I am unsure of what text I can use from a current monster in my homebrew creation. Say for example I want to create a few higher CR versions of the Minotaur the way there are several official versions of the goblin. For consistency I would like to keep things that I don’t need to change the same as the default creature.
Eg. This is some of the text from the original
”Their fur stained with the blood of fallen foes, minotaurs are massive, bull-headed humanoids whose roar is a savage battle cry that all civilized creatures fear. A minotaur’s roar is a savage battle cry that most civilized creatures fear. Born into the mortal realm by demonic rites, minotaurs are savage conquerors and carnivores that live for the hunt. Their brown or black fur is stained with the blood of fallen foes, and they carry the stench of death.”
If I include any of that text in the discription of my “Minotaur Spellcaster” creation and add to it describing its added abilities, is that permitted? Or do I have to completely rewrite it?
Also an article dedicated to “What to do, and what not to do.” in homebrew creation would be helpful. Just a thought.
If I choose not to publish my homebrew creations is it permissible to post them in the forum if someone asks.
If the monster is from paid content (DMG, Volo's Guide to Monsters, etc) you cannot include any part of it. We also don't allow 'minor variations' of monsters to be published. Generally, a homebrew monster that you publicly publish should be a unique creation with new features rather than just a few more hit points/damage and higher CR.
However, you do not need to publish your homebrew to use it privately.
What I can say is that there's a 'Monster Builder' that Badeye (the chief of D&D Beyond) may have mentioned a few times here and there, that's planned to be added in the future. There's no timescale at present, but rumour has it that it will make doing something like this much, much easier.
Edit: Here is a link to the homebrew guidelines. It's in the process of being updated, but should offer some more clarity on some aspects of what is and isn't allowed for publich homebrew.
Thanks, I did read through the homebrew guidelines, several times but some of the homebrew monsters already approved seemed to use parts of the discription text so I was confused. I usually don’t bother publishing the things I modify for my own game but someone asked about my Minotaur variations so I thought it would be the easiest way to share them.
Regarding any there that use licensed content, it's possible a few things have slipped through the system - but it's definitely not intentional. If you notice anything like that, you're welcome to report it.
I am unsure of what text I can use from a current monster in my homebrew creation. Say for example I want to create a few higher CR versions of the Minotaur the way there are several official versions of the goblin. For consistency I would like to keep things that I don’t need to change the same as the default creature.
Eg. This is some of the text from the original
”Their fur stained with the blood of fallen foes, minotaurs are massive, bull-headed humanoids whose roar is a savage battle cry that all civilized creatures fear. A minotaur’s roar is a savage battle cry that most civilized creatures fear. Born into the mortal realm by demonic rites, minotaurs are savage conquerors and carnivores that live for the hunt. Their brown or black fur is stained with the blood of fallen foes, and they carry the stench of death.”
If I include any of that text in the discription of my “Minotaur Spellcaster” creation and add to it describing its added abilities, is that permitted? Or do I have to completely rewrite it?
Also an article dedicated to “What to do, and what not to do.” in homebrew creation would be helpful. Just a thought.
If I choose not to publish my homebrew creations is it permissible to post them in the forum if someone asks.
Hi GayleG,
If the monster is from paid content (DMG, Volo's Guide to Monsters, etc) you cannot include any part of it. We also don't allow 'minor variations' of monsters to be published. Generally, a homebrew monster that you publicly publish should be a unique creation with new features rather than just a few more hit points/damage and higher CR.
However, you do not need to publish your homebrew to use it privately.
What I can say is that there's a 'Monster Builder' that Badeye (the chief of D&D Beyond) may have mentioned a few times here and there, that's planned to be added in the future. There's no timescale at present, but rumour has it that it will make doing something like this much, much easier.
Edit: Here is a link to the homebrew guidelines. It's in the process of being updated, but should offer some more clarity on some aspects of what is and isn't allowed for publich homebrew.
Site Rules & Guidelines - Please feel free to message a moderator if you have any concerns.
My homebrew: [Subclasses] [Races] [Feats] [Discussion Thread]
Thanks, I did read through the homebrew guidelines, several times but some of the homebrew monsters already approved seemed to use parts of the discription text so I was confused. I usually don’t bother publishing the things I modify for my own game but someone asked about my Minotaur variations so I thought it would be the easiest way to share them.
Thanks for the speedy reply.
No worries!
Regarding any there that use licensed content, it's possible a few things have slipped through the system - but it's definitely not intentional. If you notice anything like that, you're welcome to report it.
Site Rules & Guidelines - Please feel free to message a moderator if you have any concerns.
My homebrew: [Subclasses] [Races] [Feats] [Discussion Thread]