I realized this morning that, in my guide, I did not go into detail on what race and what stats matter to an arcane archer. There are reasons for each. I don't find race to be all that important, play what you want to play and build the character around that. Stats on the other hand are important, but I feel fairly self explanatory.
In an effort to be as complete as possibly I will go over each race and stat here.
RACES
Please note that if anything written here goes against a character concept you have do not worry about it. Playing a character you want, the way you want to is more important than any optimization.
Dwarf: Dwarves are not known for their bow wielding skill. Dwarves get +2 con/+2 wis/-2 cha. As long as you aren't going sorcerer/bard the charisma penalty won't hurt you, but at the same time constitution and wisdom are not key stats for an arcane archer. Dark vision out to 60 feet means will benefit an arcane archer when the darkness becomes an obsticle
Elf: In the past, arcane archers were forced to be elf or half-elf. While this is no longer the case, they are still a great option. Their stat bonus is +2 dex/+2 int/-2 con. Dexterity is the primary to hit stat for any archer and int is used as a casting stat for Magus/Wizard/Witch. These 2 bonuses add to both aspects of the class perfectly. They have low light vision, meaning they can see twice as far in dim lighting, which is a nice perk should the need arise. They also have a built in +2 to perception, a skill that will be used in nearly every play session.
Gnome: Gnomes are ... well ... they are gnomes. They have always been an acquired taste. Players either love, hate, or love to hate gnomes. Gnomes do make good arcane archers though. With +2 con/+2 cha/-2 str they lose a little bit on damage trading it for health and higher spell casting stats, assuming bard or sorcerer. The -1 damage they will get due to the strength loss will likely be made up for by their small status which grants them +1 to attack and AC. Hitting more often will likely out damage the extra 1 damage per hit once we add up all the bonus damages that an arcane archer will gain over time. They also have low light vision and +2 perception along with a few other situational benefits that players should take into account. Gnomes are well positioned to be arcane archers.
Halfling: Halflings are another fun loving race. They tend to go unnoticed quite often, which fits perfectly into being an archer. Their stat bonuses are +2 dex/+2 cha/-2 str. They are small just like gnomes and will gain the +1 to attack and AC trading their damage for attack. Halflings will get +2 total to their attack though due to their +2 dex. They also have +2 perception, +2 acrobatics, and +1 to all saves. Halflings are possibly the best race for arcane archers.
Human: Humans have a few things going for them. First they are human, just like most players, so players feel comfortable knowing that they can roleplay them "right". That may seem small to some players, but newer/ less experienced roleplayers tend to play humans for this reason alone. That's not their only benefit, they also gain a Bonus Feat. An extra feat is a big deal, especially for an archer, who needs alot of feats. They gain an extra skill point every level. This gives them some extra versatility. Their stat bonus is also very customizable giving +2 to a stat of their choice. Humans are a good choice as an arcane archer, even if only for the bonus feat.
Half-Orc: Half-Orcs are another race with a stigma. If a player plays one they need to be ready for an uphill RP adventure. Like humans they get a +2 to a stat of their choice. They also gain +2 to intimidate giving them a needed bonus in social situations. They also have the ability to fight for 1 more round after they have been reduced to 0 health. This ability is best on a character, such as bard or paladin, who can heal themselves back up during this turn.
Half-Elf: I think, if a player takes half-elf as their choice for an arcane archer it is for roleplay reasons. While the +2 to a stat of their choice is a good option, I don't feel that they really feel that they gain anything that another race doesn't gain more so. They do have low light vision, +3 to a skill of their choice, and +2 perception. The only thing they have really unique to them is a second favored class. In the end it means that they will have another 5-10 health or skill points. Maybe I'm underrating that ability, but the half-elf race does not impress me.
STATS
90% of the time I roll stats with the groups I play with so I won't claim to be an expert at point buy. This will give you a general breakdown of why an arcane archer would want each stat.
Strength: Str is the only stat in the game that increases weapon damage. This is true even for a bow. An arcane archer will get a composite bow that matches their strength modifier so that they gain a bonus damage to each hit. While not a stat to focus on, it should not be ignored either.
Dexterity: Dex is the primary attack stat. Each bonus point in Dex will raise your attack bonus by 1. Dex also raises AC and reflex saves. This is an arcane archers primary stat.
Constitution: Con is most notable for its contribution to health. Each bonus con modifier raises a characters overall max health by 1 per level. While not a front line character an arcane archer does not want to completely ignore their health.
Intelligence: Int effects how many skill points a character receives every level. If an arcane archer intends on being able to use a variety of skills they don't want to ignore int. Also, notably, it is the primary casting stat for wizards, witches, and magi. This will be another primary stat if the arcane archer is one of those 3 classes.
Wisdom: Wis is used as a primary casting stat for divine spells. Not very notable for arcane archers, unless their base classes consist of paladin or ranger and in that case 11-12 is still as high as they need to make the stat. More notably for all classes Wisdom is the stat used in perception the most used skill in the game.
Charisma: Cha is used to a great extent in social interaction. It affects a characters force of personality. It is noticeably the primary casting stat for sorcerers and bards. Paladins also use it to buff their abilities (such as smite and saves).
How I would prioritize stats depends on the character concept I am working on. Here is a sample of a generic fighter/sorcerer/arcane archer.
Dex > cha > str to 12 = con to 12 > wis/int get to 10 > str over 12
15 point buy
12 str
15 dex
12 con
09 int
10 wis
14 cha
25 point buy
13 str
16 Dex
12 con
10 int
10 wiz
16 Cha
If I'm using a stat array such as: 8-10-12-14-16-18
14/18/12/8/10/16
Hope I'm conveying the general idea. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and that it helps.
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