If a mage gets their hands on a focus that belongs to a recently killed mage....can the new mage use it? Do they have to somehow "crack" it before they can use it? Or is it useless once the mage dies?

Thanks!

What happens with a focus is that you build it (or buy one) and then bond it to yourself (paying the Karma cost) When you bond to a focus, you connect yourself to it astrally. If you are killed, the bond is severed, and it becomes a 'normal' focus again. That is, it is unbonded and awaiting to be bonded again.

So short answer, they have to bond with the focus (paying the karma cost) but otherwise, yes they can just pick it up and use it.




However, note that there are some foci that are not compatible. These are Aspected Foci. Some Foci are general, and any mage can use them. However, some Foci are aspected, and only mages of that path can bond with them.

Example: Frank the hermetic mage buys a weapon focus from a talismonger. This weapon focus is unaspected, meaning anyone who is even slightly magically active can use it.

However, later Frank kills an insect Shaman, who has an aspected Insect sustaining focus. Because Frank is not an insect shaman, he can't use that special focus (and really, why would he want to? Who wants to wear something that's associated with the bugs?)


EDIT:
Appears I was wrong, apparently, there are no longer Aspected foci as far as I can tell. Any mage can bond with any Foci. So Frank COULD use the insect Shaman's Focus. Who knew?

The same is true if you acquire (steal) a focus from a living magician. The focus is bonded to the first magician - until the second magician completes the bonding process and pays the karma. Once the second magician does so, the first magician is no longer bonded the focus. If the first magician manages to steal the focus back, he will need to re-bond to the focus, including the karma payment.

Pay karma to rebond it.

- J.

and you'd better HURRY with your bonding ritual, as the "old" owner ist surely able to folow his link to the focus and *insert random nasty punishment* you for stealing it in the first.