Macbrea said:
The Thracian Nights campaign I am playing in I took my stats in order of Int first, dex second. With an 18 in my intelligence and a 17 in my dexterity. As a human that left me with so many skill points I am able to do just about everything.
Well yes, but you also min/maxed very nicely here...and that's not an insult. You get maximum skill points, and only have to wait 4 levels to get that 18 dex. If you did this the other way, you would have lost, what...6 skill points?
I do agree that all rogue concepts do not require Dex to be the highest stat. Would you have done the same thing if your next highest stat was a 14? 12? Rogues already get 8 skill points per level, which is enough to be pretty good at a lot of skills. Also, in a smaller party, combat is imo more highly prized. So, Dex or Con might be more important for your survivability.
BUT, let's assume Dex is the most important stat for most rogues (I think this is true). Now, the 2nd to me is a toss up between Con, Int, or Cha. If you want to be a melee-sneak attacking rogue, you better have some serious Con. If you want to be a skill king, then Int. If you want to use those Cha skills to the max, then up the Cha. I wouldn't worry about Str (as the 2nd highest stat) unless you're a rogue/fighter using a non-weapon-finessing type of weapon. I can see a very specialized rogue>Temple Raider using Wisdom as the 2nd highest, but probably isn't likely. My rogue went Temple Raider, but his wisdom is not #2.
To answer the poll, I would say Con. But only because my rogue favored melee and was geared that way. I also rolled excellent scores, with only one below 14...a 9 Cha. Your actual ability scores rolled play a sizable role

in what #2 is gonna be.