how to apply

BNB has an application process that is handled in-house.

A complete application for bnb requires at least (1) a fullbody piece of art and (2) written character application. These elements will be reviewed during the application process.

After being accepted, new members will also need to make (1) a dicecloud sheet, and (2) submit their app via the booksandbeholders website.

How to Apply

Anatomy of an Application

The Visual Application

We will be using Mylene as an example character today. Mylene is a high level character, so not all features will apply to new applicants, but we'll use her to show off some guidelines.

Mylene is a:

Level 12
Protection Aasimar
Twilight Cleric of the Raven Queen

Mylene is an aasimar, but looks human to most. her design follows the 80/20 rule. However, her app might include a side reference to her aasimar transformation if needed.

A major part of Mylene's art is her lantern, which gives off a faint light to highlight her cleric domain.

This specific staff is a magic item received on a questline. because of this, it is displayed prominently and given a distinct design - it is unique to her.

Mylene's outfit references her allegiance to the Raven Queen with key design elements like black feathers, and a little raven pal!

This drawing is a clean colored fullbody on a transparent background and is well-rendered. Regardless of artistic skill, she represents a high quality work from her player.

Mylene's is a heavy armor wearing character. Despite being feminine, she has elements of her cannon armor in her outfit.

I see one of the group Mods is hanging out in the discord voice chat. Can I ask them--

Unless the mod is specifically in VC to hold office hours for mod-related business, we strongly prefer you don't, especially when it comes to new content or questions you would ask in the ask-the-mods channel. No one mod has the authority to make rules decisions; these are all decided by committee. So, we prefer you don't ask mods mod-related questions in VC unless a mod initiated the VC for the specific purpose of conducting mod business (e.g., character creation office hours, dicecloud help, etc.). Also, sometimes we just want to hang out and talk to our members outside of mod business.
Do I need to know how to play Dungeons & Dragons to join?

Not at all, you can learn as you go along! There are plenty of resources to help you understand the basics such as D&D Beyond or Handbooker Helper, and the mods and other players can fill you in on the rest as it comes up.
What does PHB mean?

Player’s Handbook. It is the primary sourcebook for D&D and contains everything you need to know for character creation as well as rules basics. If you don’t have access to the PHB but want to know something you can check D&D Beyond for a rules snapshot.
Why do you keep linking to D&D Beyond? I tried to look something up there but it was behind a paywall!

It’s a good and official resource. Because D&D is protected by copyright, only open gaming content is available on D&D Beyond by default. If you get stopped by a paywall, we suggest supporting the official resource or using google to find unofficial ones. Be cautious with unofficial resources because they can contain unmarked homebrew or discontinued UA, and these are not permitted in BNB.
I'm actually not very interested in D&D, this just seems like a fun group. Can I still join?"

Yes! You can participate in art, RP, and writing, just like any other RP group. You will get the most out of the group if you go on the ocassional quest, however.
I heard about this group on twitter/toyhouse/artstation/somewhere else. Do I need a deviantART account to apply?

Yes. You do not need to have deviantart account until you are ready to submit a join request, but we are still a dA group, and it is important that you have an account in order to fully participate in the group.
Is participation in the discord chat required in order to apply? / Will my participation in the discord (or lack of, due to being busy/shy/etc.) factor into my application?"

Joining the group discord server is mandatory to apply. You will not be able to reserve a character unless you join the discord. Beyond that, participation in the discord chat is not required, but the mods may place a lower priority on applicants who haven't demonstrated an effort to acquaint themselves with the BNB community. You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least quietly stalk the conversation in the discord chat, moreso if you don't get to know what we're all about. It's important for you to know what you're getting in to and if you like the people here. We don't want you to invest your time and effort in applying, only to realize after the fact everyone in the group quotes Monty Python constantly and you hate Monty Python with a passion. You should also be aware that being an active and vocal member is essential to getting the most out of this group once you are accepted. Participating in social activities like quests, RPs, and art/lit is part of the fun of being in the group! If your schedule or your temperament don't allow you to do these things, BNB might not be the best fit for you.
Is my D&D character sheet part of my app?

No! You can make your dicecloud sheet before you join the group, but it isn’t required and won’t affect how the admins review your app. If you are new to D&D, it is recommended that you wait until after you join to create your dicecloud sheet.
Do I need to roll for stats?

You will need to roll for stats, but you do not need to do this until after you are accepted to the group unless you want to do it earlier. Whether you do or don't roll for stats won’t affect how we judge your app. If you’d like to roll for stats before joining, then please read the pins #avrae-spam channel on the discord server. Stats must be rolled with mod supervision in the BNB server using the custom !rollstats command. If you would like to create your dicecloud sheet prior to joining, it is imperative that you carefully follow our dicecloud guide.
I am making my D&D characer sheet before I join, and I got stuck. Can a mod help me?"

We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to use the dicecloud guide when creating your sheet! That said, since a dicecloud sheet is not required to apply to BNB, the mod team will not be providing one-on-one assistance with dicecloud sheets to applicants before they join.
Can I be [race/subclass]?

Probably, yes! There are lots of cool races and subclasses . You can read more about character creation here. You must reserve a character in order to apply.
Why do I have to ask to be [race/subclass], why can’t I just do it?"

We want to keep track of how many people are going off-book, particularly for races that are supposed to be rare or for classes that are popular.
Someone else in the group is already the race or class or subclass that I want to be, can I still be it anyway?"

This is answered in the pinned messages of the #reserve-a-character server channel.
Can my character be from Lumivaara?/Can I make up locations/historical events?

Your character can absolutely be a resident of Lumivaara and we encourage people to be creative with their character backgrounds and stories. We have a growing body of world lore, so it is preferable to use existing major locations (e.g., countries, large cities, capital cities) rather than create new ones. For minor or unnamed locations (e.g., a small farming town in the middle of the country), by all means, make something up! However, please don’t make giant world-changing events a part of your backstory without confirming them with the mods. Rule of thumb is that if it only affects your home area, it’s probably fine; if it’s something you would expect everyone to know about as part of world history, then you might want to tone it down.
My character sulks in a corner and would rather solo-run a quest than work with a group and her goal is to kill everyone with blue eyes and-

We're gonna stop you right there, friend. D&D is a team game, and either everyone succeeds or no one does. Your character doesn't have to be a paragon of morality, but chaotic and/or evil intentions don't make a character complex, it just makes them difficult to work with. Even if your character is a brooding loner, it is important that they be capable of working as part of a team. Please read our Character Creation FAQ if you want to know more.
I really want to participate in quests, but nobody in the group is in my timezone! Can I still go on quests??"

Yes, of course! Anyone can sign up for any quest - participation is not limited to players only in certain timezones. DMs will post time zones and time zone converters as a courtesy so you can see exactly when the game is in your time, but you can sign up for any quest that you can attend. Don’t worry about not being able to join or create quests based on your timezone!
Can I edit my app after submitting it?

Yes, you can make last-minute edits as long as join requests haven't closed yet, but if you do, please tell an admin that you made changes. Once you submit an app, we may begin reviewing it at any time. If you don't tell us you changed something, we may review a previous version and not see your revisions. It's highly preferred that you have everything proofread and done before you turn in your app.
How are apps judged?

It’s a relatively complicated list of things we look for. But we’re looking that you have everything filled out in accordance with the requirements, first and foremost. Then we look at the amount of effort that went into your app relative to your own works. It will certainly help your character is creative, fits in with the world lore, has compelling goals, and can grow. We don’t want to give people a strict list that all apps think they have to follow. Just have fun with it! Remember, this is a hobby!
If I don't get in, can I request detailed feedback on my app?"

We get upwards of 50 applications at each opening, and we will not be going over the specific reasons why apps were declined with anyone.

The Written Application

Applicants are judged on their ability to create interesting, exciting, well-rounded characters.

You can arrange/design your written sheet in any fashion you like, but please make it clear that all the requirements are still present. Everything listed below is a required part of the written application.

Name:
Pronouns:

Age: (at least 18, or equivalent for your character's race)

Height: (please include imperial AND metric measures, e.g., feet/inches AND meters/cm)

Race: (and subrace, if applicable)

Class: (and subclass; e.g., Druid - Circle of the Land)

Background: (your D&D background mechanic; click here for the vanilla options)

Alignment: (click here for information on D&D's alignment system. Evil alignments are permitted, however if you are applying for the first time, we strongly suggest you do not make an evil character. Our willingness to let an evil- aligned character in is based on our discretion, and we do factor in past behavior when we make a decision.

----------

Personality ≈ 150-300 words

In this section, describe each trait and how they affect your character positively and negatively.For example; if a character is organized, perhaps this makes them a skilled planner, but also prone to acting very meticulous, slowing them down.
(When developing your character’s personality, remember that DND is a cooperative game, so interacting effectively with others is very important. Characters that openly try to sabotage others or who will refuse to help others on group missions are going to struggle in this setting.

History ≈ 500 - 2000 words

A summary of your character's life until this point. Should include:

Key events and/or people in their life. Be sure to expand on your chosen D&D Background.
A reason (or reasons) for becoming an adventurer. (E.g., do they write an adventuring column for a local newspaper? Do you seek fame and glory? Are you trying to get a love interest’s attention?)
How/why they became their class and how/why they will become/did become their subclass.
How they became an adventurer, and what city they're located in. We recommend between 400-600 words for History.
If you have to write more, include a TL;DR summary that is less than 350 words

Goals:

At LEAST 1 goal that you have for your character and 1 goal that the character has for themselves. (You may be asked to add more)

Trivia: (optional; other fun facts about your character)

----------

☆ Character sheet: (link to Dicecloud; add in after joining)

☆ Timezone: (we are a global group, and thus have members in many different time zones)

I see one of the group Mods is hanging out in the discord voice chat. Can I ask them--

Unless the mod is specifically in VC to hold office hours for mod-related business, we strongly prefer you don't, especially when it comes to new content or questions you would ask in the ask-the-mods channel. No one mod has the authority to make rules decisions; these are all decided by committee. So, we prefer you don't ask mods mod-related questions in VC unless a mod initiated the VC for the specific purpose of conducting mod business (e.g., character creation office hours, dicecloud help, etc.). Also, sometimes we just want to hang out and talk to our members outside of mod business.
Do I need to know how to play Dungeons & Dragons to join?

Not at all, you can learn as you go along! There are plenty of resources to help you understand the basics such as D&D Beyond or Handbooker Helper, and the mods and other players can fill you in on the rest as it comes up.
What does PHB mean?

Player’s Handbook. It is the primary sourcebook for D&D and contains everything you need to know for character creation as well as rules basics. If you don’t have access to the PHB but want to know something you can check D&D Beyond for a rules snapshot.
Why do you keep linking to D&D Beyond? I tried to look something up there but it was behind a paywall!

It’s a good and official resource. Because D&D is protected by copyright, only open gaming content is available on D&D Beyond by default. If you get stopped by a paywall, we suggest supporting the official resource or using google to find unofficial ones. Be cautious with unofficial resources because they can contain unmarked homebrew or discontinued UA, and these are not permitted in BNB.
I'm actually not very interested in D&D, this just seems like a fun group. Can I still join?"

Yes! You can participate in art, RP, and writing, just like any other RP group. You will get the most out of the group if you go on the ocassional quest, however.
I heard about this group on twitter/toyhouse/artstation/somewhere else. Do I need a deviantART account to apply?

Yes. You do not need to have deviantart account until you are ready to submit a join request, but we are still a dA group, and it is important that you have an account in order to fully participate in the group.
Is participation in the discord chat required in order to apply? / Will my participation in the discord (or lack of, due to being busy/shy/etc.) factor into my application?"

Joining the group discord server is mandatory to apply. You will not be able to reserve a character unless you join the discord. Beyond that, participation in the discord chat is not required, but the mods may place a lower priority on applicants who haven't demonstrated an effort to acquaint themselves with the BNB community. You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least quietly stalk the conversation in the discord chat, moreso if you don't get to know what we're all about. It's important for you to know what you're getting in to and if you like the people here. We don't want you to invest your time and effort in applying, only to realize after the fact everyone in the group quotes Monty Python constantly and you hate Monty Python with a passion. You should also be aware that being an active and vocal member is essential to getting the most out of this group once you are accepted. Participating in social activities like quests, RPs, and art/lit is part of the fun of being in the group! If your schedule or your temperament don't allow you to do these things, BNB might not be the best fit for you.
Is my D&D character sheet part of my app?

No! You can make your dicecloud sheet before you join the group, but it isn’t required and won’t affect how the admins review your app. If you are new to D&D, it is recommended that you wait until after you join to create your dicecloud sheet.
Do I need to roll for stats?

You will need to roll for stats, but you do not need to do this until after you are accepted to the group unless you want to do it earlier. Whether you do or don't roll for stats won’t affect how we judge your app. If you’d like to roll for stats before joining, then please read the pins #avrae-spam channel on the discord server. Stats must be rolled with mod supervision in the BNB server using the custom !rollstats command. If you would like to create your dicecloud sheet prior to joining, it is imperative that you carefully follow our dicecloud guide.
I am making my D&D characer sheet before I join, and I got stuck. Can a mod help me?"

We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to use the dicecloud guide when creating your sheet! That said, since a dicecloud sheet is not required to apply to BNB, the mod team will not be providing one-on-one assistance with dicecloud sheets to applicants before they join.
Can I be [race/subclass]?

Probably, yes! There are lots of cool races and subclasses . You can read more about character creation here. You must reserve a character in order to apply.
Why do I have to ask to be [race/subclass], why can’t I just do it?"

We want to keep track of how many people are going off-book, particularly for races that are supposed to be rare or for classes that are popular.
Someone else in the group is already the race or class or subclass that I want to be, can I still be it anyway?"

This is answered in the pinned messages of the #reserve-a-character server channel.
Can my character be from Lumivaara?/Can I make up locations/historical events?

Your character can absolutely be a resident of Lumivaara and we encourage people to be creative with their character backgrounds and stories. We have a growing body of world lore, so it is preferable to use existing major locations (e.g., countries, large cities, capital cities) rather than create new ones. For minor or unnamed locations (e.g., a small farming town in the middle of the country), by all means, make something up! However, please don’t make giant world-changing events a part of your backstory without confirming them with the mods. Rule of thumb is that if it only affects your home area, it’s probably fine; if it’s something you would expect everyone to know about as part of world history, then you might want to tone it down.
My character sulks in a corner and would rather solo-run a quest than work with a group and her goal is to kill everyone with blue eyes and-

We're gonna stop you right there, friend. D&D is a team game, and either everyone succeeds or no one does. Your character doesn't have to be a paragon of morality, but chaotic and/or evil intentions don't make a character complex, it just makes them difficult to work with. Even if your character is a brooding loner, it is important that they be capable of working as part of a team. Please read our Character Creation FAQ if you want to know more.
I really want to participate in quests, but nobody in the group is in my timezone! Can I still go on quests??"

Yes, of course! Anyone can sign up for any quest - participation is not limited to players only in certain timezones. DMs will post time zones and time zone converters as a courtesy so you can see exactly when the game is in your time, but you can sign up for any quest that you can attend. Don’t worry about not being able to join or create quests based on your timezone!
Can I edit my app after submitting it?

Yes, you can make last-minute edits as long as join requests haven't closed yet, but if you do, please tell an admin that you made changes. Once you submit an app, we may begin reviewing it at any time. If you don't tell us you changed something, we may review a previous version and not see your revisions. It's highly preferred that you have everything proofread and done before you turn in your app.
How are apps judged?

It’s a relatively complicated list of things we look for. But we’re looking that you have everything filled out in accordance with the requirements, first and foremost. Then we look at the amount of effort that went into your app relative to your own works. It will certainly help your character is creative, fits in with the world lore, has compelling goals, and can grow. We don’t want to give people a strict list that all apps think they have to follow. Just have fun with it! Remember, this is a hobby!
If I don't get in, can I request detailed feedback on my app?"

We get upwards of 50 applications at each opening, and we will not be going over the specific reasons why apps were declined with anyone.

Request an Application Check

"An application check" means having a community moderator do a quality check on your application. We will tell you if you are missing information, or if the app has any major lore/character issues that might prevent it from being accepted. Positive feedback on the app check does not guarantee acceptance.

What is an Application Check?

Application (app) checks are available after you've made a reservation. Applicants should submit app check requests to the #app-check-request discord channel.

We will only look over an app once, so it is recommended that you have all required parts of the app ready (art and writing) before you request your app check.

If you have specific questions about your character concept or elements of your backstory, we recommend you ask questions before you submit the app. We will not perform dicecloud sheet reviews until after you have joined B&B. App Checks are recommended but not mandatory.

To submit an app check, follow the directions pinned in the #app-check-request chat in Discord.

Submit a Join Request

To submit your first application, please send your app in the following format to the #submitting-an-app channel.

We will be announcing the accepted members via discord announcements.

Post-joining

Freshly accepted members will have 1 week to do the following:

☆ Complete your D&D character sheet. We'll be using Avrae bot on Discord to roll stats and help generate the sheet. These instructions explain what a character sheet is and how to make one using the bot. Don't worry if it seems overwhelming; we can help guide you.

☆ Update your Discord introduction with your character's name and dA app link.

☆ make an account on booksandbeholders.com and submit your finished application.

To submit a new character, please go to the "Member Portal" tab in your dropdown. From there you will see the option to Create -> New Character.

The Online App

At the point of which you are filing out an online app, it should be more-or less a copy-paste job. However, there are a few more elements to the online application that are there for the sake of customization.

Mandatory elements are marked with a ☆.

Writing

Written App

Character Bio - This is intended to be a short summary of the character's personality and a way to highlight specific elements of their backstory or build.
Heartchart - There is a space to link optional tracker of character relationships

Player Page

The Player page is all about you, and your rp style.

Social Links - we link to twitter, discord ☆ , deviantart, toyhouse, and a catch-all linktree.
Player Comforts and Limits
Player Bio - tell us a little about yourself! This is also where you should credit any art not done by you on the app [ a commissioned artist, for example]

Art

Character App

Character Bust ☆ - This can be a completely new drawing, or a cropped version of the fullbody you submitted. Requirements:
- A transparent background
- A square crop. for best results, leave at least about 20 px of buffer on each side.
Character Tokens ☆ - This is a gallery upload space, meaning you can submit more than one token if need be [familiars, mounts, ect]. You must upload at least one token of your character, but the rest is optional. Requirements:
- Image must be a token, it can be a cropped version of your app art, but it must be put into "token" format.
- Image must be scaled down to be Roll-20 upload friendly.
References - This is a gallery in which you can upload additional character art like scar ref charts, expression charts, outfits, ect
- This is a completely optional portion of the app, but is strongly recommended if you are playing a character who's appearance on the app is not reflective of their "true form" ex: a shifter, a changeling, aasimar, ect.

Player Page

The Player page is all about you, and your rp style.

Player icon ☆

App Customization

The app has a few areas to it that are customizable by submitting an image. The page background and the text box support image submission. If you would like to have a solid color, you will need to submit an image of that solid color.

Character Advancement and Leveling

When you level up, mark that your level up on the Member Registry. If you see a discrepancy between your EXP total and the group’s total marked on the registry, the group total will be taken as canon unless you have detailed records (e.g., exp earned for each quest) of your questing.

Each time you level up, a dicecloud review is required! This is to ensure that you didn't accidentally forget to give yourself any of your shiny new abilities. You can get help with the mechanics of leveling up by posting in the #creation-help channel of the discord server.

At level up, you gain average HP for your hit points rounded up (meaning you do not roll for HP). If you don’t know what this means - don’t worry about it! The dicecloud sheet manager does this for you automatically.

You must request the level-up dicecloud review within two weeks of being tagged for level-up review. If it's been more than two weeks since your level up and you haven't requested a dicecloud review yet, we will deduct 100 EXP from your total, which might knock you down to the previous level. :c We will also keep deducting 100 EXP for every additional day. :ccc

Tracking Loot and Gear

If it is not logged on your dicecloud sheet, you cannot use it on a quest! If you didn't purchase an item in the group shop, earn it from a previous quest, or obtain it as starting gear, it should not appear on your dicecloud sheet.

Generally speaking, you can have what you like for the purposes of roleplay (within reason). However, if you want to use an item during a quest, you must have either gained that item from a previous quest or purchased it from the group shop. DMs use the gear you have on your sheet to determine the difficulty of encounters. If you neglect to include even some mundane items that you later rely on in a quest, it can throw off the DM’s plan. SO, it is important to keep careful track of your OC's possessions.

Applying for Additional Characters After Joining

You may purchase additional character slots on a sliding scale. At start, you have access to up to 3 character slots, but which each character that makes it to level 10, you get an additional one. Visit the Shop for pricing. You should make your race/class/subclass reservation when you purchase the ticket, but if you need some time to think on it, @ DM in #creation-help with your reservation. Once you reserve, we will hold your reservation for 1 month only, so act fast!

Please note that buying a character ticket (i.e., additional character or character replacement) does not guarantee that the character idea you submit after purchasing the ticket will be accepted. All new character applications must be submitted via Atlas ticket in #creation-help for a mandatory application check before the character is submitted to the group officially.

You will have a maximum of three revisions, but if core problems are not fixed after the third revision, the character will be rejected. You may not apply with that character again even if you revise further. If your character is rejected, you do not lose your character ticket, but you must try again with a new character. Only submit a character to the group if your app has passed the app check process.

Anything that you think might be problematic should come to the mods (via group note or Discord PM to Bean) for pre-approval before you start working on the full app! This is to save you from creating an entire application for a character that will not fit with the group.

What sorts of things might be problematic? it depends. Lore breaking characters are the largest issue (ex: a tiefling being an outcast in Lybica doesn't make sense for the culture there.) If you're unsure, please feel free to run it past a moderator

If you have an existing character at level 5 or higher, any additional characters you purchase may begin at level 3. If your characters are level 4 or lower when you submit the dicecloud sheet for your additional character, your new character begins at level 1.

Otherwise, the process of creating your second and later characters is the same as your first! Happy creating!

additional-characters