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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 9363805" data-attributes="member: 22779">I mean, sure, you're going to find analogues if you look.  And, that does tend to play into my point about connotation.  Rangers connote voyageurs to you.  Fine, I can see that.  And, since AFAIK, there's no real negative elements there (at least, none that spring to mind, I'm sure there are some, because, well, people suck) there's no problem there.I would point out though, that the link is more simply thematic - people who live out in the bush dealing with stuff out in the bush are going to share certain concepts - trapping, hunting, traveling, that sort of thing.  It's more a case of parallel evolution than any real direct influence.OTOH, something like this:[ATTACH=full]365713[/ATTACH]or this:[ATTACH=full]365715[/ATTACH]with a honking big cross on his chest is pretty hard to ignore.  And it's hardly like this sort of imagery was rare or hard to find.  This was pretty common for a long time.Which does bring up my second point.  While the imagery and concepts of the early versions of the paladin, combined with some really... questionable definitions of good and evil in the game, could certainly point to some icky parts of history, the game really has left that long behind.  I mean, take the PHB image of a paladin that was quoted in the OP:[ATTACH=full]365714[/ATTACH]I mean, sure, you can kinda, sorta see medieval knight there.  But, that's just more that there's only so many ways to draw a person in heavy armor with a sword and a shield.  There's zero Christian or any real world iconography there.  Sure, there's a holy symbol of Torm on the shield, but, a paladin is a holy knight.  That's kinda to be expected.  Heraldry on a shield is kinda part of the package.  Ludicrous pauldrons aside, this is a pretty decent picture of an armored holy warrior.  You really, really have to squint to see any connection between paladin as written and presented in 2014 (or soon 2024) and a crusading Christian knight.</blockquote>

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