Clarification of OGL please

[Shoga]

I would like to create a class that is similar to one in 3.5 but I don't want to step on any toes. I've tried looking at the OGL rules but they are lawyerly terms and totally above my huckleberry. Any assistance would be greatly apreciated.

[IkeDoe]

For what I have seen in other OGL products, if that class is designated as Open content (or whatever it is called) by the original publisher it should be ok, otherwise you may have problems, note that the the class description could be open content but the name of the class not, you need a copy of the original book or pdf, there the publisher should say what is open content, if any.
And then you need a lawyer :D

[Shoga]

IkeDoe wrote:

For what I have seen in other OGL products, if that class is designated as Open content (or whatever it is called) by the original publisher it should be ok, otherwise you may have problems, note that the the class description could be open content but the name of the class not, you need a copy of the original book or pdf, there the publisher should say what is open content, if any.

And then you need a lawyer :D

Thanks for the response. Seems like a lot of work/cost for something I don't plan on making anything off of.

[jreyst]

Shoga wrote:

Thanks for the response. Seems like a lot of work/cost for something I don't plan on making anything off of.

If you are doing it for yourself and/or your personal friends and (more importantly) do not intend to distribute it then you can basically make whatever you want.

If you plan to make it available on the internet and the original material you are copying was not released under the OGL then you would have to make substantial changes to it, including any IP references, etc.

[Starglim]

Shoga wrote:

I would like to create a class that is similar to one in 3.5 but I don't want to step on any toes. I've tried looking at the OGL rules but they are lawyerly terms and totally above my huckleberry. Any assistance would be greatly apreciated.

As a general rule, you shouldn't copy someone else's work unless you know for a fact they have given you permission to do so.

The Open Game Licence (OGL) gives that permission for some game rules, under certain conditions.

Publishers who use the OGL, starting with the original source of the system (in this case, Wizards of the Coast) put up part of their game rules as Open Game Content (OGC), in Wizards' case, for D&D 3.5, the System Resource Document (SRD - not the core rulebooks) and parts of Unearthed Arcana.

Anyone who follows the requirements of the OGL has permission to copy OGC and rewrite it into their own new products. What they copied, they have to release in turn as OGC that others can use.

This is the core idea. The other lawyerly terms mostly make it clear that you can't take advantage of this permission to abuse rights that the publisher didn't give away (you can't use Product Identity or claim compatibility with the publisher's trademarks) and require you to add some documentation to your release to help others use your OGC (which parts of your work you're releasing as OGC, a copy of the OGL, what sources of OGC you used and how you want people to cite your work).

If the class you're interested in was published by WotC and isn't in the SRD, it's most likely not OGC and the OGL doesn't apply. If you think a Wizards class might be OGC or if it was published by someone else, look for a notice headed "Open Content" on the credits page to see what you can use.