But I was wondering if we might make a thread to collect non-canon foci. would love to have a much bigger list because
a) the more foci you have, the easier you can decide whether a new one is minor or major
b) There are few virtues that define a character like a focus. Everyone has got a skilled parens, an inventive genius or the like, but a focus usually makes a character special
I will try to maintain the list in this post, once there seems to be a general agrrement on major or minor for a focus
I can deal with the fact that various foci are widely different in usefulness. Yet seeing a list with both MMF in swords and MMF arms and armor bugs me. Not just a superset of swords but also including something (armor) that feels like a moderately useful and thematic MMF on itâs own. I know nothing in ArM5 is really balanced or even trying to be mechanically balanced but this still hurts my logical brain.
I think a number of foci are quirky because thatâs what the mini-cult initiating the virtue wanted/found a script for. The example for swords - sure, that should be as broad as metal weapons (Te), but the confraternity really concerns themselves with swords. They will make something else (for enough vis) but it will be out of their normal scope. Itâs all the users want, if objectively weak.
From a mechanical point of view Iâd prefer that swords and similar strength was considered âcorrectâ and arms and armor was considered way to strong for a minor focus although at the same time being too weak for a decent major focus.
I see nothing wrong with voluntarily reducing the scope of a minor focus. A maga who wants to play a very close relationship with her sword could take a sword focus, although that is strictly weaker than arms and armor.
To be able to reduce the scope of a focus, we need a yardstick to measure it against. This is not a thread for moaning how much some dislike certain canonical virtues. Nobody has to use virtues they dislike. You lead a game, you dissallow them - done.
This thread serves to create a yardstick for those who want to use the focus virtue. So please use it to suggest non-canonical foci and discuss them.
Well, my current character has a minor magical focus in the spirits of dead wizards.
I've seen a character with a major magical focus in creating or controlling air and fire.
How are we feeling about âReflective Surfacesâ as a Minor vs Major Focus? It seems minor at first glance, but can get a bit broad - covers a decent amount of the forms, if you polish âem hard enough.
I would allow it, as thereâs a lot of things that canât get polished to a mirror finish. Iâd be tempted to allow âreflectionsâ as a minor focus, to cover making surfaces reflective and for Imaginem spells making reflections.
Most Foci can be stretched to wider applications if you spend the time to make it happen. Most days your wizard isnât going to run into a lot of âreflective surfacesâ â water is about it. To me, thatâs Minor. Mirrors wouldnât be all over the place in Mythic Europe; youâd have to make an effort to find one. And itâs really only going to apply to a couple forms (Terram & Aquam); no matter how hard you polish your horse itâs not going to be a âreflective surface.â
If you spend the time to highly polish a metal shield so that you can apply your Focus, thatâs the same thing the Verditius with Minor Focus: Swords will be doing. And your character will be âthat mirror guyâ, which is sort of the point of that Virtue: it will define your character.
I donât think that âreflective surfacesâ and âreflectionsâ would fall under the same Minor Focus. With the former youâre affecting objects; with the later youâre affecting images. Add them together and itâs an undergunned Major Focus which Iâd likely be more lenient toward applications in play.
Weâre dealing with Mythic Europe here; thatâs not how reflections work for those things. The sky isnât reflective, the moon is a source of light not a reflection of light, fire is a source of light and does not reflect it. Glass isnât something that youâre going to frequently run into in Mythic Europe, so itâs down to forms of water large enough to reflect an image (i.e., not rain).