A majority of the characters on Pavor Nocturnus are average citizens of Arcadia. They have normal jobs as managers, clerks, police officers, teachers, lawyers and the like. That is, until they become initiated into the true world. To many, it's a shock, and they find themselves going back to their old lives in an attempt to forget what they've encountered. Others study the supernatural, to see what they can learn from this new element they've experienced. Some characters may choose to fight, others surrender to dark masters. A few become the very things they swear never existed.

Truly adventurous players may choose to run a supernatural character from the very start. These characters shape the city of Arcadia. Pavor Nocturnus is a world where Wiccan Priestesses and Voodoo Hougans ply their trade out to the highest bidder, average Joes make pacts with demons to harnass great power, and Dreamwalkers wander the path between our world and those beyond.