Expandable Foci? I don't get it... Options

[dandy]

been trying to find this out for the last couple of days, but i can't seem to find anything related to it.

expendable anchoring focus:
1. pay karma, use once. karma flushed down the drain. forever.
2. pay karma, use once. needs new enchanting process. karma not gone.

reusable anchoring focus:
1. pay more karma. use as many times as you like. karma not gone.
2. pay more karma. use once. needs new enchanting process. karma not gone.


can somebody please enlighten me? i want to make "anchoring foci arrowheads", but unsure of how to best proceed further.

[Ol' Scratch]

The new rules for expendable anchoring foci are a failed attempt to cover things like magic healing potions. They were poorly designed and are all but useless for their insane overinflated costs.

"Anchoring foci arrowheads" are a bad idea, too. Not only is the karma and nuyen costs astronomical (especially since you'll need to include a trigger spell for the idea to work) for whatever benefit you might gain, but now everyone you kill will not only have your astral signature plastered all over them, but forensic mages will have your focus in their possession.

But to answer your questions, your first summary for both questions are the correct ones. Well, the reusable anchoring one isn't quite right, but you only pay karma once and need to reset the focus every time the spell comes to an end.

[Moon-Hawk]

I'm sorry, I can't stop picturing "expandable" foci. hehe

But anyway, a reusable anchoring focus, you spend the karma, you cast the spell into it, you discharge the spell, you recast the spell into it, you discharge the spell, etc.

Expendable foci, like the arrows, are much cheaper karmically to create, you cast the spell into them, you discharge the spell, it's gone.

[dandy]

ah, great thanks.

my imagination just failes me at the moment. i am currently playing a magician with a ranger-x as his primary weapon. did initiate and learned anchoring as meta-technique.

any ideas on what i could spend my remaining karma (max. 8) and nuyen (got plenty of it)???

i am clueless.

[LinaInverse]

Make Power Foci if you've got plenty of both. That's my plans anyway.

Edit: I agree with Funk. Magic isn't worth it in this case because of the astral forensic evidence and the huge expense of time, karma, and materials. For all that grief, you can get EX, Incendiery or APDS arrow heads for far less effort and as much or better results than any reasonable magical enchantment.

[Ol' Scratch]

Well, what's your focus? What kind of a magician is your character?

[Herald of Verjig...]

Hmm... archery mage...

Enhanced Aim sustaining focus (and spell, cheap by asttral quest) out of a pair of goggles/glasses or something small.

If you already have that, increased strength, sustaining focus, and a bigger bow.

[dandy]

ok guys here goes my character as of today (about 140 karma)

phys-ad (way of the shaman) <- don't ask
initiate level 4
meta-tech.: anchoring
race: ork

konst 9
quick 6
stren 8
chari 4
intell 5
willp 6

essence 6

important skills:
bows 7
fistfighting 6
spellcasting 5
athletics 6
b/r projectile w 6

adept-skills:
4x path of the magician
reflexes 3
killinh hands S
quickdraw
0.75 points left

spells:
fashion 2
armor 4
stabilise 2
heal 3

[Ol' Scratch]

So you're an Adept Magician then?

Hmm. For metamagic techniques (and assuming Anchoring isn't set in stone yet) I'd probably go Centering:Physical, Centering:Ranged, Masking, and Shielding. If Anchroing is set, replace Shielding with it.

As the Herald mentioned, Enhanced Aim makes a lot of sense for this character and turning your bow into a sustaining focus for the spell is a good idea, too. Spellcasting doesn't seem to be a priority, so a Power Focus wouldn't be as useful for you as it would others.

Not sure what to recommend beyond that since most of my recommendations would be based on personality and personal preference rather than complimentary aspects. But one that I would recommend (assuming you have Conjuring which you didn't list), I'd consider putting a lot of Karma into a cool little ally spirit/familiar.

[LinaInverse]

As a PhysMagician, probably not Funk. But there is one thing a Power Foci would help him and that's raise his Magic score, so that he could cast stronger spells w/o Physical Drain.

[RedmondLarry]

minor points.
Your Fashion can change the look/appearance of armored clothing with a combined rating (ballistic plus impact) of up to 2 points, unless you get multiple 6's for success. A higher force will let you adjust more protective armor.

Your Stabilise spell can stabilize someone with up to 12 points of physical damage. For wounds beyond that, it's too weak to have an affect. To stabilize people with more damage you'll need a higher force.

Your Heal spell can heal up to 3 boxes of damage. To heal more, you'll need a higher Force spell.

[Herald of Verjig...]

[dandy]

[Thistledown]

[Moon-Hawk]

You know the person who cast the spell into the focus takes drain whenever the focus is used, right?
So do you have them take drain over and over when the focus is used over and over without being reset?
Because of this, I almost never have anchoring foci sold (charged) in a store. You can buy the focus and charge it however you want, but for a magician to charge it for you, that means that someday he's taking drain for the spell, and he doesn't know when. If he sells a dozen of them, then someday some people might use three of them during the same hour (not necessarily people even in the same country) and the drain could kill him. Unwise, unwise.
On the rare occasions someone will charge an anchoring focus for someone else in my games, there's always a stipulation such as, use this within a week or I'm tracking it down astrally and killing it. Or you can bring it back and get 80% of your money back for the spell.
It's just not a good idea to have a large amount of drain floating out there somewhere, waiting for the worst possible time to hit you.
Think about this: a mage can be killed by his own "healing potion" focus. Lots of physical, lots of stun, the focus only heals a few boxes of physical, and poorly resisted drain overflows stun, and overflows physical, and he dies.

[Ol' Scratch]

[LinaInverse]

I seem to recall that in SR2, Anchoring didn't drain the caster when it fired off, which made it really powerful. You could make foci or items that let a mage (or someone he sells to) use a spell without consequence.

When I read Anchoring in SR3, I've frankly shelved most notions of using Anchoring, other than maybe doing the "bullet detect/shield" bit and even that can probably be better done in other ways. This is a large part of why I kept talking about Quickening (for all its flaws) these days, because you don't have that drain "waiting to happen".

[Herald of Verjig...]

[Fortune]

Elemental Strike - cost 0.5 P.P. (on top of Killing Hands) - specific element chosen when Power first taken (can be taken multiple times with different elements) - incompatible with Distance Strike.