Vitality (20~100+)

Amazons start with 50 life, 84 stamina and 20 vitality; they gain 2 life and 1 stamina per clvl. Every point of vitality adds 3 life and 1 stamina.

Vitality is important to the bowazon; if she isn't placing points into dexterity, she will be investing in this. My personal recommendation for softcore is, at most, 100 vitality: it isn't so much that I feel I am cheating myself out of damage and it isn't so little that my bowazon crumbles in less than ten hits. Bowazons have a high chance for survival with minimal vitality, thanks to avoidance, leeching, and minions, but with bad luck, lag spikes, poison, smart targets and not quite-as-smart minions, this "paper tiger" style can be suicidal (though entirely possible with some difficulty), so adding vitality, investing in D/A/E or using +life items with a target of 500-700 life isn't unrecommended.

While dexterity is a bowazon's most prominent attribute, after a while, damage begins to take a back seat and keeping your character alive becomes more important. The switch from dexterity to vitality is entirely up to the player, but for most, it usually occurs around the 200-250 dexterity mark. (Less if your bowazon uses a Might merc: see Damage and Hirelings.)

However, in most cases, vitality is also the one attribute that can be passed over the most, thanks to charms and items that add life: for example, a small charm of vita (+17~20 life) is about as good as 5~7 points of vitality, so three of these can easily replace up to four levels worth of stat points that will be going to vitality. (Many thanks to Manarina for the tip.) On a larger scale, a plate of the whale can add up to 100 life, which is worth ~33 vitality.

In HC, find as many +life items as possible, with a target of 900+ life. Like all characters, the bowazon must balance her capability to cause damage against her capability to survive it: more vitality equals less dexterity which equals less damage, but while your bowazon can have too much dexterity due to diminishing returns on damage and attack rating, she can never have too much life. With more life, she will be more able to withstand a few good hits before having to retreat with lowered chances of being caught in "hit stun" (see Faster Hit Recovery).

However, a general guideline is regardless of how much life she has, so long as a bowazon can keep her orbs filled, then all is well, no matter how much is needed to fill those orbs in the first place. This can easily be achieved through high damage and life leech.

Where can I get extra vitality?

Equipment:

Various unique, set, and rune word items give varying amounts of vitality.

Sockets:

Io rune: +10 vitality when socketed in anything.

Charms:

Annihilus small charm: +10-20 vitality.

Hellfire Torch large charm: +10-20 vitality.

Where can I get extra life?

Equipment:

Rare rings: +1-40 life.

Rare amulets, belts, body armor, circlets: +41-60 life.

Magical amulets, belts, body armor, and circlets: +61-100 life.

Magical amulets, body armor: Centaur prefix (+{0.5/clvl} life).

Magical circlets: Elephant prefix (+{0.25/clvl} life & mana).

Various unique, set, and rune word items give varying amounts of life.

Sockets:

Rubies of varying quality in helms and armor: +10-38 life.

Rare jewels of spirit: +3-8 life.

Magic jewel of hope: +9-20 life.

Charms:

Small charms: +5-20 life.

Large charms: +6-35 life.

Grand charms: +5-50 life.

Oh yeah, one more thing. If given the choice, go for items with +life over items with +vitality, +%life, and +life/clvl. Items with +life get multiplied by +% life effects like Battle Orders and Oak Sage, but items with +vitality, +life/clvl, and +vitality/clvl don't. In addition, +% life items are additive, not multiplicative, with other +% life effects. Similarly, +mana gets multiplied by +% mana effects, but +energy, +mana/clvl, and +energy/clvl doesn't. (Thanks to adeyke for the tip.)