[DraconisRex]

Okay, so you don't have a rogue. Then you go right out and train someone to be a rogue, but call him a druid or a ranger or a whatever... [img]smile.gif[/img] I understand the concept, I do something similar:

Instead of a dedicated pure rogue, I do this (current party):

Numiel Lorkenvale
Wild elf
Sorceress (4)/Rogue(1)

STR 10
DEX 16
CON 10
INT 14
WIS 9
CHA 18

As I'm experienced (due to lots of mistakes in the past) with this type of charcter, I know how to maximize her skills w/o losing or burning up skill points. I level her up predominantly as a sorceress in a 4/1 ratio that goes in a certain pattern because of skill point allocation issues (R,SSSS).

When in rogue level up, she will put the majority of her points into the Open/Disable/Magic Device skills. Extra points, if any, will go to diplomacy, hiding, move silently and search. As a sorceress, points go into concentration and in skills that will/can help her theivery.

Her spells are a mixture of necromatic/evocrative offense and abjurative defense. She has the armored arcana feat (1) and the spell penetration feat.

She has the lowest amount of kills in the party. This is because of my spell selection choices that she can use to preserve her life (Laroch MInor Drain, that sort of thing)if she gets surprised while scouting. Rather than to be an offensive juggernaut, like a mage. (The pure mage has twice as many kills and rivals the tanks.)

As she develops, she will take more spells along the lines of "ghost armor," "haste," "improved invisibility," "hold person" and "hold monster." Her kills will stay down, but the tanks will have an easier go of it as they'd have extra attacks, paralyzed opponents, etc.

I also do Bard/Sorcerer combinations. Same results in many ways, just different ways to get there.