What is “paradigm”?
A mage can change the world around him through his belief. However, not every mage shares the same beliefs. One might commune with spirits to convince them to evince some effect, while another may pray for miracles from God. A mage who learned that magic is done through formulae and alchemical solutions may be confused by the mage who interfaces with “the underlying structure of the world” through his virtual reality apparatus. These are examples of paradigm – how a character believes he can change the universe. Part of this is actual tools, equipment, and mentality, but a part of it is worldview as well. This is why a lot of characters tend to be focused on one aspect of something, or tend to be extreme in their beliefs – if they were not so strongly attached to it, they fear they could not do their magic, and because the style of their magic – Resonance – feeds back onto them as much as it takes its cue from them.
