4th member of MMVII party

[GawainBS]

The three others are of course Knight, Cleric & Sorcerer.
I'm torn between a Ranger and a Thief.
Ranger offers backup healing magic in case the Cleric goes down, and Master in Bow. Then again, Regeneration spell is pretty easy to learn for the Cleric, and by the time the Ranger can afford Bow Mastery, you're no longer leaning so heavy on archery. It would mean I can use every weapon & armour type in my party, though. Rangers get their promotion quest almost right of the bat.
Thief is better defensively and in physical offense. Better Disarm Trap is a big bonus in my book. (can be compensated with items, granted). They also start out slightly squishier than Ranger, with a weaker weapon. Magic abilities are neglible.

So, which to choose?

Thanks in advance!

[DaveO]

I'd go with a Thief. Although the Ranger does have elemental and cleric spells, they only get Expert level for them. The Thief will be useful for the whole game rather than waiting for a promotion to make the class effective.

[GawainBS]

Thanks! I always felt the Ranger was a bit underpowered.