> Web Warlock
Caveat Emptor, IANAL, and all that.
> 1. Can I list an article for "Dragon" magazine, or any other RPG magazine,
> as a source? It would not be a conversion, simply a reference.
Two issues here:
First, do you have a right to use the work as a source? If it is simply a
source of inspiration then you might, depending on the originality of the
material. Proper names will often get you into trouble, as will detailed
descriptions of characters or events that seem to refer to the original work
and nothing else. This is not something that can be answered definitively
in the general case.
Second, the rule is that you cannot indicate compatibility or
co-adaptability with any trademark. That means you can't say that your work
is designed for use with material in Dragon or Dungeon, or any other
trademarked RPG magazine. Other uses are acceptable.
> 2. How can I go about converting/referencing another work that belongs to
> another company, but is not open, say the Complete Wizard's
> Handbook for 2nd Ed, in my new d20 work? I am assuming that at that point
> I would need the publisher's permission.
With permission, yes. This is governed by the 'authority to contribute'
clause in section 5 of the OGL. By granting permission the publisher of the
original work is giving you the authority to contribute it as OGC. When
asking for permission, you would be wise to use the phrase 'authority to
contribute' or 'right to contribute' in your letter - it isn't strictly
necessary, but the closer you make it to the wording of the license the
harder it is for them to weasel out of it later if they change their mind.
> Say I wanted to update a kit into a class or a multi-class path,
> for example
> the Wokani from the Glantri Gazetteer. Can I say what you would
> need to do
> to emulate this kit as long as I avoid reproducing any of the
> original text?
Hard to say. If you are basing your conversion on that material
specifically it is probably derivative and thus you would need permission.
If you are creating one from scratch and using many sources including that
one then you are much more likely to create a work that is not derivative.
Again, this is very hard to answer in the general case.
As a very general rule of thumb, if you have a work handy and refer to it
while writing your work then your work is very likely to be derivative.
There are exceptions of course, but it is a good place to start. Parody is
a notable fair-use exception to copyright law, so if you were to make a
spoof on Dragonlance and didn't use any of the proper names verbatim (e.g.
the Dragonpants, Death Knits of Krin, etc...) you'd probably be in the
clear. You still couldn't use the original trademarks to promote your work.
> 3. Public Domain information that also is covered. For example
> if I wanted
> to do a multi-class path of the Incantatrix that was featured in Dragon 90
> and some Realms books. I do not plan to copy it, or even convert
> it, it is
> just that I want to use the name. Now I am sure the name itself is not PI
> because Incantatrix is just Italian for enchantress or witch.
Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
-Brad
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