Art Requirements, MP Counting and MP-Card-Usage

This guide outlines general art rules/requirements. Please be mindful that an individual prompt may call for different art standards, and in such a case will always trump these rules on this page.

 

General Rules

Art

  • Stamp brushes, bases and/or already finished assets will not count toward the minimum 3 background elements.
  • Lineless, painted or lined is all allowed for colored artwork, as long as shapes and form are clear and distinguishable.
  • Collaborations are allowed but must include at least one Rex owned by each collaborator.
  • Shading may or may not be required - check the individual prompt.
  • Planes and Elements in your image should be easily identifiable at a glance.
  • Images and literature should indicate clearly where they take place. 
  • Your entries should never appear to be rushed and should clearly show some care put into them.
  • Incomplete art cannot be submitted. Submitting incomplete art with the intent of extending a deadline by getting a correction will result in your entry being denied.
  • We allow AR / MP sheets and comics. For activities, up to 5 panels/images may be rolled for loot (for a maximum of 15 rolls). Each different image/panel must be clearly numbered, and all other art rules still apply.  


    MP Cards

  • MP-LOGS will not be recounted if edits are made to an image. The only counts we edit are comment based additions (activities, events, ascensions, courtships, quests).
  • Text and Image MP should be submitted as separate MP-logs. So even if there is a story going along with the lit, please make a separate log for it (this makes it more clear for us counting and logging the MP)
RexalsBackgroundsLiteratureFurther Examples

 

Rexals

  • Rex must always be clearly visible to be counted in the artwork.
  • 5 body sections of a rex must show in an activity unless otherwise stated.
  • Each Rex must be at least 150x150 pixels wide and tall, and must be identifiable by color/markings.
  • Rexals must be colored with at least flat coloring to count for activities and MP.
  • Chibis are allowed, provided they show a considerable amount of detail. You cannot ommit details such as paws or apertures.

While 5 body sections should be present, these can be partially obscured if done tastefully. We understand that sometimes, due to composition and/or setup of an image not all 5 required sections can be displayed in a fully visible manner.

We still ask you to do your best to show as much as possible, even in such circumstances. Extreme perspectives are allowed, and Rex obscuring their own body with their own body will still award MP for those body sections, but repeated or intentional 'perspective shennanigans' may result in lost MP.

 

Body Sections

 

Simplified vs Chibis

Chibis art is allowed and welcomed to the group, should it meet the general requirements. Rexals should always look like rexals and details should not be ommitted even if you want to draw chibis. We will look especially at paws, details on the face and the apertures.

 

 

 

 

Other things to be mindful of

  • Even with stylisation Rex should clearly be Rexals and not another animal.
    • Rexals have hollow, horn-shaped ears. They are not shaped like mammal ears and do not have openings.
      See here:

    • The armored throat plate must be present.
    • Apertures must be present.
    • Rex are front-heavy with a thick neck and sturdy legs.
    • Rexals possess the ability to use magic; however, it is not without limits! See the following guide to gain an insight into what kind of magic your rexal can use and what will count towards the magic MP bonus! - MAGIC GUIDE

 

 

Unofficial Mods (Trial)

    This is currently being trialled and may be repealled with minor notice!

  • You may depict your Rex with Charmed Comb/Chisel and/or Charmed Bandages without them being official on the import!
  • Unofficial edits must still adhere to the rules of the Charmed items! Rex should not be depicted with something that isn't possible with listed Charmed items!
  • Unofficial edits cannot have paint applied and must mimic the colors of the underlying markings.
  • While Charmed Clay can not officially be used, it mostly falls under artistic stylisation and is allowed in moderation!

 

Background Elements, Planes, MP counting and You

Background artwork can take many forms and while we encourage users to do their best in every single piece, we don't believe it's fun to enforce such a rule. 

 

Backgrounds are judged against our Planes and Elements standard and not against your own gallery. This is to allow you the freedom to play your way, whether that be marking art to relax or experimenting with new things. 

 

Similarly, MP is awarded by what you have or have not chosen to depict, rather than how polished your piece is.

 

 

Planes VS Elements

What are those?

3 Elements Standard

You can think of Elements as objects within the image. These can be natural items, such as trees, ponds or rocks, or rex-made, such as carts, fences, or statues. To achieve the Elements Standard, you will need a minimum of 3 Elements in your image, with at least 2 of these being unique!

 

 

 

 

 

Element Rules

  • The minimum size requirement for an element to count is 50x50px.
  • Elements must be rendered with enough detail to identify them (see the 'not apple' rule.)
  • Elements must be clearly distinguished from one another to count as seperate elements and cannot be copy-pasted or made with a stamp brush.
  • Items your Rex is holding can be considered an element - however items your Rex is wearing cannot!
  • Clouds and celestial bodies (sun, moon, etc) cannot count as elements. Neither can planes themselves (grassy fields, desert floor, etc)
  • Rexals and companions do not count as elements.
  • Elements cannot float in a void! You must at minimum always have 1 plane.

Example of Rule 2 'not apple'

 

3 Planes Standard

Planes are distance indicators in an image, such as foreground, middle ground and background. However, big enough elements can be counted as planes, too, if they are such a size that a rexal could theoretically stand on them, or if they are drawn close enough to the camera to appear as such. To achieve the Planes Standard, you will need a minimum of 3 Planes in your image!

 

 

 

 

 

Plane Rules
  • Planes must show enough detail to be recognized as what they are - a color gradient or a shaped edge will not be enough. There should be enough detail that the plane is recognisable even if the image is color shifted.
  • Skyboxes do not count for plane and while skyboxes don't count as planes, they are still needed for underwater scenes to represent the distant surroundings. Think of it as the underwater equivalent of a sky backdrop in video games!
  • Planes may be defined through the use of shading, lineart, or by placing elements on the plane. Elements needed to define a plane cannot count towards the 3 Element Standard, but can be under 50x50px. Elements on a plane that are not needed to define the Planes can count towards the 3 Element Standard.
  • The sky (in the case of diving, the water), is considered the 'Skybox' and cannot count as a Plane. (Natural phenomena and celestial bodies such as clouds, moon, sun, stars don't count in sky box, similarly bubbles/underwater currents don't count in underwater shots.)

3 Planes and 3 Elements Standard

Including both 3 Planes AND 3 Elements within your background is known as Planes AND Elements (shorthanded as P+E), and will earn more MP than Planes OR Elements (shorthanded as P/E).

 

 

Examples of P/E

 

 

 

Literature Requirements

Writing Stories in Rexalia

Literature may be submitted on its own or as a accompaniment to an image.

 

 

Literature Rules

  • Literature must be written as a story to count for activities (any other form, such as poetry, is allowed for MP, though).
  • Characters must be named throughout the story multiple times and spaced out. If you are referring to your character by something other than their name it helps a lot to note this on your submission.
  • The story must concentrate on characters and their actions. (Describing the scenery is fine, but the Rexals should be the focus!)

Roleplay VS Collabs

Roleplays and  collabs are handled as different types of literature. 

What's the difference?
Collaborations are generally one piece of literature that is written seamlessly. You cannot tell who played who and you can't divide each participants effort into their own chunks of art. For example, if you both wrote a part of the story and each person wrote both rex equally, then you finalized each other's writing, this would be a true collab.
Roleplays on the other hand have parts that were clearly written by one person or the other, and can clearly be divided into parts.

How do I grade each of these?
While collab literature, just like self-composed lieterature (mentioned down below), can be graded just like you would've written it yourself, including the personal literature bonus, roleplays can not.
Roleplays should be clearly divided into sections (for example divided with ---) and only the sections you wrote, can be counted!

 

 

Roleplays & Collabs

  • Roleplay is allowed. Please ensure it is easy to tell who has written what, and include a word count for each player at the end of the piece.
  • Adding additional Rex will increase the word count requirement - be sure to check the specific rules for the prompt.
  • Roleplays and collaborations must include at least two rex, one belonging to each collaborator.
    Roleplay example: LINK

 

Further Examples

The Planes and Elements system can be a little tricky to get the hang of especially if you are coming from another ARPG. If you are unsure you can always ask us in our discord!

 

 

Planes OR Elements - 3 Planes

 

  • There are plenty of rocky planes in this image but kelp is the only clearly defined element. It would meet the 3 Planes Standard and be eligible for Planes OR Elements!

 

Planes OR Elements - 3 Elements

  • This is a fantastically atmospheric piece! However, only two planes here are detailed enough to count. The color blocks in the background would need more detailing in order to qualify as planes - a bit of highlighting, or an indication of a rocky texture like those in the foreground, perhaps. The shark, foreground rock, and school of fish can all count as elements here, so this piece would meet the 3 Elements Standard and be eligible for Planes OR Elements! If that middle plane wasn't present however this piece would be denied - Elements cannot float in a void! There must always be 1 plane!

 

Planes AND Elements

  • A stunning view of a deep trench with fore, mid and background planes, with 3 defined fish and a kelp bunch! If the kelp wasn't here this piece wouldn't count as at least 2 elements must be unique - but thanks to the kelp this piece qualifies for the Planes AND Elements bonus!

 

3 Planes AND 3 Elements

  • This agrarian excursion is full of sufficient planes in the foreground field, midground tree line and bush line and distant mountains as well as specific elements in rendered rocks, defined individual trees and plants, and a hawk soaring in the sky. This qualifies for P+E!

 

This does not count!

  • While this piece initially appears to have depth, none of the planes have any defined detail within them and are simply blocks of colour. Planes need to be defined with either shading, details, or elements. With no visible elements this piece does not qualify for P/E and would instead be counted as an Abstract BG.

 

Denied on the Left, Corrected on the right!

  • The upper left image appears to have many planes, but none of them are sufficiently defined by shading or internal details, and therefore cannot qualify. Adding shading on the right gives the planes and elements form. Providing it met size requirements, this image would count for P+E.
  • The lower left image is lacking in sufficient details to qualify as a background. Currently there is only a single grass plane. For it to count for Elements, more environmental details will need to be added. Perhaps trees, reeds or maybe some stones?

 

Lineart Example

  • Upper Left: Where is Pamphilos? Its hard to tell in this image because there is not enough planes or elements to really determine where he is aside from next to a single plane of rocks. Upper Right: Ah this makes far more sense with the addittion of these elements! Pamphilos is at the beach because we have waves washing up on the shore, starfish, shells and some smaller rocks to give this sandy beach some more depth. This background would count for Elements.
  • Lower Left: Where are you going Pamphilos? Are you planning to walk on clouds? This image does not have defined enough planes to count for a background as it is unclear what the lines behind the rex indicate. More interior details will be needed. Lower Right: This image reads much more clearly. It is now obvious that Pamphilos will be following this path bordered in grass past these rock and over those hills in the background, and not walking on clouds. This image would count for Planes.
  • The bottom image counts for Planes and Elements.

 

Refinement needed!

  • This could be the start of something great, but it isn't currently defined enough to be able to tell what is what. Planes or Elements should be clearly identifiable at a glance, so this background will need additional refinement before it can count as anything other than an Abstract BG.

 

Stamps and Texture Brushes?

  • A Plane or Element cannot compose entirely of a stamp brush. Stamps may be utilised within your image but it's recommended to only use them as accents. Textured brushes are fine, but unfortunately this image does not meet the P/E standard and would count as an Abstract Background only.

 

Where does this take place?

  • This piece has enough Planes to meet the P/E Standard, however it is very unclear where this image takes place due to lack of atmospheric details.
  • By adding additional elements to the bottom image we now not only meet the P+E Standard but it becomes clear that this image is intended to be underwater!