[D&D 3.5] Robin Hood, low-magic

[Uhtred]

So my buddy's had a brainstorm that his first time out as DM should be a low-magic historical fiction campaign taking place in/around/after Richard the Lionheart's Crusade, with all the PC's taking their character concepts from legendary historical figures. We're all lvl 8, mostly martial, with any magic-esque class features explained away as being either witchcraft or a blessing from The Lord, single-class, with no magic items or enchantments.
It's unlike any campaign I've ever played, and I'm excited for it.
Our party's his DMPC Lancelot/Galahad-ish Crusader (Or Knight, prestiged into either Pious Templar or Hospitalier), his wife's Joan of Arc-inspired female French Paladin, our friend's Esmerelda (of "Hunchback of Notre Dame") style Gypsy Bard, and my Robin Hood-style Scout. I normally play Melee, heavy Melee, and had originally envisioned a William Wallace-style Scottish Barbarian, but have never done ranged before.
Now normally, I'd have tailored my build toward entering Order of the Bow exactly as early as possible (and I might enter it anyway, at some point down the line, but for right now he wants us single-class) for exactly one thing: Close Quarters Shooting. Not provoking an AoO when using ranged while threatened is something I'm paranoid about, and I understand that with a Scout, if I'm in Melee, I'm doing it wrong, but are there any feats that would let me do it? I've never seen it before, except as a class feature for Order of the Bow. An Elvencraft (reflavored as Englishcraft) bow lets me use the bow as a Quarterstaff at no penalty, interspaced with my ranged attacks as I feel led, but given that my bow is a Composite Greatbow, the damage is so much better than a Quarterstaff.

[Psyren]

There are plenty of melee scout builds actually.

I don't remember how to do this in 3.5, but PF has the Point Blank Master (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/point-blank-master-combat) feat.

[Diarmuid]

If someone gets up in your face, rather than making melee attacks with no added benefit wouldnt you be better off tumbling/moving away and triggering skirmish and then shooting them in the face for more damage?

I'm not sure I understand why you would want to either shoot them from being threatened or attack back in melee when neither condition will trigger your skirmish damage.

[BWR]

Dragon magazine #274 might be of interest, since it has a lot of Robin Hood material and notes on various ways of running the game, from no magic to low magic, etc. The stats are a bit outdated, being 3.0, but there should be something useful there.

[Uhtred]

If someone gets up in your face, rather than making melee attacks with no added benefit wouldnt you be better off tumbling/moving away and triggering skirmish and then shooting them in the face for more damage?

I'm not sure I understand why you would want to either shoot them from being threatened or attack back in melee when neither condition will trigger your skirmish damage.

I'm just trying to get my bases covered. If I'm totally cornered by a crowd of mooks, I'd rather shoot them without provoking AoO than flail wildly about me with my bow, hoping I hit something. My build is centered around mobility and distance, but I'm trying to plan for the worst. And a full attack with my bow will deal more damage than full attacking with it as a Quarterstaff.

[Diarmuid]

But unless that full attack is going to kill all the bad guys surrounding you, you've left yourself open to full attacks from all of them, and you likely dont have the HP or the AC to support that.