On Saturday, August 9, 2003, at 03:14 PM, woodelf wrote:
The d20 STL is actually very specific about what it means by "character creation" and if you word things carefully, you can actually put a lot of character creation stuff in a product. I am working on a product whose entire point is character creation and advancement (via character points), and I am certain I am within the guidelines of the d20 STL.
Has it ever been established for certain whether the description of character creation in the D20STL is definitive or exemplary? I don't think there's ever been an official pronouncement from WotC (though, if there has, i'd love to know), but Ryan Dancey's interpretation (stated after he left WotC) was that it was originally intended to forbid any product that told you how to make characters, regardless of the details.
That's all well and good, but all I really have to go on, from a legal point of view, is the d20 STL and system guide, which is very specific. It states you can't have character creation or advancement rules, but then goes on to state specifically what it means by character creation or advancement rules. It presents a definition. As far as I can tell, I do not violate the d20 STL's definitions and restrictions.
DarkTouch calls it a loophole. Considering the specific nature of the definitions, I don't see it as a loophole at all. They say "don't do _this_." So, I am not doing it.
The thing is, the way my system works, it would be hard to alter the d20 STL to prevent me from putting out my product, without seriously hindering other d20 products. I don't tell you how to pick feats or use skill points, for example. My system tells you how many you get. Basically the same thing a new class tells you. How do you restrict that?
For example, the d20 System Guide says:
"Character creation means a description of the process of assigning initial scores to abilities, selecting a race, selecting a starting class, assigning initial skill points, selecting initial feats, selecting initial talents, and picking an initial alignment. "
Custom Heroes (my product) says:
"Skill points are bought for 1 character point, except at first level, where 1 character point grants 4 skill points."
Custom Heroes never tells you how to spend those skill points. It is a supplement to d20 Modern, so it does not need to.
Leroy Van Camp III [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ #20039817
There is a time for bingo and there is a time for funerals. Try to keep them separate.
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