(D&D 3.5) Legal questions, balance issues

[Zaygroth]

Ok, first off I'd like to say that I've looked through the forum to see if I could find any of my questions already asked, but I couldn't find anything. To be honest, the search function doesn't work very well, and this forum is BIG. So please forgive me if some of these questions have already been asked and answered.

Alright, my first questions about legal issues. (I know the forum rules are a bit touchy on that subject. I'm pretty sure Im not breaking any rules by asking these questions. Basically, I want to know if something illegal, but since I don't know if it is yet, I dont know whether or not to discuss it.)

Basically, if I don't own the books from a certain setting, such as forgotten realms, but I've seen one of the feats or skills or something from that setting somewhere else, and can remember it well enough to use it, whats stopping me from just putting it in my campaign? In other words, is it illegal to use bits and pieces of a different campaign, specifically a copyrighted one, if I don't do anything illegal to obtain it, such as downloading a pirated copy online?

Second question is about balance. How hard would it be to create, or more specifically, balance, a race that basically threw conventional means of character progression out the window? What I'm thinking of doing is making a Construct class/race combo, that would effectively make their entire character progression, aside from a few small things, based on money, and magic items. In other words, the character would have to buy "upgrades" that would allow them to increase STR, DEX, CON (I know constructs don't have CON, I've already fixed that), their hit points, and their magic abilities, along with their size, reach, and attacks. Their other three abilities, along with their reflex and will saves, and their skills and feats, would progress as normal using experience points. The disadvantages I've thought of to balance the race, are initially low physical abilities, no spellcasting of ANY kind without runes (my campaigns version of wands, or 1/day-week-month use magic items), and the inability to benefit from natural healing, and any magic that affects living things, e.g. potions, wands, rings, magic spells that increase ability scores or heal, and magical tomes or artifacts (they would still be able to benefit from magic weapons and armor that fit their shape and size, along with enchanted upgrades to their bodies). The advantages of the Race would be that you could upgrade your size and shape, become almost anything, and that you would gain incredible durability, along with most of the advantages of the construct traits.

Thanks in advance for any answers

[Yora]

The first question is an interesting one. I don't think anyone has asked it that way. :smallbiggrin:
But the answer is, that you can do in your game at home everything you want. I think a court in the US once established that you can't patent game rules or put other legal limits on them. The only case in which copyright and trademarks come into effect is when you make copies of written texts and give them to others, either for money or putting it online. In those cases things become a lot more complicated, but unless you print it and sell it or put it online, you can do anything you want.

Second: That could be done, I suppose, but I don't think it has been done in the 3.5e rules. But I think it sounds a bit like Mutants and Masterminds, a superhero RPG that is based on the same basic rules like 3.5e D&D but does not have races and classes (I think) but instead you just add new abilities to your characters. Havn't played it, so I might be mistaken.
However balance becomes very difficult in such cases because certain combinations of abilities can become extremely powerful, while other combinations are mostly useless.

[Runestar]

For search issues, I typically use google. Go to advanced search, enter the url of this forum, and the search terms are the keywords you have in mind.


Basically, if I don't own the books from a certain setting, such as forgotten realms, but I've seen one of the feats or skills or something from that setting somewhere else, and can remember it well enough to use it, whats stopping me from just putting it in my campaign? In other words, is it illegal to use bits and pieces of a different campaign, specifically a copyrighted one, if I don't do anything illegal to obtain it, such as downloading a pirated copy online?

I think this is one of those "Don't ask, don't tell" policies. I doubt wotc is going to prosecute you over using one feat you happened to remember from browsing said book at Borders, nor they are not going to openly come out and tell you to start reading them without buying until you can recite its contents from memory.

However, in a forum, we can't tell or advise you to "go jot it down on a piece of paper" as that would be violating copyright rules. :smallwink:

[Zaygroth]

However, in a forum, we can't tell or advise you to "go jot it down on a piece of paper" as that would be violating copyright rules. :smallwink:

Honestly that never occurred to me. Well . . . ok, it did, but I thought that would have been very illegal. What I was thinking of when I asked the question was Neverwinter Nights 2. Basically, that game is absolutely chock-full of forgotten realms feats, classes, spells, and items that are perfectly usable outside of a video game setting. but yeah, I kinda figured it would be ok to use them, since I bought the game, and supported WotC.

[Runestar]

I really have no idea if this would violate any laws. My gut tells me no, but there is a fine line between it being perfectly legit, and the creators simply not being bothered to sue. Personally, I feel if you just don't make a big fuss out of it, there won't be any problems.

Heck, my first dnd games were run with rules cobbled together from the baldur's gate PC game. :smalltongue:

For example, I recently read an article about how a group of Japanese model makers were sued for illegally modifying an anime figurine to look like another character. :smallannoyed:

[The Glyphstone]

Great Modthulhu: Asking for, or giving, legal advice is indeed an Inappropriate Topic here. Thread locked. You may restart a thread specifically devoted to the balancing question if any mention of legal issues is avoided.