Editing D20 System (section)

{{Short description|Role-playing game system}}
{{about|the tabletop role playing system|tabletop RPG show|Dimension 20}}
{{lowercase title|title=d20 System}}
{{Original research|date=July 2012}}
The '''d20 System''' is a [[role-playing game system]] published in 2000 by [[Wizards of the Coast]], originally developed for the [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition|3rd edition]] of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''.<ref name="concept_faq">{{Cite web |title=The d20 System Concept:Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/srdfaq/20040123a |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040307090553/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/srdfaq/20040123a |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 7, 2004 |access-date=26 January 2018 |website=Wizards.com}}</ref> The system is named after the [[Dice#Common variations|20-sided dice]] which are central to the core mechanics of many actions in the game.

Much of the d20 System was released as the [[System Reference Document]] (SRD) under the [[Open Game License]] (OGL) as [[Open gaming|Open Game Content]] (OGC), 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.<ref name="concept_faq" />

The original impetus for the open licensing of the d20 System involved the economics of producing [[role-playing game]]s (RPGs). Game supplements suffered significantly more diminished sales over time than the core books required to play the game. [[Ryan Dancey]], [[Brand management|brand manager]] for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' at the time, directed the effort of licensing the new edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' through the '''d20 System 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 of or derivative of designated Open Game Content.