Is srd playable by itself?

[With a box]

Is that possible to roll a game with srd and nothing else?

[Renen]

Quite easily.
As long as you can think up your own plot (thus not needing a published adventure)

[Gavinfoxx]

No. There are no rules for actually creating characters using the SRD only.

You have to use an external source for actually creating the characters in the first place.

[Jormengand]

No. There are no rules for actually creating characters using the SRD only.

You have to use an external source for actually creating the characters in the first place.

If you mean like rolling stats or point buy, there are sites everywhere that tell you those things. Can't remember how much gold everyone gets at first level? Just make it 100. Can't remember how much experience your characters need to level up? Wing it.

[Chronos]

Well, yes, but if "just make it up" and "wing it" are acceptable, then you ultimately don't need any document at all.

[Gavinfoxx]

If you mean like rolling stats or point buy, there are sites everywhere that tell you those things. Can't remember how much gold everyone gets at first level? Just make it 100. Can't remember how much experience your characters need to level up? Wing it.

Correct, but using those things is NOT the 'srd only', by definition, since that involves using other sites.

[nedz]

This is the stuff which is missing from the SRD. Buying a PH will give you the important stuff.


Q: Why are some monsters missing from this site?
A: The following monsters are considered "Product Identity" by Wizards of the Coast and are therefore not part of the SRD:


beholder
gauth
carrion crawler
displacer beast
githyanki
githzerai
kuo-toa
mind flayer
slaad
umber hulk
yuan-ti

Q: Where's the experience point table?
A: The d20 license restricts some information from being included. Specifically…

"No Covered Product may contain rules or instructions of any kind that:
Describe a process for Creating a Character
Describe a process for Applying the Effects of Experience to a Character"

[Jermz]

I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but if you mean using classes/rules/acfs/spell lists and more, then most definitely. My group sticks greatly to core, with a bit of SpC mixed in and select DM-approved 3rd party material, but in general, we only have one tablet at the table open to the SRD and we use it constantly. Whether its for statting up a summons, checking the exact grapple rules or the wording of a spell - all the information you need to reliably run an adventure (save for the adventure itself, of course) is there. True, there aren't character creation rules there, but I don't know if that's what OP was including in his question.


Edit: That's actually very interesting, nedz. Does anyone know why the licensing agreement explicitly forbids those two features of character building?

[Zombulian]

I like how goofy these answers are. "Is there enough stuff in the SRD to run a game?"
"Well yeah of course... As long as you make up the rest of the rules that the SRD doesn't include."
Cmon guys.

[ace rooster]

As has been pointed out, there are no rules for building a character. Specifically the SRD does not include rules for assigning ability scores, and the bonus spells for ability scores table. If you already have characters then the bonus spells is the only thing you need, and if you avoid casters then you don't even need that. Deciding when to level up is not in the SRD, but as many DMs just free form it anyway this is no big problem. Likewise the WBL table is not included but often ignored anyway.

Edit: I stand corrected, bonus spells is included. Don't know why i thought it wasn't.

[Jermz]

It does have the bonus spells for ability scores table (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/theBasics.htm#abilityScores).

[CombatOwl]

Is that possible to roll a game with srd and nothing else?

PFSRD: Yes.
3.5SRD: No.

[Leviting]

The Srd also lacks any info on gaining points towards ability scores by leveling up.

[Jormengand]

Well, yes, but if "just make it up" and "wing it" are acceptable, then you ultimately don't need any document at all.

Yes, because 3.5 has a specific rule to state that you have to play by all the rules, all the time, no exceptions.

You can still play what is undeniably a game of Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition without following the rules to the letter.

[georgie_leech]

Yes, because 3.5 has a specific rule to state that you have to play by all the rules, all the time, no exceptions.

You can still play what is undeniably a game of Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition without following the rules to the letter.

The point is more that SRD-only, while perfectly sensible in terms of quantity of monsters and feats and gear and the like, is missing some fairly critical rules for character generation and leveling. It's not possible to play a strictly RAW game using just the SRD because it's missing important pieces of RAW; patching that just means it's no longer SRD-only, because you have rules from an outside source (yourself, the internet, etc.).

[Jormengand]

patching that just means it's no longer SRD-only, because you have rules from an outside source (yourself, the internet, etc.).

I think that you can assume you have access to yourself (and, for that matter, the internet), and anyway I'm pretty sure that the assumption was that the setting would come from yourself too.

Anyway, anyone who plays by strict RAW is going to have to deal with a lot of shenanigans, and also Schrodinger's Dragon Disciple (though given that you don't have access to CW, the latter might not be an issue. :smalltongue:)

[Chronos]

Yes, as I said, it is possible to play the game while winging it for some rules. This must necessarily be so, since it is possible to play it while winging it for all of the rules. But this answer trivializes the question.

[Jormengand]

Yes, as I said, it is possible to play the game while winging it for some rules. This must necessarily be so, since it is possible to play it while winging it for all of the rules. But this answer trivializes the question.

My point is really that you can play enough of the game as written using only the SRD that you are quite clearly playing D&D 3.5, whereas if you made up rules for everything on the spot, then you'd be playing freeform, not 3.5

[Chronos]

Which is another way of saying that the SRD provides almost but not quite everything you need.

[Psyren]

Basically this depends on how strictly the OP defines "and nothing else." Taken literally, it is not possible.

There's also an ethical concern as anyone else posting 3.5's advancement tables anywhere is breaking the law. You can always borrow the one from Pathfinder or another source though.

[Chronos]

There's also an ethical concern as anyone else posting 3.5's advancement tables anywhere is breaking the law.
It's actually a bit more complicated than that. Numerical data is not copyrightable. WotC knew this, and knew that anyone could therefore copy and publish most of the mechanical portion of their game freely, and they wouldn't be able to stop them. So they came up with a solution, the Open Gaming License. Much of their material that can be copyrighted, they published under the OGL. The OGL allows people to share material published under it... so long as they follow a few constraints. And one of those constraints is that if you publish any of WotC's material that isn't OGL (like the XP tables), then you're not allowed to share the OGL material. So strictly speaking, you have a choice: You can choose to publish the XP table etc., or you can choose to share the OGL material, but you aren't allowed to do both. Most people choose the latter, but strictly speaking it's possible for someone to choose the former.

[Psyren]

Numbers are not copyrightable but presentation is. Hence my specific use of the term "tables."

But this is brushing up against a legal discussion so let's hit the brakes.

[With a box]

I was wondered about PFsrd
But piazo have to write everything on it due to OGL, its obvious.
...

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

I think it's possible to run a game, but not necessarily start one.

[Raven777]

This is why you play Pathfinder instead. The d20pfsrd (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/) has everything you will ever need (and much more you won't ever).

[Eldariel]

The missing parts are not really rocket science (basically extra-character stuff like XP, WPL, etc.) but you will have to wing them somehow. The game is still recognizably D&D 3e if you run a game with just the SRD though so in that sense I'd say the answer is "yes". You'll have to figure out some fair way to create characters but let's be honest, nobody reads the books for those anyways. Everybody has their own character generation methods. Leveling, well, there's a number of DMs who already wing it so in that sense it's just XP-consumption that can create problems.

[nedz]

The missing parts are not really rocket science (basically extra-character stuff like XP, WPL, etc.) but you will have to wing them somehow. The game is still recognizably D&D 3e if you run a game with just the SRD though so in that sense I'd say the answer is "yes". You'll have to figure out some fair way to create characters but let's be honest, nobody reads the books for those anyways. Everybody has their own character generation methods. Leveling, well, there's a number of DMs who already wing it so in that sense it's just XP-consumption that can create problems.

Well you would be missing stuff like: How many feats do you get ? When do you get a stat boost from levelling ? Though anyone who has played should know these things anyway.

[Chronos]

Huh, those aren't in the SRD, either? I never noticed.

[Tvtyrant]

Well you would be missing stuff like: How many feats do you get ? When do you get a stat boost from levelling ? Though anyone who has played should know these things anyway.


Feats are actually found under monster advancement.

"All types have a number of feats equal to 1 + 1 per 3 Hit Dice."

"Feat Acquisition and Ability Score Increases

A monster’s total Hit Dice, not its ECL, govern its acquisition of feats and ability score increases."

[SowZ]

There's so many character generators online, and half the DMs fudge the XP rules anyway, that you shouldn't have any trouble playing D&D without buying anything.

[deuxhero]

Finding out the rate feats are gained at is easy to reverse engineer when you have that many monsters, and plenty of games already use "you level up when I feel like it".

[Jormengand]

Also, Myth-Weavers sheets automatically calculate the XP for the next level if you input your current amount of XP, so you can work it out that way. The WBL guidelines are just that: guidelines, and I think you probably knew when you got the ability advancements and feats anyway.

[Eldan]

You can do it, but only if you have run a game before and preferably read the books at some point. I wouldn't point an absolute newcomer at the SRD and say "Have fun!".

[nedz]

Feats are actually found under monster advancement.

"All types have a number of feats equal to 1 + 1 per 3 Hit Dice."

"Feat Acquisition and Ability Score Increases

A monster’s total Hit Dice, not its ECL, govern its acquisition of feats and ability score increases."

Well, strictly speaking: that's monster advancement not character advancement. Now we all know that that's the same thing, but does the SRD actually say that ?