Is there a Fighter template?

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

Archery is to me incredibly feast or famine, a lot of foes are weak to it (indifferent dodge, obvious weak points) and others are mostly immune (good dodge mostly but also DR and lack of weak points)

Most of the active defense reasons come out in the wash: Yes, a melee fighter can benefit from Deceptive Attack to wear down Dodge . . . but then, a melee attack admits a retreat for +3 to Dodge, while few foes will risk Dodge and drop against a ranged attack because of the whole "and now you have waste turns getting back up, and have a Dodge penalty until you do" thing. Against a lot of enemies, "you can't retreat" is a lot like giving all ranged attacks a free Deceptive Attack.

The weakness issue is a bigger deal. The real problem is that arrows are for the most part either impaling or piercing, neither of which is great against the vast numbers of monsters who are Unliving, Homogeneous, or Diffuse, mostly because of the lower wounding modifiers (Exploits, p. 55), though Homogeneous and Diffuse creatures also get No Brain and No Vitals. I'd urge archers troubled by this to see Making Your Point (Adventurers, p. 105). Cutting points – especially if they are also fine, have Puissance, and/or are Corrosive, Fire, Consecrated, Cold, or Lightning arrows – are kind of nice.