What is EP?
Below is a breakdown of how to score things for EP for posterity, with examples from our members to give a visual (and written) reference for you (and the admins) to better grade your work!
For submission forms and where to send your entries for EP counting, check out the page for Tasks or the relevant event guide page! This page is specifically helping you break down numbers.
Misc. EP Information
This section covers miscellaneous information related to EP counting.
What not to do?
Please remember to keep your entries clearly relevant to the prompt/event at hand. Misc. art of your characters or of an event's NPCs that doesn't have anything to do with the event will not count for EP, so please keep that in mind when planning your work!
Random score +5-20 EP |
Every entry receives a random bonus score between 5 and 20 EP. This is rolled by the admins after your entry's been confirmed, so there's nothing you need to worry about adding for this!
(d14+6) |
EP from Visual Arts
This section goes over everything you need to know about counting EP from visual art entries, such as drawings and paintings. If you’re working on a comic or animation/similar project, see the Comics/Animation section at the end for a guide for how to count that!
Quick Guide
See section below for more details on what qualifies for each.
Category |
Bonus |
---|---|
Headshot
|
+10 EP
|
Fullbody
|
+20 EP
|
Colour
|
+10 EP
|
Shading
|
+10 EP
|
Background
|
+20 EP
|
Collaboration
|
+10 EP
|
Extra Character
|
+10 EP (each)
|
Artwork by JunoniatheSilkWing.
|
Headshot +10 EPBonuses like headshot/fullbody are only counted once per image, even if there are multiple characters (that instead would get you the Extra Character bonus). Drawing the same character multiple times in the same entry will not count.
Counts for the 'main' character in any image, PC or NPC. Should be at least a cleanly sketched headshot, and at least be a full head's worth of the character visible; very rough/loose ones will only count for half points. Anything that does not show at least half of a character's body will count as a headshot. If the fullbody is a 3D/physical model, it counts for +30 EP instead of +10 EP. |
Fullbody +20 EPTo count as fullbody, half or more of the character must be visible. Counts for the 'main' character in any image, PC or NPC. Should be at least a cleanly sketched fullbody; very rough/loose art will only count for half points.
Bonuses like headshot/fullbody are only counted once per image, even if there are multiple characters (that instead would get you the Extra Character bonus). Drawing the same character multiple times in the same entry will not count. If the fullbody is a 3D/physical model, it counts for +50 EP instead of +20 EP. |
Artwork by Lairai.
|
Artwork by thehollyraven.
|
Colour +10 EPCounts once overall for the entire image, not per coloured element. Should be clear effort and should match the colours/values of the characters depicted.
Greyscale/alternate palette work may count, however there should still be obvious effort and markings/etc matching the character's design. |
Shading +10 EPCounts once overall for the whole piece.
Should be a consistent layer of shading across the main elements of the image and easily visible - shading that is extremely soft/translucent and hard to see, or only in a small portion of the image, may not count for the bonus. |
Artwork by SilveryStormWing.
|
Artwork by DragonArt1680.
|
Background +20 EPTo receive the background bonus, an image should have a background with a foreground, midground, and background - or otherwise be of noticeable effort.
The background should also be relevant to the prompt/event; if the prompt is set in an area of the Realm that's all marshland, please don't draw your character in a desert unless you've got a very good reason for it. |
Collaboration +10 EPArtwork created in collaboration between two artists. A significant chunk of work in the image should be done by both collaborators! (Ex; one person does the lineart and shading, the other does the colours and background.)
For collaborative work, each artist can redeem the image once. |
Artwork created by SilveryStormWing and J-Haskell.
|
Artwork by Mloking.
|
Extra Character +10 EP (each)Counts once for each unique extra character included. Extra characters, including animal companions, can be owned by yourself or others, but should be officially approved to count. There should be clear, consistent effort on each extra character for them to count for this bonus as well.
|
EP from Writing
This section goes over everything you need to know about counting EP from written entries, such as short stories. If you’re looking for information on RPs, see the section just below this one for that!
Quick Guide
See section below for more details on what qualifies for each.
Category |
Bonus |
---|---|
Every 100 Words
|
+1 EP
|
Wordcount Milestone Bonuses
|
See below.
|
Setting
|
+10 EP
|
Dialogue
|
+10 EP
|
Collaboration
|
+10 EP
|
Extra Character
|
+10 EP (each)
|
Every 100 Words +1 EP
Wordcount Milestone bonuses (see description)
- 5,000 words +10 EP
- 10,000 words +20 EP
- 15,000 words +30 EP
- 20,000 words +40 EP
Setting +10 EPTo count for the setting bonus, there should be a minimum of three lines describing the 'background' of the story.
You could describe scenery, where your character's going, what the people around them look like, etc. |
“Land ho!” came the call from the upper balcony of the paddle steamer. Snippet from "My First Expedition!", written by JunoniatheSilkWing.
|
Iskra took a breath, sighing. “Fine. I’ll speak to the others about it. I can’t promise anything, though. We’re tense enough as it is with the Windwyrms.” Snippet from "Change their Fate", written by Mystrick.
|
Dialogue +10 EPTo get the dialogue bonus, there should be a conversation between at least two characters that lasts for at least three sentences.
|
Collaboration +10 EP
To avoid making a written collab too close to an RP, try to limit the number of perspective shifts in the piece. At most, perspectives should shift no more than every other page in a story. (With some leeway, if there is only one short shift like that and the rest takes up multiple pages, or in the case of a story under 1-2 pages in length).
When submitting written collabs, please include a note about what sections each writer worked on.
Some written collaboration examples:
- The story is split in half, with each author writing their character’s PoV.
- The story takes place in only one character’s PoV, but the authors still split the work of writing it equally.
Extra Character +10 EP (each)A bonus awarded for including extra approved PC/NPC characters in your writing. Counts once per each unique character included. Extra characters, including animal companions, can be owned by yourself or others, but should be officially approved to count.
To qualify for this bonus, the character should appear for, at minimum, two full paragraphs (around 130-140 words), and should make an impact in the story. Only mentioning a character in the background of scenes, but not having them directly interact with main parts of the story, may not count. If the character's appearance could be deleted from the story and nothing would be changed by it, you may want to increase their role! If including extra characters who are not referred to by name in the story, you must describe them in such a way that an admin could tell who is being referred to. If there is no indication who the character is in the story, their appearance may not count for this bonus. And in stories with multiple Points of View, the extra PoV characters can earn you this bonus! (Ex; if you wrote a story split between the PoV of Character A and Character B, you could redeem either A or B as an extra - but not both!) |
“With all due respect, give them a break, Horn, they’re probably still loopy from losing so much blood.” That gentler voice from earlier chimed in, but they didn’t recognize it. Snippet from "Something in the Fog", written by thehollyraven.
|
EP from Roleplays
The following section goes over how to submit RPs for EP. Note your RP must have an ending to be submitted for EP. Try to plan out a stopping point for your RP before you start it to ensure you don’t get stuck on that!
Quick Guide
See section below for more details on what qualifies for each.
Category |
Bonus |
---|---|
Every 100 Words (written by yourself)
|
+1 EP
|
Participants
|
+5 EP (3 participants)
+10 EP (6+ participants) |
Wordcount Milestone Bonuses
|
See below.
|
Ending
|
+10 EP
|
Every 100 Words +1 EP
Participant Count (see description)
- 3-5 Participants +5 EP
- 6+ Participants +10 EP
Wordcount Milestone bonuses (see description)
- 5,000 words +10 EP
- 10,000 words +20 EP
- 15,000 words +30 EP
- 20,000 words +40 EP
Ending +10 EP
EP from Comics & Animations
Interested in making a comic or animation/other similar form of media for an event/Task entry? Check out the information below for how to judge that!
Artwork by 0YSTERSAUCE.
|
ComicsCreating a comic for an event/Task prompt? Here's what you'll need to know about counting it!
The following bonuses are counted PER PANEL as long as they're unique art from the rest of the comic (see Visual Art section for information on their requirements):
The following bonuses count ONCE PER ENTIRE COMIC (see Visual Art section for information on their requirements):
When submitting it for EP grading, it's recommended you break down the count by panel. For example, the breakdown for the image on the left would look like:
OVERALL TOTAL: 160 EP
|
AnimationAnimation bonuses are determined based on complexity, but roughly follow the same outline as for comics, just using scene changes rather than panel changes to determine when to start counting again.
Contact an admin for assistance counting larger projects and for an EP bonus based on animation complexity! |
No example yet! If you create an animated entry for RoS and want it featured here, tag an admin over in the discord server and let us know.
|