Being Influenced by Other's Content

[TheSethGrey]

So, I've been working on a Homebrew class for 5e D&D that's based around making technological devices. There was a large amount of inspiration from a wow RPG class called the tinker, and as much as I've tried to dissociate my homebrew class from the content that inspired me I still feel like it is too close to the source material and tends to make me feel like I am stealing content which is something I do not want to do, but on the other hand it feels like whatever I make will in no way be original because I've been influenced by the source material.

I am unsure if I can call the content I create or an idea I come up with my own when I feel that it has been so heavily influenced by content other's have created. How do you deal with this, or does this sort of thing not happen to you, or bother you?

[mercury19]

Just give credit where credit is due. If there is an ability or something you took directly from somewhere else, just asterisk it and all of the others like it. At the bottom, stick an asterisk in and say that these things came mostly from somewhere else, all credit goes to that place. A lot of people make new classes just by editing old ones. Just look at all of the fighter and monk fixes around the forums.

[TheSethGrey]

Just give credit where credit is due. If there is an ability or something you took directly from somewhere else, just asterisk it and all of the others like it. At the bottom, stick an asterisk in and say that these things came mostly from somewhere else, all credit goes to that place. A lot of people make new classes just by editing old ones. Just look at all of the fighter and monk fixes around the forums.

It's never so direct, I just feel as if I have been heavily influenced by the source material. I write something, I look at it and in the back of my mind a voice say, "That sounds awfully similar to X thing someone else made..."

[Grod_The_Giant]

Put in a disclaimer at the top "inspired by so-and-so's thingy (http://www.daveevansillustration.com/USERIMAGES/mr%20thingy%20copy.jpg)." If you can, it's often nice to shoot them a message saying "hey, I loved your thing, it's been a big influence on my thing, do you mind if I post said thing?" (I know I always say yes to messages like that).

[The Mentalist]

As someone who works creatively professionally I've had this problem on more than one occasion. I've come to the tenuous conclusion that we come up with new ideas by filling our brains with old ideas and grafting them together like Frankenstein's monster.Even by creating a direct child of someone else's idea we tend to include a good deal of our own creative spirit into it.

As a direct D20 example, someone I saw here did a really creative and flavorful monster that was mechanically just the fusion of a small viper and a soulmeld. They gave it a good fluff and ecology that made it their own though.

[Amechra]

Ooh, do you have a copy of that viper? That sounds keen.

Mentalist, the saying goes "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" for a reason. It should be fine (I'd still attribute and ask for permission if you're directly copying a feature, though).

[Tzi]

So, I've been working on a Homebrew class for 5e D&D that's based around making technological devices. There was a large amount of inspiration from a wow RPG class called the tinker, and as much as I've tried to dissociate my homebrew class from the content that inspired me I still feel like it is too close to the source material and tends to make me feel like I am stealing content which is something I do not want to do, but on the other hand it feels like whatever I make will in no way be original because I've been influenced by the source material.

I am unsure if I can call the content I create or an idea I come up with my own when I feel that it has been so heavily influenced by content other's have created. How do you deal with this, or does this sort of thing not happen to you, or bother you?

I've found 9 times out of 10 that any idea I have someone else has already homebrew'd or done.

I have a google docs collection that is mostly just copied and pasted material with a citation doc now pages long citing all the sources and influences.

[aspekt]

As someone who works creatively professionally I've had this problem on more than one occasion. I've come to the tenuous conclusion that we come up with new ideas by filling our brains with old ideas and grafting them together like Frankenstein's monster.Even by creating a direct child of someone else's idea we tend to include a good deal of our own creative spirit into it.

As a direct D20 example, someone I saw here did a really creative and flavorful monster that was mechanically just the fusion of a small viper and a soulmeld. They gave it a good fluff and ecology that made it their own though.

This.

If you know anything about jazz, visual artist training before the 20th century, or even traditionally trained manga artists today, then you know imitation always precedes creativity.

You always absorb first and then create. It's perfectly natural that if you are currently taken with a particular story and its images that you will see it in your own work.

Enjoy that process and you will find in the long run that the aspects you particularly enjoy or admire will stay with you to be joined to other elements in a unique amalgam all your own.