I've read that if the hero has any "thief skills", then Katrina would refuse to marry the hero. However, what exactly is considered as "thief skills" was unspecified. Lockpicking definitely counts as a thief skill. But does any of stealth, acrobatic, climbing and throwing count as a thief skill as well? (and therefore would prevent Katrina from marrying the hero.)

Pick Locks, Stealth, and Climbing are all unique to the Thief (unless of course you raise them as a Fighter or Magic User), but I'd imagine its the Pick Locks that triggers it. I've read that Katrina will only marry a Fighter or Magic User, but I have no idea if taking a unique Thief skill would change that.

This is to confirm that Magic Users with Lock Picking skill cannot marry Katrina.

And Magic Users who have Stealth but not Lock Picking can.

And Fighters automatically have Climbing skill in QFG5 (having learned it in QFG4 if not earlier), so Climbing doesn't count as a Thief skill either.

Lock picking is the only skill that causes a problem with Katrina.

She will not marry a paladin though, regardless of whether or not he has the lock picking skill.

Finally a perk for anyone who plays as a pure fighter! Once the Paladin option becomes available, the fighter really seems to have nothing special for him, aside from fights and defeating monsters. But any other class can do those things, too. They just don't get any points for them.

In #5, the Fighter also has a different set of "550" skills than the paladin does, IIRC.

I think you're right, but I don't remember any special content that only the fighter could accomplish. It has been a very long time since I played, so I might remember that incorrectly, but it seems to me that any special tasks or quests for the fighter, the other classes could do them, too. They just didn't get points for it.

There isn't any. The Fighter is probably meant to be an introductory, simple character, unless you really don't care about being honorable and all that. The only things I can recall that are different but basically equal in a Fighter playthrough compared to the Paladin is the Spear of Death item in QFG3 and that's it. Anything else the Fighter does, the Paladin can do plus extra Paladin Quests.

Yeah, it does seem that way, but in the Coles' KickStarter for Hero-U the fighter will have her own game and the Paladin will, too. So, maybe that was a Sierra management thing in the original games, or equally possible that the Coles just decided to make the Paladin the "new" Fighter, I guess.

In Hero-U, their plan is for the 1st game to have a male Rogue, the 2nd a female wizard, the 3rd a female fighter and the 4th a male Paladin. And they've talked about a 5th games where everything comes together with all the previous characters. So, it sounds like the Fighter class will get some love in this series, if it makes funding, that is.

For any QFG fans that missed the Coles' KickStarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1878147873/hero-u-rogue-to-redemption