Bands

Overview

We encourage players coming to Empire to attend as part of a group of friends. Groups can help to add depth and enjoyment to characterization, making all the characters feel more real and be more fun to play. The group 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. Groups 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 one concept for a group, effectively the most common format that a group may take. For instance a noble house in Dawn, or a chapter in Highguard. There are pages for some of these group concepts explaining the part they play in the setting and offering advice on how to create and play one. These group 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.

Bands

In Empire it is possible to make a group that allows characters to extend their abilities or powers to work together. These specialized groups are called bands and there are three different types, banners, covens and sects. Bands use the hearth magic power of oaths combined with magical bonds created by magicians. A character may be in a banner as well as a coven and a sect but because they use bonding magic, it is not possible for a character a character to be a member of more than one banner at once (or more than one coven or sect at once).

We will update our website to allow you to create bands online at the same time that we add the character creation system. It is possible for a band to be more than one type at once, a band may be a banner as well as a coven or sect for instance.

It is perfectly possible to create a group that is not a band. These groups don't have any restrictions, anyone can be a member and a character may join any number of groups. Only bands have a direct game effect, so only bands, and membership of bands is recorded by the refs.

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, the band must create 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.

Restrictions

• You can only join a band with members of the same nation
• You can only join one of each type of band at once

Only members of the same nation are able to join a band together. The power of the hearth magic involved does not function for characters who do not share the same nation as the rest of the group. If you create a band, coven or sect then you must choose the nationality of the band at that point. Only members of the same nation may join the band.

You can only join one of each type of band at once. If you are a member of an existing banner, then you cannot join another band that is a banner. You must break the bonds that join you to your existing banner, before you are able to join another banner.

If you have used the abilities of your band that day then you cannot use the abilities of any other band of the same type that day. For example, if you have performed a ritual with a coven that day, then you cannot perform a ritual with any other coven that day.

Joining a Band

• Bands may be secret or public
• You may start play as a member of one or more bands that are public
• You may only join a secret band in play

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, but new characters must join the band in play, they cannot begin play as part of the band.

If you are creating a new character then you can opt to join to begin play as a member of one or more bands. (You can only be a part of one of each type of band). The character creation system lists all public bands for the nation you have selected and you can opt to join. Please ensure that you have the permission of the players who are part of a band before joining.

Banners

• Only members of the same nation can join a band
• A band may benefit from using a magical banner

A group of close-knit warriors that fight together can choose to create a banner. A banner is a band of oath-sworn warriors

A banner is named for their ability to use a magic standard, which is a magical item created by an artisan. A magical standard provides a benefit to every member of the band that is bonded to it.

Mercenary units who fight for coin often use a Mercenary Banner to allow them to fight where they choose. The magic of the egregore allows large groups to travel to battlefields to fight the enemies of the Empire. This means that most groups and even most bands fight where their nation's generals choose to fight. A band that is bonded to a mercenary banner can choose to take part in a different battle if they wish. It is not possible to take part in two battles in the same weekend, even if you are part of a band that has a mercenary banner.

Covens

• Only members of the same nation can join a coven
• A coven may combine their skills to perform rituals together
• A coven can perform up to two rituals a day

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. Only members of the same nation can join a coven.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing 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 a covenstone, 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; they may also perform any number of rituals that target other people or include others in the ritual performance. But the strength of the coven can only be used to combine magical strengths twice per day and no more than once per hour. Some magical covenstones 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

• Only members of the same nation can join a sect
• Some liao ceremonies may be performed on every member of a sect who is present

Groups that have a strong religious basis should consider creating a sect. A sect is a band of oath-sworn devotees of the Way who choose to work together to further their common goals. Only members of the same nation can join a sect.

If an annointing, dedication, excommunication or exorcism is performed by a member of a sect, on another member of a sect, then they may choose to extend that benefit to every member of the sect who is present when the ceremony is being conducted. For example, if two priests of a sect devoted to Vigilance perform a ceremony together to anoint a member of their sect, then they may choose to apply the same effects to every member of the sect who is present.