If you're looking to join Shadow Accord for the first time, this is the perfect place to get information on how to submit a player character (PC) for approval, what kind of PCs work in the world, and much more. If you have any questions about PCs, the Character Guides (CGs) are the team to ask.
All PCs played at Shadow Accord must be approved by a CG prior to playing.
If you need inspiration, try reading books about medieval Europe or the sourcebooks and talking to the community! Having character ties with other players is a great way to ensure you're involved from the beginning.
There are four things we suggest to start with in order to help your character take shape:
Faction. This may be the most important choice you make, so it is still a good place to start.
Pick Commoner, Shifter, Sorcerer, Vampire, or Wraith. Begin doing research into that faction using the rulebook, faction guides, this site, or sourcebooks.
Time and Place. Where is your character from? When were they born?
Keep in mind that the game is set exactly 800 years prior to the present day. Characters should be from that time period or, as appropriate, any time earlier.
Note: Shadow Accord staff are currently reworking our game's geographic limitations on characters in order to be anti-racist and inclusive.
Character Knowledge. How aware is your character of the forces around them? How learned are they about their own faction, subfaction, or other groups?
New character knowledge of other factions is limited to information found in the setting books that specifically pertain to the character's faction and subfaction. Additional in-game knowledge, or Lore, can be purchased at Character Creation, which allows your character to have knowledge from the setting books of the appropriate faction or subfaction.
Occupation. How does your character function in medieval society? Do they make money and try to fit in with society? If so, how?
Characters may not begin the game with any social status or connections to characters controlled by the Storytellers, except for the patron relationship, as defined in the rules.
Characters may also not begin the game with personal relationships with NPCs named in a setting book, unless the rules require it.
Finally, characters may not begin the game with a valid French Writ of Authority. Characters therefore cannot be French knights and land owners, but they can potentially be nobility outside of France. And please, remember that characters are not allowed to be major historical or historically fictional characters or NPCs from the setting books.
Now that the above questions are answered and you have read up on the rules and lore for your faction and character, it’s time to write up a backstory. There are many ways to write up a backstory: journal entries, letters, a brief synopsis of the character’s life up to when they are going to Arthorne, etc. The important thing is to use the backstory to help the CGs understand who your character is and where they fit in society. Some questions about your character that might help you write this backstory are:
What kind of family do they have? Are there family members who have died? Is your character close to their family or distant?
What kind of childhood did they have? Was it kind or cruel? What did they learn from their early years that is still with them today?
How much do they know about themselves? Are they just learning who they are? Are they self-confident or weak-willed? How do they present themselves?
What are their long-term and short-term goals?
What kind of personality do they have? What is a major flaw of theirs?
What brings them to Arthorne?
This list is not meant to be exhaustive or to be treated as necessary. These are just questions meant to help you understand and better represent your character.
Look at the section on Character Creation in the rulebook. Follow the steps there to create a draft of a character sheet, keeping in mind the character basics you've decided on. It is okay if you don’t do this perfectly: that’s why it’s a draft. But practicing building your character can help you better understand what your character can manifest as. Take time to construct and reflect on how you want your character built. Ask members of the community for help if you need it. Adjust your backstory or your character basics at this time if certain things no longer work. Different powers or skills your character sheet may seem to force upon you might give your PC a new way to develop.
Once you are done, you will have your PC building blocks, your PC's backstory, and a draft of a character sheet. Now you are ready to email the CGs!
Contact the CGs at sa.characterconcepts@nwlarpers.org; have your character name or summary of your concept (like, Ragabash Silent Strider Elder) be the subject line. When you email the CGs, include the following:
Full name of you and your character
The information in your PC building blocks
Your PC's backstory
The draft of your character sheet
A CG will email you back to initiate a conversation about your character within a few days. Their job is to make sure that the environment of the game is preserved and built upon with every new character, so the suggestions that they make are majorly in order to preserve the game and its environment. Please be courteous with the Character Guides and collaborate with them.
Character Guides will, after checking over your character, tell you if your character is approved for game. CGs have a right to refuse any character concept they see as disruptive to the game. If a player feels they have been treated unfairly, they have a right to appeal to the Head of CGs, by sending the latest email/screenshots as needed. The decision of the Head is final.
A new character is not considered official until that character has been played at an Event or a between-event gathering. A character does not have access to any powers or abilities on their character sheet until they’ve gone through the check-in process. Sometimes players will have smaller gatherings. Since the discussions that occur at these gatherings are considered IG, new characters cannot be played at these until after they have been approved by a Character Guide.
New character knowledge of other factions is limited to information found in the setting books that specifically pertain to the character's faction and subfaction. Lore purchased at character creation allowing your character to have knowledge from the setting books of that faction or subfaction.