i was thinking about playing an archer on my 3rd way through SoA and i was wondering do you get to have a grand mastery in ranged weapons or just specialized like all of the other rangers? also i would like to know the perks of having the ranger cabin besides having a house and a place to store stuff.

Yes, you can get Grand Mastery with missile weapons with an Archer. No perks to the Ranger Cabin, but you do get the Moon Dog Figurine on completion of your final stronghold quest.

Dunno about the Grand Mastery, though it would make sense.

As for the perks, well...I guess I finished the game too quickly, so I didn't see all the related quests through to the end, but apparently you get the Moon Dog figurine, which (having cheated it into my game just to test it out) is well worth it. And I think there are places to store stuff in the cabin, anyway...not many, but a few...

Hope this helps.

Yes, you can go up to grand mastery in ranged weapons.

The ranger stronghold has several quests attached to it which ultimately get you a moon dog figurine - can summon a cute little doggy :) it has these abilities....


MISC7T - Moon Dog Figurine

This Figurine of Wondrous Power that calls forth from the ether the moon dog
Cerebus. Cerebus will obey the owner of the figurine if he so chooses. Unlike
similar figurines, Cerebus serves through his desire to combat evil and
forward the cause of righteousness and is not bound by the magic of the
figurine.

STATISTICS

Special Abilities:
Cerebus may be summoned once per day, for five minutes, and has the following
innate powers:
Moon Dog Howl: used once per summoning, the howl damages and instills fear in
enemies who are evil, while also dispelling fear and casting Protection from
Evil on party members.
Healing Lick: heals 8 HP of damage and cures Disease, Deafness, Blindness and
Poison.
Moon Dog Sight: the moon dog can see through (and therefore dispel) all forms
of illusion and invisibility, detecting traps and evil in the vicinity.
Improved Invisibility: as per the spell
Mirror Image: three times per day, as per the spell

Well the moondog is well worth it, no returning to manage business, and for the archer, grand mastery ranged weapons, good thaco with ranged weapons fast, being able to kill something with about ninety hitpoints in three to four shots with normal arrows