Any OGL Experts?

[Talen Lee]

So, I've been working on bringing up my game setting and making it all neat and tidy. Part of that has been a desire to publish it on the web (at least as a wiki entry) and for some reason or other (possibly a fear of being stabbed in the colon by a lawyer), I'm trying to make it OGL. There's some areas of entanglement that leave me musing:

• Are the ideas of Racial Substitution levels not OGL?
• Is it allowed to mention existing, non-OGL versions of spells? If I was to ban Tenser's Transformation, would it be permitted to mention that spell's name?
• If I have a domain that's almost identical to an existing domain with an established name, is that a problem?
• Can I mention non-OGL content, but not provide details? An example being, can an OGL source offer new Invocations or new mantles to the Divine Mind?

Anyone with a bit of experience or confidence in their reading of the OGL able to chip in here?

[PhoenixInferno]

Sorry, I can't help you much - except that Tenser's Transformation in the 3.X System Reference Document can be found as "Transformation".

[Sinfire Titan]

1: The idea of it is allowed to be used, as they are effectively class variants with requirements. Reprinting one that isn't OGL, however, is against the OGL's rules.
2: While no one ever gets carded for using the names, claiming them as your own material is illegal. Likewise, printing material with those names in it without permission+crediting the source is grounds for a lawsuit.
4: Yes. This is standard.You just can't reprint any of the ability aside from the name and location (and what class it is for).

[Talen Lee]

Sorry, I can't help you much - except that Tenser's Transformation in the 3.X System Reference Document can be found as "Transformation".

Yeah, I know. The thing is... how many players you know who know about the SRD version or not? I mean, if I put in the spells section, 'Transformation is banned,' I fear most readers will flip through their PHB and go 'no transformation here! Huh!'

[Fox Lee]

So, it is acceptable under the OGL to expand upon content printed in non-OGL sources - Invocations for the Warlock, Manueovres for the Bo9S, etc. - as long as none of the original content is reprinted? But the original non-OGL content can be referenced in demonstration of hos the expanded content varies? I've read the license a dozen times trying to work out what of Talen's homebrew can and can't be published, and it's frustratingly vague.

Sinfire Titan, do you mind if I ask whether what you've said is your own interpretation of the OGL, or something you have clarified with Wizards (or gotten from another source, or based on existing publications?)?

[Sinfire Titan]

So, it is acceptable under the OGL to expand upon content printed in non-OGL sources - Invocations for the Warlock, Manueovres for the Bo9S, etc. - as long as none of the original content is reprinted? But the original non-OGL content can be referenced in demonstration of hos the expanded content varies? I've read the license a dozen times trying to work out what of Talen's homebrew can and can't be published, and it's frustratingly vague.

Sinfire Titan, do you mind if I ask whether what you've said is your own interpretation of the OGL, or something you have clarified with Wizards (or gotten from another source, or based on existing publications?)?

I've read the OGL from the MM2. It prevents any direct copying from specific names, such as Evard, however it does not prevent you from expanding upon a class (provided you don't reprint the original thing entirely). Take a look at my Hexblade fix, for an example of avoiding the OGL. I retained much of the original flavor, but avoided a direct reprint. Were it published and the word Hexblade (and any mage names in the spell list) removed, it would be perfectly legal.

The OGL prevents you from mentioning non-OGL material in published works. As such, if I ever wanted to publish my Hexblade fix, I would have to edit any references to the original out before-hand or get permission from WotC.

It is legal for me to post the OGL's wording, so if I ge the time I will do so. Citing the law is not illegal, and a copyright is a specific type of law.

[PhoenixInferno]

Sorry, I can't help you much - except that Tenser's Transformation in the 3.X System Reference Document can be found as "Transformation".

Yeah, I know. The thing is... how many players you know who know about the SRD version or not? I mean, if I put in the spells section, 'Transformation is banned,' I fear most readers will flip through their PHB and go 'no transformation here! Huh!'

Since you mention an online publication method, then you should provide the link - and let the reader figure out what it means

[Omen of Peace]

The first rule is not to ask for legal advice on a random forum in the Internet.

With that in mind...
1) is a definite yes. You can't copyright ideas (and a license is about making copyrighted material available for others to distribute/make derived products out of/..., possibly under certain conditions).

I agree with Sinfire for the rest, but it's beyond my knowledge so I can't say I'm sure.

[Fox Lee]

The OGL prevents you from mentioning non-OGL material in published works. As such, if I ever wanted to publish my Hexblade fix, I would have to edit any references to the original out before-hand or get permission from WotC.

Doesn't that go against what you said in your (4) answer above, though? ^^;

It is legal for me to post the OGL's wording, so if I ge the time I will do so.

I wouldn't worry about that - getting a copy of the OGL is never hard, it's posted on the d20 site (and in every other location that the license has been used).

[Sinfire Titan]

The OGL prevents you from mentioning non-OGL material in published works. As such, if I ever wanted to publish my Hexblade fix, I would have to edit any references to the original out before-hand or get permission from WotC.

Doesn't that go against what you said in your (4) answer above, though? ^^;

It is legal for me to post the OGL's wording, so if I ge the time I will do so.

I wouldn't worry about that - getting a copy of the OGL is never hard, it's posted on the d20 site (and in every other location that the license has been used).

I was talking about the forums. Doing so on the forums is fine. But publishing it is bad.

[AnimeSniper]

In the realm of College... publishing another persons work, word for word, without giving citing the source is known as PLAGIARISM...  with that said I understand that as long as it is derived from source materia like the weapons size for figuring out the dice then it is okay to make up an Off-the-top-of-my-Head weapon/vehicle/PrC/etcetera from scratch!

just my 2 cents!

[ZeroSum]

Aren't we talking about reprinting a license?  One of those things that's supposed to be copied and distributed with stuff?

[Fox Lee]

In the realm of College... publishing another persons work, word for word, without giving citing the source is known as PLAGIARISM...

I think you're kinda missing the point. We're talking about the rules for expanding on the d20/D&D system set out in the Open Gaming License, not general copyright law.

Aren't we talking about reprinting a license?  One of those things that's supposed to be copied and distributed with stuff?

Sorry, that might be unclear - we're talking about publishing new material under the OGL, not the text of the OGL itself. Basically, we have a ton of homebrew content which is in the process of being compiled into a sourcebook, and we're wondering exactly what is and isn't permitted under the terms of the OGL.

Generally we have a very solid idea of what we can print, but there are some exceptions which are not terribly clear in the license:

• Making references to mechanical and/or creative elements in non-OGL publications (example: "such-and-such race favours the Warblade class, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the Book of Nine Swords" or "the soldiers of (x) country are often Warforged, a race detailed in The Eberron Campaign Setting published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.").
• Printing content very similar to a non-OGL source (example: A cleric domain called "Time" which features many of the same spells as the Time domain found in the Forgotten Realms (or wherever)).
• Printing supporting content for non-OGL sources (example: providing new Invocations for the Warlock (Complete Arcane), or new schools for the Martial Adept classes (Bo9S)).
• Printing new content based on ideas/structures in non-OGL sources (example: Creating new racial substitution levels, as seen in the "Races of..." books).

Basically, we were hoping that somebody who has practical experience with the OGL (that is to say, essentially, somebody who has published their own OGL book) might be willing/able to steer us in the right direction.

Does that make things any clearer? ^_^;[/list]