SRD 5.2 Compliance
Why CritForge uses SRD-safe content, what terms get blocked or rewritten, and what to expect when something gets flagged.
Quick Answer
CritForge auto-blocks or rewrites trademarked WotC terms (settings, locations, creatures) so all generated content is legally yours to share. Spell names are silently replaced; subclass substitutions ask for confirmation. No action needed — compliance is automatic.
CritForge generates content under the D&D 5th Edition Systems Reference Document (SRD 5.2), a set of rules that Wizards of the Coast has released for public use. The SRD lets tools like CritForge create D&D-compatible content — but it draws a hard line: trademarked WotC intellectual property stays off limits.
This matters for you as a GM. Content that references trademarked terms can't be legally shared, published, or used in any commercial setting. By keeping generated content SRD-safe, CritForge ensures that everything you create is yours to share freely — in your campaign notes, with your players, or in any homebrew you publish.
What Gets Blocked
CritForge checks generated content against a list of trademarked WotC terms and replaces or flags anything that slips through. Here's what falls under that umbrella.
Campaign Settings and Locations
WotC campaign settings are trademarked in their entirety — including every named city, region, dungeon, and landmark within them. The most commonly encountered ones:
| If you write... | CritForge uses instead... |
|---|---|
| Forgotten Realms | a generic fantasy setting |
| Waterdeep | a great city or trading capital |
| Baldur's Gate | a coastal city |
| Neverwinter | a northern city |
| The Underdark | the deep realm |
| The Shadowfell | the shadow realm |
| The Feywild | the fey realm |
| Sword Coast | the western coast |
| Menzoberranzan | underground dark elf city |
| Eberron / Sharn | a magitech city |
| Ravenloft / Barovia | a domain of dread |
| Dragonlance / Krynn | a war-torn world |
| Dark Sun / Athas | a dying desert world |
| Planescape / Sigil | the city at the center of all planes |
| Greyhawk | a classic fantasy kingdom |
Other blocked settings include Mystara, Birthright, Al-Qadim, Kara-Tur, Maztica, and Spelljammer.
Monsters
Some monsters are WotC Product Identity and don't appear in the SRD. CritForge replaces them with descriptive alternatives:
| Trademarked creature | CritForge alternative |
|---|---|
| Beholder | Eye Tyrant |
| Mind Flayer / Illithid | Brain Horror |
| Drow | Dark Elf |
| Yuan-ti | Serpent Folk |
| Githyanki | Astral Warrior |
| Githzerai | Astral Monk |
| Displacer Beast | Phase Panther |
| Owlbear | Bear-Owl Hybrid Beast |
| Bulette | Land Shark |
| Umber Hulk | Tunneling Brute |
| Rust Monster | Metal Devourer |
| Carrion Crawler | Corpse Worm |
| Modron | Mechanical Construct |
| Slaad | Chaos Toad |
| Kuo-toa | Fish-Folk |
| Purple Worm | Tunneling Behemoth |
| Phase Spider | Ethereal Arachnid |
| Aboleth | Primordial Horror |
Named Characters
Iconic named characters from WotC novels and supplements are trademarked. If your input references them, CritForge uses generic descriptions:
| Named character | CritForge uses |
|---|---|
| Drizzt | the legendary ranger |
| Elminster | the ancient archmage |
| Strahd | the vampire lord |
| Xanathar | the aberrant crime lord |
| Lolth | the spider goddess |
| Vecna | the lich god of secrets |
Deities
Named gods from WotC pantheons (Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Eberron) are trademarked. CritForge replaces them with their role:
| Deity | CritForge alternative |
|---|---|
| Tiamat | evil dragon goddess |
| Bahamut | good dragon god |
| Bane | god of tyranny |
| Mystra | goddess of magic |
| Lathander | dawn god |
| Selune | moon goddess |
| Gruumsh | orc god |
| Pelor | sun god |
| Takhisis | dark dragon goddess |
Spells Named After Wizards
Several spells are named after WotC-trademarked wizards. CritForge drops the wizard name and uses the generic spell name, which is SRD-safe:
| Trademarked spell name | SRD-safe version |
|---|---|
| Bigby's Hand | Arcane Hand |
| Tasha's Hideous Laughter | Hideous Laughter |
| Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound | Faithful Hound |
| Mordenkainen's Sword | Arcane Sword |
| Tenser's Floating Disk | Floating Disk |
| Otiluke's Resilient Sphere | Resilient Sphere |
| Leomund's Tiny Hut | Tiny Hut |
| Melf's Acid Arrow | Acid Arrow |
| Evard's Black Tentacles | Black Tentacles |
Factions and Organizations
Factions from WotC settings are trademarked. CritForge substitutes descriptive names:
| Faction | CritForge alternative |
|---|---|
| Zhentarim | the shadow network |
| Harpers | the silent watchers |
| Lord's Alliance | the coalition of lords |
| Emerald Enclave | nature protectors |
| Order of the Gauntlet | the holy order |
| Red Wizards of Thay | crimson mages |
| Cult of the Dragon | dragon worshippers |
Magic Items
Unique artifacts tied to WotC lore are trademarked. CritForge uses generic descriptive names:
| Trademarked item | CritForge alternative |
|---|---|
| Deck of Many Things | deck of fate |
| Holy Avenger | blade of righteousness |
| Sphere of Annihilation | void sphere |
| Vorpal Sword | beheading blade |
| Eye of Vecna | cursed eye artifact |
| Hand of Vecna | cursed hand artifact |
| Blackrazor | soul-drinking blade |
Infernal Cosmology
WotC's specific planar taxonomy — the Nine Hells layer names, the Blood War, and terms like Tanar'ri and Baatezu — are WotC Product Identity. Generic terms like "the hells," "demons," and "devils" are fine.
What Happens When Content Gets Flagged
CritForge handles flagged terms in one of two ways, depending on how the term was used.
Automatic replacement: Most blocked terms are swapped silently during generation. You'll see the safe alternative in your generated content without any warning — the AI was directed to avoid the term in the first place, so the replacement happens before you see the output.
Warning badge: If a term appears in your input (a prompt, NPC description, setting notes, etc.) that conflicts with SRD compliance, you'll see an inline warning indicator. CritForge will suggest the safe alternative and let you apply it with a single click. You can apply suggestions one at a time or all at once.
What's Still Fine to Use
The SRD 5.2 covers a large amount of content that remains fully available:
- All core rules (races, classes, spells, items listed in the SRD)
- Generic creature types: dragons, undead, elementals, fey, demons, devils
- Generic locations: kingdoms, dungeons, forests, seas, planes of existence
- Generic cosmology: the Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane, elemental planes, heavens, hells
- Generic deity concepts: gods of war, death gods, nature spirits, moon goddesses
- All standard SRD spells by their generic names (see table above)
You don't need to sanitize your language or be overly cautious — CritForge catches what it needs to catch. Write naturally; let the guardrails handle the rest.
Why This Matters for Your Campaign
Generated content that's SRD-safe is content you control. You can:
- Share it with your players without restriction
- Post it to platforms like DMs Guild or your own blog
- Include it in any homebrew supplement you publish
- Use it in any online campaign tool
Content that references WotC trademarks isn't legally yours to share outside your home table. By keeping everything SRD-clean, CritForge keeps your creative work on solid legal ground — no matter what you do with it next.