DMing Question

You always run the risk of your stuff seeming to derivative. However, there are countless stories in which the narrative arch, theme, setting, etc. are inspired by other works. I am not sure if you are questioning the morality of the choice you are making or if you are simply asking if it is a good idea or not. Using other works as inspiration can be an excellent idea if the result is engaging and not overly predictable. That is the only risk, in my opinion. If players have heard the story or have seen similar instances, they might already know what is in store.

>>53994063
Morality is one, and the other stems as a question of it being considered "unoriginal". I suppose a large deal of it will come down to things like delivery. Part of my current issue (I'm still working on long pre-work) is still fleshing out to some degree / coming up with all the major characters I'll need. Given the nature of the campaign I'm heading I need to essentially come up with 65+ somewhat unique areas for the parties to visit along their travels and am currently at the point where I'm shooting for narrative inspiration, be it tropes or stories I can use to branch off into something wild.

My other question towards the same topic is, more or less what you anon's think really sets the difference in a story between something being inspired by or taking reference to (i.e. the tale of Momotaro used in the series One Piece) versus, idk list any poor literary work that I suppose attempts something similar. Do things like this work better if its something more commonly referenced (i.e. Robin Hood, grim fairy tales) or something obscure.

>>53993892
The only question you need to ask yourself is: How likely are your players to catch on?
You're (presumably) not doing this for money, so why are you worried about "stealing" ideas?

>>53993892
>DMing
Stop playing DnD.