access to Point Blank Master in the Advanced Player's Guide there hasn't been a reason to build a switch hitter.
I don't have the experience of the people who regularly post so maybe my opinion doesn't carry as much weight
I have been trying a switch hitter ranger and while maybe not as optimal as a dedicated archer it does seem viable. I get 1 to 3 rounds of full attack with archery then quick draw and smack it upside its head. I feel that a dedicated archer is basically a one trick pony while a switch hitter is more flexible
Based on personal experience there will be fights were being a dedicated archer is a lot better but not all fights. It all depends what kind of fights the DM is running
Does the OP feel he would better off as a dedicated archer or switch hitter?
If you're just looking at damage dealing, an archer pretty much always exceeds melee. Mostly because of full attacks. The biggest reason why people built switch hitters was survivability. It was very dangerous to try to shoot someone while engaged in melee. But once Point Blank Master allowed us not to provoke, it really stopped being an issue.
The major things you lose with archery over melee is no threatening (though you can pick up armor spikes or a gauntlet) and no being able to do the normal sort of melee lock down stuff or maneuvers.
If his cat pounces (meaning, by definition, that it moved) while being ridden, the only way he-the-rider also gets a full-attack is via the Mounted Skirmisher feat, which is only available at 14th, or via a Sohei monk bonus feat.
I think the feats that you've chosen so far are perfectly fine. The weapons, I would prefer to see done a little differently:
* An Adaptive/Seeking longbow
* A lance (for mounted charges)
* A bardiche or fauchard (for other melee reach-weapon fighting)
* A greatsword or butchering axe
* A one-handed weapon of some type (necessary for you to continue fighting while in a grapple).
All elemental damage weapon enhancements are actually inferior to straight bonuses, and some argue that Keen isn't either.
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Animal companion feats.... Prior to Strong Jaw and that sort of stuff, I don't know if the Improved Natural Attack feats are pulling their weight, especially the claws which only gaining 1pt. I would like to see Combat Reflexes, and maybe something that dovetails with exploiting grab/grapple (something your big cat is very good at, especially most humanoid spellcasters whom you would love to see forced to grant AoOs to you and your cat, which is especially sweet if you have the Fortuitous enhancement on a polearm).
