What to do with a mid level ranger

[Egopunk]

[3.5]

Ok, so I have a small dilemma. I'm playing a Underfolk Grave-Touched Ghoul Ranger (with a range focus) in an evil campaign at the moment. I'm level 13 and can hit some nice damage with Hunters Mercy and a couple of other tricks. However, I don't much rate the 4'th level ranger spells, especially not in this campaign. So, assuming I don't want to stick with ranger just for Hide in Plain Sight, I have to decide what to Multiclass/Prestige into.

Current thoughts: Take a level in Chaotic Monk [drgn 335 pg 88] (which comes with the flailing strike instead of flurry of blows which works similarly but adds a random element), allowing me a measure of competence in close combat combining Unarmed Strike (or flailing strike) with my Ghoul Claws and Bite(looking to fit in the weapon finesse feat so i can apply my +9 dex bonus to these attacks), then train using the sparring dummy of the master, letting me take a 10ft step instead of a 5, then taking a level(s) in scout for the skirmish damage which i would then be able to apply to full attacks or to attack made with a swift action spell such as Swift Haste.

[nedz]

Ranger 4ths are a bit poor, even with SpC, unless you wanted to apply metamagic. Extend is probably the only one worth bothering with. Your slots will be still few though, but I guess you can buy wands.
A standard option would be to take 3-4 levels of Scout for a Swift Hunter, there is a handbook around somewhere.

[Egopunk]

So do you think the level of Chaos Monk+Sparing Doll combo is worth it for the full attack skirmish? Considering its 30k for the doll + 4 weeks of training @8hours a day + a whole class level that could've gone somewhere else.