Tokens in published content?

Greetings,  I'm preparing an original 5e module to publish on roll20. The module will include some NPCs as well as monsters from the SRD and a custom monster or two. What do folks normally do for tokens in their published modules. Do they draw or hire an artist for them or are there any free-to-use tokens that I could assign to my NPCs/Monsters? Or, do they leave them without tokens assuming the DM will assign whatever token they want when they run the campaign? Sorry if this is a dumb question and thanks in advance for any that answer it. Regards, MidniteOil.

It's not a dumb question; it's frequently asked. There are no free-to-use tokens. Your options are basically (in order of effort and polish): Use no tokens and let GMs make their own Use tokens with no art, but the name of the character Find a pack you like somewhere and negotiate with the artist about using them in your product. Many artists will license their work. Find an artist(s) you like and commission them to create token artwork for you.

That's what I figured. Thanks for the reply.

Or you can go to a site like DTRPG and purchase stock art. Rogue Genius Games has a lot of affordable art with a generous license that lets you resize and crop the art to fit in token rings.

Good addition. Let's call that 3b, since they still require dealing with a license.

I reached out to Rogue Genius games and he said his publisher said using their art on roll20 would violate their license because it would count as selling it "as art" as opposed to in a book or something. 

Were you clear that this was going in an adventure product and not a stock art collection? If you pick up one of their stock art images, you will see that the licensing agreement does not have any restriction on a digital products, only stock art products.

I thought so, but looking back at my email it might not be clear. I'm sending a follow up email. Of course, I've already drawn my own tokens and submitted my application to roll20 (which has been approved). Just completed the merchant agreement and am awaiting the back-end upload instructions.

I followed up with him and indeed he does allow his art to be used in adventure modules so long as he is attributed.