In D&D, your character can pursue more than one class: you can be a fighter/wizard, for example. That's called multiclassing. For each race, there is one particular class that mixes well with others, called the favored class. For gnomes, it is bard; for halflings, rogue. Multiclassing with your favored class is easy and risk free. In the Faerun campaign setting rules for wemics, it is barbarian.
But barbarian has always stuck in my throat as the favored wemic class. It bothers me that wemics are supposed to be great hunters, but barbarians do not have the tracking and stealth skills a hunter needs. The great cats stalk and pounce, and I've always preferred the ranger as a class to represent that in wemics.
But the literature does fit the barbarian idea. In The Magehound and in Pride of Place, wemic warriors enter blind killing rages, ignoring damage and fighting ferociously. That's barbarian all over.
But in the real world, keep in mind, lion males roar in anger, fight intruders, fight each other, and intimidate lesser beasts away from prey. Pretty barbaric behavior. On the other hand, lion females are primary hunters and stalkers, working intelligently to bring down prey. Just like rangers. Hmmm.
What if we have different favored classes by gender? There is precedent for it in the rules -- drow males favor wizards; drow females favor clerics. I propose that wemic males feature barbarian as the favored class, while females feature ranger. That satisfies everyone!
Well, pardon me while I go roar at my wife -- looks like she is reaching for my plate!
