"The following items are designated Product Identity, as defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, and are subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of the OGL, and are not Open Content: Dungeons & Dragons, ... tanar’ri, baatezu, ..."Dear WOTC, I assure you that you really don't have to worry; this is like someone putting a high-end car alarm in a beat-to-shit, rusted-out '82 Honda civic.
Some lame duck attempt to weasel out of the 80s satanic panic spotlight is considered an "intellectual property asset?" Hohoho. Has anyone, ever, in the history of D&D actually used those terms while actually playing the game?
I've had some sneezes that sounded similar, but I don't think I was playing D&D at the time.
ReplyDeleteYep. I have.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm about 9,000% sure they don't have to worry about that one.
ReplyDeleteIt might be some way for them to claim they own the D&D version of Lemures without claiming they own a Latin word.
Yes - goofy stuff to avoid the Satanism charge. They're evil dudes with horns, pitchforks and bat wings, but they're not devils so you can't be offended.
ReplyDeleteAlso - slaad are not open content. Claudio Pozas did a open content version called the ogdoad, or you could always re-name them and nudge the stats a little yourself.
I've used those names as what demons and devils call each other in games where I even made a distinction between the two. Most anyone else still called them demons and devils.
ReplyDeleteNot an apt comparison at all. There are people that actually find a use for beat-to-shit, rusted-out '82 Honda Civics.
ReplyDeleteAll kidding aside, if I ever find working models of the Crowns of the Ramas and trade my beat-to-shit, rusted-out middle-aged body for a newer model, I'm forming a metal band called "Ta'anari Baatezu."
Don't worry Blair, I'm sure your giant fantasy epic about the millenia-long Brood War waged all across the lower planes by two civilizations of demoniac frog-people called the sla'anari and the slaatezu won't get you sued.
ReplyDeleteI have played in several campaigns where the sanitized names were thrown about regularly. I even had a DM tell me he didn't like it when I called them demons and devils.
ReplyDeleteWow, this kind of shows how out of touch WotC is with D&D, its players, and common sense. If someone wanted to use tanar'ri or baatezu it is probably best to let as many people run with that one to muddy the waters as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteOn the sly, I am filing off a few serial numbers regarding certain Limbo dwelling toad-like critters.
Hey, those names are better than all the monster names coming out for 4th edition. WotC needs to hang onto as much content that displayed any amount of imagination as they can, cause they aren't producing that kind of thing anymore. Those two names are pure gold next to the current crop of monster name output.
ReplyDelete@ Ndege Diamond: "...designated Product Identity:... ...Butdasgaj, khagdgfar, Vulzumbumbaltot... "; it's quite hypocritical of me considering how much I like "Shoggoth", "Thark," etc., but I find those names zestier.
ReplyDelete@ Fabian: Planescape game?
@ Matt: "We assure you that our renamed imaginary demons are no longer demons!" Thanks for the tip, I check them out but they're a bit too divorced from the orignals for my liking; looks like some fine gentleman is handling the nudging however. Great work on the S&W monster book BTW :)
@ Robo: I was going to go with "putting a razor wire fence around your manure heap" but I started thinking about how manure has value. You're never too old to Rock! I knew a gent who had an emo hardcore band called Ta'anari...
@ Blizack: "Please use euphemisims for these imaginary evil supernatural entities good sir!"
@ Ancientvaults: I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM!
@ Anonymous: "Well, they're not as awful as they could be..." ;)
M:tG started using the term "Horror," as in "Ancient Horror" or "Viscous Horror" instead of Demon.
ReplyDeleteI think we should just randomly ban words from monster names to liven things up. First up: 'Fire.'
There should also be a moratorium on anything dragon-related. We have enough.
hmm, I have, in multiple non-Planescape campaigns. The name has a nice ring to it and can serve as a way divorcing the concepts from Christian mythology.
ReplyDeleteI used them, but only because I was introduced to the hobby after they were the norm. Even then, I prefer the demon/devil thing to that crap.
ReplyDeleteAn 82 Honda civic in factory condition is in some definitions considered a classic car...
ReplyDelete