Power Foci, Call me braindead... Options

[Digital Heroin]

...but an Adept with a power foci has more points for powers, neh?

[HolyYakker]

You're Braindead.

I honestly don't know the answer to your question, but the subject heading was far to tempting for me to resist. Especially at 6am when I'm doped up on caffiene. I think I'm going to go chase the cat up a tree now.

wheeeeeeeeeee!

[Moonwolf]

No, he doesn't. Power foci only add to magic for the purposes of drain and maximum force of spirits.

[Abstruse]

The only focus a physical adept (yeah, 2nd Ed terms, I know...) can use is a Weapon Focus.

The Abstruse One

[Ol' Scratch]

Correction, the only foci an adept can use are Weapon Foci, Anchoring Foci (anyone can use one of those), and Centering Foci (if they know the technique). They can bond with just about any other type of focus, but it's useless to them unless they're Magician Adepts.

[Cain]

Slight correction-- they cannot *use* anchoring foci, but they can *activate* and carry ones that someone else bonded. You use an anchoring focus by casting a spell into it. You activate it when you turn on the spell.

[mintcar]

Moonwolf, power focus is usable for spell defence as well, no?

[Cold-Dragon]

A power focus can be used for virtually anything spell pool dice count for; it's like an extension.

However, being that Adepts don't have a spell pool I'm aware of, it's only good for increasing the magic attribute for ability boosts tests and such. (In theory, you could claim that it allows permits you to learn powers beyound the traditional 6 levels possible for some, but at that point you must either say the higher levels are null as long as it's off, or waste points doing it again and again).

edit: after reading up on foci again in my SR3 book, I have decided to alter my answer: the power focus is only good for enhancing your magic attribute for powers that use it for a test (or similar), for drain (if applicable), and possibly spell defense (no where thus far I've read stats you have to actually have the ability to 'defend' to use the dice).

and no where does it say a Adept can't use a Power Focus, with the exception of a weapon focus, however, it's the only focus that would have feasible use to them.

So this means that, if they can use it for spell defense, that a spell category focus would be possible to use too (but at the moment, eh, I'm sketchy on that).

[Necro Tech]

Actually, you must have the sorcey skill to use spell defense. Spell defense consists of putting aside sorcey dice (and an equal amount of pool) for the express purpose.

[Cold-Dragon]

Okay, no spell defense then. So at best you got it for drain resistance and upping your magic attribute.

It's roughly the same cost as getting a weapon focus, a little more if you get a biiiig boost.

[Wireknight]

I've created a slew of new foci/cyberware/etc... that I will be slowly but surely adding to my Shadowrun website in anticipation of bringing it live by mid-September. Since it's really just a compilation of things I've posted elsewhere and other peoples' ideas that I've gotten permission to reproduce, I don't see a problem in previewing one new focus type I created.

Somatic Focus
Bonding Cost: Force x 6 Good Karma
Monetary Cost: Force x 150,000 Nuyen
Availability: 10/14 Days
Game Effects:
The somatic focus adds its force rating to an adept's magic rating, as well as adding half its rating to the adept's power point total. The bonus power points provided by this focus may only be utilized toward powers that the adept already possesses. The adept may reassign the bonus power points provided by the focus as a simple action.

Notes:
In the event of a magician adept employing a both a power focus and a somatic focus, or a stacked power/somatic focus, the increase to magic rating is not cumulative, only the highest available bonus applies.

[Jason Farlander]

Adepts *can* learn sorcery - its just that they can only use it for astral combat. In that regard, theres nothing in the rules prohibiting an adept from bonding a power focus to get extra dice for astral combat tests. It's nowhere near worth the cost, but it's possible.

[Thistledown]

[mfb]

right, force 2 for 1 pp. force 1 allows you to buy a level of pain resistance, or 2 levels of attribute boost, etcetera. the focus is more expensive because it gives a lot bigger boost than other foci.

[GunnerJ]

[mfb]

not necessarily. the 5k per karma price is from MitS, if i'm not mistaken, and it's the cost a point of karma used to bond a focus--a fairly specific use. the SRC, i'm pretty sure, defines the nuyen cost of a point of karma as being variable, depending on the campaign.

initiating or buying PP doesn't allow you to reassign your powers on the fly. adepts are specialists--and an adept with a decently-rated somatic focus can be a "specialist" in every possible field, from shooter to melee-guy to sneaky dude to speedmeister to whatever, so long as his basic power list isn't too specialized. and, honestly? a rating 6 somatic focus is worth buying one level in a few diverse powers.

[GunnerJ]

[mfb]

you're an adept. what else are you going to spend it on? you don't need cyber, you don't need expensive ritual materials, and there are an extremely limited number of other foci types you can throw down your earth monies for.

and, tactically speaking, i'm fine with the karma argument being moot--it was a point for you, until i negated it with my superior martian logic.

[Wireknight]

[GunnerJ]

[Edward]

Aria effect spells have the aria determined my magic attribute. I had assumed that a power focus would count for this.

I am not certain but I think that there where adept powers with variables based on magic attribute. Might a power focus be useful to aid these powers (assuming you payed for them with real magic points)

Wireknight’s proposed focus is very powerful. Dump the points into negotiation for the meet with the Johnson, stealth for the insertion, combat skills for the fight, athletics for the evacuation. Very easy to set up.

The power of this focus is not in its power but in its extreme flexibility (assuming you took your actual powers over wide basis)

I would say a variably positional power point is easily worth 5-10 fixed ones

Edward

[GunnerJ]

[mfb]

it's not really the lower power levels that are the problem, here. it's the higher levels--100+ karma, or so; maybe even as low as 50, but that'd be a tough trick to pull off.

[Cochise]

[Edward]

Primarily in response to GunnerJ.

Rather than having 5 in the skill and 3 levels of improvement already take 5 in the skill and only 1 level of improvement in each skill that you will not need to use at the same time. (How often are you using any 2 of those skills without time for a simple action between? Booking from a firefight is the only one I can think of).

Now you could conceivably increase each skill by 4 with a rating 2 semantic focus (not pistols) also it allows you to take 3 skill and 1 level of improvement in all thos less often used skills and have 6 dice when you want it. (say launch weapons or manual gunnery or heavy weapons when your usually more subtle)

Edward