Bands

Overview

In Empire it is possible for characters to formalize their loyalty to each other by creating a band. There are three different types of band, banners, covens and sects; they draw on the hearth magic of oaths to allow members of the band to use certain rituals and items more effectively on each other. For instance ritualists who are part of a coven can combine their skills to perform more powerful rituals.

We encourage players coming to Empire to attend as part of a band with their friends. Bands can help to add depth and enjoyment to characterization, making all the characters feel more real and be more fun to play. The band can have its own identity and history and gives characters a way to belong to something that is bigger than they are, yet is still something they can create a history and background for. Bands give OOC friends good IC reasons to roleplay together and good groups are great for helping new players get involved in a game.

The brief for every nation in Empire includes at least concept to help you develop the idea for a band. For instance a noble house in Dawn, or a chapter in Highguard. There are pages for some of these concepts explaining the part they play in the setting and offering advice on how to create and play one. These concepts have been designed to be fun to play, but the list is not meant to be restrictive. You can create a travelling band of Dawnish troubadours, or a secretive guild of Highborn artisans if you wish to. Working with your friends, you have the same freedom to create a group concept as you do to create your own character.

Creating a Band

• Bands must have a name, an oath and a nationality
• You must use the website to create a band

In Empire it is possible to make a group that allows characters to extend their abilities or powers to work together. These groups, called bands, use the hearth magic power of oaths combined with magical bonds created by magicians. Only members of the same nation are able to join a band together, so you must choose the nationality of a band when you create it.

Bands are intended to build on the characterisation of the group concept that you have created for your characters. They are there to recognize and support the choice to act as part of a Dawnish noble house, a League guild or a Freeborn family. Players creating characters together are encouraged to use the potential abilities of bands to add depth and character to their group concept.

There are three types of band: banners, covens and sects. Any character can be in up to one banner, one coven, and one sect. A character can never be a member of two banners at the same time, nor two covens or two sects. One player will need to use the website to create a new band, but it must only be done once - other characters then join that band.

E.g. The Highborn chapter of Exile's Hold is a banner. The members gain all the benefits of being a banner but any character that joins this group cannot join any other banner.

You can still create a band on the system, even if the benefits are not relevant for your group concept. By picking one of the three options (banner is usually the easiest, if your group plans to fight together at all) and ignoring the additional rules you can still submit details and background about it, even if it doesn't need to be a banner, coven or sect.

Joining a Band

• You may select one banner, one coven and one sect to join when you create your character
• Joining a band in play requires a magician using the create bond spell
• You can only ever join a band with members of the same nation
• You may only join a secret band in play

If you are creating a new character then you may choose one banner, one coven and one sect to be part of. Please ensure that you have the permission of the players who are part of a band before joining.

To join a band in play you must find a magician to perform the create bond spell. You can only be a member of one of each type of band at once. For example, if you are a member of an existing banner, then you cannot join another band that is a banner without first breaking the bonds that join you to your existing banner.

A band can be secret or public. If the band is public, then the name of the band and the nation it is associated with is public to all players in the game. Players making a character can choose to begin play as part of a public band. If the band is secret, then the name of the band is not visible to any player. New characters must join the band in play, they cannot begin play as part of a secret band.

Oaths

• Oaths must be appropriate for the setting
• An oath can never be changed

Bands use the hearth magic of an oath to give them power. For this reason, a band must choose an oath when it is created. The oath is usually reasonably short - because it must be recited by any character who joins the band in play. The player creating the band online should enter the text for the oath when they create the band. The only requirement for the oath is that it is in-character and suitable for the setting, any oath that meets these requirements is fine.

Although an oath is required to create a band, it is not magically enforced - there is no automatic magical consequence for any individual that breaks their oath. It is a matter for the roleplaying of the characters who are members of the band to deal with any character who breaks their oath.

Once created, the oath cannot be changed, a new band must be formed if characters wish to change their oath.

Banners

• A banner may benefit from using a magical standard

If your band incorporates the idea of a group of warriors that fight together then you may wish to create a banner to represent this. A banner is named for their ability to use a magic standard, which is a magical item created by an artisan. Magical standards provide a potential benefit to every member of the banner.

Covens

• A coven may combine their skills to perform rituals together
• A coven can perform up to two rituals a day
• A coven may benefit from paraphernalia

Groups that intend to perform rituals together need to create a coven. A coven is a band of oath-sworn magicians who choose to work together to perform powerful rituals that they could not do alone.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing crystalized mana to a ritual up to the limit of their ability. This allows a coven to perform much more powerful rituals than an individual could achieve alone. A coven may also benefit by being bound to ritual paraphernalia, a powerful magical item created by an artisan.

A coven can only perform up to two rituals each day. A character may perform any number of rituals by themselves and they may include others in the ritual performance. But the power of the coven can only be used to combine magical strengths twice per day. Some magical paraphernalia increase the number of rituals a coven can perform in a single day.

If a character is part of a coven that have already perform a ritual together that day, then they may join another coven but they cannot participate in another ritual conducted by that coven until the next day.

Sects

• Some liao ceremonies may be performed together by every member of a sect present who shares a virtue
• A sect may benefit from using a magical reliquary

If your group concept incorporates the idea of a shared set of beliefs and worship then you may wish to create a sect to represent this. A sect is a band of oath-sworn devotees of the Way who choose to work together to further their common goals.

If an anointing, consecration, dedication, excommunication, exorcism, hallow, or testimony is performed by members of a sect who share a virtue, then they may cooperate to achieve a more powerful outcome. The strength of the ceremony produced is equal to the number of participants - but only one participant needs to consume a dose of liao to achieve the result. To participate in a ceremony using the power of the sect bond, all participants must be part of the same sect and share a virtue.

For example, if two members of a sect who are both dedicated to Vigilance perform a ceremony together to anoint a target, then they may may produce the same effect as two priests cooperating - but need only consume a single dose of liao."

A magical reliquary provides a benefit to every member of the band that is bonded to it.

Linking Bands Together

Although a band must be either a banner, coven, or sect; it is common for players to have a background concept that includes characters who are linked in multiple ways. In these situations it is perfectly appropriate to create more than one band whose concept and background is linked.

For example, a group of players intend to play a Marcher Household but some of them want to play monks while the others play yeomen. They create a banner called House Cawford and a sect called Cawford monastery - to represent the large monastery on the Cawford lines. House Cawford players can choose to start as members of either group and join the other group in play.