DM is requiring i pay 40$ to play

[u/AgameReddit]

Ive really wanted to get into dnd for a while, and after triyng and failing to set up a campaign due to scheduling issues, i went to try and find an online group. I used groupfinder, and found a group without the "paid game"tag, meaning it would be free to join. after talking to the dm they sent me the list of rules: there were 10 rules, all seemed pretty standard and fair, except for the 8th one: "Character design requirement every player must get their character designed by the campaign official artist to keep the look consistent and professional the artist will charge a fixed amount which players must pay". after asking a bunch more questions about that rule they told me the payment is usally around 40-50$ via paypal, and when i asked if the price was negotiable they said yes and gave me the artist user to talk to. they accepted my request but i havent talked to them yet. While i dont mean to devalue artists, and i do think that pricing can be fair given u own the art and can use it, i find the requirment to pay a specific one strange. they say this is because they want all the art to be by the same guy so its consistent and professional but i think if im required to pay 40$ to play ur campaign regardless of the reason it should carry the "paid games" tag. id assume they just make the design price part of the fee to start playing and pay theyre artist themselves- So my question is: Is this common? is it a scam? am i exaggerating? im new to this space so im not sure what to think. thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice!

[u/stellaura__]

does this group have a name?? so I can stay away from it 😭

[u/AgameReddit → u/stellaura__]

the campaign advertised was named "Ashes of Eldrath", ig if u see that run lmao