Is this legal?

[Sage]

One of the suggestions for my site (link below) has been to include a (java script) XP calculator.

So this is to all you legal geniuses out there. Would such a thing be legal seing as the XP tables are not OGC? Note that the amount experience required to reach a level would not be there.

I appreciate your help.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

One of the suggestions for my site (link below) has been to include a (java script) XP calculator.

So this is to all you legal geniuses out there. Would such a thing be legal seing as the XP tables are not OGC? Note that the amount experience required to reach a level would not be there.

I appreciate your help.

Is it in the SRD? Nope.

So can you use it? Nope.

"Hey I saw this other thing where this guy was doing it...." Sic the law dogs on him.


By the way, you have a nice site.

 

[JimAde]

Sadly I have to agree with BG. I'm a big fan of both the Sovelior/Sage SRD and the XP calculator created by Arcady and modified by zillions of people. But legally I think you'd be on shaky ground.

 

[Warbringer]

Not legal, but then again neither is the use of Wizards artwork.

If it is not for resale in any fashion I doubt WoTC will care.

Nice site

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

So XP isn't OGC?????

But CR is. Right?

As is Fighter Level 1. Fighter Level 2.

But it is not-allowed to state how to get from Level 1 to Level 2?

So Challenge Rating is a measure of encounter difficulty only (it can't be used to determine XP).

It's sort of like making how to build a car Open Content. But saying Wheels? That's a No-No.

It's not like the level XP chart is that hard to figure out. Pretty simple math. The DMG XP charts aren't that much harder.

Wierd.

 

[Altalazar]

Its pretty simple math. If you leave out mention of anything beyond "level" and "experience" it would probably be very hard for any legal claim to be made against you. Sure, there is copyright, but there is also fair use, and there are other things to consider as well. For instance, I don't think a process can be copyrighted - that requires a patent, and for something simple like that, you can't get a patent.

Really, what you are talking about here is a mathematical formula.

This isn't a legal opinion, but if I were to make an experience / level calculator, I'd not worry about being sued myself.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Not legal, but then again neither is the use of Wizards artwork.

Just thought I'd point out that the pics linked to from the SS SRD are lnks to the WoTC page, so they're totally kosher.

 

[JimAde]

So XP isn't OGC?????

But CR is. Right?

As is Fighter Level 1. Fighter Level 2.

But it is not-allowed to state how to get from Level 1 to Level 2?

So Challenge Rating is a measure of encounter difficulty only (it can't be used to determine XP).

It's sort of like making how to build a car Open Content. But saying Wheels? That's a No-No.

It's not like the level XP chart is that hard to figure out. Pretty simple math. The DMG XP charts aren't that much harder.

Wierd.

It's not that WotC doesn't think anybody will be able to get that information, it's just that you're not allowed to make it easy, or to incorporate it into your product. They want you to buy their books (which is perfectly reasonable).

So the XP calculations and XP to level are not OGC. The CR of monsters is OGC (if the monster is) so you can put those monsters into appropriate adventures or other publications, but the person running the adventure is supposed to have a DMG to figure out how much XP to give out and the players should have PHs to figure out when they level.

It's like making how to build a car Open Content, but saying "and we have these nice wheels for sale in case you want them."

 

[dnabre]

No legal problem at all.

You can't copyright the numbers in a table (the specific expression of a table and it's layout yes, but not the number or the formula it's based upon). The only conceivable problem would be trademark issues, but the terms 'level' and 'experience' are so widely used for such things, there's no case there.

 

[Mark CMG]

Not legal problem at all.

You can't copyright the numbers in a table (the specific expression of a table and it's layout yes, but not the number or the formula it's based upon). The only conceivable problem would be trademark issues, but the terms 'level' and 'experience' are so widely used for such things, there's no case there.

I think you might be ignoring the d20 STL. To use it, you give up some ground in regard to what you might be able to normally do. Character generation and advancement are two areas that are off limits for those using the d20 STL.