d20 Setting Under Construction

[Cyclone231]

NOTE: Everything contained within is mine, except the Armor entry, wherein the altered DR and AC numbers are mine. I made it, I have copyright.

Since Angelfire hates direct linking, simply copy the links into the URL bar.

Section 1: Races
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclone231/Races.rtf
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclone231/Cultures.rtf
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclon...ial_Levels.rtf

Section 2: Classes
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclon...re_Classes.rtf
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclon...im_Classes.rtf
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclon...ed_Classes.rtf

Section 3: Equipment
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclone231/Armor.rtf
http://www.angelfire.com/mech/cyclone231/Weapons.rtf (also contains some general equipment)

Criticism would be appreciated. None of this has been playtested at all.

Side note: The setting has no magic, aside from the optional classes in the Advanced Classes.

Note: This work is covered by the Open Gaming License. The following is open game content: class tables, class abilities, racial abilities, racial levels, the armor table and the rules section of the weapons. Product Identity is the racial descriptions, the entirety of the cultures file and descriptions or flavor text to classes, and names of classes.

[Spuddly]

Your links don't work.

[Cyclone231]

Hmm... was working just a minute ago.

Ah, I see. It's Angelfire's no-direct-linking policy. Copy and paste the URL, or drag the link to the bar or whatever works that isn't clicking the link.

[Adghar]

Copy and paste the URL

Which would be a lot easier without hyperlinks.

[Cyclone231]

That's fixed now.

Since it's easier to get the links now... anyone have any opinions? I mean, if anything seems off to you, just say so.

[jdrich]

Before you go looking for more opinions, you might want to look at the racial descriptions in the SRD, and mirror those in your own setting.

Also, any 'race' that you create is not yours, and you do not own copyright. You may own the copyright to the flavor text, but any race, class, or otherwise that is in any way based off the d20 system falls under the terms of the OGL. Trying to publish this setting without understanding the terms of that license will get you into serious legal (though the larger burden will be financial) trouble.

[bingo_bob]

The Cochi needs a climb speed. And how does the 3 arm thing work? What advantages does that bring?

[Premier]

The Cochi needs a climb speed. And how does the 3 arm thing work? What advantages does that bring?

Bonus to Self-Disarm maneuvers?

[Cyclone231]

The Cochi needs a climb speed.

I have altered them so that they make Climb checks as if using the Accelerated Climbing option (which ordinarily brings a -5 to the Climb check) at no penalty. This makes their climbing still take a Climb check, but a move of ten feet per turn.

And how does the 3 arm thing work? What advantages does that bring?

The three arms thing has a few uses:
• Use two weapons to attack, while carrying a Shield in the other hand, then pull out the shield after you're done attacking. Due to the specific nature of the ability, it could only be used, at most, once every other round (two swords attack, switch, next turn switch, two swords attack, next turn, two swords attack, switch).
• Prevent Disarming from really hurting you until it is used the second time.
• Carry a valuable item in your third hand, thus making it harder to take.
• Not need to draw a new weapon, if your current one is taken or no longer useful (such as a bow running out of arrows)

Also, any 'race' that you create is not yours, and you do not own copyright. You may own the copyright to the flavor text, but any race, class, or otherwise that is in any way based off the d20 system falls under the terms of the OGL. Trying to publish this setting without understanding the terms of that license will get you into serious legal (though the larger burden will be financial) trouble.

Any material that is Open Game Content must be clearly identified as such by the creator. The Open Gaming License in no way notes that Derivative Material is automatically Open Game Content, and even if I had, Open Game Content is under my copyright.

[jdrich]

Any material that is Open Game Content must be clearly identified as such by the creator.

Very true.

The Open Gaming License in no way notes that Derivative Material is automatically Open Game Content,

Q: What is "Open Game Content"?

A: Open Game Content is any material that is distributed using the Open Game License clearly identified by the publisher as Open Game Content. Furthermore, any material that is derived from Open Game Content automatically becomes Open Game Content as well.

Any derivative work automatically falls under the OGL.

and even if I had, Open Game Content is under my copyright.

Q: Does this mean that someone could take Open Game Content I wrote and distributed for free, and then put it in a product and sell that product to someone else?

A: Yes.

Q: To be clear: Does this mean that Wizards of the Coast could take Open Game Content I wrote and distributed for free, put it into a Dungeons & Dragons product and make money off it?

A: Yes.

Q: And they wouldn't have to ask my permission or pay me a royalty?

A: No, they would not.

All from the OGL FAQ at wizards.com.

Take care.

[Cyclone231]

I would like to point out page two of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. It expressly states that nothing there is Open Game Content, despite the fact that they are logically, by your definitions, derivative works from the core D20 rules.

Furthermore, I would like to note that I have noted very little that goes beyond what the d20 SRD contains. Most of what is in the RTFs are either:
• An original item, created independently (ex: Scrapper's Specialization, Destructive Weaponry, Poisonous Coats).
• A duplicated ability, slightly altered (ex: Assassin's Sneak Attack, Hunter's Selective Uncanny Dodge).
• A passing mention, which goes ala what is mentioned in the Order of the Stick FAQ (class skills, hit die, fortitude saves of +2)

But really, let's just not argue about the precise rules of the OGL. It's really a tangent point.

[jdrich]

I would like to point out page two of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. It expressly states that nothing there is Open Game Content, despite the fact that they are logically, by your definitions, derivative works from the core D20 rules.

Q: How can Wizards of the Coast publish d20 System games without using the Open Game License?

A: Since Wizards of the Coast is the original copyright holder of the content in the System Reference Document, it is free to license that content in many different ways. One way is through the various tabletop RPGs the company publishes. Another way is through the Open Game in the System Reference Document. A third way is to computer game publishers who use the game in their software.

If and when Wizards of the Coast chooses to include Open Game Content from a third party in any of its games, the company will have to follow the same terms and restrictions as everyone else with regard to that Open Game Content. However, as long as everything the company publishes is strictly its own property, it need not do so.

Any work derived (that is, a work that wouldn't have existed had the SRD not existed) from the concept of the SRD, including an item compatible with the system, or nearly anything else combatible with the system, is OGC.

A passing reference, such as 'make a spot check, your fly is down' is different than saying 'I created this class, spot is one of its class skills.'

[Leon]

Eww, legal Mumbo jumbo - always ready to bring the fun crashing down

[Cyclone231]

Q: Does Wizards of the Coast get the copyright to my Open Game Content?

A: No, they do not. When you distribute Open Game Content, you must assert a valid copyright either on your own behalf, or on the behalf of whoever does own the valid copyright on the material. You do so by adding your copyright information to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE section of the License when you distribute the License with your Open Game Content.

Wizards of the Coast has to follow the terms of the Open Game License just like anyone else. That means that if they want to use Open Game Content that isn't something they own outright or have a separate agreement with the copyright holder, they'll have to include a copy of the OGL in the work where they've used Open Game Content, they'll have to clearly identify what content is Open Game Content, and they'll have to preserve the COPYRIGHT NOTICE section of the OGL you used when you distributed your work originally. You will retain full copyright to your Open Game Content, regardless of who re-distributes it.

I own the copyrights to the entirety of the work. Period.

[Peregrine]

You own the copyrights to anything original you create, including altered forms of existing work (though only the alterations themselves -- not 'the entirety of the work. Period.'), but you must license such creations under the OGL (when distributing them in any way), if they're derived from someone else's OGL-licensed material. To be such a derivative, it must clearly depend on the previous work; some game mechanic that involves a 20-sided die may be compatible with the SRD material without depending on any copyrightable aspects of that system.

Now, legal tangles aside, the classes do look interesting. I'll look over the rest (and perhaps comment more fully) later. I find it odd, though, that you've done away with dice for determining hit points, but you still head that section 'Hit Dice'.