Oh, and reading back over this thread, is there anyone that doubts where the OG (1e) Ranger came from?
Aragorn could only use the one item, not all non-written magic items of that type. Nor did the palantir allow ESP. What you have is an ability based on Aragorn's ability, but different and not at all tied to setting. There is no setting specific lore in that ranger ability.
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There is in fact setting specific lore and mechanics associated with the Wizards of High Sorcery.
It seems to me that [MENTION=23751]Maxperson[/MENTION] thinks that reading LotR, then building the ranger class as inspired by Aragorn, is
not incorporating a setting-specific element; whereas reading DL and the DLA hardback, and then adapting the WoHS from those sources to GH,
is incorporating a setting-specific element.
Personally I don't see where the distinction lies - eg ranger item rules "inspired by" rather than directly equating to Aragorn's seems similar to my WoHS moon rules "inspired by" but not directly equating to DL's (for instance, none of the DL moons has a cycle as long as Celene's, which is full only 4 times a year).
Hence my view that if crystal ball-using rangers don't make GH any less GH, an ancient Suel order of wizards whose power is tied to the cycles of the moons (including a small, rapidly orbiting black moon) doesn't either.
Maybe my assumptions are off here, but I thought most Grayhawk fans viewed From The Ashes like I view the Star Wars prequel movies. I know some Grayhawk fans locally who appreciate the Paizohawk material, but none who are fans of the Grayhawk Wars.
I have never used FtA as such, but in my own games similar stuff has come up eg at one stage high level PCs (including some WoHS) were working to help the Great Kingdom prepare its assault on Almor and then Nyrond. The set-up in the folio/boxed set lore is such that some sort of war between the various neighbouring-yet-enemy states (eg GK vs Nyrond; Furyondy vs Iuz) is on the cards. Likewise unions, such as of Iuz and the Horned Society, or Furyondy and Veluna.
If, by the GH Wars, one means not the general outline of events but all of the particulars, like the simultaneous strikes by Scarlet Brotherhood Assassins, Iuz tricking the vikings into going to war, etc - well I think that's all pretty silly and just ignore it.