So then...that leaves us just one question---
How many more years we need to wait before D&D and all its content become public domain...?
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Honestly, I'd much rather not open the "Gith" can of worms. From what I've seen in various geek properties regarding ownership of characters and the like, there are often repercussions that no one really expected waiting to jump up and bite people in the ass, and to me its not worth it to test a theory.
In other words, while its highly unlikely, the more WOTC is said not to own, the more its possible it could be said that they also cannot grant to right to use other things in any kind of license. The higher up the legal food chain things go, the more it seems like things you think you know are no longer known, and its not uncommon for for judges to rule that anything that even tangentially touches on those topics have to be on hold.
See also: The comic book industry. Anything related to the Miracleman properties for just one example that has been drawn out over decades.
It's a @#$%ing mess out there.
Of all the stuff that's OGL/closed, the stuff that's most jarring to me is the artwork changes. I loved some of the Lockwood dragons (the black, red, brass, bronze and silver, particularly) from the Monster Manual, and the new appearances are taking longer to grow on me, although I like the Dragons of Golarion looks for the blue and white dragons better.
Black dragons look pretty vicious, and apparently there is a legacy of having messed up horns.
The thing that strikes me with reds is that some look pretty similar to the "red dragon standard," but other artwork goes way overboard on the number of spikes. The pictures that are a bit more subtle about the spikes I can live with.
See also: The comic book industry. Anything related to the Miracleman properties for just one example that has been drawn out over decades.It's a @#$%ing mess out there.
Heh . . . or calling anyone Superboy for a while.
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Heh . . . or calling anyone Superboy for a while.
See also: The comic book industry. Anything related to the Miracleman properties for just one example that has been drawn out over decades.It's a @#$%ing mess out there.
Cripes, that one alone should sell anyone off risking those sorts of entanglements.
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It's easy, unfortunately, to get angry or passionate or just plain worked up that WotC chose to keep a dozen or so of their creations as closed content.
Point of order: WotC didn't create most (or all) of those original non-OGL critters, Gygax or a few Brits did. WotC statted them up for their new version of D&D.
I love the term "intellectual property", considering (especially in the music biz) the actual intellect who created/invented the property aren't the ones profiting from it. With some exceptions.
Reminds me of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney thing in the '80s. The Beatles became the "intellectual property" of a guy who blocked the guy who actually wrote half the damned songs from getting them back.
Reminds me of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney thing in the '80s. The Beatles became the "intellectual property" of a guy who blocked the guy who actually wrote half the damned songs from getting them back.
And yet they seemed so happy together when they performed "Say, Say, Say," and "The Girl is Mine." ;)
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And yet they seemed so happy together when they performed "Say, Say, Say," and "The Girl is Mine." ;)Reminds me of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney thing in the '80s. The Beatles became the "intellectual property" of a guy who blocked the guy who actually wrote half the damned songs from getting them back.
Well, that was before Captain EO back-stabbed his buddy.
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Wow! Lots of responses, and clear answers to my questions. Man, that blows that there won't be official use of Mind Flayers in the Pathfinder Chronicles setting. I've got more than a few 3.5e books with information on them (including the "Lords of Madness" sourcebook). I'll definitely be using them in my home campaign, but it sucks we won't see them in PFS or the published modules.
Tarrintino
To Bad Gygax isnt here to have his say ;)
Chief Technical Officer
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I am a lawyer - I don't actually work in Intellectual Property, but I focused a lot of my law school studies in IP work. And I can tell you, with absolute certainty, that Wizards of the Coast cannot hold a copyright on the word "githyanki", or "gith(anything)".
Because you cannot copyright words.
You *can* trademark them. Far as I'm aware, WotC has *not* trademarked the word "githyanki", "gith", "githzerai", etc. But they certainly could have - I've honestly never bothered to look.
You're correct that the issue here is neither copyright nor trademark. The issue is that they're declared Product Identity as defined under the Open Game License, and as long as you're using the OGL, you may not use anyone else's PI.
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Chief Technical Officer
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One other thought...
When you use any Open Game Content, you agree to be bound fully by the terms of the Open Game License - which potentially implies that you waive any existing rights you may possess to material released under the license (eg: creature names that happen to be in the public domain). In this case, it seems that the terms of the contractual agreement between you and WoTC under the OGL supersede any other rights that you might have to the material released as Open Game Content. Is this an accurate reading of the OGL?
The OGL is a relatively simple legal document that folks like to overcomplicate, in my experience.
Basically... the OGL only requires you to designate part of your OGL product as open content, and to clearly indicate what OGL sources you used or built upon in making that product. The OGL does not force anyone to give up anything that they don't want to give up—we generally keep our rules open content and our story/flavor content closed, for example.
The OGL does not supersede any other rights. Specifically, the OGL does not change the copyright status: Paizo still owns the copyrights to everything we've created, and Wizards still owns the copyrights to everything they've created, whether it's identified as Product Identity or Open Content. Open Content does not become public domain—it just becomes available for free use under specific licensing constraints.
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I have a question about an open content creature that has a relation to close content material - namely the Eye of the Deep.
Pazio has already used the stats for this beastie in one of their 3.5 APs, it's distinctly related to the Beholder in both appearance and game lore/history and yet it is open content.
Is this something that will just stay in the AP it showed up in as a ToH monster/fluke or does it have a future in another Bestiary/book for the PF game?
It never will. Thank Disney for that.So then...that leaves us just one question---
How many more years we need to wait before D&D and all its content become public domain...?
Yeah I'm aware of Disney's lobbyists fighting to increase the number of years everytime Mickey's about to become public domain. I'd love to know how the heck they can get away with that, they have to be stopped at some point?
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Here's my PF replacement for the Mind Flayer. I had posted it a while back, but here it is again. Still not sure about the name. I like Dream Render, but I also like Thought Render. Any ideas?
DREAM RENDER – Harvester of Secrets (or Dream Reaper, Dream Bender, Dream Ripper, Thought Render)
This strange creature appears as a blurred, indistinguishable humanoid. As the illusory aura disperses, a tall humanoid with white mottled skin, large purple eyes, protruding ears, and a mass of tentacles dangling at its mouth and chin is revealed, causing unspeakable terror to well up deep within your soul. As you look on in horror, it raises its odd-looking appendages towards you and laughs in a deep sinister voice.
DREAM RENDER CR 8
XP 4,800
LE Medium aberration (extraplanar)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12
Aura distortion aura
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +8 natural)
hp 68 (9d8+27)
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +8; +4 resistance vs. enchantments
Immune illusions, paralysis; SR 19
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 tentacle slams +9 (1d4+2) or tendril whip +9 (1d2+1 plus entangle)
Special Attacks entangle, gaze, mind touch, paralytic strike
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th)
At will–daze, hypnotism, scare
3/day–crushing despair, mirror image,
1/day–mind fog, phantasmal killer, plane shift
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 17, Cha 19
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD +19
Feats Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Toughness
Skills Bluff +12, Intimidate+10, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +10, Knowledge (planes) +13, Perception +12, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft+13, and Stealth+10
Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Undercommon
SQ false image (disguise self)
ECOLOGY
Environment Underground (planar)
Organization solitary, pod (2-3)
Treasure double
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Distortion Aura (Su) A dream render is surrounded by an aura that constantly distorts its appearance. This ability functions as a blur effect and grants the dream render concealment with a 20% miss chance. The dream render can deactivate or reactivate it as a free action, and unless otherwise stated is considered to be active.
Entangle (Ex) Creatures hit by a dream render’s tendril whip must make a Reflex save (DC 18) or become entangled (see Appendix 2: Conditions of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook).
False Image (Su) A dream render can disguise its physical form so as to appear as any other humanoid of similar size and shape as a free action. This ability functions as the disguise self spell.
Gaze (Su) A dream render can make a gaze attack. All creatures within 30 feet of the dream render that look directly at it must then make a Will save (DC 18) or be affected as if by a charm person spell.
Mind Touch (Su) A dream render can enter the mind of any creature that has a language and mentally communicate with it by making direct contact with its index finger. This ability requires a standard action and is similar to the telepathy ability, but only a single creature can be addressed at one time, unless one or more other creatures are in physical contact with the first. In which case, the dream render can address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time. While a dream render maintains this tactile telepathic contact, it can execute the following mental maneuvers, one at a time as a move equivalent action.
Dream Walk: A dream render can enter the mind of a creature which it is in telepathic contact with and deliver messages in the form of dreams. The creature is considered to be under the effects of a dream spell and can only resist its effects by breaking contact with the dream render. In addition, while the dream render is delivering the message, it can include a simple suggestion that functions as the suggestion spell.
Embed Memory: A dream render can embed memories into the mind of a single creature with which it is in telepathic contact. While in telepathic contact, the dream render can implant false memories or alter existing ones. This ability otherwise functions as the modify memory spell.
Mind Rend: A dream render can rend the mind of a single creature with which it is in telepathic contact, in search of specific knowledge which it can use for its own purposes, which must be selected at the time of the attempted rending. However, doing so can cause psychic damage to either the creature’s reasoning, willpower, or personality centers depending upon what knowledge the dream render is seeking. To rend the creature’s mind, the dream render must make a successful opposing ability check (1d20 + ability modifier) against the creature. Failure results in the creature remaining unharmed. The dream render can plumb the psyche of the creature to temporarily learn and use a specific skill (Intelligence), steal a single memory or secret from the creature (Wisdom), or temporarily alter the creature’s personality (Charisma), such as causing it to become more assertive, more fearful, braver, etc. The effects of the rending last for a number of rounds equal to the 10 rounds, minus the creature’s ability modifier to a minimum of 1 round.
Mind Terrors: A dream render can implant terrifying images and dreams into the mind of a single creature which it is in telepathic contact with, and is otherwise considered to be under the effects of a nightmare spell.
Paralytic Strike (Ex) A dream render that has entangled a victim can make a single tentacle sting attack. If successful the attack deals no damage, but instead injects the target with paralytic poison. Anyone struck thus must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save for the next two consecutive rounds on the dream render’s turn or be paralyzed for a number of round equal to 1d4+1 round for every 3 Hit Dice.
DREAM RENDER
Dream renders are a race of maniacal, tentacled horrors from the strange netherplane of Kyrshiikash, located somewhere between the Demiplane of Leng, the Dimension of Dreams, and the Ethereal Plane. Called the Y’alkashiik in their own tongue, they possess dangerous powers to control and enchant others, embed and alter memories, rend and plumb the mind of its darkest secrets, and turn ones greatest fears into nightmarish reality. It is believed by some that they are spawned from the dreams of some ever-sleeping god, while others believe they emerge from a great dark pool filled with the nightmares of those who live throughout the planes of existence. However, no one knows their true origin, for those few brave travelers that have ventured to their home plane have never returned. What is known is that throughout the years, many who encountered these terrifying creatures in later life recall dreaming of them in horrific nightmares during their childhood. Whether this is coincidence or not, the gods and dream renders only know.
Dream renders are humanoid in appearance, but often use their illusionary powers to appear as one of the common races. However, once their true appearance is revealed, they illicit nothing but terror in those that behold them. Dream renders are taller than the average human, standing seven feet tall and typically weighing around 250 pounds. They have off white skin with brown mottling, three large eyes with deep purple irises, and pointed ears that protrude from the side of their heads. Their heads are covered in a hard shell, with a number of tentacles that end with pointed spines hanging from its face and chin. A dream render’s hands have only four digits, with an index finger that is longer and wider than the others, and has suction pads along its inner surface. Dream renders also have five-foot tendrils which shoot forth from their wrists, which they use to entangle and bind their victims. Although they are gender neutral, their voices and mannerisms often portray either male or female tendencies.
Very little is known about dream render society outside the Material Plane. In the Material world, dream renders tend to be solitary, using their mind powers to control and terrorize those around them for their own perverse pleasures. Many dwell deep in the nether regions of the Underdark where they have forged dark alliances with powerful and evil races where they work to enslave the weak and feebleminded. Others have formed vast criminal syndicates whose control and influence spreads throughout the lands. On rare occasions when dream renders encounter one another, they will just as soon engage in deadly combat in an attempt to gain control of the other’s holdings as join together to further their own dark purposes.
Dream renders do not propagate their race in the way other sentient races do, through sexual reproduction, but emerge fully grown from large eggs hidden in secret depositories scattered throughout their home plane. If a dream render is slain on his home plane of Kyrshiikash, it does not truly die. Instead, at its moment of “death”, the knowledge and memories it has accrued over its lifetime are transferred to nearest dormant dream render and is reborn in this new body, emerging from the nearest spawning cave within 1d4+1. The newly awakened dream render then lays an egg to replace the one from which it hatched, and then goes about its business as if nothing had happened. The egg reaches maturity in 2d4 weeks where it awaits the knowledge and memories of another of its kind who has fallen.
However, if dream render should die on the Material Plane, or any other plane of existence save its home plane, it can be killed if it has not made the proper preparations to ensure its survival. To ensure their survival, dream renders will lay a single egg in a secure place, from which it will hatch anew should it meet its demise. If this newly hatched dream render is be slain before it lays another egg, it dies, and all its knowledge and memories are lost. As such, dream renders that dwell on other planes can only be “reborn” in this manner a total of three times before degradation of the transferred psyche occurs, resulting in the permanent death of the creature.
Dream renders have disciplined and well ordered minds, useful in their attempts to spread evil and terror though out the Material Plane. They are self absorbed, and consider themselves god-like in both intelligence and power. Thus, dream renders do not practice any form of religious rites, nor do they believe in a higher power, save the great never-ending mind from which they believe they were spawned.
ALU-KASHIIK
A humanoid creature steps from the shadows which resembles the horrific dream render. The displacing aura surrounding it dissipates to reveal a tall humanoid with pale blue skin with dark blue mottling, three deep blue eyes, and the customary protruding ears mass of tentacles hanging from its mouth and chin, including a second pair of large ones. As it laughs in a maniacal deep voice, a palpable aura of fear and despair surrounds you.
ALU-KASHIIK CR 16
XP 76,800
LE Medium aberration (extraplanar)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Perception +27
Aura displacement
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 12, flat-footed 20 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural)
hp 210 (20d8+120)
Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +19; +4 resistance vs. poison
Immune cold, enchantments, illusions, paralysis; SR 27
OFFENSE
Speed 35 ft.
Melee 2 tentacle slams +19 (1d4+4) or tendril whip +19 (1d4+2 plus entangle)
Special Attacks entangle, gaze, mind touch, paralytic strike
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th)
At will–daze, hypnotism, scare
3/day–crushing despair, mirror image,
1/day–mind fog, phantasmal killer, plane shift
Spells Known (9/5/4/3/2/1)
Spells Prepared (CL 20th)
5th–mirage arcana (3)
4th–charm monster (3, DC), greater invisibility (2)
3rd–major image (2), nondetection, suggestion (3, DC)
2nd– detect thoughts, misdirection, touch of idiocy (2)
1st–mage armor, obscuring mist (2), ray of enfeeblement (2), sleep
0 (at will)–bleed, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, message, touch of fatigue
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 20, Int 25, Wis 25, Cha 27
Base Atk +15; CMB +19; CMD +36
Feats Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Defensive Combat Training, Dodge, Eschew Materials, Fleet, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Step Up, Toughness
Skills Bluff +28, Disguise +28, Intimidate+28, Knowledge (arcana) +27, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +27, Knowledge (planes) +27, Perception +27, Sense Motive +27, Spellcraft+27, Stealth+22, and Survival +27 (+29 planes)
Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Undercommon
SQ shape change (alter self)
ECOLOGY
Environment Underground (planar)
Organization solitary
Treasure triple
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Change Shape (Sp) An alu-kashiik can assume the appearance of a specific creature or type of creature (usually a humanoid), but retains most of its own physical qualities. This ability functions as the alter self spell (see the Change Shape ability in the Pathfinder Bestiary).
Displacement Aura (Su) An alu-kashiik is surrounded by an aura that constantly displaces its true location. This ability functions as a displacement effect and grants the alu-kashiik concealment with a 50% miss chance. The alu-kashiik can deactivate or reactivate it as a free action, and unless otherwise stated is considered to be active.
Entangle (Ex) Creatures hit by a alu-kashiik’s tendril whip must make a Reflex save (DC 24) or become entangled (see Appendix 2: Conditions of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook).
Gaze (Su) All creatures within 30 feet of the alu-kashiik that look directly at it must then make a Will save (DC 24) or be affected by one of its two gaze attacks. The first is like the dream render’s gaze attack and affects the target as a charm person spell. The alu-kashiik’s second gaze attack comes from its third eye. This alternate gaze attack affects the target as a dominate person spell.
Mind Touch (Su) An alu-kashiik can enter the mind of any creature that has a language and mentally communicate with it by making direct contact with its index finger. This ability requires a standard action and is similar to the telepathy ability, but only a single creature can be addressed at one time, unless one or more other creatures are in physical contact with the first. In which case, the dream render can address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time. While an alu-kashiik maintains this tactile telepathic contact, it can execute the following mental maneuvers, one at a time as a move equivalent action.
Dream Walk: An alu-kashiik can enter the mind of a creature which it is in telepathic contact with and deliver messages in the form of dreams. The creature is considered to be under the effects of a dream spell and can only resist its effects by breaking contact with the dream render. In addition, while the dream render is delivering the message, it can include a simple suggestion that functions as the suggestion spell.
Embed Memory: An alu-kashiik can embed memories into the mind of a single creature with which it is in telepathic contact. While in telepathic contact, the alu-kashiik can implant false memories or alter existing ones. This ability otherwise functions as the modify memory spell.
Mind Rend: An alu-kashiik can rend the mind of a single creature with which it is in telepathic contact, in search of specific knowledge which it can use for its own purposes, which must be selected at the time of the attempted rending. However, doing so can cause psychic damage to either the creature’s reasoning, willpower, or personality centers depending upon what knowledge the alu-kashiik is seeking. To rend the creature’s mind, the alu-kashiik must make a successful opposing ability check (1d20 + ability modifier) against the creature. Failure results in the creature remaining unharmed. The alu-kashiik can plumb the psyche of the creature to temporarily learn and use a specific skill (Intelligence), steal a single memory or secret from the creature (Wisdom), or temporarily alter the creature’s personality (Charisma), such as causing it to become more assertive, more fearful, braver, etc. The effects of the rending last for a number of rounds equal to the 10 rounds, minus the creature’s ability modifier to a minimum of 1 round.
Mind Terrors: An alu-kashiik can implant terrifying images and dreams into the mind of a single creature which it is in telepathic contact with, and is otherwise considered to be under the effects of a nightmare spell.
Paralytic Strike (Ex) An alu-kashiik that has entangled a victim can make a single tentacle sting attack. If successful the attack deals no damage, but instead injects the target with paralytic poison. Anyone struck thus must succeed on a DC 24 Fortitude save for the next two consecutive rounds on the dream render’s turn or be paralyzed for a number of round equal to 1d4+2 rounds for every 3 Hit Dice.
ALU-KASHIIK
It is an indisputable fact that dream renders are greatly feared and abhorred by other races. However, even more terrifying than they are the dream shrikes, for so fearsome and powerful are they that dream renders readily avoid them. An alu-kashiik is a dream render that has evolved both mentally and physically to such a degree that they possess near god-like intellect and power. To become an alu-kashiik, a dream render cocoons itself in a chrysalis, and after a quarter century, it emerges in its enhanced state. Alu-kashiiks can enter the minds of others with a mere thought, taking control of their bodies or altering the memories of their victims. They appear much as dream renders but have light blue skin with dark blue mottling, an extra pair of large tentacles, as well as a third eyes which they call the omniscient occulon, or the all-knowing eye. Not only do alu-kashiiks possess all the powers of a dream render, but they also cast arcane spells as a 10th level sorcerer with a caster level of 20th.
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So what if the word "githyanki" was invented by George R. R. Martin? So what if the displacer beast was heavily based on A. E. Van Vogt's coeurl? Who cares if the mind flayer looks a bit like Cthulhu? It's not professional to latch onto those types of things and use them as justification to try to steal another company's intellectual property.
That reminds me of a funny story. I was watching Scooby-Doo a few months back and the Scooby gang had to save famous authors H.P. Hatecraft and Brad Raybury from a monster that seemingly had come from one of Hatecraft's books named Char-Gar-Gothicon. Of course Char-Gar-Gothicon was a brain sucking monster that looked like a man with a squid-like head and blasted it's enemies. Of course it used a sonic scream instead of a psychic blast, but the whole thing was funny.
If I were updating the eye of the deep and gorbel for Pathfinder (both in ToH), I'd be tempted to add a few other members of the "floating sphere" family, and then have the gas spore (also in ToH) be a reproductive stage of the various species. When a "floating sphere" goes dormant in old age, it would become a gas spore; the result of infection with the rhizomes would then be baby "floating spheres" instead of new gas spores.
Since both eyes of the deep and gorbels have two limbs, it'd be logical for other "floating spheres" to have two limbs, unlike the PI beholders.
Yeah I'm aware of Disney's lobbyists fighting to increase the number of years everytime Mickey's about to become public domain. I'd love to know how the heck they can get away with that, they have to be stopped at some point?It never will. Thank Disney for that.So then...that leaves us just one question---
How many more years we need to wait before D&D and all its content become public domain...?
EDIT And I really think the Aboleth of Golarion are a GREAT replacement for those kind of badduns. The fact they live in the ocean depths just even adds more to thier strange unworldliness.
Curiosity killing the cat here, but why latch on to, and play keep away with only handful of monsters? (like githyanki, mindflayer, beholder) when, (if this is true) they could have held back on devils, demons and dragons, which would have been a ton of core monsters?
thats like sitting in the sand box and saying you can play with all my toys, shovels, pails, and even my sit on excavation toy, but dont even think of trying to dig in the sand with my used Popsicle stick!
i mean is mind flayer really that special?
before today i didnt even notice kua toa , mindflayers and githyanki WERE missing from the bestiary, and technically because the game is still backwards compatible (for the most part) they really are not missing for most of us because we have all the WoTC books.
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Curiosity killing the cat here, but why latch on to, and play keep away with only handful of monsters? (like githyanki, mindflayer, beholder) when, (if this is true) they could have held back on devils, demons and dragons, which would have been a ton of core monsters?
thats like sitting in the sand box and saying you can play with all my toys, shovels, pails, and even my sit on excavation toy, but dont even think of trying to dig in the sand with my used Popsicle stick!
i mean is mind flayer really that special?
before today i didnt even notice kua toa , mindflayers and githyanki WERE missing from the bestiary, and technically because the game is still backwards compatible (for the most part) they really are not missing for most of us because we have all the WoTC books.
+1.
Curiosity killing the cat here, but why latch on to, and play keep away with only handful of monsters?
Ryan Dancey has explained it as so:
1. Why would WoTC (at the time) allow certain aspects of IP into the SRD but not others?I went through the 3e manuscripts and pulled out anything I thought would
A: Be of some lasting commercial value outside of the TRPG format
B: Was, in my opinion, defendable if we had to litigate to enforce our intellectual property rights
(Much of the D&D bestiary is of very murky provenance. Unlike the Magic roster where most creatures have 2 names (and are thus much more protectable) a lot of D&D stuff is generic, or sourced from global stories and myths. Tracing any specific creature back to a TSR employee's original work is very very difficult.
Well, that was before Captain EO back-stabbed his buddy.And yet they seemed so happy together when they performed "Say, Say, Say," and "The Girl is Mine." ;)Reminds me of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney thing in the '80s. The Beatles became the "intellectual property" of a guy who blocked the guy who actually wrote half the damned songs from getting them back.
And the funny bit is that (according to McCartney, at least) it was Paul who clued Jackson in on how lucrative owning the intellectual rights to songs can be.
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That reminds me of a funny story. I was watching Scooby-Doo a few months back and the Scooby gang had to save famous authors H.P. Hatecraft and Brad Raybury from a monster that seemingly had come from one of Hatecraft's books named Char-Gar-Gothicon. Of course Char-Gar-Gothicon was a brain sucking monster that looked like a man with a squid-like head and blasted it's enemies. Of course it used a sonic scream instead of a psychic blast, but the whole thing was funny.
I saw that episode. It was H.P. Hatecraft and Harlan Ellison. The weird part to me was that Harlan Ellison is a real person and his name wasn't changed. In fact I think he was playing himself and he was playing himself as a jerk.
[...one Google search later...]
Google search reveals that Harlan Ellison was playing himself. Also that the voice of H.P. Hatecraft was done by the guy who played Herbert West in the Reanimator movies.
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That reminds me of a funny story. I was watching Scooby-Doo a few months back and the Scooby gang had to save famous authors H.P. Hatecraft and Brad Raybury from a monster that seemingly had come from one of Hatecraft's books named Char-Gar-Gothicon. Of course Char-Gar-Gothicon was a brain sucking monster that looked like a man with a squid-like head and blasted it's enemies. Of course it used a sonic scream instead of a psychic blast, but the whole thing was funny.I saw that episode. It was H.P. Hatecraft and Harlan Ellison.
50% ain't bad. Harlan Ellison also has a registered trademark on his own name which may explain why he was playing himself. As for playing himself as a jerk, most people, Ellison included, agree that he is a jerk and that is part of his charm. Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, once said "most people take infinite pains, Harlan gives them." Ellison himself said he was "the most contentious person on Earth."
Harlan Ellison plays a jerk alot ;) is a good writer though :)
50% ain't bad. Harlan Ellison also has a registered trademark on his own name which may explain why he was playing himself. As for playing himself as a jerk, most people, Ellison included, agree that he is a jerk and that is part of his charm. Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, once said "most people take infinite pains, Harlan gives them." Ellison himself said he was "the most contentious person on Earth."That reminds me of a funny story. I was watching Scooby-Doo a few months back and the Scooby gang had to save famous authors H.P. Hatecraft and Brad Raybury from a monster that seemingly had come from one of Hatecraft's books named Char-Gar-Gothicon. Of course Char-Gar-Gothicon was a brain sucking monster that looked like a man with a squid-like head and blasted it's enemies. Of course it used a sonic scream instead of a psychic blast, but the whole thing was funny.I saw that episode. It was H.P. Hatecraft and Harlan Ellison.
Trivia for tha Kaiju fans: Another recent episode, Battle of the Humungonauts, is an homage to War of the Gargantuas. The lounge singer act from the movie is used in the opening of the episode with some slight reverals (an Asian woman singing in an caucasian club in the US vs. a caucasian woman singing in an Asian club in Japan).
Yuck, I see it...public domain prior to 1978, Life + 70 years. Disney made sure to add 20 more years to that so Life + 90...Meaning D&D isn't public domain until 2067, at the least. Son of a...
Yuck, I see it...public domain prior to 1978, Life + 70 years. Disney made sure to add 20 more years to that so Life + 90...Meaning D&D isn't public domain until 2067, at the least. Son of a...
Under the 1978 Copyright Act, as modified in 1998, the term for a work published between 1964 and 1978 with a proper copyright notice is 95 years. Since D&D originally was published in 1974 with a copyright notice, it'll expire in 2069, barring any further extensions like the one in 1998.
they could have held back on devils, demons and dragons
Yeah, except no. Not exactly. They could have denied everyone the specifics, but they can't keep anyone from using devils, demons, or dragons. (Not that they haven't tried with dragons, or at least someone from their predecessor company apparently did).
But sure, they could have held back. And actually, they (the guys who are currently in charge) would have. Those who were behind the OGL are pretty much all gone from wotc, and wotc tried to make people who use their new, much, much less open and totally not perpetual GSL pretty much agree that they won't be using OGL ever again (at least not with those products they're using with GSL).
thats like sitting in the sand box and saying you can play with all my toys, shovels, pails, and even my sit on excavation toy, but dont even think of trying to dig in the sand with my used Popsicle stick!
Well, if you knew anything about human nature, you've just made them curious about diggin in the sand with an used popsicle stick.
It's like telling one not to think of elephants.
I wish that they OGLed the 2nd ED stuff :)
they could have held back on devils, demons and dragonsYeah, except no. Not exactly. They could have denied everyone the specifics, but they can't keep anyone from using devils, demons, or dragons. (Not that they haven't tried with dragons, or at least someone from their predecessor company apparently did).
But sure, they could have held back. And actually, they (the guys who are currently in charge) would have. Those who were behind the OGL are pretty much all gone from wotc, and wotc tried to make people who use their new, much, much less open and totally not perpetual GSL pretty much agree that they won't be using OGL ever again (at least not with those products they're using with GSL).
thats like sitting in the sand box and saying you can play with all my toys, shovels, pails, and even my sit on excavation toy, but dont even think of trying to dig in the sand with my used Popsicle stick!
Well, if you knew anything about human nature, you've just made them curious about diggin in the sand with an used popsicle stick.
Yes you could make "devils" without their permission but they would never be pit fiends or barbed devils.
Red dragons and blue dragons would be a thing of the past (actually i dont like the color dragon thing anyway so i wouldnt miss it)
but i think the Pathfinder game would be more of a knock off/imitator game and less of an inheritor of classic DnD.
Im glad the OGL thing happened because i would never play 4th ED ever, and eventually my 3.5 way life would crumble with no on going product support.It's like telling one not to think of elephants.
Nah, I was meaning the actual game so the 2nd Edition people like Wies, Hickman, Greenwood, etc. could still have their game to play in and do Dragonlance and such :)
Didn't the Second Darkness adventure path have Mind Flayers in it? This may have been before the adventure paths started using the official Pathfinder rules though.
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I find it odd to claim that the mindflayer was created by WoTC. They were in earlier editions of d&d that Wizards did not own. Also, they appeared in the original final fantasy games on the NES.
WotC bought all TSR intellectual property, including previous editions of D&D, with mindflayers included.
And Square did use Mind Flayers in Final Fantasy fully and brazenly violating TSR IP ... except they didn't get lawsuited, likely for a host of reasons with "we're in the US, they're in Japan" and "you kind of can't copyright a squid-headed humanoid and their lore in FF is completely different from the D&D lore so there's a big chance a Japanese judge will award us some silly damages that won't even justify the lawsuit" being a major factor. International litigation is a beach, been there, got a counterfeit Chinese t-shirt.
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The Advanced Bestiary from Green Ronin includes an "eye king" template that can be used to turn nearly any monster into a beholder-like abomination. But that's an edge case that wouldn't make it into a Paizo product due to their "no near misses" policy mentioned up-thread.
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It would be interesting to see what would happen if WotC were to be mismanaged so badly that Hasbro decided to sell them off at a price Paizo would be willing to pay.
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The Phrenic Scourge is pretty much the Golarion version of the Mind Flayer, and in my opinion is a lot creepier.
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Yow! The necromancers are hard at work, I see.
Perhaps the lack of any mention of mindflayers and their twisted evil society is not due to any mundane copyright concerns, but rather to the ultimate success of their mind-bending campaign of disinformation and obfuscation. Their very existence has become a secret beyond the ken of mortal man. Bwahaha!
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I added them to the Dark Tapestry. For some reason the elder brains which controlled them seems silly to me so I didnt bring them add them.
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The Phrenic Scourge is pretty much the Golarion version of the Mind Flayer, and in my opinion is a lot creepier.
They are definitely more dangerous in my opinion.