Wiki source for MagicalGroups
=====Magical Working Groups=====
//Mage classification: **[[MagicalSchools School]] "">>"" [[MagicalTraditions Tradition]] "">>"" ''Working Group''** //
A **Working Group** is the smallest element of the hierarchy of magical groups. Whereas a School describes broad belief and a Tradition describes shared ideology, a Working Group is no more and no less than this: a group of mages that practice or discuss magic together.
Many traditions have their own name for these groupings: circle, coven, order, conclave, etc. Whatever the name, they generally refer to a group between 3 and 20 mages in size, with membership fluctuating as members fragment away and new students join. Rules can be rigid or informal; leadership can be dictatorial or democratic.
A mage's working group is not a //perfect// predictor of their school or tradition, but it's a pretty good one; mages last longer in groups that mesh with their existing beliefs and styles.
===Groups and Traditions===
The majority of working groups are formed as a local branch of a larger tradition -- they will work (more or less tightly) within that organization; recruit and teach students under the name brand and philosophy of that tradition; have some level of contact with other groups in that tradition (or at least will be friendly toward visiting tradition members); and share in the benefits of the discoveries other tradition members make.
However, mages being the individualistic sorts they are, often a working group will simply assemble -- and remain coherent -- without regard to school or tradition. This most often happens when the mages have reasons to work together that have nothing to do with magical ideology (friendship, politics, pre-Changes collaboration, or being the only mages in an isolated area). Individual mages may join an established group with an opposing tradition for similar reasons.
(Note that TTU characters' descriptions have separate spaces for school, tradition and working group for exactly this reason -- their preferred approach to magic, or their working group's approach, may conflict with the path they follow.)
Due to the differing philosophies of how spell energy is gathered and used, mages generally cannot participate at their full strength in rituals or group spells from an opposing school -- while different schools' effects are interchangeable, the methods of getting there definitely aren't! Multi-tradition working groups quickly learn to account for this by specially crafting their rituals to their members' strengths ... or else just put up with it.
===Notable Working Groups===
//To add a group here, put """MagicalGroups""" in the category listing at the bottom of its [[CategoryGroup Group]] page.//
{{category only="Group" header="0" col="4"}}
==See Also==
{{category exclude="Group" header="0" col="4"}}
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CategoryMagic CategoryConcepts CategoryGroups
//Mage classification: **[[MagicalSchools School]] "">>"" [[MagicalTraditions Tradition]] "">>"" ''Working Group''** //
A **Working Group** is the smallest element of the hierarchy of magical groups. Whereas a School describes broad belief and a Tradition describes shared ideology, a Working Group is no more and no less than this: a group of mages that practice or discuss magic together.
Many traditions have their own name for these groupings: circle, coven, order, conclave, etc. Whatever the name, they generally refer to a group between 3 and 20 mages in size, with membership fluctuating as members fragment away and new students join. Rules can be rigid or informal; leadership can be dictatorial or democratic.
A mage's working group is not a //perfect// predictor of their school or tradition, but it's a pretty good one; mages last longer in groups that mesh with their existing beliefs and styles.
===Groups and Traditions===
The majority of working groups are formed as a local branch of a larger tradition -- they will work (more or less tightly) within that organization; recruit and teach students under the name brand and philosophy of that tradition; have some level of contact with other groups in that tradition (or at least will be friendly toward visiting tradition members); and share in the benefits of the discoveries other tradition members make.
However, mages being the individualistic sorts they are, often a working group will simply assemble -- and remain coherent -- without regard to school or tradition. This most often happens when the mages have reasons to work together that have nothing to do with magical ideology (friendship, politics, pre-Changes collaboration, or being the only mages in an isolated area). Individual mages may join an established group with an opposing tradition for similar reasons.
(Note that TTU characters' descriptions have separate spaces for school, tradition and working group for exactly this reason -- their preferred approach to magic, or their working group's approach, may conflict with the path they follow.)
Due to the differing philosophies of how spell energy is gathered and used, mages generally cannot participate at their full strength in rituals or group spells from an opposing school -- while different schools' effects are interchangeable, the methods of getting there definitely aren't! Multi-tradition working groups quickly learn to account for this by specially crafting their rituals to their members' strengths ... or else just put up with it.
===Notable Working Groups===
//To add a group here, put """MagicalGroups""" in the category listing at the bottom of its [[CategoryGroup Group]] page.//
{{category only="Group" header="0" col="4"}}
==See Also==
{{category exclude="Group" header="0" col="4"}}
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CategoryMagic CategoryConcepts CategoryGroups
