FASA Games, Inc.

I think I might be dense but I cannot comprehend the benefits of creating a group pattern.

Would it be possible to get a simple explanation and possible an example other than that of the book?

The reason you want to create a group pattern, is so that you can weave threads to the group pattern.
This allows you to raise abilities that are normally impossible or very expensive to raise by other means (see list on page 230). The increased abilities are not 100% permanent or active 100% of the time, but they are active when the character is interacting with his group or working to accomplish group goals, which is almost all of the time he is adventuring.

You can weave up to 5 threads of up to rank 5. For example, my 5th circle wizard has spent 1600 lp to raise his PD by 3, 1600 to raise his MD by 3, and 1600 to raise his durability by 3 (giving 15 more hit points). Each of these are almost impossible to raise by any means other than tying a thread to something. He has also spent 800 LP to raise his effective spellcasting by 2 (much, much cheaper than buying his 7th and 8th ranks in spellcasting), and is saving the 5th thread to tie to his Willpower Talent once he finally gets it. This combination gives him a solid defensive advantage, and a noticeably greater punch to his offense.

When a spell that normally has a single target allows additional targets, the Mystic Defenses are compared separately, are they not?
For example, "Mind Dagger" has a target of TMD, not highest TMD.
If we cast Mind Dagger with an additional thread that allowed an additional target at targets that had different MDs, you would roll a single spellcasting test and compare the one result to the two MDs separately, and the two parts of the spell would hit or miss or achieve additional successes separately?
If the Targets had similar MD, and you achieved the same number of successes, you would roll one effect test and apply it to both targets.
What if they had different MD and you achieved a different number of successes on the two targets?
Roll two effect tests, one with a higher bonus damage?
What if the caster had wanted to use willforce, would he have the option to take the lower effect bonus, but apply willforce once and apply the result to both targets? Any other ways of handling this?

For Mind Dagger with additional target:
One Spellcasting test (compare with MDs for successes), one damage test (one use of Willforce), add bonus damage from successes on targets.

Mind Dagger lets you hit more than one target, but is not generating more than one Effect tests. So there is just one effect test, so one use of Willforce.

Adding Bonuses to tests is way faster and easier than changing test Steps. Otherwise you would have to make 2 separate rolls depending on successes achieved on each target. But still only one use of Willforce (and both those rolls would be boosted).

ED4 Dumb question 1. Can an attribute be increased by 2 points in one go? The conditions say only one attribute can be increased at a time which my players are translating as "as long as its the same attribute it can be increased twice". However, I don't quite agree with that interpretation as everything else need put up one step at a time and my players are trying to avoid the time and silver cost required by doing it in two steps.

ED4 Dumb question 2. In older editions the Karma Ritual had to be done in the morning. This seems to be no longer the case. Can a character use up all their existing karma and then, say just before midnight refresh their karma?