Get onto the Solasta forums right now and you will find people discussing how to build characters to replace the thief -- do you build the ranger into the lockpicker / trap disabler or is better to give that to the greenmage? It's a problem I'd rather not deal with. I liked the BG2 party -- lockpicker, meat shield, healer, archer, mage, wildcard.
In a 4 person party I just don't have space for wildcard (sorry bard) and I don't like the building against class strengths -- yeah you can make the bard the trap disabler or have the mage pick locks but that's just not as much fun as having a thief in the party.
