If a story is a fantasy which has the game system mostly based on Dungeons and Dragons systems but a totally unique story unrelated to any D&D world does that still count as fan fiction?

nah :v it's just "D&D inspired" :p

So long as you don't directly lift and transcribe d&d mechanics you should be fine.

What if for example there was a spell called undeath to death that had same mechanics? Would changing the spell name be enough or is more change required?

The line you want to draw is blurry, but the real question would be: Would it be bad to have a D&D-fanfiction? I mean, why not going the whole way there?

But you can consider everything of the SRD as fair play as long as you follow the Open Game License. So read it and learn which terms, monsters, etc. are trademarks. ;)

Edit: If you like to use an older edition as a base, you'll have to look for the OPG yourself, I fear. ^^'

'kentusrpg' pid='826325' dateline='1500533101' Wrote: The line you want to draw is blurry, but the real question would be: Would it be bad to have a D&D-fanfiction? I mean, why not going the whole way there?

But you can consider everything of the SRD as fair play as long as you follow the Open Game License. So read it and learn which terms, monsters, etc. are trademarks. ;)

Edit: If you like to use an older edition as a base, you'll have to look for the OPG yourself, I fear. ^^'

I aspire to be a writer for a hobby so I'm not sure what the general consensus is on "fanfiction" label or what qualifies as "fanfiction" so I want to make sure I get my tags right before I submit anything.  Does having "fanfiction" tend to decrease the likelihood of people giving the story a chance?  I'm very much in the brainstorming phase at the moment so I can tweak things.

'Radix Malorum' pid='826342' dateline='1500576875' Wrote: I aspire to be a writer for a hobby so I'm not sure what the general consensus is on "fanfiction" label or what qualifies as "fanfiction" so I want to make sure I get my tags right before I submit anything.  Does having "fanfiction" tend to decrease the likelihood of people giving the story a chance?  I'm very much in the brainstorming phase at the moment so I can tweak things.

It's a matter of what kind of readers you like to attract. A D&D-Story will get some readers into it, who play D&D by themselves (or used to) and therefore your audience is different from those who like to read a *cough* original story. Much also depends on the format, like the difference between a story that is about people playing D&D (switching back and forth between player's and character's perspective and take chances of using/abusing/addressing game-design flaws) it will attract another crowd than those, who like the epic fantasy.
Personally, I'd enjoy the former one more. ;)

wikipedia Wrote: Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic or fic) is fiction about characters or settings from an original work of fiction, created by fans of that work rather than by its creator. It is a popular form of fan labor, particularly since the advent of the Internet.

If you use neither the setting nor the famous D&D-characters, it wouldn't be a fanfiction, but a story about D&D per definition. Though you should mention your source material for this, as it might be taken as "shamelessly copying" otherwise (it still might for some, most will avoid the fiction completely then).

EDIT: Dammit, wouldn't I be busy preparing my current story, I might as well write a D&D-story myself, so many experiences to share... :D

I see.  Thanks for the information.  I'll continue to brainstorm and read the guides.  Hopefully my first story won't be too atrocious.

Err, I'd be careful, saying that that's not fanfiction.  I mean, I'm not the best person to ask about edge cases, but world building -- such as game mechanics -- are still part of the setting, and definitely fit the definition.

I think a better question to ask yourself is "If I sold this, what's the likelihood the original owner could sue me for it?"

But, that's also not taking into account open licenses, which I don't even know how they'd work in relation to fiction.  If you'd like to go with that, you might want to read the licenses themselves for more specifics.  Just be careful while you toe the gray areas, okay?