NWoD Combined: The Accord (https://sites.google.com/site/mesaccord/) Release Date: 1/28/2013 Revision: 1.

1 Designer: Jeremiah Spaulding (US2002023190) Lead Writer: Jeremiah Spaulding (US2002023190) Contributors: James Johnson (US2002056000) Editors: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge (US2012030036) Some materials are copyright 2013 and trademarked by CCP hf. All rights reserved.

Players Guide
Welcome to the New World of Darkness Combined Venue known as The Accord.

The darkness beyond our reality does not simply wait to be released. Rather, its tentacles and influence reach into our world, corrupting and destroying. If not for the efforts of a small number of chosen denizens, The Truth would soon devour our world entirely. To some, these supernatural beings are heroes. Others know a starker truth--good, evil, in between, all these denizens have in common is the fight against the darkness and the dread secret they must keep. For the Enemys power over our world will grow with every individual who learns The Truth.
The Council first formed prior to the 1100s as an advisory system for managing conflicts between various groups of supernaturals. Over the ages, its numbers and influence waned as the supernatural groups in question began to resent Council interference into their affairs. Recently however, the Council was revitalized and re-armed to fight a new threat--a threat that is beyond any one groups power to defeat. Something has bored a hole into our reality, silently threading its corruption into the deep places of power in our world. This insidious enemy-- the Truth -is bent on devouring our dimension entirely. Only those who have come into contact with agents of The Truth are offered a chance to join to Accord, to fight to save reality itself.

Chronicle Structure:
You will be playing a member of the local Accord group in your city, known as a Cell. Each Cell does its best to fight the agents of The Truth. Some fight by killing the monstrous Abominations that The Truth sends into our reality. Others track down and destroy supernaturals who have become Corrupted to serve The Truth. Still others locate, infiltrate, and disband cults of normal humans who worship The Truth. Some Cells spend time and resources tracking down powerful Corrupted Artifacts whose very existence tears at the fabric of reality. Saving reality is hard work, and there is never a shortage of things to do. As if all that wasnt enough to deal with, tensions run high between the different types of supernaturals in each Cell. A werewolf might have trouble accepting the presence of a vampire who she sees as an affront to nature. A changeling might have a mind and manner so alien that he constantly sparks conflict. Or there may be a human hunter who sees all these supernaturals as monsters to be destroyed, and barely keeps his mind on the real enemy--the Truth.

The primary focus of this chronicle is Player vs. Environment (PvE). The Abominations and Corrupted supernaturals will be run by your VST and various narrators. The local Cell will usually work together and fight external enemies. Most of the Player vs. Player (PvP) action will be social: debates, arguments, love triangles, intimidation, power-plays,and so forth. Occasionally, there will be lethal PvP, but lethal action shouldnt be the first step in PvP conflict. A long-running animosity between PCs is good story. A brief, lethal fight is usually pretty boring. That said, some local games may have differing ratios of PvE and PvP. Check the VSS of your game and any non-local game you visit to learn what kind of gameplay experience you can expect.

The Very First Step:

The very first thing you need to do to create a character in the Accord venue is to reach out to your Venue Storyteller (VST). They will be able to provide you with a copy of the Venue Style Sheet (VSS), which will describe the most important aspects of the local game. The VSS may have some restrictions on the power level of the character you can play or guidelines on what kind of plots the game focuses on. Keeping the VSS in mind, you should come up with a basic concept to discuss with the VST. A character concept should be a basic description of what your character would identify himself or herself as. Pick something you want your PC to be great at. This is your Primary Focus. Then pick something you want your PC to be pretty good at. This is your Secondary Focus. An example combination would be a Primary Focus of occult investigation with a Secondary Focus of being good with a gun. So you have an occult investigator who is good with a gun. Other examples might be a computer hacker with ties to the mob, or gorgeous actress with tons of money. The larger the difference between your Primary Focus and your Secondary Focus, the more interesting your character will be. For instance, fire wizard who does ice spells too is nowhere near as interesting and complex as fire wizard who studies chemistry for the purpose of finding a way to beat his heroin addiction. Run this concept by your VST. They may have input and feedback that you should take into account. Always be aware that the World of Darkness is full of flawed, broken creatures. While some local games may not be deadly serious all the time, there is no room for immature or silly concepts in any game. Once the VST is in favor of your concept, reach out to the other players in the venue and see what they think of it. Some may have suggestions on how your character can fit into the local Cell. Others may have ideas on what direction to build your character sheet in so you can best contribute. Many will also offer to have background ties, either friendly or antagonistic, so that your character will come into play already having people they know and things to do.

Character Templates:
The next step is to decide what kind of supernatural to play. You may already have some idea of what you want to create, and the VST and local players may have made suggestions as well. On the Accord website, you will find the Accord Template List. In the NWoD system, each supernatural type has a Template that is placed over a normal mortal character sheet to create the final PC. Each of the approved Templates has a reference on where to find more information on it. Once you select a Template, verify with the VST that it would be a good fit for the local game. Then familiarize yourself with the basics of the Template and the details of the supernatural creature it represents.

Character Backgrounds:
Once you know what kind of supernatural you wish to play, you will need to create a background that describes who your character is, where they are from, and what they have done. The Character Creation Document has a large list of questions to help with this process. A few items to keep in mind when creating your characters background: All characters should be made with histories that line up with the official OOC Metaplot Timeline on the Accord Website. There are some restrictions on age that can be found in the Addendum. You need your VSTs approval for your character to have taken part in any historical events in your city. If you want your character to have taken part in a historical event in another city, you must get the approval of the VST Accord for that city. If there is none, then try that citys DST or RST. To have taken part in historical events outside the USA, had more than passing interactions with major historical figures, or to have been a historical figure requires Top Approval. To have background ties with a named NPC from any books or the custom ones designed for our chronicle requires Top Approval. Your PC may not be a recognizable copy of a character from any other media, such as books or movies. Your PC may not be a recognizable copy or parody of a real person. All PCs must be members of the Accord. No PC can have ever accepted and/or served The Truth. No PC can have been at the Langley Massacre, though you may have ties to someone who died there.

Goals:
Now that you have a Concept, Template, and Background, you need to figure out what drives your PC. Every person has goals in life, and every good PC does as well. You should choose at least one long-term goal for your PC, and it should be something that probably isnt possible to accomplish in our five-year chronicle timeline. Things like a Promethean completing their Pilgrimage. Or a Vampire reaching Golconda. Or on a more personal level, a Hunter moving on from the death of the loved one that inspired her to fight supernaturals. Next, choose three or four short-term goals. Two or three years to complete a short-term goal is fine. Short-term goals can be things like attaining Status 4, finding an avus for a particularly rare bloodline, wiping out all members of a particular Truth Cult, or learning secrets about another supernatural type. If your PC always has uncompleted goals to work toward, then you will always have something fun to do at every game.

Making your character sheet:

For those who are new to NWoD in the MES as well as those who are experienced from previous chronicles, there are a few changes you need to know that make the Accord venue unique. This venue has its own Addendum, though it may reference the others. The Accord Addendum also lists sanctioned books, which differ from the other NWoD venues. Membership Class benefits are also handled differently.

For those making PC with a Lesser Template, use the mortal creation rules in Hunter: The Vigil, and then add your chosen Template. More information, including page numbers and book references, can be found in the Lesser Template Quick Reference. For those using a Greater Template, use the mortal creation rules in the core World of Darkness book, then apply your template. Next, visit the Accord Addendum and apply your Membership Class benefits. Finally, confirm the sheet with your VST. Depending of the choices you have made, you may need to go through the process of acquiring approval of higher level storytellers. Your VST can lead you through this process. Since the Accord venue has such a wide range of characters available, your VST may not be familiar with all the rules for all the things on your sheet. As you build your character sheet, you should note the book and page number for each item you select. During play, if anyone has questions about how a power works, you can quickly find the reference for it. Be sure to have all the books you need available at each game you play. In the event that nobody has a book to reference, there is disagreement on how the book is interpreted, or taking the time to look up a rule would be unduly disruptive to play, the VST is empowered to rule on how the power works in the current scene. For scenes involving PC death, best effort should always be made to follow the rules as written and to take the time to look up anything there is a question on. But in the end, it is the VSTs call. After the scene, you may discuss your opinion on how the power should work in subsequent scenes or inquire about the Appeals process. For everyones fun, keep conversations about rules calls with the ST as short as possible during a scene.

The Reality Quotient and you:

In creating your character, your VST may give you some ballpark targets for your PCs Reality Quotient or RQ. Often, it is very easy to exceed this value, especially given the large amount of up-front XP you can start with. You may make plans to come into play with a partner or a group, and negotiate among yourselves to have some PCs give up RQ to others to let them come in at a higher value. For instance, a Mage may come in with several mortals to help balance her out. As time goes on and you earn XP from playing, you should always check to see if something you want to buy will increase your RQ, and double-check with your VST that is is okay to do so. The Accord RQ calculator can be found at: http://endlessinquiry.com/weird/rq.html

Spending all that XP:

The key to keeping your PCs RQ down is to build your character to be great at your Primary concept, but also very good at your Secondary concept. The more unrelated your Primary and Secondary concepts are, the wider a variety of items you will have to spend your XP on. Also, dont worry about getting max pools or the highest Power Stat you can buy. Leave room for growth on all sides of your character. The more things your character is at least good at, the more plots they can take part in, and the more fun you will have. A PC who is amazing at one thing and useless at all others will end up left behind any time a plot comes up that they arent specialized in.

Knowing what you know:

It is worth noting that your PC will likely learn a lot of little tidbits about other supernatural creatures as he spends time in the Accord. You are free to have your PC retain things they learn from other supernaturals during play. However, be sure to keep in mind that your PC may not believe everything the other person says. Filter information by asking how your PC would think, and how trusting

she is or isnt. Second, when giving others information about your PC or template, try to remember that your PC would likely be reluctant to give away secrets of her own kind, especially to outsiders who may or may not be allies in five years. After all, the plan is to win this war as soon as possible right? And then your former allies may decide to use what they know against you. Also, keep in mind how much your PC actually knows about his own kind. Being a Vampire lets you know all the basic vampire things, but you would need a specialization to know about the inner workings of covenants and bloodlines you are not part of. Lastly, having a specialization doesnt mean you know everything in the book and can recall it all perfectly. When your PC wants to remember a piece of specialized information about some other kind of supernatural she has a specialization in, the VST should assign a number of required successes proportionate to the rarity of that information. For example, a Vampire with a specialization in Changelings trying to recall basic information about a specific Kith might need 4 successes or more, depending on if she had ever met one. A Werewolf with a specialization in Vampires who hears someone talking about a Sworn of the Axe would not even make a draw as the knowledge is just too specialized for such a broad specialization. As always, the VST is the final arbiter on whether or not a PC has enough knowledge in an area to even try to make a draw.

Morality and The Truth:

Typically, your PC will have to kill a lot of bad stuff in the course of duty: Abominations, Corrupted Supernaturals, and Truth Cultists to name a few. Some Templates have issues with killing (e.g. Vampires on Humanity). In all cases, the VST is the final arbiter on what constitutes a Morality sin that requires a draw. But in most cases, destroying Abominations doesnt require a test. Killing Corrupted supernaturals and Cultists will often require a test, but the VST is encouraged to give a bonus or extra draws as these instances can usually be seen as self-defense. Morality dilemmas and avoiding the slide towards zero are key themes in the World of Darkness and should not be downplayed. The consequences of hitting Morality level zero can be found in the Accord Corruption Guide.

Tools of the trade:

Against such a foe as The Truth, sometimes even the Accord needs help. Somehow, Councilor Red Tape has managed to bring back Udjat. This is the the term used for both Menats and Tiet. Menats are one-time-use magic tokens, while Tiet are more powerful multi-use items. The use and distribution of these items are usually managed by each Regional Council. The top Council sometimes directly awards Udjat to those members of the Accord who perform special tasks or go above and beyond.

What you will be facing:

The Truth has invaded our reality in many ways. Here are some of the things your PC will need to deal with as an agent of the Accord: Believers: Anyone who accepts that The Truth is a real thing and exists is considered a Believer. Note that they dont have to worship The Truth or serve it or even be correct in what they think it is. The fact that they know of it and that it is truly real is enough. All Accord agents are Believers. Any Believer who dies has their soul devoured by The Truth. If they are not a Servant, then the RQ will increase.

Servants: Believers who know what The Truth is and have accepted The Truth as their Master. Once a Believer does this, they are forever connected to and controlled by The Truth. If they die, the RQ usually goes down. Any PC who becomes a Servant immediately turns into an NPC controlled by the VST. The Church of Ultimate Truth: This is an official, highly organized and well-funded religion that is fully recognized in the United States. They put forward The Truth as an abstract source of all things good. Most of these people are like typical, everyday members of a religion. They just happen to be tied to The Truth. Most would be horrified if they knew what they were really worshiping. The vast majority of them are Believers, but not Servants. Truth Cults: Usually lead by a charismatic Corrupted ex-member of the Church of Ultimate Truth, these groups of Servants actively seek to increase the RQ so The Truth will manifest more strongly in the area. They usually have a Corrupted Artifact, which bestows power (Corruptions) on them. Corrupted Supernaturals: These are Servants who have a Template. Corrupted versions of everything exist from Vampires to Werewolves. Where those fighting against The Truth are weakened by Mutations, those who have accepted The Truth as their master are instead made strong. As far as anyone has been able to ascertain, Corruption is permanent. Corrupted Artifacts: These are normal physical items that have become imbued with the Unreality power of The Truth. They appear spontaneously in an area where the RQ is too high. Those who Serve The Truth are called to acquire these Artifacts, and they usually become the centerpiece of a Cult. Often, the physical embodiment of the Artifact colors the type of worship the Cultists do. For example, a human skull might attract a necromancy-focused cult. Corrupted Artifacts grow in power over time. For more information, see the Guide to Corruptions. Tear: This is a rip in the fabric of our reality. When a Corrupted Artifact becomes powerful enough, it will implode. The resulting hole in our reality leads directly out to The Truth. Usually, the first effect after a Tear forms is that an Abomination is pushed into our world. Abominations: These creatures come from outside our reality. How they are created is a mystery. Are they remnants of previously devoured realities? Are they chunks of The Truth itself? No one is sure. Of three things you can be certain: Abominations are very dangerous, very powerful, and extremely hard to kill.