Why do we need thieves??

[Thomas Shey]

You think so? Which ones?

Keep in mind, I'm talking games that are class based.

Then you shouldn't have said "just about every fantasy game". There are plenty of non-class-based fantasy games, some of them (RuneQuest for example) not exactly unknown.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Debate me, and if you like thieves, what do you like about them?

I like thieves, but because they have a niche: urban stealth. This is often expanded to criminal contacts and techniques.

They are not "skill monkeys" in my mind. That's not a niche, that's a rules mechanic. They don't have spells, certainly, but their abilities are greater than just a collection of skills.

Or, they should be.

One of the things that I try to effect is that a high level thief can infiltrate an area even though it's blanketed with magic.