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Star*Drive Creatures posted at Wizards WebBoards

M

Mr. Oberon

SOC-11
Hey People!

After a discussion with WoTC, they have allowed me to post conversions from thier Star*Drive setting to D20. While this means you might have to do some conversions to use them in T20, I will already have these listed when possible, or add conversion data here for each creature just for T20. Depends on how it works out. I will post these articles here:

http://boards.wizards.com/community-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=233;t=000218

Each time I add some new material, I will post a new message here with a link. It will contain converion data for T20 (like EDU and SOC, meter conversions, and rule versions).

If anyone finds I have missed anything, let me know. Thanks for the support and good words.

Mr. Oberon

"If we could reach the stars, what would we do with them?"
- Richard Baker, Star*Drive CS, April 1998
 
Ummm they may still nolonger make Alternity but dont they still make the ESD's for them hence they are still getting money off of them so posting their IP may not be a good idea at all
 
Do you think so? With this being a conversion to D20/T20, I did not think it would be a problem... Anyone know about this?
Click to expand...
It may be it may not be however I try to sometimes lean on the side of caution
 
IP is a funny thing.

Given that you are basing your work on theirs, they probably do have a legal right to tell you to stop.

Many gaming companies don't excercise this legal right; However there are problems here. If they are aware of the site and it doesn't include appropriate legal jargon then they have "agreed" that the work is in the public domain. Once this has happened then someone else can do anything they like with it. for example, if anyone put Wookies (owned by Lucasfilms) in the public domain then the next traveller game could include them and there would be nothing lucasfilms could do to stop people. You could publish stories which moved wookies way from the origional intent of lucasfilms, you could produce movies that use them etc etc

The important issue here is that, if they accept it is available in the public domain, they have to do something about it to preserve their IP.

I wouldn't imagine that a single post on a website affects things much, but if I use your interpretation on a large website then they would have to challenge.

It's much easier to make up a "totally" different race. ie one that gives a similair "feel" but doesn;t have any legal entanglements.

Of course, if you are using some IP that belongs to someone else but aren;t doing it in the public domain (ie if you have a private Yahoogroup and post stats and rules that let you play in a universe owned by someone else) then you are doing nothing wrong. Translates - You can play anyway you like, but you can;t publish things that belong to someone else.

Paul

PS I'm not a lawyer, don't blame me if I lead you astray
 
Originally posted by trader jim:
how much would you have to change them to make it legal???....sounds and looks like a good "critter" to play against.... :eek: :eek:
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Suprisingly, very little.

Several D20 publishers have started to refer to "named" spells from D&D 3E using generic monikers. With WoTC blessing.

Example;
Mordenkainens Magnificent Mansion was refered to (I think by Kenzer Co.) as Wonderous Mansion. (I'm paraphrasing).

There was actually a disscussion on this topic over at Enworld. I will try and look for it.

As far as the Klicks go, I don't see anything under the monster write up (other than the name) that would have given me pause that this was someone else's IP.

I mean this isn't really that original of a concept.

PS. Nice work Oby!!
 
Originally posted by BluWolf:
[qb]PS. Nice work Oby!!
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Your welcome, but keep in mind, I am just trying to convert someone elses idea and still keep th same "feel" as the original. While hard to do, it's still not my idea...

But feeding my ego is never a bad thing, so thanks for the compliment!
Click to expand...
 
I have just edited the creature stats. Tell me what you think of it without the IP referances... I don't know if I want to do it this way. I rather would find a way to work it out with WOTC...
 
I like the grey race - But I wouldn;t allow it for PC's.

Once there are races that are all arround better at sometihng than a human, there will no longer be any PC's that do that thing.

While the bonuses are only +2, it isn;t so bad, but once you jump to +4, there is no real point in playing the "standard" race. If you were going to , I would remove some of the negatives and give them an additional alien level.

Which means that if I want to play a Grey, I have to accept that I will always be a leevl or two behind the rest of the party.

PS I don't see any copyright problems with playing these - I immediately decided they were based on sectoids from Xcom, however the achetype is so common, I figure it is well and truely public domain. The Old Click warriors are in the same boat.
 
WoTC sent me a reply to the conversion issue:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />
Any Idea if it ever will be? Or published?

I would be willing to convert them and send them to you, if you would be
interested in publishing them in a book or on the website. Simply put, I
have to make them for my campaign setting, and it seems wrong not to share
them with others so they can enjoy it. If there is any way this can be
worked out to a mutually acceptable agreement, let me know.
Click to expand...
--So far we haven't heard of any plans to so I doubt it will happen.

If you want to post those conversions on our website message boards, go ahead. But I would restrict it to that.

Thanks!
********************************************************
Matt
Wizards of the Coast - Game Support
Website: http://www.wizards.com
Game Support E-Mail: custserv@wizards.com
Game Support Phone: 1-800-324-6496
Monday through Friday, 9 AM - 6 PM PST
Corporate Phone: (425) 226-6500
Please quote this e-mail in any reply.
</font>[/QUOTE]So what does this mean? I will take the original oversions and post them to the WotC Message board, and link to the topic here. All the conversions I do for my private game will have a home (Sort of...) and everyone who wants them will still have access. Works real well... Anyone know if you have to be a member of the WotC boards to read posts?

After the information is up, I will need to remove the items from here so they can be legal to what I have been allowed.

I like it when things work out! :D
 
Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
Good Job Oby!!! Get em e-printed and the credit fer em too. Keep the WoTc lawyers outta yer wallet while yer at it!
Click to expand...
Huh? Did not understand very much of that except "Don't get sued!"
 
All right. I cleaned up all of the articles that were not allowed to be posted here. I have already posted D20 versions of the Kroath, Klicks, and Fraal PC info. The link is below. The additional info for each is as follows:

Fraal:
- Attributes for T20: -4 Str, -2 Dex, -4 Con, +2 Int, +4 Edu, +4 Wis, +2 Cha.
- Use traveller rules for Psi.
- Base Speed: 9 meters

Kroath:
- Spd 5m; St/Lb 40/14 (5d10+10)
- Enrage: +4 to hit (melee or ranged) and damage (melee) for 2d4 rounds. Doubles movement to 10m. Can be used once per hour.
- Biotech Gel: Heals 5 Stamina per round. If the kroath reaches 0 Stamina or Lifeblood it turns into a powerful acid, destroying both the kroath and the armor. This also usually destroys the kroath's rifle.
- DarkPlasma Rifle: Energy weapon, Range 200m, Damage 3d12+3, Clip 20 shots. Kroath usually carry multiple "clips" for combat.

Klick:
- Spd 6m; St/Lb 28/11 (4d10+4)
- BioWeakness Field: Radiates to a 10 meters range from the klick. Causes 1d6 Stamina damage per round, save for no damage (DC 10). Targets in multiple overlapping fields add +1 to the DC per klick, +10 max. Fraal are not effected by the field.
- BlackLaser: Treat as a standard laser weapon, but doing +1 damage per die. These weapons are organic and tend to die soon after the Klick.

GENERAL NOTES:
- (Don't increase ranges for weapons, just convert "x" feet to "x" meters. Otherwise D20 monsters outrange everything... T20 can deal with extreme ranges...

http://boards.wizards.com/community-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=233;t=000218

Mr. Oberon

"If we could reach the stars, what would we do with them?"
- Richard Baker, Star*Drive CS, April 1998
 
Be nice TT.

I have decided (since I have already made this such a confusing mess :D ) to reedit the entries for everything to use the T20 mechanics. The reason? Ease of use. It is easier for me to put a single item at the top of the page that says "Ignore these T20 extras for D20", than it is to add tons of missing data for each creature to function in T20. I have already corrected the originals, and have added a new PC race: the Mechalus. A biocybernetic race that would make a real good "lost human" colony.

http://boards.wizards.com/community-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=233;t=000218

Later,

Mr. Oberon
 
Well, I feel stupid.

I have just rebalanced the races for T20 without counting strength at 1.5 value against the others... Since T20 uses Dex for ALL attacks, the Str score was devalued to the same as all the others. The D20 were correct...

I must be tired...
file_28.gif
 
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