Minor Magical Focus Question

So, I'm working on an NPC maga and her specialty is going to be auras and regionnes. If I were to give her a minor magical focus does the group mind think that she'd have to pick one (auras or regionnes), or would auras and regionnes be narrow enough on its own?

for a minor I would say pick one of the 4. A major could handle all of them.

Seems like a hairy issue to me. The way I understand the rules, a Regio, argumentally, it's supposed to be a "phased-out" region of space that is created when a mystical aura levels into two or more values in the same location. Since you can't be in a level 4 and 6 aura at the same time (while being both active, I mean), additional levels create their own layer of reality to allow for this sort of spatial paradox.

That's how I see it. From that point of view, a "regio" it's nothing more than overlapping auras with their own layers of reality, and in the same way than a focus for "heat" would include many effects related to "burning", a focus for "auras" would include effects related to regios.

In the other hand, I don't think a minor magical focus would encompass all 4 realms.

I think you also need to ask the questions "What actions will the focus apply to?" (Vis extraction? Aura/Regio detection and navigation? Increasing/decreasing aura strength/size? Some aspects of Hermetic Architecture? And so on.) and "What headaches will my players/group give me trying to exploit this precedent in the future?" ("I'm casting a spell/working in the lab in an aura and the aura affects my roll/Lab Total, so my focus applies, right?" :smiley: )

Then there's the question of synergy - Is it all auras or just those of one realm or only the realms a magus is aligned to (ie does having Faerie Magic/Holy Magic/Chthonic Magic make a difference?)? Would knowledge of Conciatta's work from LoH make a difference?

Hi,

I think that if the Aura or Region was specifically the object of the spell, I would probably be ok with Minor. I think that if you chose Auras or Regiones, I would definitely be ok with Minor, as long as things didn't get too weird. If you went Major, maybe also include Vestiges/Boundaries if you play with them (ugh), then a Major Focus in Supernatural Places covering TeVim seems just right.

In general, 'ok' applications involve the Aura or Region being the object of the magic effect.

  • What is the level of the Aura?

  • What realm is it?

  • Notice boundary

  • Force your way into regio

Etc.

Weird applications (not ok) are things like:

  • I happen to be in a high Aura right now, so....

  • My spirit familiar can generate an Aura, so....

  • Vis creation depends on there being an Aura, so....

  • Casting a Boundary spell when the Boundary is an entire regio sort of targets the regio, so....

Anyway,

Ken

The character would certainly be able to limit things to Magical Auras/Regionnes.

I would certainly allow a Minor Magical Focus applying to cover Auras AND Regiones, of all four Realms, in terms of effects that sense/navigate them, destroy them, change their boundaries etc. (in particular the effects in RoP:M, as well as many of the Hermetic Architecture effects). Things like working magic within an aura, or teleporting into one, would not be covered.

Ultimately, it seems to me a very narrow portion of Vim, no wider than a canonical minor focus like self-transformation, aging, or swords. It's also a field where Penetration is probably never a big deal, so the advantage of having a focus is reduced.

I wanted a very similar focus for a character a while back. It was then deemed a minor focus.
Not that that'll help you much, ofcourse.

The scope of spells that can exist would tend to suggest a minor focus.