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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kzach" data-source="post: 5835348" data-attributes="member: 56189">In AD&D there was always the 'thief' until 3e co-opted the class and called it a 'rogue'. In my mind, however, rogue is the catch-all term for thieves, swashbucklers and assassins, but none of these three are the same thing, they simply share similar basic attributes.For me, a rogue will always be a thief. Thieves are my favourite class to play and always have been, throughout any game whether pen & paper or video. But it seems that, more and more, the 'thief' concept within the rogue sphere is slowly dying off and being replaced with what I would call swashbucklers and assassins.Part of this is the focus on combat that both 3e and 4e brought to the table but also it seems to have a lot to do with newer gamers bringing in newer concepts of the class, most of which seem to be born of video games like World of Warcraft. Now... I know that's a contentious issue and I don't subscribe to the theory that 4e is a WoW clone, however I do understand it to be a well-documented fact that WoW and other video games did have an influence on the development of both 3e and 4e.So... where has my beloved rogue (read: thief) gone?My primary purpose as a rogue (thief), in AD&D games was to a) cause mischief, b) steal whatever wasn't bolted down*, and c) sneak into wherever he shouldn't.Then of course there was the miscellany of spying and trap detection/disarming, and the occasional (ie. NOT every single turn), brutally effective BACK (ie. NOT from any direction) stab. I wasn't a combat-wombat. I didn't wade into battle with my flashing rapier. I didn't stab people with dark magic. I just had fun.I miss playing thieves. Yes, I was THAT guy who always played a kender or a dexterous elf. But dammit if everyone at the table didn't love me for it.So I guess my ultimate question is in regards to how 5e will treat the rogue (thief) and since we (the people) have all the power and say in what makes up this new edition, I'd like to hear from everyone what THEY think a rogue is and how it should be represented in the new edition. Obviously, I want to see the return of a real thief who isn't completely overshadowed by the swashbuckler and assassin branch of the class.*Provided he didn't also have bolt cutters.</blockquote>

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