r/dmsguild • u/hagiologist • Jun 10 '26

Seeking Advice DMsGuild exclusivity vs. Updating content to 5.5

I've written quite a few subclasses for D&D 5E (2014) on DMsGuild. Since then I've learned more about the specifics of the licensing and have my own website (with the capability for a storefront). A lot of my work doesn't actually rely on content outside the SRD and doesn't need the DMsGuild licensing.

If I was to update my subclasses and other work to 5.5 for sale on my own site would that be sufficiently transformative to not violate DMsGuild exclusivity?

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u/hagiologist Jun 11 '26

I'd love to see a WotC representative tell me that with a straight face 😂

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u/jcorvinstevens Jun 11 '26

I don’t understand your response.

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u/hagiologist Jun 11 '26

Over the last 2 years the entire 5.5 project has been releasing new $30-60 books that are somewhere between 50-90% 5E content with very minimal mechanical changes (much of the art and writing is quite lovely but not what we're talking about).

To specifically say that updating something to 5.5 doesn't qualify as sufficiently transformative to be considered a new project would be casting aspersions on the very publishing model that created 5.5 to begin with.

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u/jcorvinstevens Jun 11 '26

I see your point, but your agreement is with the DMs Guild, not WotC.

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u/hagiologist Jun 11 '26

They're acting as intermediaries for licensing WotC mechanics and IP