How many spellcasting focuses can one character have? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Greenstone.Walker Feb 05, 2015 2:12:30	Are they something unique and special to that character or can a character just pick up any orb/rod/wand/whatever and cast with it? Is there any attunement process? If someone steals a cleric's holy symbol, can the cleric just pull another one out of their backpack and start using it? If a sorceror loses a focus, can another sorceror say "here, use my spare one"?
#2 Undrhil Feb 05, 2015 2:26:57	There is nothing RAW against a spellcaster having more than one spell focus, as far as I know. In fact, for Clerics especially, having more than one would be beneficial. Since Clerics can have their holy symbol be etched on their shield, they could have that holy symbol, plus a hand-held one, in case they have to have their shield unequipped for some reason. I could also see a spellcaster going thematic with them, having one spell focus for a certain type of spell (fire spells or enchantment spells, for instance) even though there is no requirement to a focus has to be similar to the type of spell being cast.
#3 BoldItalic Feb 05, 2015 4:19:43	Spellcasting focus is mainly a game device to avoid book-keeping on material components while still ensuring that a free hand is used up to the same extent that using an actual material component would do. So really, from a game mechanics point of view, any suitable hand-held object would serve the purpose but it's convenient to make it something that the spellcaster might normally be carrying about anyway. Carrying a spare doesn't seem to break anything. From a fluff pont of view, it's nice to make it an object that the character feels attached to and believes gives them magical powers somehow. It allows the wizard to declaim things like "I hold my orb aloft and bliue-green light corruscates from it upon the faces of the foe as I cast a mighty Fire Bolt at the leader!" It's theatrical. Wresting the evil necromancer's staff from his cold hands and using it as a focus against him feels good too, I'd allow that, even though it's not "your" focus. edit - the "bliue-green light" was a typo. But it sounds weird and arcane, doesn't it? That's the best kind of typo
#4 Timborama Feb 05, 2015 5:46:59	Greenstone.Walker wrote:
#5 Illithidbix Feb 06, 2015 14:41:20	By the RAW, arcane foci are no more special in use than a mundane weapon. Their only purpose is as a replacement for material components that have next to zero cost. AFAKI the only rules are: Arcane Focus. An arcane focus is a special item—an orb, a crystal, a rod, a specially constructed staff, a wand-like length of wood, or some similar item—designed to channel the power of arcane spells. A sorcerer, warlock, or wizard can use such an item as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10.
#6 Cutlass Feb 09, 2015 22:29:11	It would make sense to me that if you had a multiclass character who was able to cast both arcane and divine spells that he would need two different foci. Other than that it would seem to me that any arcane caster could use any arcane focus. Divine casters would be more restricted needing holy symbols that were specific to their deities. Getting into home brew territory, one idea I had was for clerics/paladins to have weapons made that could double as holy symbols. For instance, a longsword could be made with a disc shaped pommel with the holy symbol being the disc. Then depending on how the sword was being held it could be used as either a Holy Symbol or a weapon. With the weapon being held with the blade down and the symbol on the pommel facing out and visible it's a divine focus. Held in the normal manner it's a weapon. Changing how the weapon is held would be a free action.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Greenstone.Walker

Feb 05, 2015 2:12:30

Are they something unique and special to that character or can a character just pick up any orb/rod/wand/whatever and cast with it? Is there any attunement process?

If someone steals a cleric's holy symbol, can the cleric just pull another one out of their backpack and start using it?

If a sorceror loses a focus, can another sorceror say "here, use my spare one"?

Undrhil

Feb 05, 2015 2:26:57

There is nothing RAW against a spellcaster having more than one spell focus, as far as I know. In fact, for Clerics especially, having more than one would be beneficial.

Since Clerics can have their holy symbol be etched on their shield, they could have that holy symbol, plus a hand-held one, in case they have to have their shield unequipped for some reason. I could also see a spellcaster going thematic with them, having one spell focus for a certain type of spell (fire spells or enchantment spells, for instance) even though there is no requirement to a focus has to be similar to the type of spell being cast.

BoldItalic

Feb 05, 2015 4:19:43

Spellcasting focus is mainly a game device to avoid book-keeping on material components while still ensuring that a free hand is used up to the same extent that using an actual material component would do. So really, from a game mechanics point of view, any suitable hand-held object would serve the purpose but it's convenient to make it something that the spellcaster might normally be carrying about anyway. Carrying a spare doesn't seem to break anything.

From a fluff pont of view, it's nice to make it an object that the character feels attached to and believes gives them magical powers somehow. It allows the wizard to declaim things like "I hold my orb aloft and bliue-green light corruscates from it upon the faces of the foe as I cast a mighty Fire Bolt at the leader!" It's theatrical. Wresting the evil necromancer's staff from his cold hands and using it as a focus against him feels good too, I'd allow that, even though it's not "your" focus.

edit - the "bliue-green light" was a typo. But it sounds weird and arcane, doesn't it? That's the best kind of typo

Timborama

Feb 05, 2015 5:46:59

Greenstone.Walker wrote:

Illithidbix

Feb 06, 2015 14:41:20

By the RAW, arcane foci are no more special in use than a mundane weapon. Their only purpose is as a replacement for material components that have next to zero cost.

AFAKI the only rules are:

Arcane Focus.
An arcane focus is a special item—an orb, a crystal, a rod, a specially constructed staff, a wand-like length of wood, or some similar item—designed to channel the power of arcane spells. A sorcerer, warlock, or wizard can use such an item as a spellcasting focus, as described in chapter 10.

Cutlass

Feb 09, 2015 22:29:11

It would make sense to me that if you had a multiclass character who was able to cast both arcane and divine spells that he would need two different foci. Other than that it would seem to me that any arcane caster could use any arcane focus. Divine casters would be more restricted needing holy symbols that were specific to their deities. Getting into home brew territory, one idea I had was for clerics/paladins to have weapons made that could double as holy symbols. For instance, a longsword could be made with a disc shaped pommel with the holy symbol being the disc. Then depending on how the sword was being held it could be used as either a Holy Symbol or a weapon. With the weapon being held with the blade down and the symbol on the pommel facing out and visible it's a divine focus. Held in the normal manner it's a weapon. Changing how the weapon is held would be a free action.