Shoe
Explorer
I would prefer the return of the thief. A weaker character in combat, with more emphasis on sneaking and trap finding. But the ninjaesque rogue is here to stay, I'm afraid.
Amen to that....if you are playing a rogue for the combat abilities you really meant to play a fighter or BBN...rogues excell in times of intrigue, guile and sneakery....I play a rogue 80+% of the time and I could give a rat's @$$ about sneak attack....If i kill something, its USUALLY a Coup de grace or a fluke. On the other hand I can acquire most items i need for free, persuede any NPC of just about anything, solve any riddle and disarm any trap....let the meatshields and Missile Launchers (wizards) do the fighting.

-Shoe