Dragonmarked characters and their names in DDO [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dragonmarked characters and their names in DDO [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
wooshell
05-31-07, 10:03 AM (sorry for dragging an issue in here that arose in DnD Online, but it concerns Wizards' content license so it's at least partially appropriate here)

DDO/Turbine has just added Dragonmarks in their last update, and from what I learned, a dragonmarked character has to be a member of the House he's got the Mark from, and - unless he's been excoriated - is entitled or even required to bear the d'House name. Am I right so far?

The problem that arose now is, that my RP char is denied the name d'Cannith, despite bearing the Mark of Making, because it's a copyrighted word. This is where Wizards enter the game.. Does the Eberron license that Turbine has bought for DDO entitle them to allow players to use the names of DnD Houses or places for their characters? What is Wizards' stance on people using their trademarked names in RP/DnD-related games/forums/whatever?
Could someone at Wizards tell Turbine and/or Codemasters whether we players are allowed to represent our Houses?
Nived
05-31-07, 01:51 PM Carefull DDO sometimes illicites negative reactions from people here that don't get to play their shifter druids.

Anyway, according to the published material you have to belong to the bloodline of a Dragonmarked house to bear a mark. That doesn't mean your name has to be Cannith (or whatever marked house you belong to), maybe your mother was Cannith and she married a man and took his last name. According to varying sources there are numerous family names that exist under the aucspice of a Dragonmarked house. All who are members may use the name of the house legally, For instance Jorn Garren can go by Jorn Garren Cannith, and if he has a Dragonmark can go by Jorn Garren d'Cannith, or just Jorn d'Cannith, or even Jorn d'Garren if he so chooses. Note the d' denotes his posession of a Dragonmark.

As for WotC tryign to stop people from using the names of their houses in an online licensed product of theirs? I highly highly doubt it. It would be silly, I mean they're designed to BE the last names of player characters. They are used at our home games, our online (chat and forum based games) and now thanks to update 4.1 on DDO. Where did you get the idea that you couldn't?

I think you're safe to have your Surname d'Cannith in DDO. Heck I made a d'Orien.
wooshell
05-31-07, 03:14 PM Where did you get the idea that you couldn't?I submitted a request to a GM (on one of the Euro servers) to change my last name after acquiring a mark, and was told that I can't be renamed d'Cannith because that's a copyrighted name and thus violates the naming policy. Hence the question whether Turbine and/or Codemasters may allow their customers to use these names as part of the Eberron content. I was hoping on getting a clarification from an official Wizard so I can point the GM to this thread when I resubmit my renaming request.
Do the real Wizards ever show up in the forums? ;)
Nived
05-31-07, 03:22 PM Well now don't that just beat all... I'm surprised I haven't seen any threads about this on the DDO forums. Course I only skim them since they tend to be full of of flames.

Anyway no, we do get writters who post here like our illustrious Hellcow (Keith Baker, creator of Eberron) but they are technically freelance and do not work directly for Wizards of the Coast. So getting legality questions answered by them is unlikely.

Your best bet would be trying to E-Mail Wizards of the Coast Customer Service directly. You can do so here (http://wizards.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wizards.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php) Click the E-Mail Us tab above, you'll have to create a log in, but contacting CusServ is your best bet.
Edymnion
05-31-07, 08:16 PM 1) You do *NOT* have to be a member of a dragonmarked house to carry a dragonmark. You can just as easily be a foundling, the offspring (possibly many generations removed) of someone that was a member of the house, but left/was kicked out. You can renounce your family ties to a great house to marry into nobility, for example. Just because you are no longer a part of the house doesn't mean you can't still pass the mark on to your kids. Same with the children of excoriated characters, they can still carry the mark.

2) Technically, the name Eberron is trademarked, fairly sure that "warforged" is now trademarked, in fact pretty much every proper noun in that game is trademarked. Its pretty stupid to say you can't have a Cannith name when you you are already a walking copyright.
Cifer
06-06-07, 08:27 AM maybe your mother was Cannith and she married a man and took his last name.
While it wasn't clarified, I very much doubt something like that would happen unless the mother leaves Cannith altogether. There's something like family pride, after all. In the same way, I'd expect most foundlings to assume the family name.
Darakhoranon
06-06-07, 09:00 AM Yes, sounds logical. Unless you want to officially break your ties to your house, you´d probably keep/take the name.

But the main point of wooshell´s question (as I understand it) was whether you can use a copyrighted name in DDO. As Edymnion said, forbidding a "d`Cannith" in DDO would be plain idiocy... Which of course doesn´t mean it´s automatically allowed - contacting CustServ is the only way to get an answer, I think, too.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
wooshell 05-31-07, 10:03 AM	(sorry for dragging an issue in here that arose in DnD Online, but it concerns Wizards' content license so it's at least partially appropriate here) DDO/Turbine has just added Dragonmarks in their last update, and from what I learned, a dragonmarked character has to be a member of the House he's got the Mark from, and - unless he's been excoriated - is entitled or even required to bear the d'House name. Am I right so far? The problem that arose now is, that my RP char is denied the name d'Cannith, despite bearing the Mark of Making, because it's a copyrighted word. This is where Wizards enter the game.. Does the Eberron license that Turbine has bought for DDO entitle them to allow players to use the names of DnD Houses or places for their characters? What is Wizards' stance on people using their trademarked names in RP/DnD-related games/forums/whatever? Could someone at Wizards tell Turbine and/or Codemasters whether we players are allowed to represent our Houses?
Nived 05-31-07, 01:51 PM	Carefull DDO sometimes illicites negative reactions from people here that don't get to play their shifter druids. Anyway, according to the published material you have to belong to the bloodline of a Dragonmarked house to bear a mark. That doesn't mean your name has to be Cannith (or whatever marked house you belong to), maybe your mother was Cannith and she married a man and took his last name. According to varying sources there are numerous family names that exist under the aucspice of a Dragonmarked house. All who are members may use the name of the house legally, For instance Jorn Garren can go by Jorn Garren Cannith, and if he has a Dragonmark can go by Jorn Garren d'Cannith, or just Jorn d'Cannith, or even Jorn d'Garren if he so chooses. Note the d' denotes his posession of a Dragonmark. As for WotC tryign to stop people from using the names of their houses in an online licensed product of theirs? I highly highly doubt it. It would be silly, I mean they're designed to BE the last names of player characters. They are used at our home games, our online (chat and forum based games) and now thanks to update 4.1 on DDO. Where did you get the idea that you couldn't? I think you're safe to have your Surname d'Cannith in DDO. Heck I made a d'Orien.
wooshell 05-31-07, 03:14 PM	Where did you get the idea that you couldn't?I submitted a request to a GM (on one of the Euro servers) to change my last name after acquiring a mark, and was told that I can't be renamed d'Cannith because that's a copyrighted name and thus violates the naming policy. Hence the question whether Turbine and/or Codemasters may allow their customers to use these names as part of the Eberron content. I was hoping on getting a clarification from an official Wizard so I can point the GM to this thread when I resubmit my renaming request. Do the real Wizards ever show up in the forums? ;)
Nived 05-31-07, 03:22 PM	Well now don't that just beat all... I'm surprised I haven't seen any threads about this on the DDO forums. Course I only skim them since they tend to be full of of flames. Anyway no, we do get writters who post here like our illustrious Hellcow (Keith Baker, creator of Eberron) but they are technically freelance and do not work directly for Wizards of the Coast. So getting legality questions answered by them is unlikely. Your best bet would be trying to E-Mail Wizards of the Coast Customer Service directly. You can do so here (http://wizards.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wizards.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php) Click the E-Mail Us tab above, you'll have to create a log in, but contacting CusServ is your best bet.
Edymnion 05-31-07, 08:16 PM	1) You do NOT have to be a member of a dragonmarked house to carry a dragonmark. You can just as easily be a foundling, the offspring (possibly many generations removed) of someone that was a member of the house, but left/was kicked out. You can renounce your family ties to a great house to marry into nobility, for example. Just because you are no longer a part of the house doesn't mean you can't still pass the mark on to your kids. Same with the children of excoriated characters, they can still carry the mark. 2) Technically, the name Eberron is trademarked, fairly sure that "warforged" is now trademarked, in fact pretty much every proper noun in that game is trademarked. Its pretty stupid to say you can't have a Cannith name when you you are already a walking copyright.
Cifer 06-06-07, 08:27 AM	maybe your mother was Cannith and she married a man and took his last name. While it wasn't clarified, I very much doubt something like that would happen unless the mother leaves Cannith altogether. There's something like family pride, after all. In the same way, I'd expect most foundlings to assume the family name.
Darakhoranon 06-06-07, 09:00 AM	Yes, sounds logical. Unless you want to officially break your ties to your house, you´d probably keep/take the name. But the main point of wooshell´s question (as I understand it) was whether you can use a copyrighted name in DDO. As Edymnion said, forbidding a "d`Cannith" in DDO would be plain idiocy... Which of course doesn´t mean it´s automatically allowed - contacting CustServ is the only way to get an answer, I think, too.