The Skilled feat is never a bad idea for a rogue, and only gets better at higher levels.
Sentinel is good, but at 5th level, I think you get Uncanny Dodge, which will fight for your single reaction if you're in melee and the target of attacks.
Skulker is fine: - I don't tend to need it for hiding in combat much (less useful for a Thief), but blindsight is great, not just for operating in darkness, fog etc, but also for detecting hidden/invisible opponents.
I know what you mean about Hand Crossbows, but since they don't make sense on a number of levels, I either assume that they are actually inherently magical objects, or avoid them altogether. (I feel the same about people wielding a quarterstaff in one hand and a shield in the other.)