D&D 5E (2014) Non OGL monsters with serial #s filed off

[steeldragons]

ShwEEEEt!

[EDIT: To be clear, in case it's not obvious, this is in response to Wicht telling me that ropers are OGL...posted before I cheked/noticed there were another half dozen posts since then. /edit

 

[Wicht]

I thought so, but didn't want to assume. Especially with legality is on the line.

Since legality is on the line...

The designation of OGC in the ToH reads as follows:

All text contained within this book (including monster names, stats, and descriptions) is hereby designated as Open Game Content with the following exceptions:
1. Any text on the inside or outside of the front or back cover or on the Credts or Preface pages is not Open Game Content;
2. Any advertising material - including the text of any advertising material - is not Open Game Content;
3. Any material contained in the "Credit" section of each monster is not Open Game Content.

 

[Mark CMG]

A couple of options include Phil Reed's workaround Possessors: Children of the Outer Gods. Here is a review for details -

http://www.geeknative.com/745/possessors-children-of-the-outer-gods/

And available as a PDF here -

http://paizo.com/products/btpy7fkj?Possessors-PDF


Also, Ben Durbin took the work a bit further and incorporated the same philosophy into his Grim Tales. A review can be found here -

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/10/10609.phtml

It can only be bought in hardcover but is available through his website here -

http://www.badaxegames.com/products/grim-tales/

I happen to have a copy on eBay paired with his Slavelords of Cydonia at an excellent price for the two in mint condition -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bad-Axe-Gam...-books-MINT-/141684551032?hash=item20fd0ead78

 

[Mouseferatu]

Way back during the D20 boom, I published a PDF series called Iconic Bestiary. One, "Classics of Fantasy," was basically exactly what you're talking about: replacements for the non-OGL creatures. It had equivalents to the mind flayer, beholder, yuan-ti, umber hulk, displacer beast, and a few others. I think it's still available over at DriveThruRPG and the like, and Pathfinder conversions of many of the critters are up on D20PFSRD (though often credited to the products in which the conversions appeared, rather than the original ).

 

[Wicht]

Way back during the D20 boom, I published a PDF series called Iconic Bestiary. One, "Classics of Fantasy," was basically exactly what you're talking about: replacements for the non-OGL creatures. It had equivalents to the mind flayer, beholder, yuan-ti, umber hulk, displacer beast, and a few others. I think it's still available over at DriveThruRPG and the like, and Pathfinder conversions of many of the critters are up on D20PFSRD (though often credited to the products in which the conversions appeared, rather than the original ).

Ari - what were the names of your critters?

 

[steeldragons]

You can't copyright (easily) a Roman god (Orcus) or Mesopatamian deity (Tiamat) which predates your product by a couple of thousand years.

Now, if you develop a trademark which incorporates either, that I would guess you can protect to a certain extent.

But the names themselves are pretty much in the public domain.

Oh, along these lines, I wanted to add that the tarrasque is an actual folkloric monster...southern France...I want to say somewhere in the Basque country, I think...But, yeah, even things with proper names can't be copywritten/IPed by WotC if they are actual pieces of real world mythologies.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Ari - what were the names of your critters?

Names and equivalents:

Ei'risai (slaad)
Evil Eye (beholder)
Greymalkin (displacer beast)
Ophiduan (yuan-ti)
Phrenic Scourge (mind flayer)
Scavenger Worm (carrion crawler)
Tunnel Brute (umber hulk)