Thanks for your feedback!
I've actually had a lot of players say the game heavily encourages ranged units. Archers and spellguides don't have the ranged cooldowns that musketeers and other black powder weapons do, if you're looking for ranged options with can fire more reliably and with better accuracy, though with less damage.
As for the transformations, the player and companions get more flexibility than followers do. You absolutely can be a slimegirl with a gun, or (soon) an automaton that does lust damage. Followers were made to be disposable and hands off so you don't have to always be equipping or unequipping them, or worry whether their base form aligns well with their current transformation, etc. Maybe this will change in the future, but the intent is for the player to focus more on their own character and the two (and soon to be three) Companions.