The Skill Foci is basically an alteration of the weapon foci.

The cost of the foci is based upon the improved ability power:

1.pt - 10K / Rating
0,5.pt - 5K / Rating
0,25.pt - 2,5K / Rating

Availability is just like weapon foci.
Binding is just like weapon foci.

These items can be anything but should have a connection to the skill in question.
A Groundcraft foci could be a pair of old racing gloves while an old worn pair of running shoes could be an athletics foci.
These foci must be bought for a specifik skill and not a group.

I am at work right now so I have no books with me. But doesnt the improved ability cost like 0,5 points per level for combat skills and 0,25 points per level for physical, social and technical skills?
Eitherway I like the idea of this foci. But for the price I would recommend 10,000Ny per level for 0,5 skills and 5,000Ny per level for 0,25 skills.

Nice idea, hook those adepts in the foci addictions too.

I can see some problems with people doing infiltration 6 (+2 specialization) +3 improved ability +6 focus....

i'd price comp it to what you pay to have an improved skill spell quickened to you.

For what it's worth, here's a discussion of a slightly different way to do what you're suggesting:

Physical focus

I would hesitate on this one. The problem being that it can optimize adept characters even more. If you initiate you can already choose to take it as an extra power point instead of a meta magic. I just feel it is a bit risky as an adept to make them far outshine a mundane street samie. It would be nice to have a high karma/money attached to using them as it would make them a more viable option the farther on the game progresses.

To stop it from becoming a huge dice pool bonus, perhaps you should stipulate that it is subject to the modified skill rating limits?

As long as the GM remembers focus addictions and remembers that every focus can be assessened, there shouldn't be too much a problem. Try explaining that stealth focus to the lone star security mage, there is no way that's legal.

I disagree as the price is taken from weapon foci's who are set after a +1D6/Rating regarding a close combat weapon. Since combat skills cost 1PP i thought that the price would be rather fitting.

I would also say that the binding cost would be Rating X Karma

...where?

An additional optional rule in the Street Magic errata. Which I like, mainly because adept metamagics are somewhat lacking, even with Street Magic.

I don't like the skill focus, though. With hard caps, adepts already outshine mundanes too much - they could use a boost in some areas, but skills are the last area where they need more dice.

Street Magic, pg 160 sidebar: Magic is not intelligent.

The training needed to increase (or give) a character the know-how to accomplish a task would have to come from somewhere. The tech equivalent would be Skill Wires/Skillsofts, and these replace, not enhance, a character's use of skills.

Now then:

A spell (most likely Manipulation, but maybe Health) could be devised to "Bestow Skill". The caster would have to know the skill, at the desired rating, to cast the spell, of equal or greater force than the skill level desired. This spell could be sustained into a focus or quickened. The spell could be cast by ritual sorcery, but only the leader (or one of the members) needs to know the skill. The spell would be physical in nature, just as the skill wires exist to help with muscle memory. This spell would replace or bestow this skill at the desired rating, as Skill Wires would; not enhance an existing skill. But with a potent enough magician, a character could see skill ratings greater than 7.

Even this seems a bit too strong. The spell could be "Bestow Agility Skill", or "Bestow Infiltration"; which would lessen drain and make the spell more exclusive. Mystic adept could cast this spell using their adept power "Improved Ability", but I could see where the spell force would make that prohibitive.

Damn. I liked the idea of the skill foci... Thanks for the info Floyd.

There's already the item attunement metamagic.

I'm with Glyph on this one. This is just bad cheese. Technical adepts don't need even more advantages.

There is already a focus which adds dice to skill-plus-stat-based tests. A mage or adept with a Weapon Focus swings her sword (or whatever) more effectively than she can swing a mundane sword. If that can happen using nonsapient magic, then I find it at least equally plausible that the Sneakers of Speed add to one's (STR+Running) DP.

As long as the Attunement metamagic is a valid game mechanic for the Sneakers of Speed, or the Scissors of Excellent Haircutting (specialization of Artisan), or the Wrench of Swift Repair, then I dunno if a new Focus rule is useful.

While I don't think that technical adepts need more toys, I also think that "magic isn't sentient" argument doesn't hold water. Weapon foci add to an attack roll. I don't see how that is functionally different from adding to a technical roll.

Also some magic is intelligent. Remember our good ol' pals task spirits? You can create an intelligent magical creature out of thin air that if above a force seven can "technical skill" better then any person under the earth... period. Now they might not be able to use mods the way many high technical skilled people can, but if you give a wrench to a force 8 task spirit they will rock 16 dice on whatever task you assign it.

Making adepts just destroy in technical skills might be pushing things, since they can get extremely high dice to almost anything they want... however there is intelligent "magic" out there. Spirits are just the first thing that spring to mind. Ok spirits also exist on another plane of existence, but when you bring them to your own magic is involved. Also there is very little known about spirits fluff wise.

You do not 'create' a spirit, you summon it. It already exists. Further, spirits are magical beings - that does not make them magic.

Also, you need a Force 10 Task spirit to match my smith character, not including bonuses obtainable from VR & similar.


The "Magic is not intelligent" argument has nothing to do with a skill focus. That said, creating a skill focus is beyond retarded if your game has any semblance of mechanical balance. Even if you throw balance out the window, a skill focus is just... stupid.

Your skill is capped at 7. A force 8 task spirit will have a skill of 8 dice. They will throw 16 dice at the situation, and although it's not as good as a 20 dice character it can buy "critical successes." Juicing adepts with better sauce on something they can already throw obscene dice at is somewhat... hum... Well it's already been said now hasn't it.

>Further, spirits are magical beings - that does not make them magic.
Care to clarify that a bit?

This is an excellent point. Both sides of this argument are in black-and-white within the RAW. If Magic is not intelligent (Street Magic pg 160), what kind of bonus is the Weapon Focus. Is it like the "force" (from that one movie)? Is the weapon focus influenced by the expertise of the spirits (making the creation of a weapon focus more like summoning)? Can this bonus be applied to any action, given the appropriate focus (this may rename a "weapon" focus, to the new, generic "Active" focus)? Does only the bonded Magic user get the bonus or can anyone wield the magic weapon at full potential (I can't remeber and I don't have my books with me)? Is this why you can't make weapon foci ranged?




Could a person summon the appropriate spirit and have them assist a task? All bonded spirits to you could assist in any skill roll? This could work for a long term project ("assist me in creating this focus"), but I don't see it affecting instant, stressful actions like combat.

"Paging Doctor Magic and his team of spirit nurses." Yikes!