Neonchameleon
Legend
I say homogenized, you say forced through very small holes under very high pressure.
And I say much more flexible than it first looks.
Why should a Paladin be a tank?
He needn't. The names of classes are correlated to the way people act in game. But they are not the same. Any DM who would say that a properly built Fighter, Warlord, or Cleric (especially with the multiclass feat) can't be a member of an order of Paladins and thereby a Paladin for in character purposes (even without the divine blessings) is either running a very odd world or is an idiot.
Why should a rogue be a trap remover?
You'd have to ask Gygax that.
Why can't the Paladin be an embodiment of his faith's wrath?
He can be. You just take the Invoker class, file the serial numbers off and call him a Paladin when in character.
Or a mysterious grizzled old general who leads a village in over throwing the bandit king tyrannizing them?
He can be. You just take the Warlord class, file the serial numbers off and call him a Paladin when in character. Or simply have Charismadin and say that's what he is.
Why can't the rogue be a con artist, or a second story man, or swashbuckler who don't know anything about traps?
There's nothing saying you need to use all the abilities on your character sheet. And there's nothing saying you need to play the rogue class to play a con-artist. (A non-implement using bard makes a better one as they are based round charisma and flexibility).
Why do they all have to be awesome in combat?
Because Dungeons and Dragons is and always has been a game that has a very strong basis in combat. And characters that can get beaten up by housecats are just silly.
Why can't we have a courtier who can defend himself, but really doesn't do much in combat, but can manipulate the system and call in favors and speak with a silver tongue out of combat?
You can. You take a bard. Give him a mix of coincidental powers and mind effecting ones (e.g. Vicious Mockery, Blunder), and social skills through the roof. At no point are you any good with a weapon or directly doing anything obvious in combat. But you still hold your own. (There's also a Warlord build where all you do is shout advice and warnings and let everyone else do the actual attacking). And outside combat you do have a silver tongue - very high charisma, all social skills trained, and some nice utility powers. "The system" and the ability to call in favours is game-world specific.
Or a physician and scientist who, while not helpless is not a combatant, can patch anyone in the party up, identify every plant under the sun, and knows pretty much everything about everything?
You can. Take a Bard. Multiclass feats and skill picks to get Religion, Nature, Dungeoneering, Arcana (which you get for free anyway), Streetwise (arguably), and Heal (shouldn't take much multiclassing). Take the Bardic Knowledge feat.
Any more things you supposedly can't be that are sensible to RP?