Q&A with Jeffery Quinn

[JPQuinn]

Another thing that was new in the D20 Sourcebook was the additional information about the elves (Cumasti/Westryn split for instance). Who came up with those ideas?

That would be me. I have always seen elves and vampires as illuminated by the same spotlight. The wild, secretive, xenophobic, and deadly side of the elven personality are the Westryn. The civilized, hyper-intelligent, snobbish, and seductive elves are the Cumasti. View them as the noble rake/primal beast vampiric dichotomy.

I wanted to see lofty, flowing, artistically-twisted spires set in pristine wooded glades. But I also wanted to see a bleak, grey wasteland of death and ruin. I kept two pictures locked in my mind when designing these guys: Cumasti, New York City and Rivendell; Westryn, the scene in Lord of the Rings where Arwen (in her vision) is standing vigil over her husband, a dead King Aragorn, and the world rots around her.

So, the elves of Blackmoor are sensual, deliberate, deadly, beautiful, horrific, and wise. In the 4e version, I was a little unhappy to see that the 4e PHB races were given an opportunity to appear in Blackmoor. I understand why they were given that chance, I just wasn't pleased. If I really wanted to include the 4e PHB races in Blackmoor, I would make the eladrin into the Cumasti and the elves into the Westryn.

Matter of fact, I would do the following with all the PHB/PGB2 races:
(4e PHB) ----> (Blackmoor)
Dragonborn ---> Dragonborn from the Dragon Hills
Dwarf ---> Dwarf
Eladrin ---> Cumasti elves
Elf ---> Westryn elves
Half-elf ---> Half-elf
Halfling ---> Docrae
Human ---> Depending on the stat bonus, any human race
Tiefling ---> Afridhi half-demon or Coot-spawn humans

(4e PHB2) ----> (Blackmoor)
Deva ---> City of the Gods human (awoken from a sleep chamber)
Gnome ---> Gnome
Goliath ---> Half-giant or half-ogre
Half-orc ---> Half-orc
Shifter ---> Beastmen

(4e Others) ----> (Blackmoor)
Bladeling ---> Bladeling (from the City of the Gods or the Ash Hills)
Drow ---> Scarrythe Elf (descendants of Cumasti and Westryn clans that were tainted by a Scar)
Duergar ---> Dark Dwarf
Shadar-kai ---> Afridhi
Warforged ---> Liberated/Rogue Automaton


Classes:
(4e) ----> (Blackmoor)
Ardent ---> Ardent (Coot-spawn only)
Artificer ---> Artificer (Cabal only)
Assassin ---> No change
Avenger ---> Spy (Afridhi or Inquisition only)
Barbarian ---> No change
Bard ---> No change
Battlemind ---> Battlemind (Coot-spawn only)
Cleric ---> No change
Druid ---> No change
Fighter ---> No change
Invoker ---> Priest (Afridhi and Inquisition only)
Monk ---> No change
Paladin ---> No change
Psion ---> No change
Ranger ---> No change
Rogue ---> No change
Seeker ---> Archer (Cumasti or Westryn only)
Shaman ---> Wokan
Sorcerer ---> No change
Swordmage ---> Arcane Warrior
Warden ---> Regent Knight
Warlock ---> Afridhi Arcanist (pact with Zugzul--fire or evil)
Warlord ---> Noble
Wizard ---> No change

These are only things I would do.