The Human Races of Dave Arneson's Blackmoor: A Conversion For Basic D&D
by Scott MooreFor those interested in using material from Dave Arneson's Blackmoor under an earlier version of the Dungeons & Dragons rules, such as the Basic/Expert/Companion/Masters box sets or the Rules Cyclopedia, the following conversions are provided for introducing Blackmoor's human variations into your campaign.
Half-Orcs
Half-Orcs follow the rules for the Fighter class with the following adjustments:
- +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.
- Infravision at a range of 60 feet.
- Half-orcs with an Intelligence of at least 9 speak Common and Orc.
- For all other effects related to race, half-orcs are considered the same as orcs.
High Thonians
Since there is no noble class in these earlier versions of D&D, any human class excluding thief (rakes are acceptable) may be permitted, but with the following modifications:
- -2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.
- One additional Secondary Skill at first level.
- High Thonians with an Intelligence of at least 9 speak Common and Chale (treat as Other Human Dialect).
- For all other effects related to race, High Thonians are considered the same as humans.
Thonians
Same as humans in all respects with no restrictions on permitted character classes.
Peshwah
Peshwah follow the rules for the Fighter class with the following adjustments:
- -2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.
- Peshwah characters gain the bonus Secondary Skills Riding (horses) and Animal Training (horses) at first level.
- Peshwah with an Intelligence of at least 9 speak Peshwahan (treat as Other human Dialect) as opposed to Common.
- For all other effects related to race, Peshwah are considered the same as humans.
Human Character Class Conversions
The following suggested character class substitutions are for use in converting characters from Dave Arneson's Blackmoor to ones based on earlier versions of D&D.
| Dave Arneson's Blackmoor Character Class (d20) | Original D&D Character Class (non-d20) |
| Barbarian | Fighter |
| Bard | Bard (SR* #6 or Dragon #177) |
| Monk | Mystic or Monk (Supplement II: Blackmoor) |
| Ranger | Fighter or Ranger (SR* #2) |
| Rogue | Thief or Rake |
| Sorcerer | Magic-User |
| Wizard | Magic-User |
| Wokan | Magic-User (Wokan) |
| Assassin (Prestige Class) | Assassin (Supplement II: Blackmoor) |
| Blackguard (Prestige Class) | Avenger |
*SR refers to
issues of Strategic Review. These
classes were also reprinted in The Best of The Dragon Volume 1.