I have finished adding the contents of the PHB and DMG to the System
Reference Document.
The text is now broken down into a series of reasonably small and focused
sections, which I think will be much more managable going forward that the
prior structure was.
I have not yet added the monsters or the templates to the SRD - that is my
next (and hopefully last) task. ETA on that material is unknown, but soon.
If you notice a glaring omission from either the PHB or the DMG, please let
me know so I can determine if the material should be added or not. The two
most significant things currently in the DMG and not in the SRD
(intentionally) are the Greyhawk gods, and the Hand & Eye of Vecna and the
Sword of Kas.
I have abandoned the idea of placing Product Identity limits on the proper
nouns in spell names; with two exceptions those names are not protectable
anyway. The first, "Drawmij" is just Jim Ward spelled backwards, and isn't
worth trying to protect. The second, Mordenkanien, is, and so I have simply
replaced the word "Mordenkanien" with "Mord" to avoid the problem
altogether. I have also changed references to "Boccob's Blessed Book" to
simply be "Blessed Book".
Over the next few days, a few other magic items or artifacts may also be
removed. If so, I will post a notice to that effect.
One more note: In response to numerous questions, I would like to suggest
that the first seven portions of the SRD are what really defines a "d20
System game". In other words, if you were to use those seven sections
(Basics; Ability Scores; Alignment; Armor Class; Saving Throws; Death, Dying
& Healing; and Condition Summary) as the basis for a game system, you would
be maintaining (in my opinion) sufficient connection with the d20 network to
gain substantial benefits of the network externality.
The interesting thing about that proposition is that the amount of material
involving "classes" or "levels" in those seven sections is minute (and
mostly a function of describing healing rates and the effects of being
energy drained). In other words, if you provide a short and simple section
explaining how "damage" is handled in your game, and you either add a new
rule or avoid entirely the issue of energy draining, you could easily
produce a game with neither classes nor levels that encompassed most of the
major components of the d20 System.
As you've already seen, our first non D&D d20 System game (Star Wars) has a
different system for Death, Dying & Healing - though I suspect that the two
systems are still close enough to close whatever gap might appear in the
network's rules comprehension. It will be left as an excersize for the
market to determine how far afield a game can stray and still engage the
network effect in its favor.
I would also suggest that games which use a Skill system with a point buy
mechanic similar to the D&D game, and the Feats with similar parameters will
do an even better job of connecting to the overall network. To that end, I
have marked those Skills and Feats which I believe are general enough in
scope that they are applicable in most types of games with an (*) prior to
their entries to aide designers in easily identifying the most common
elements of the system.
I suspect that most of the d20 System games you will see from Wizards over
the next couple of years will fit within this envelope, with perhaps one or
two major systems very slightly altered (although I have no idea how Wheel
Of Time is going to treat spellcasting...)
And finally, before anyone asks: Yes, parts of Star Wars will get added to
the SRD. I won't even begin working on that problem until after the
Monsters are done, so it may be weeks before any of that material makes an
appearance in even a draft format.
Ryan
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