Obviously we've all failed to grasp the essence of how badly archers were implemented in this game. We can all thank our lucky stars that you've come along to shine some light on the darkness of our sad lives.
Actually tx3000 is right, because:
A bow has roughly the damage of a one handed weapon, but requires one additional AP and two attributes.
A crossbow has roughly the damage of a two handed weapon, but requires one additional AP and two attributes.
Magic deals ranged damage and requires only one attribute.
