HELP! OGL, d20STL, & SRD... yet another question

[Animan]

Hi gang, I think I'm in the right place for this question...

Which I'm sure has been asked in some way, shape or form previously. I've looked around this forum for some insight, and got some clues (esp here New (free) Pdf manual, and a lot of doubts) I also went rifling thru the board on RPG Legalities: OGF/4eGSL/d20STL , and my question is rather simple, but getting a straight answer has been a chore (until now, hopefully!).

Can I use SRD material (monsters and spells, for instance) in an OGL product?

I see everywhere talk about d20 SRD, but since WotC has migrated to GSL they seem to shy away from questions regarding d20 I (which I don't believe they can revoke, but I will treat d20 as a dead duck anyhow). But DO I NEED A d20 LOGO/LICENSE TO USE SRD CONTENT (D&D 3.5 material sans PI stuff)? Or will an OGL logo/license suffice to accomodate the SRD material inside?

I want to publish an adventure campaign for the Dementia Five Publishing House (www.dementia5.com) a new RPG printing press that caters to historical fantasy RPG campaigns and adventures, and I want to make sure the licensing is accurate.

Some other questions, if you're up for it


Will just the OGL alone suffice for using D&D related (SRD) content verbatim (e.g. "inside you find a +1 ring of protection)? For that matter, can I use the words "D&D" for an OGL product?

Can I invent a character class or race under OGL? ?

Should I abandon d20 for say Pathfinder, which I already have logo permission and may take over the d20 market this Fall? Again, the majority claim the d20 moniker is restrictive, others say it has gone the way of the dodo. Not sure I want to wait until the Fall, though...

and finally, correct this sentence: d20 uses the SRD which follows from the OGL and OGC, however, OGL invites use of the SRD.


Thanks so much for the help!

[The Black Kestrel]

Originally Posted by Animan

Can I use SRD material (monsters and spells, for instance) in an OGL product?

Yes, you can. The SRD was released at the same time as the OGL (and amended several times with additions and removals) and d20 STL. The SRD was released under the OGL and is independent of the d20 STL. The d20STL was essentially a license used to indicate compatibility with D&D 3/3.5 material. The d20 STL has been removed from the Wizards home page and should probably not be used.

Originally Posted by Animan

But DO I NEED A d20 LOGO/LICENSE TO USE SRD CONTENT (D&D 3.5 material sans PI stuff)? Or will an OGL logo/license suffice to accomodate the SRD material inside?

You do not need the d20 STL to utilize anything that is in the 3.0/3.5 SRD or that has been released as OGC under the OGL. Just ensure your section 15 includes full credit for the SRD and whatever OGC you may be using. Also, very few WotC products contain OGC outside whatever is already listed in the SRD.

[Animan]

Thanks so much. I would think I should include, "to be used with edition 3.5 of the oldest roleplaying game in the world", or can I say "requires WotC Players Handbook"? maybe both? In any case, I'm pretty sure I cannot cite "Dungeons and Dragons" at that is a d20 STL term?

[Nellisir]

Originally Posted by Animan

Hi gang, I think I'm in the right place for this question...

No, I think you should be in RPG Legalities. However, IANAM (I Am Not A Moderator), and don't care.

Can I use SRD material (monsters and spells, for instance) in an OGL product?

Yes.

But DO I NEED A d20 LOGO/LICENSE TO USE SRD CONTENT (D&D 3.5 material sans PI stuff)?

No.

Or will an OGL license suffice to accomodate the SRD material inside?

Yes.

Will just the OGL alone suffice for using D&D related (SRD) content verbatim (e.g. "inside you find a +1 ring of protection)?

Yes.

For that matter, can I use the words "D&D" for an OGL product?

No.

Can I invent a character class or race under OGL? ?

Yes.

Should I abandon d20 for say Pathfinder, which I already have logo permission and may take over the d20 market this Fall? Again, the majority claim the d20 moniker is restrictive, others say it has gone the way of the dodo. Not sure I want to wait until the Fall, though...

Moot question. You are not/can not use the d20 license or logo anymore.

correct this sentence: d20 uses the SRD which follows from the OGL and OGC, however, OGL invites use of the SRD.

SRD is OGC which follows from the OGL, however, d20 license requires use of the OGL.

The Open Game License controls Open Game Content. The System Reference Document is Open Game Content.

The d20 License allowed (past tense) a publisher to indicate compatibility with D&D by requiring certain phrases, like "Requires the Use of the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook, by Wizards of the Coast", be placed on the product.

The d20 license also had certain content requirements (no porn, no xp charts).

The OGL does not have content limits or requirements.

The d20 license required the OGL.

The OGL does not require, in any way, shape, or form, the d20 license.

WotC has retracted the d20 license; you can no longer use it at all.

WotC cannot retract the OGL.

Thanks so much for the help!

Yes.

[Animan]

I'd thank you, but you've already quoted me on this

My last question is, as an OGL product I understand I should include the 1.0a license, and the SRD credits... but shouldn't I say on the cover "compatible with version 3.5 of the most popular RPG in the world"? Or is this just a polite convention?

[Nellisir]

Originally Posted by Animan

My last question is, as an OGL product I understand I should include the 1.0a license, and the SRD credits... but shouldn't I say on the cover "compatible with version 3.5 of the most popular RPG in the world"? Or is this just a polite convention?

It's an advertising convention, not a polite convention. It's a way for publishers to say the product is compatible with 3.5 D&D without using the d20 license. Nothing in the OGL requires you to say it.