Hello all,
In Mr. Seifter's advice thread, he mentioned that if an item was to use an obscure rules source or something else that a reader might not be immediately familiar with, it would be advisable to cite that source.
Is there a preferred format for citing? For example (not related to my submission in any way), assume that I am creating the following item:
Chainsaw of Awesomeness
This radical +1 ripsaw glaive doubles the wielder's charisma modifier on their Leadership Score. Once per day, the wielder may deliver a catch phrase as a swift action to double all morale bonuses they are currently benefiting from, as moment of greatness but for any roll made in the current round.
In the above item, there are a few things I could cite. First, the ripsaw glaive is an exotic weapon from Gnomes of Golarion. Leadership Score refers to something from the CRB (Leadership) but is still referencing a subsystem. Moment of Greatness is a spell that is found in Ultimate Combat which some readers might be unfamiliar with.
So, what if any of these examples are worth citing? And if I was to cite them, what would be the preferred format? For example, would "[t]his radical +1 ripsaw glaive (Gnomes of Golarion p. 22)" be sufficient?
Additionally, if I cite an external source, can I hyperlink the citation for ease of reading? And if so, is it acceptable to use a source such as Archives of Nethys as long as I confirm the item information is accurate, or would I need to use the PRD? If the latter, what do I do in the case that an item isn't on the PRD, such as in the case of the Ripsaw Glaive (as far as I could tell)?
This is all IMO...
I don't think you need to cite a source for leadership score; I think while it is a bit niche, it's also in the CRB and Leadership is a common enough feat that people will know what you're talking about (I would have to look up if leadership score is capitalized or not, but that's not really the point here...).
Personally, I think moment of greatness is also fairly well known as far as spells go. Ultimate Combat is one of the main Paizo books and is on the PRD. Because the spell is italicized, it's clear what you're referring to. That means someone who's concerned about the specifics should be able to tell by the formatting alone that it's a spell and do a quick search for it if they want/need.
Now, ripsaw glaive is a little bit more of an interesting point. It's from a far more niche product, and one that you can't find on the PRD. I might be worried that someone would read it and think ripsaw was a special quality that's being applied to a glaive, as opposed to a weapon all on its own. Looking at an example from a recent Iron Gods module, I can see that they did a superscript TG (Technology Guide) after one of the NPC's weapons, so there is some precedent.
So, in that case, I may well cite it. I wouldn't do it after the first reference, just because it would make that first sentence a little more clunky. Ideally, the description would have somewhere else where it refers to the ripsaw glaive that I could list it.
As for format, you want to do just the title of the book, in italics, in parentheses. Don't include the page. The Open Game License allows publishers to cite Paizo products, but ONLY Paizo products can cite the specific page (that's not really going to matter at all for the Superstar contest, but I figure it's a good habit to get into).
As for hyperlinks, there's been discussion about whether it's a good idea or not. Neil Spicer has said he doesn't really think they're needed and may even distract. Speaking ONLY for myself, I actually like them. I do look up spells and whatnot I'm not familiar with when I see them on an item, and if something makes it easier for me, I appreciate it. It's not going to really influence my vote -- and truthfully I don't spend the time doing it -- but I do appreciate the attention to detail (I suppose if the items were otherwise in every single way equal, maybe it would be the deciding factor, but it's rare that I've seen that situation).
I think using Archives of Nethys or d20pfsrd are fine.
Thank you for taking a stab at these questions. It sounds like adding the hyperlink would be good for some people and a distraction for others, so it'd be fine to do either way (unless someone official-like weighs in).
but ONLY Paizo products can cite the specific page
Is this true? Archives of Nethys lists page numbers.
Is this true? Archives of Nethys lists page numbers.
I'm surprised.
Per Paizo's compatability license, Section 5:
You may not use page numbers, as they may change in licensed translations and in subsequent printings. The list of products you may reference is set out in Exhibit B, which Paizo may update at any time. You may not reference any Paizo products that are not listed in Exhibit B without express written permission.
Maybe it's not as big a deal for a website like AoN because it's easy to change there vs. a printed copy or even a pdf?
Commercial third-party publishers must adhere to the Compatibility License. Non-commercial fan works like Archives of Nethys use the Community Use Policy, which doesn't appear to contain anything prohibiting citing from Pathfinder books with page numbers. (PathfinderWiki also cites page numbers and also operates under the CUP.)Is this true? Archives of Nethys lists page numbers.I'm surprised.
Per Paizo's compatability license, Section 5:
Correct.