Any Open Settings?

[Simplicity]

One thing that always kind of bugged me about creating adventures for D&D is that if I want to publish something online or sell it, I'm not really supposed to use the generic D&D gods that everyone recognizes. I just need a death god, people... Why do I need to create my own setting to do that?

It would be nice if there was an open setting that everyone knew and could actually use.
Like Greyhawk, but feel free to publish your adventures for it.

Does such a thing exist already? If it does, then it doesn't seem to have reached the threshold of visibility required for it to be useful...

 

[Nadaka]

well... D20 modern has significant amount of Urban Arcana released as OGC. Its not the entire setting book, but its not just crunch. Some of the fluff of OGC too.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd

 

[Crothian]

One of the coolest gods of Death is featured here in this book . I don't know how open it is.

 

[Yair]

Well, while it didn't go too far the Tempest Open Game Campaign Setting was basically a fan-based attempt to do what you're describing.
http://ogcs.wikispaces.com/

The chief death god is

The Nameless Horror
Names: Ulgoth, The Dark One
[NE; Darkness*, Death, Evil, Madness*, Trickery]
Portfolio: Opposition, darkness, destruction/unbeing, madness
Phaeton's eternal adversary is Ulgoth, a being so terrible that it is beyond comprehension which lies at the furthest reaches of the underworld, where each night it battles Phaeton in an attempt to prevent the new day.

Edit: perhaps a note on Phaeton's dogma, the dark one's adversary, would be of use; the horror's entry was never really filled, but you can get a glimpse of its essence from his foe:

Phaeton is a nurturer and a warrior, in the day he brings the power of life to our plants and fields, in the night he battles the darkness below.

We are drawn to sleep just as Phaeton is drawn to the underworld, it is in our dreams that we struggle with our inner darkness, sharing a portion in Phaeton's eternal war. The real world and the dream world are one, dreams are but different consciousness states. When you plunge deep into the underground, you plunge deep into our nightmares. Horrid aberrations that can shatter the mind lie beneath us all, and it is only Phaeton's constant sigil that wards us from oblivion, only Phaeton's light that saves us from eternal darkness. None of the other gods have the power to replace him, and so every night he plunges deeper than our most horrid nightmares, to battle the heart of darkness itself. None of the other god's glory compares to him, they are but pale stars in a dark night when he is the burning sun in a clear sky.

Those who say Phaeton is thought confuse the matter. He is thought, but he is also the sun, and its tangible light, a conduit to the life energies and a bringer of light.

Those who say Phaeton is light confuse the matter. He is the sun's brilliance and its life giving light, but he is also the inner light that shows good over evil, that makes truth evident, he is the thought that is good and sane dragged forth from the evil madness below the surface.

All that is good is but an island upon an endless sea, uplifted from the depths of mind and matter by the power of Phaeton. Glory be his name.

SpirosBlaak
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3171&it=1
was a more commercial, and fruitful, attempt - or so I understand, I never read it as the setting is somewhat untraditional.

 

[Ghostwind]

http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=28416&it=1

100% open content with Gods that everyone recognizes.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

It would be nice if there was an open setting that everyone knew and could actually use.
Like Greyhawk, but feel free to publish your adventures for it.

Does such a thing exist already? If it does, then it doesn't seem to have reached the threshold of visibility required for it to be useful...

Murchad's Legacy.

Free. 100% OGL. Online. Nominated for an ENnie award in 2005 for best writing.
http://murchadslegacy.pbwiki.com/

Never heard of it? Join the teaming millions.

God of Death? For that we have Geoan, one of the Elemental Lords known in better days as the Hermetic Truths. He was a major player back in the day, now he's more off to the sidelines. Not a pathetic little cult power, you understand, but still nothing compared to the Church of Light.

Geoan is a little creepy as befits a god of death. He is more of an eternal defender and his symbol is a skeleton holding a shield. He protects his followers in life just as he does through death. There are still a few animated skeletons here and there, forever on watch and guarding a place that may have crumbled into meaninglessness centuries ago. If Geoan were out and about today, therapists would be rich from all the people with psychological trauma from their parents rocking them to sleep at night telling them that an undead horror would watch over them in their dreams.

There's not much else written up on him in one spot in the book (or in the online version) simply because, as I said earlier, his pantheon is sort of down and out. But there's scattered bits here and there.

http://murchadslegacy.pbwiki.com/Chapter+4+-+The+World

Enjoy!

 

[SPoD]

Just use the real world mythologies, like Hades or Anubis or whatever. Real-world mythology is about as open content as you get. Individual DMs can swap them out for the local death god in their campaign with a minimum of work, because everyone knows who they are and what their deal is.

 

[subbob]

http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=28416&it=1

100% open content with Gods that everyone recognizes.

Looks like an interesting product, but I do not believe it's what the OP had in mind when he was asking about open content.

Perhaps I'm too stuck on the "open source" analogy - but if people don't own the $20 Lore of the Gods item you linked above, then what good does it do an author to reference an item therein?

I interpreted the original question to be more along the lines of the SRD, where it would be an readily accessible ("open") document of commonly used gods.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Perhaps I'm too stuck on the "open source" analogy - but if people don't own the $20 Lore of the Gods item you linked above, then what good does it do an author to reference an item therein?

You can quote it provided you make mention of that in your Section 15. It's professional courtesy to ask first and/or make a mention of the original source elsewhere in the book, such as the credits page in the front cover (or internet equivalent). But strictly speaking you don't have to do that.

I interpreted the original question to be more along the lines of the SRD, where it would be an readily accessible ("open") document of commonly used gods.

I'm pretty sure there is no difference. The SRD is just online for free. If someone really wanted to and was a gigantic jerk, they could reprint a 100% OGC product. If they were stupid, they might put the actual PDF up or resell it. That's illegal. The illustrations probably aren't OGC (though they might be, I have no idea) and I have no clue if things like layout count. But if a product -- such as Unearthed Arcana -- has 100% OGC text, you can copy the text and reuse it.

Standard disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, follow my advice at your own risk, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Sparafucile]

Just use the real world mythologies, like Hades or Anubis or whatever. Real-world mythology is about as open content as you get. Individual DMs can swap them out for the local death god in their campaign with a minimum of work, because everyone knows who they are and what their deal is.

That's a good idea. You could even use Death as the god of death. And when I say death, I mean the skeletal robed figure with the scythe . . . not Brad PittD