D&D 5e game mechanics.

[magicturtle]

Hi guys, I'm completely new to rpgmaker and I'm looking at creating a game that uses the 5e mechanics in combat and out of combat. This is probably a huge undertaking I know, but it means I can create the sort of game I want but never see in the stores. If there is something I can download so that I don't have to code much of it myself, then that would be brilliant. I have searched the forum and have used google but all I found was some guy talking about how he's working on it. If you don't know of anything but you can maybe give me some tips or advice on how to do it myself I'd love to hear it! At this point my knowledge about rpgmaker is almost exactly 0.

Thanks!

 

[Andar]

I've moved this thread to Script Request. Please be sure to post your threads in the correct forum next time. Thank you.


RM's are based on japanese RPG mechanics, which are really different from western ones in general and D&D in special. You'll need to recode most of the engine.


Some people have started this and there are a number of scripts that give partial mechanics of D&D, but there is a lot of work still to do, especially if you want it to work exactly like D&D.


What is your general knowledge of programming? That info would help a lot in telling you if you can do it and how long it will take you to complete such a project.

 

[Farr]

Its possible and its not hard to do to be honest.

So far I have everything working fine except Savings, feats are working, BAB working (partially), evasion, CA, all good so far.

Also I dont use tactic style, just old sideview battle.

I got a bunch of different scripts and combined them together for this.

 

[MeowFace]

You can "mimic" the D&D mechanics but you can't follow it 100% due to licensing.

One big reason you are not seeing any scripts made to cover the D&D rules, is due to the complex license WoTC has.

Open Game License FAQ link:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/oglfaq/20040123f

Edit:

And another big reason for game developers to avoid using the OGL of WoTC is:

Q: I want to distribute computer software using the OGL. Is that possible?

A: Yes, it's certainly possible. The most significant thing that will impact your effort is that you have to give all the recipients the right to extract and use any Open Game Content you've included in your application, and you have to clearly identify what part of the software is Open Game Content.

One way is to design your application so that all the Open Game Content resides in files that are human-readable (that is, in a format that can be opened and understood by a reasonable person). Another is to have all the data used by the program viewable somehow while the program runs.

Distributing the source code not an acceptable method of compliance. First off, most programming languages are not easy to understand if the user hasnÍt studied the language. Second, the source code is a separate entity from the executable file. The user must have access to the actual Open Content used.

You will end up not being able to archive your game contents.

And that means you have to prepare a separate file as in txt format for the script as well, and load them into the game using another way. (archiving a D&D style OGL script into the rvdata2 file is against the OGL itself, that's why you won't find any script writer making a script for it)

 

[Kaelan]

So far I have everything working fine except Savings, feats are working, BAB working (partially), evasion, CA, all good so far.

Also I dont use tactic style, just old sideview battle.

That's probably why you don't think it's hard to do, you haven't gotten to the hard part yet. And if you're doing sideview battles, you're not really doing D&D. You can't even move!

Getting it all right isn't easy at all. You have to think about tons of edge cases, the little nooks and crannies in the fine print of all of the rules, especially when they interact with each other (quick example: If you attack someone and they use an attack of opportunity to Bull Rush you out of your attack range so you can no longer attack, did you use up an action?). But it's definitely doable. You're going to have to do a lot of scripting though.

@MeowFace The legal protections are mostly for thematic things. You can't use a Beholder, but you can still use a big-tentacle-eye-monster and call it a Gazer. They can trademark characters, settings, names and titles, but they can't copyright the concept. You can't use the D&D trademark, or call your game a D20 game, or otherwise affiliate yourself with their brand, but there's nothing they can do to prevent you from creating a very similar system that mathematically behaves the more or less the same, but is called and branded something different.

I wouldn't worry about that too much anyway. If you actually do this, by the time you actually have a finished system, you'll probably have changed a bunch of rules to make it work better as a PC game, to the point where you'd be able to call it your own thing.

 

[MeowFace]

@MeowFace The legal protections are mostly for thematic things. You can't use a Beholder, but you can still use a big-tentacle-eye-monster and call it a Gazer. They can trademark characters, settings, names and titles, but they can't copyright the concept. You can't use the D&D trademark, or call your game a D20 game, or otherwise affiliate yourself with their brand, but there's nothing they can do to prevent you from creating a very similar system that mathematically behaves the more or less the same, but is called and branded something different.

I wouldn't worry about that too much anyway. If you actually do this, by the time you actually have a finished system, you'll probably have changed a bunch of rules to make it work better as a PC game, to the point where you'd be able to call it your own thing.

Have you read the 1st line i wrote?

It just proves that you never did read carefully on what's written and assume you are right.

So hopefully you did went through the written license since you sound sure of yourself there.

And no, derivations are still considered to be part of the OGL.

If you must know, OGL supersede the trademarks law when it comes to court.

And if i were you, i'll be worry about the legal issues, especially for Wizard of The Coast and Disney. These 2 companies are known to sue their fans.

No matter if you are distributing a free game or making a derived commercial game. Even throwing a party using one of their theme without permission can get you sued.

 

[Kaelan]

I don't know why you think I'm disagreeing with your first statement. I reworded it and expanded on the details. Having a mechanically similar game does not require a license. This is why Pillars of Eternity exists.

If you want to use the exact mechanics themselves, that's also allowable under the OGL. See: Knights of the Chalice. I think you misunderstand the text of the OGL. The OGL covers the design of the mechanics, not the implementation of the mechanics. It covers the rules regarding how many and what kind of dice should be rolled, not the actual action of rolling the dice. In other words, there is no requirement that the scripts used to implement the mechanics be open. It is only the mechanics themselves (i.e. the text of the rules of the game) which have to be clearly indicated. Explaining the rules within the game counts as having "the data used by the program viewable somehow while the program runs" (data in this case being the OGL game data, meaning the game mechanics).

Even throwing a party using one of their theme without permission can get you sued.

Using their themes is not using their mechanics. That would get you sued because it infringes Product Identity, which is not covered by the OGL, as I pointed out above in the Beholder comment. See also: http://gamerviceroy.blogspot.com/2012/12/legal-issues-in-gaming-open-game-license.html, http://www.heroicfantasygames.com/FAQ.htm#What is this OGL 3.5 I have heard about

 

[MeowFace]

http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/45916-dd-5e-game-mechanics/#entry458420

 

[Farr]

I prefer playing D&D tabletop, not via games or anything like that, I dont want a game with 100% D&D rules, thats why I made sideview and some different stuff.

Btw, Knights of the Chalice is an awesome f*ing game!