Help:FAQ
From D&D Wiki
Frequently Asked Questions:
If you have a question that you would like to be answered, please ask it in the "Discussion" tab, and it will be added to the list of FAQ's.
What is a Wiki?
A wiki is a website that is changeable by anyone. One advantage to this is that if anyone sees something wrong, they can fix it. For example, if a feat is greatly overpowered, anyone can tone it down, and make it balanced.
The largest and most widely used wiki in the world is Wikipedia. It is important to note that not all wikis are encyclopedic in nature. D&D Wiki is not an encyclopedic wiki, and has much more in common with play-by-post roleplaying wikis, than it does with wikipedia. D&D Wiki does contain a number of encyclopedic projects; namely, the various OGL and SRD transcription projects, and the publication guide. We also make use of many of wikipedia's community policies, as these have already been rigorously tested and fine-tuned to the unique issues found on a wiki community.
What is this site?
This site is a D&D and D20 system homebrew compendium, a place for ideas that people make and share for others to enjoy. Many ideas that are posted on D&D and D20 system forums around the world are soon never to be seen again, as they are deleted, or they are moved down the list of active threads. This site is all about ideas that last, and are usable by anyone, at any time.
Please see the Help:Mission Statement page for more information.
What are OGL, OGC, SRD, and GNU FDL?
- OGL
- Open Gaming License—any works published under this license are allowed to be used by third parties with a few stipulations.
- OGC
- Open Game Content—any works published under the Open Gaming License, as defined therein.
- SRD
- System Reference Document—a comprehensive toolbox consisting of rules, races, classes, feats, skills, various systems, spells, magic items, and monsters compatible with the d20 System version of Dungeons & Dragons and various other roleplaying games from Wizards of the Coast. You may consider this material Open Game Content under the Open Gaming License, and may use, modify, and distribute it.There are actually five SRD transcription projects on the wiki, the 3e SRD, the 3.5e SRD, the d20 Modern (d20M) SRD, the 5th edition SRD, and the Pathfinder SRD.
- GNU FDL (or GFDL)
- GNU (GNU's Not Unix!) Free Documentation License 1.3—another license comparable to OGL. Feel free to read each license to see what the differences are. By default works posted in this wiki are under the GNU FDL.
We include these documents and materials here primarily for the benefit of our users as searchable and linkable reference material when making homebrew content. (Also, because it is the absolute maximum we can get away with, without getting sued into oblivion. So please do not post transcriptions of non-OGL official content on this wiki.)
Is the System Reference Document also Open Game Content?
Yes, all ducks are birds.
Is all Open Game Content also part of the System Reference Document?
No, not all birds are ducks. The SRD is only core rule information of the game system.
Can I post the stuff from XYZ book?
Only if it's OGC (i.e. published under the OGL).
How do I know if my book has any Open Game Content?
Look in the front of the book where the credits are. If it says something to the effect of "This game product contains no Open Game Content," then the game product contains no Open Game Content. If it does say that it contains Open Game Content, it usually explicitly states what parts are OGC. If it doesn't say either way, by default nothing in it is Open Game Content.
Can I use things from this site for my campaigns?
Yes. Everything on this site is considered to be released under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 (specific and labeled parts of the site are released under the Open Gaming License v1.0a, which also allows nearly free use). Please, feel free to use things from this site, that is what it was made for.
There is a really cool idea on D&D Wiki, how can I print it so it looks good?
Printing something is easy. MediaWiki comes with a special option "Printable version", so all you have to do is go to the page that you want to print, and then press "Printable version". The "Printable version" link can be found on the left hand bar of the site (the toolbox), near the bottom. "Printable version" will get rid of all the extra frills (such as the left hand bar, etc.) and make the page look better when printed.
How can I post my creations on D&D Wiki?
1. Choose the game/edition you want to create for from the main page or sidebar.
2. Go to the corresponding sub-category, (classes, races, feats, etc.) fill in the "My Content (Xe Content)" box, leaving the page identifier, and hit submit.
3. This will bring you to an edit page preloaded with everything you will need to add your creation. Simply fill out the form and hit save!
ALTERNATIVE
If you are adding something other than standardized content, it may be wise to discuss the action with administrators first, just to make sure it is done right, and should be done.
1. Type in the page you would like to create in the search bar in the format "Namespace: Pagename (Identifier)" and hit search.
2. If it brings up a no-match result, click "create this page.
3. Write the contents of that page and hit save. Do not forget to include proper categories so the page may be included in DPLs, or make sure you create a link to it from some stable page on the wiki. Orphaned pages, those without some means of being navigated to from the main page, can very easily become lost and forgotten.
How can I delete a page that I no longer want?
Please refer to Category:Candidates for Deletion.
How do I talk to other People?
The way to talk to other people in general (or about specific things that you wish to talk about), is to go to their user page and just add a new topic, either by the edit buttons, or (if you have an empty screen that wants you to type something) just start typing on their page. Please be sure to follow these rules.
What can I do to help the Wiki?
We have a running TODO list that always needs tending to.
How to use #dpl commands?
Please see: http://semeb.com/dpldemo/index.php?title=Dynamic_Page_List
How do I stop people from editing my creations?
You seem to misunderstand what a wiki is. Anyone can edit just about anything. That's the point.
D&D Wiki is a collaborative homebrewing community. We tend to strive toward teamwork and cooperation over isolation and ownership. The idea is that it is always better to have many people working together to make an idea great, rather than just one person self-affirming their work. Every editing page contains the following warning, and you should take it to heart:
"If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then do not submit it here."
As such, claims of authorship and refusal to cooperate with other users are seen as rather misguided attitudes here. For more information, please see Help:Mission Statement. However, if your page is irrefutably complete and balanced, you can ask an admin to lock the page for you, preventing non-admins from editing it.
All of that said, all bets are off when it comes to your user page. You can do what you want there, as long as it's civil and legal, without interruption. If you truly want to upload content without interference from other users, it is possible to create subpages of your user page, thus keeping them out of the main namespace, and protecting them from undesired tampering. If you would like to do this, please contact an administrator, as it is a little tricky to get the hang of at first, and can cause very frustrating results if attempted without any guidance or experience.
Why isn't my page appearing with all the other stuff?
There are two possible causes.
1. You forgot to hit save.
2. You accidentally deleted the categories at the bottom of the page, or failed to add the necessary categories. The dynamic page lists this wiki uses sort pages based on category tags on those pages. Without them, the page is invisible to most DPLs. If this is the case, contact an administrator and they will either find the page in your contribution history and fix it, or tell you steps on how to do it yourself.
3. Sometimes it takes awhile for pages to show up in DPLs. Just be patient before reporting the issue.
