Character creation in Accelerant varies based on game setting, however the following aspects of character creation are fairly consistent:
Character Race[]
All characters have a "race" associated with them by default. A character's in-game race determines many things about the character, such as their appearance, types of abilities/skills, or weaknesses they may have due to their heritage. The races available to play are defined in each game's handbook, and not all races appear in all games. Some games include traditional fantasy races, such as elves or dwarves. Others include exotic races that were custom made for that particular story setting. Some games even restrict race to simply "human".
Character Skills, Abilities, and Headers[]
Characters are given a number of points to allocate towards abilities and Skills that they would like their character to be good at.
Depending on the game, characters may have a set of Attributes to select from that define what types of skills they can aquire, or how often they may use (and re-use) those skills. Attributes tend to be very specific to the game's setting, and do not necessarily translate across game systems.
Skills and abilities range wildly, though in many game settings the skills are lumped together into thematically similar groups called "Headers". A Header is similar to a traditional "class" system utilized in other roleplaying games, however a person may elect to spend as many (or few) points towards skills from a Header as they wish. They may also take more than one Header (unless the game rules book states otherwise).
Types of Headers and skills available are also heavily influenced by the game setting, and it is possible to see Headers/skills that appear in one game but not another. Headers and skills are not cross-game compatible, you may only select from Headers and skills that are listed in that game's Core rules book. Note that it is possible for new Headers and skills to be introduced later during the game's life cycle, either through out of game rules book updates or even through in-game character interactions that uncover new abilities that are then permanently added to the game.
Character story & background[]
All characters may have a backstory that helps explain how their character came to arrive in the game. Most Accelerant games include information to help inspire players to create stories that go along with the game setting. Various information tends to be included regarding the game's current factions, religions, races, and cultures in the Core rules book.
Character Appearance & Props[]
Appearance and props are typically outlined in the core rules books. Many games have guidelines regarding how aspects of a character may be represented. This could include what types of make-up the character could/should wear, style of dress, or specific symbols. It makes it easier to visually understand the type of race, header, religion, faction, etc the character is associated with.
Players can consult their game staff regarding costuming questions.
Props can include character/header features, as well as combat and armor props.
Combat props must meet the Prop Construction guidelines provided in the game core rules book. Generally speaking all weapons are meant for "lightest touch" combat, and feature padded striking surfaces to ensure the safety of game participants. Players can purchase weapons from vendors who specialize in weapon making, or they may follow the guidelines in the rules book to create and decorate their own. All weapons should be inspected for safety by a member of the game's staff to ensure that they are safe to use in combat. Players are responsible for any prop they bring to a game, and bringing unsafe props can in some cases result in the player being restricted in what they may bring to future games, or in egregious cases, a player may be asked not to return to future games if they are putting other players safety in jeopardy.
Not all props brought to the game serve a skill, header, or combat purpose. Some players enjoy bringing items that enhance the atmosphere and immersion during a game. However, players are advised to generally avoid bringing any items to games that have great amounts of monetary or sentimental value. This is due to the high risk of damage or loss of the items resulting from the elements, foot traffic, or other mishaps.
It is not appropriate to attempt to bring props to the game that emulate existing story props, such as counter-fitting in-game currencies or attempting to duplicate magic items without staff approval. Players are responsible for making sure that any items they bring to game are appropriate and safe.
Players can consult their game staff regarding prop questions. It can be a good idea to relate ideas you may have for props, costuming, etc to the staff ahead of time so they can provide guidance if the item could prove problematic due to safety or game rule restrictions.
Character Advancement[]
Characters generally advance by earning character points (CP). All characters begin with an allotment of points to spend on game abilities. This amount differs between games, and you should always consult the core rules book for the game to determine how many points a starting character has available.
Some games have online character creation websites available, and may even track character stats/abilities via such sites, but this is not true for all games.
Characters earn character points predominantly by attending game events. Some games also bestow extra points to players who assist with setting up, cleaning up after the game, or volunteering to bring certain props for the staff to use. Some games participate in a CP Exchange, allowing players to participate/volunteer at one game, but apply the points towards a different Accelerant game that is also participating in the exchange.
Generally players may spend their character points on new abilities between games, and may spend them all at once or wait to spend them at a later time.
Eventually a player will reach a ceiling on how many points they may apply towards their own character in a given game. Those characters who continue to acrue points may gift the points to other characters - this is particularly useful to new players to help them catch up with more seasoned characters.
It is worth noting that some game rules support definitions of tiered advancement, that label beginning, intermediate, and advanced characters with a trait based on criteria (typically how many character points they have spent). Some game abilities may target a player based on this trait, such as providing benefits to beginning characters, or harming advanced characters more specifically. In other cases it allows players to inquire about new players without using out of game terminology. Any game effects or actions that regard advancement tier traits will name them specifically, similar to a Bane trait, in the call - e.g. "Diagnose Initiate".