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- d20 redirects here. For the type of die, see Dice. For the camera, see Arriflex D-20
The d20 System is a system of game mechanics for role-playing games published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast and based on the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The system is named after the 20-sided die which is central to the core mechanics of the system. Typical role-playing dice, showing a variety of colors and styles. ...
The Arriflex D-20 is a film-style digital high definition movie camera made by Arri first introduced in November 2005. ...
This work is copyrighted. ...
This work is copyrighted. ...
This article or section should include material from logo design, discuss it at Talk:Logo design A logotype, commonly known as a logo, is the graphic element of a trademark or brand, which is set in a special typeface/font, or arranged in a particular, but legible, way. ...
A role-playing game (RPG) is a type of game in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create narratives. ...
This article is about the year 2000. ...
Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is a publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. ...
For other uses, see Dungeons & Dragons (disambiguation). ...
An icosahedron [ËŒaıkÉ™sÉ™hiËdrÉ™n] noun (plural: -drons, -dra [-drÉ™]) is a polyhedron having 20 faces, but usually a regular icosahedron is meant. ...
Typical role-playing dice, showing a variety of colors and styles. ...
Much of the d20 System was released as the System Reference Document (SRD) under the Open Game License (OGL) as open gaming content, which allows commercial and non-commercial publishers to release modifications or supplements to the system without paying for the use of the system's associated intellectual property, which is owned by Wizards of the Coast. The System Reference Document, or SRD, is the collection of open gaming works licensed under the Open Gaming License by Wizards of the Coast (or WotC) and based upon their Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. ...
The Open Gaming License (also Open Game License or OGL) is an open content license designed for role-playing games. ...
Open gaming is the movement within the amateur and professional role-playing game industry that is somewhat analogous to open source movement. ...
Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is a publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. ...
The original impetus for the open licensing of the d20 system was the economics of producing role-playing games. Game supplements suffered far more diminished sales over time than the core books required to play the game. Ryan Dancey, Dungeons and Dragons' brand manager at the time, directed the effort of licensing the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons through the d20 trademark, allowing other companies to support the d20 system under a common brand identity. This is distinct from the Open Game License, which simply allows any party to produce works composed or derivative of designated Open Game Content. The discipline of brand management was started at Procter & Gamble as a result of a famous memo by Neil H. McElroy. ...
The Open Gaming License (also Open Game License or OGL) is an open content license designed for role-playing games. ...
Theoretically this would spread the cost of supplementing the game and would increase sales of the core books, which could only be published by Wizards of the Coast under the Dungeons and Dragons and d20 trademarks. (To this end, the SRD does not include rules for character creation and advancement.) The marketing theory behind the d20 System and its associated licenses is network externalities; support for the core rules would become an external expense rather than one incurred by Wizards of the Coast, but would promote the sales of the company's core rulebooks. The network effect causes a good or service to have a value to a potential customer dependent on the number of customers already owning that good or using that service. ...
Mechanics
Mechanically speaking, the d20 system is similar to older, proprietary game systems. One example among many is the d10-based Interlock System used by semi-defunct publisher R. Talsorian Games. The three primary designers behind d20 were Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook and Skip Williams; many others contributed, most notably Richard Baker and WotC's then-president Peter Adkison. Many give Tweet the bulk of the credit for the basic resolution mechanic, citing similarities to the system behind his game Ars Magica. Tweet, however, has stated that the design team already had ideas similar to his in place when he was brought in. The Interlock System is R. Talsorian Games proprietary role-playing system. ...
R. Talsorian Games, based in Renton, WA, publishes numerous role-playing game books and accessories. ...
Jonathan Tweet is a game designer who has been involved in the development of the role-playing games Ars Magica, Everway, Over the Edge, Talislanta and the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. ...
Monte Cook is a professional game designer of some renown. ...
Skip Williams is a creator of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. ...
Richard Baker - full name L. Richard Baker III - is an American author and game designer, for the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. ...
Peter Adkison has been an avid gamer all his life. ...
Ars Magica is a role-playing game set in Mythic Europe, an idealized (or quasi-historical) version of Europe around 1200 AD. The game revolves around magic-using wizards and their allies. ...
To resolve an action in the d20 System, a player rolls a 20-sided die and adds modifiers based on the capabilities of the character, and sometimes the situation. If the result is greater than or equal to a target number (called a Difficulty Class or DC) then the action succeeds. This is widely considered superior to the first- and second- edition AD&D "THAC0" mechanic, which often involved more (or more confusing) computational steps for, mathematically speaking, the same end result. Also, in d20 this system is consistently used for all action resolution; in prior games in the D&D family, the rules for different actions varied considerably in which dice were used and even whether high numbers or low numbers were preferable. THAC0 (often pronounced THA-ko) is an acronym constructed from the phrase To Hit Armor Class 0 which comes from the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. ...
The d20 System is not presented as a universal system in any of its publications or free distributions, unlike games like GURPS. Rather, the core system has been presented in a variety of formats that have been adapted by various publishers (both Wizards of the Coast and third-party) to specific settings and genres, much like the "Basic Role Playing" system common to early games by veteran RPG publisher Chaosium. The Generic Universal Role-Playing System, commonly known as GURPS is a form of a role-playing game (RPG) designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming environment. ...
Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is a publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. ...
A role-playing game (RPG) is a type of game in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create narratives. ...
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role_playing games still in existence. ...
The rules for the d20 System are defined in the SRD (currently version 3.5), which may be copied freely or even sold. Designed for fantasy-genre games in (usually) a pseudo-medieval setting, the SRD is drawn from the Dungeons & Dragons books Player's Handbook v3.5, Dungeon Master's Guide v3.5, Monster Manual v3.5, Deities and Demigods (3rd edition version), Epic Level Handbook, and Expanded Psionics Handbook. Information from these books not in the SRD include detailed descriptions, flavor-text, and material Wizards of the Coast considers product identity (such as references to the Greyhawk campaign setting and information on mind flayers). d20 Modern has its own SRD, which includes material from the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game, Urban Arcana Campaign Setting, the d20 Menace Manual, and d20 Future; this can cover a wide variety of genres, but is intended for a modern-day setting. Players Handbook for D&D version 3. ...
Dungeon Masters Guide for D&D version 3. ...
Current Monster Manual (v3. ...
For the article on gods see deity Cover of the first printing of the first edition Deities & Demigods is a reference book for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, containing descriptions of pagan gods and legendary creatures from myth and fiction. ...
The Epic Level Handbook is a rulebook by Wizards of the Coast containing rules for Dungeons & Dragons characters to attain levels above 20, the limit in the core rulebooks. ...
The Psionics Handbook is a sourcebook for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game that contains a multitude of rules and options for integrating psychic powers into the D&D game. ...
The cover of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast. ...
A campaign setting is a fictional fantasy world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame. ...
An inquisition of Illithids with a thrall In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, illithids (commonly known as mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid aberrations with psionic powers. ...
The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook d20 Modern is a role-playing game designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. ...
The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook d20 Modern is a role-playing game designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. ...
Urban Arcana Campaign Setting In the world of Urban Arcana, dragons rule the boardrooms and bugbears rule the streets. ...
The D20 Menace Manual is a listing of statistics, mainly for animals, aliens, and other potential enemies, for use in the D20 Modern role-playing game. ...
d20 Future is an accessory for the d20 Modern role-playing game written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker. ...
d20 License Because Dungeons and Dragons is the most popular role-playing game in the world, many third party publishers produce products designed to be compatible with that game and its cousin, d20 Modern. Wizards of the Coast provides a separate license allowing publishers to use some of its trademarked terms and a distinctive logo to help consumers identify these products. This is known as the d20 System License. The d20 System License (D20STL) requires publishers to exclude character creation and advancement rules, apply certain notices and adhere to an acceptable content policy. Games that only use the OGL are not bound by these restrictions, and several have included character creation and advancement rules, allowing them to be used as standalone products. D20STL products require a core book from Wizards of the Coast and must clearly state this. As the D20STL has changed, some companies have chosen to use the OGL by itself. All D20STL products must also use the OGL to make use of d20 open content, but publishers may use the OGL without using the D20STL.
For a long time d20 System products using one or both licenses took a significant market share of the role-playing games industry. They have especially promoted the rise of electronic publishing, since small companies can tap the huge market potential of Dungeons and Dragons at no cost to themselves. d20 product sales, as with the rest of the industry, are currently in flux. Electronic publishing includes the publication of ebooks and electronic articles, and the development of digital libraries. ...
Criticism of the d20 license Unlike the OGL, the d20 license is revocable and is controlled by WotC. For critics this gives too much control of the open gaming movement, which is widely considered to be synonymous with the d20 System, to a single company. WotC has the ability to alter the d20 license at will and gives a short, 30 day "cure period" to rectify any issues with the license before termination. These changes apply retroactively to all material published under the d20 system license.
When gaming company The Valar Project, under former WotC vice-president Anthony Valtera, attempted to publish the d20 Book of Erotic Fantasy (BoEF), which contained sexual content, WotC altered the d20 license in advance of publication of BoEF by adding a "quality standards" provision that required publishers comply with "community standards of decency." This subsequently prevented the book's publication under the d20 license [1]. WotC said this was done to protect its d20 trademark, but critics claimed that it was censorship. The Book of Erotic Fantasy was subsequently published without the d20 trademark under the OGL. Other books subsequently published under similar circumstances include Skirmisher Publishing LLC's [2] Nuisances [3], which also includes on its cover the disclaimer "Warning: Intended For Mature Readers Only." This article is about the issues and phenomena pertaining to human sexual function and behavior. ...
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...
Skirmisher Publishing LLC [1] is an Alexandria, Virginia-based publisher of wargames, roleplaying games, and historic reprints. ...
The same round of changes to the license also limited the size at which the text "Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook, Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast" (which is required to appear on the front or back cover of most fantasy d20 products) could be printed, and prohibited making part of it larger than the rest. This was perceived as being aimed at the same Valar book; early mockups of the cover had the words "Dungeons & Dragons" in the above text printed much larger and in a different font than the rest, right at the top of the front cover. This could have made the book appear to be an official Dungeons & Dragons publication to a casual or uninformed observer. The published version does not have the offending text on the cover. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...
Criticism is also levied at the conditions for termination of the d20 license through a breach of its terms. The d20 license requires that, upon breach of the terms of the d20 license which includes any subsequent modifications of the d20 license after publication of a work using the d20 trademark, all inventory and marketing material must be destroyed. Adhering to the breach conditions is an onerous task for smaller game companies. The mere threat of this condition being imposed was a huge blow to the now defunct d20 publisher Fast Forward Entertainment, which had released several books that used non-open WotC content due to company president James Ward's misunderstanding of the license.
Other criticism is based around the part of the d20 license which defines "Open Game Content" to include game mechanics and purports to license it. It is widely believed that game mechanics are uncopyrightable in the USA, and according to a circular on the US Copyright Office's website [4], "Once a game has been made public, nothing in the copyright law prevents others from developing another game based on similar principles."
History Shortly after the publication of the d20 license and OGL, d20 publications began to proliferate. Many new companies were started exclusively to publish d20 content. This was a profitable niche for some established companies, revitalized others, and inspired the creation of new d20-only RPG production houses.
Sales of role-playing games had already been in decline, and the popularity of the d20 system motivated companies to refocus on those products at the expense of their own games. Some companies (notably Alderac Entertainment, with 7th Sea and Legend of the Five Rings) experimented with d20 versions of existing creative properties. Seventh Sea can be used to refer to: Seventh Sea (roleplaying game) Seventh Sea (collectible card game) See Also Seven Seas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Legend of the Five Rings (often abbreviated L5R) is a fictional setting created by the Five Rings Publishing Group in 1995, and now under the control of Alderac Entertainment Group. ...
The d20 system jump-started the fledgling PDF role-playing publishing industry. Since many of the d20 publishers were small, amateur companies started by fans, publishing as PDF offered a cheap and easy way of getting published, without the minimum returns required by professional ventures. Some of these companies became profitable and even broke through into offset print (as opposed to print on demand) runs. Offset lithography printing process Offset printing is a widely used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or offset) from a plate first to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. ...
Print on demand (POD) is a publishing technology. ...
While various manifestations of the d20 system still compose the single largest marketshare in roleplaying games, various sources (including Kenneth Hite and Game Trade Magazine) report an overall decline in RPG sales. Some attribute this decline, at least partially, to declining d20 game sales. An overcrowded market is also put forward as a culprit, since the proliferation of d20 supplements divides the budgets of retailers, distributors and hobbyists. It has been observed that a large proportion of the RPG market can be found in the military, and a decline in the market is therefore to be expected when a large number of soldiers are posted to areas that have few hobby stores. Kenneth Hite is a writer and role-playing game designer. ...
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