Actually - having given it brief consideration - if you have some decent ranged spells that would probably work as well as ranged weapons; spells like:
Celestial Smite (Divine:Smite branch)
Ice Spike or Ice Javelin (Thought)
Fire Orb or Fireball (Thought)
Lightning Bolt (Thought)
But spells are not as rapid-fire as Ranged weapons, and use up Mana very quickly - and you need that Mana for protective spells!
Also, specialising in a Thought branch is not so useful as specialising in a Divine branch - though I always feed some points into Thought:Ice to kill the Lava Trolls early in the game, but usually only as far as Ice Javelin.
Have fun, Ravager!
I loved the desert areas.
BTW, do you use Shaman's Eye at all? It's the second Nature's Fury spell (not the 4th as the Manual says), and it's great for finding out what lies ahead - and in wait for you!
It was particularly useful in the deserts and in the Fortress.
I always have high Speech skill!
I'm currently trying a char as Inquisitor, since it's a class I have not used before.