| Pixii |
Hello, I'm new to Pathfinder. (I found out about it like 2 years ago, but never played. And recently decided to try again)
I've seen a few database type websites that have all of the book's combined information, and I'm working on my own version. One that's more standard/updated for programming/designing in 2019. I don't know if these websites look like they fell straight out of 1995 because the creators are only web developers and not also programmers/designers (not judging) - or if it's because the Community Use Policy prevents them from creating amazing websites
So far, I'm only using images that I've found on Google for Pathfinder (excluding Pathfinder Kingmaker stuff, because I think that's their original artwork) and I'm using the Fan Site Kit art from THIS website
But there is some really great art in the book, and I don't know if I'm allowed to use that. For Example: on the Bestiary homepage, I'd love to just snap a photo from the book's I've purchased/images from the Free PDFs and use that as a header image for that page. Like "RAWRR I'm a monster and this is the Bestiary page!" Instead of just "text wall incoming, borrrinnggg"
NOTE: I do have the copyright notice at the footer of my website (The thing that says I'm not allowed to charge, and all artworks belong to Paizo/Pathfinder, etc). I made sure it was noticeable.
BUT - am I allowed to use Google Adsense on my website?
Vic Wertz
Chief Technical Officer
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When it comes to the Pathfinder or Starfinder RPGs, our intellectual property generally falls into two categories: Open Game Content (generally game mechanics) and Product Identity (generally setting material, trademarks, and other non-mechanical stuff, including our artwork.
Anything we've declared as Open Game Content in our products is available for use under the Open Game License; anything we've declared as Product Identity is not available under the OGL. In most of our products, you'll find the statements of OGC and PI on the title or credits page at the front of the book. Note that these statements occasionally vary from product to product, so you'll need to check the individual statements in each product you wish to draw from.
If you are a noncommercial user, you may be able to use some of our PI by way of our Community Use Policy, which you can find at https://paizo.com/paizo/about/communityuse. (That page tells you what art is and isn't available for use under the Policy.) If you are a commercial user, our PI is not available for your use without a specific license.
To use Open Game Content in your own projects, you need to use the OGL, which you can find in any OGL product. The OGL itself tells you how to use it. Please note that the OGL is Wizards of the Coast's license, not Paizo's, and so I can't provide any advice about its suitability for your use. You may wish to consider speaking with an intellectual properties legal specialist.
Note that the OGL specifically restricts you from using "any ... trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product Identity by the owner of the Product Identity", or from "indicat[ing] compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark." So to indicate that your OGL project is compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, you'll need to follow our free Pathfinder RPG Compatibility License, which you can find at https://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility; the equivalent license for the Starfinder RPG is at https://paizo.com/starfinder/compatibility. Note that these Compatibility Licenses are applicable only to books, electronic books, and freely available websites. You can still use Open Game Content in a OGL product that's not a book, ebook, or free website, but you can't say it's compatible with the Pathfinder RPG or the Starfinder RPG or use trademarks like Pathfinder, Starfinder, or Paizo in any way; you may, however, use the non-trademarked terms “PFRPG” or “SFRPG.”