There is nothing to learn, it's very simple, an archer that has a dexterity of 11 should not ever only have a 49% chance to hit an enemy that is right next to them, for any reason.
Why? What makes Dex 11 so powerful? Did I miss something in the manual?
A majority of your "archer's suck" argument revolves around the damage output of archers, so an unwillingness to investigate why that damage output is low DOES greatly undermine your entire argument.
Regarding your other points:
A lack of special arrows would not be considered a lack if basic bow damage was satisfactory. Nor would the damage of special arrows seem lacking if basic bow damage was satisfactory (since, I think, the strength of special arrows is their utility, not their damage).
And the durability of bows/crossbows is just irrelevant.
So, archer damage output is the crux of your argument. Want to fix it?
