Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 dpskitty Apr 23, 2009 18:55:48	First time poster here, made this account to ask this question: I was participating on another set of roleplaying forums, and the topic of OGL regarding DND 3.5 Ability Score Generation came up. There was confusion as to whether or not the alternative to die rolling for generation (e.g. point buy) was WOTC trademarked and, thusly, could not be reprinted on the forums. After some light digging, I've been unable to find something as simple as how you generate ability scores listed under the OGL and, assuming it is not there, how would I go about requesting it to be added to be included under the OGL so charts etc of how the point buy system function could be posted on non WOTC forums without fear of legal action? Thanks!
#2 bone_naga Apr 23, 2009 19:28:26	Good luck with that, I think WotC has abandoned the OGL and 3.x in general. I've seen it reproduced in other published, non-WotC products, so it can't be that big a deal. You could always devise your own (but similar) point buy method (perhaps starting with a base score of 6 instead of 8 and granting more points).
#3 ascottbay Apr 23, 2009 21:45:19	While WotC cannot terminate the Open Game License like it did with the d20 Standard Trademark License, the odds of anyone doing any work on the now-archived d20 System Reference Document are almost infinitely small. It's hard enough to be sure that the 4E SRD will or will not get something; I imagine WotC doesn't even want to look back at 3.x, especially if they'd have to run stuff by their legal department. I also recommend that you sort out your knowledge of intellectual properties. Copyright would apply if you wanted to make a complete (or strikingly similar) reproduction of something printed in a sourcebook. Patents might apply to the concept of point buy in relation to ability scores in an RPG, assuming that there is a patent on D&D 3.x. Trademarks would apply if WotC marketed their RPGs in the manner of, "Using the Wizards Point Buy System (TM)" or if it was one of the trademarks featured in WotC's lengthy legal information text blocks on one of those pages in the beginning of their books. If you live in the US (and probably the UK and other countries, too) then your government has a website for the copyright office and the Patents & Trademarks office, which includes a searchable database for you to check for registrations as far back as 1974; D&D 3rd Ed. was released around 2000, so anything registered specific to that will definitely be available electronically. You might want to check out Pathfinder RPG and see if their character creation rules suit your purpose. Their game rules are going to be licensed under the OGL (although things like people, places, and proper names are going to be product identity). A PDF of their beta rulebook is available for free download, but you have to register with their site/store. Additionally, technically, every use/reproduction of OGL material is supposed to come with the license, I think; a link to a complete copy of the OGL (the license, not the SRD) might be sufficient on a forum/website. It's been a while since I've read the OGL in full. I hope this was helpful.
#4 dpskitty Apr 24, 2009 1:41:53	Definetly helpful responses -- I never considered the difficulty of getting something that's been discontinued given attention to. I'll have to check into Pathfinder and see what I can do with it. Since I my knowledge of the legal system consists of a wikipedia entry and an unpaid parking ticket, it was nice to get some legitamate responses. Thanks again for the detailed responses, which were a lot more than I was expecting to recieve, definetly worth my time to post and I appreciate the time you both put into your responses.
#5 jraynack Apr 24, 2009 17:20:13	First time poster here, made this account to ask this question: I was participating on another set of roleplaying forums, and the topic of OGL regarding DND 3.5 Ability Score Generation came up. There was confusion as to whether or not the alternative to die rolling for generation (e.g. point buy) was WOTC trademarked and, thusly, could not be reprinted on the forums. After some light digging, I've been unable to find something as simple as how you generate ability scores listed under the OGL and, assuming it is not there, how would I go about requesting it to be added to be included under the OGL so charts etc of how the point buy system function could be posted on non WOTC forums without fear of legal action? Thanks! Dice rolling is not in the OGL, but in the 3.x SRD. You could use the dice roll method or other methods listed (I can't remember if there was more than one or if it had point buy) in an OGL product. But, if you did, you could not use the "d20" logo, because character creation could not be discussed in an OGL product with the "d20" logo. Without the "d20" logo - good. With the "d20" logo - bad. That is why the alternative player's handbooks (Monte Cooke's Arcane Unearthed, True 20, Iron Heroes, etc.) do not have the "d20" logo. Which brings up another point - if you have access to those books I listed above, their character creation method (including any point buy method - if they have one) should be OGL and you can use them. You can also develop your own point buy method and put it out under OGL.
#6 Zherog Apr 27, 2009 14:59:37	Dice rolling is not in the OGL, but in the 3.x SRD. You could use the dice roll method or other methods listed (I can't remember if there was more than one or if it had point buy) in an OGL product. But, if you did, you could not use the "d20" logo, because character creation could not be discussed in an OGL product with the "d20" logo. Aside from the fact that you can't use the d20 logo at all any longer, since the license was terminated. ;)