General FAQ
etiquette & in-group mechanics
Do we have to be good at art to join?
Absolutely not! Anyone of any artistic ability can join.
We have lots of prompts and rewards for writers as well! The only image you need is a picture of your trainer and their pokemon on your trainer card.
If you don't have the time or skill to do much art or writing, you can still join! Though you will have less options to earn money or pokemon, since this is still an ARPG.
Can I have my friend draw the art for my trainer sheet?
Yes!
Alternatively, if you don't know anyone that can draw the picture for you, check out our Guest Artist Station!
How do I earn money or levels? How do I submit my work?
Submit your work to the group's gallery into a fitting folder. Your submission must have a filled in form in the description (as can be found in this journal).
The mods will look over your submission and approve or respond soon after, and a mod will respond to your submission with how much PD and levels you earned.
How much can I submit at once? Is there a limit?
Yes. You can submit up to 5 submissions a day, and up to 5 seperate pictures per submission/canvas. (Example: This here is a single submission with 5 pictures.)
For writing, your stories can be as long as you want, but only 5,000 words/10,000PD per story will be awarded.
Why is there a submission limit?
To prevent people from abusing the award system for art, as well as keeping the admins from being overwhelmed with art submissions daily.
"I have a question/suggestion! Where can I discuss my idea?"
If you have a general question or are confused about a thing, you can ask in the Discord's QnA channel, in the Q&A journal here, or send a note to the group (not the PTS-admin account!).
We generally don't accept suggestions outside the mod group unless we ask about it in a journal or a poll. There is a chance we have already discussed it, and how it would not work well within the group. Or it could be something we already have planned.
However, if you have feedback for features we already have in the group, you can let us know in the Feedback Center! We don't always respond directly to feedback as we receive many, but rest assured we will have listened!
Please don't dm a mod with a question or feedback, unless they have explicitly agreed to being contacted by you privately! Our mods are all volunteers doing this in their free time and busy lifes.
Are we allowed to change our trainer's outfits to be different then on our trainer sheet?
Absolutely! If this is a permanent change of outfit, we do suggest that you update your trainer sheet in order to keep it accurate.
Does the group have a Skype chat or Discord chat?
We no longer use skype, but we have a Discord Chat! Which is linked in the 'Social' drop down menu!
They follow all the chatroom and RP rules just like DA chatrooms.
You will need to be a member of the group to join the discord. We do not let non-members into the official channels, but if you plan to join in an upcoming registration window and have some questions, you can enter our discord server to talk with the mods.
Is there a participation requirement?
Yes there is, please look here: Activity Check (And yes, while you are welcome to rejoin in the future, you will lose your Pokemon and Items if removed!)
Do you have to do something special for when your pokemon evolves?
Yes! For more infomations please go here: Luminous Spring
How do we keep track of our Poke, Pokemon, Items, ect?
The mods have a log of all changes in mons, poke, and items - however you are to keep track of your own poke, pokemon, items and levels (mods do not log levels.) You may keep track of these however you like!
Does Trainer Card/Sheet art count for Poke/Leveling?
Not directly! You must upload the art seperate and submit it! Since we guest artists and such to do art for you, we cannot reward Trainer Cards directly as we are unsure if it is your work! Submit it separately to be rewarded!
I received an egg! How do I hatch it?
Please go here for detailed information: Luminous Springs
Can I giveaway my pokedollars?
Nope. PD can't be gifted or traded for pokemon. You can only trade PD for items or art.
I'm trading my pokemon with somebody else! What do I need to do to make that official?
If the pokemon is not soulbound. You or your trading partner are to comment in the trade log: PTS Trade Log to make all trades official.
PLEASE NOTE: Once a trade is posted and both parties confirm it on the trade log, it can no longer be canceled or revoked! Please make sure you want to trade before posting it to be logged!
What am I allowed to trade?
You CAN trade:
- Pokemon
- Pokedollars
- Items
- Art
- Literature
- Pokemon Designs
- Adopts/Character Designs/Clothing Designs
- You can ask someone to buy something from the PD Store/ECT using PD
You CANNOT Trade:
- Real Life Money
- DeviantART Points
- Ask someone to buy something with real life money for you (example: Core)
- Advertising mixed commissions (example: Commissions offering PD or cash options)
- Pokemon for PD (You may trade them for art or items)
Please check the Trade Journal and Trade Log for the most up to date rules.
Breeding?
Pokemon Breeding is currently available at the Breeding Centre here: Daycare Center
How do learned moves, HM/TM moves, and Egg moves work?
Each time you have a Pokemon leveled up (whether it's 2 or 6 or 10 levels) you can teach it one move that it would learn within those levels, or a single TM/HM or Egg move. (ORAS)
How do I get new pokemon??
There are many ways to get new pokemon. You can win them by trivia in one of the OOC chats (DeviantART's or Discord). This is fast pace, though, and isn't for everyone. You can also get pokemon by raffles, events, and buying them in the Safari Park.
What kind of Pokemon will different Pokeballs catch?
Unfortunately! We do not give this information out. For reference evolved pokemon are likely be in ultraball/masterball ranks"
Where do I use my rare candy?
Please use your rare candy in the Luminous Spring
Can we rp as just pokemon?
No, Your trainer and Pokemon come in a combined package and you cannot solely RP as pokemon.
Are we allowed to raffle our pokemon?
We are no longer allowing members to raffle off pokemon. If you leave, you may give your pokemon to friends or to the adoption center.
Why didn’t my purchase at the Salon/Insert Shop go through? ):
Well, we post each update with a “reply here” comment that is featured with every update; we reply to those bad boys so be sure to respond to the featured comments for purchases to go through!
I think my submission got missed!/I didn't receive my reward!
Logging rewards for submissions, games, events and shops can take up to 5 days. If your submission, comment, etc. didn't get logged after 5 days, you can submit it in the Missed Rewards And Logs journal.
(Note: Days are counted from the time the submission is in the group's gallery, not the date it got uploaded to dA).
If you received a response telling you that your rewards got logged, but you are still missing them in your Treasury, please reply to the mod that logged your rewards and they will fix it!
Trainer FAQ
Can we use Gijinka's?
Depends. As a trainer, yes. But there are very strict rules. One, it must be entirely human. Two, they can only be trainers. Three, they cannot have ears/tails/wings/ect, unless they are clearly part of a costume.
Does Ivywood have an Official Criminal Gang?
We currently have Team Thorn! More Info to come >;3c
Can my character have a child that is used in group?
Yes, if they are 12 years old or below! They cannot own their own Pokemon, and can only own Pokemon you own. They also cannot be used alone in roleplays, art, or literature, and must be present with one of your own personal trainers at all times.
If they are 13+ you will have to buy an additional character voucher.
How young can my trainer be?
Your trainer can be as young as 13 but no younger, there is no age limit beyond that, however keep in mind the general age group of the other trainers and what limitations a much older character would have relationship-wise to the others.
Can we swap our character?
Yes and no. If it is a second or third character, you will merely lose the character if you delete them and are not allowed to swap. You however will keep the Pokemon earned as the character.
If it is your ONLY character, yes. But there is a cost. You will NOT get another starter for your new character and be keeping your old pokemon instead, and you must pay 10,000PD to do so. This is so we don't have members swapping their characters constantly as it is a lot of work for the mods. You would note the group if wanting to perform a swap.
Does Ivywood have an Official Criminal Gang?
Yes we do! It is called 'Team Thorn'
You can learn more about them (and join) here!Are we still allowed to make our own unofficial criminal groups?
Yes! We allow various criminal groups to be made freely for the members stories and roleplays! So you don't have to ask to make one! Go right ahead!
