[Beta]

You have to bind all types of weapon foci to use them.  Could be some quirk in hero labs (I don't use it, so don't know).  The CRB is actually pretty good at explaining the different foci I think, but in rough terms, sustaining focus:

- per the name, let's you sustain a spell without taking the -2 penalty on other actions.
- Can only sustain a spell of force up to the focus's force.
- Has to be specified as to a type of spell (combat, illusion, etc), and can only sustain spells of that type.
- I'm sure karma will still run out quickly, but an alternative to consider is the Focused Concentration quality.

Tying a couple of questions together:  as Jack Spade mentioned when resisting drain you use willpower + (other stat), and get extra dice if you have and use the centering meta-magic.  Centering gives you extra drain dice equal to your initiate level.  You can then also get a meta-magic focus for centering, which adds its it force to your centering dice, effectively making your drain dice willpower + (other stat) + initiate level + centering focus force.

And I have a question in turn, from re-reading the focus section.  The counterspelling focus says that "counterspelling foci add dice equal to their force to any counterspelling attempt, as long the countered spell is in the same category as the focus.  It also adds its Force to your spell defense pool."

Just want to confirm what I think I'm reading.  say you have a force five focus.  Whenever you counter a spell, even if you only apply one die of your counterspelling pool to the task, you'd add an extra five dice to your countersepelling?  And in addition, against any spell which allows spell defence it adds its force to that test.  So for example you get targeted by a Control Actions spell, and apply one of your counterspelling dice against it.  You'd get your usual resistance dice (will + logic) +1 (counterspelling) + 5 (extra counterspelling dice from the focus) +5 (passive bonus on spell defense rolls on counterspelling foci).   That sounds quite good, just want to confirm that I'm readingit right?

[Mercy Merchant]

Let's say that I am trying to alleviate an addiction.  Why would I use a spell of greater the F1?  Is there a threshold I need to exceed to be successful in avoiding the addiction?  Or is the force of the spell an aid in case someone wants to dispel it and then I am back with the addiction?

[Jack_Spade]

@Beta

Counter spell foci have dual use:
If you have a dedicated combat counterspell focus F6 your total counterspell pool is increased by 6. This pool is consumed over your combat turn.
Against enemy combat spells you gain +6 to any defense throw even if you only spend one die to protect.
So first you need to have the fitting focus for the school of magic you try to defend against,  you need to decide how many dice to allot to the defense and only than you get the bonus dice added.

@Mercy

"Alleviate Addiction temporarily reduces the effects of addiction on the subject’s body and mind (p. 77, SR5). Every net hit reduces the addiction level by one (from Severe to Moderate, for example)."
If you have only one level of addiction, Force 1 would be enough. That said there are other good reasons to cast at higher force: Increased background count will knock down the force of your spells, killing the spell. Dispelling also is a test vs. Spell Force + Caster Magic.

[Mercy Merchant]

Would the effect of a Power Focus stack with a Spellcasting Focu or would I only get one of them? 

How many spells can I use the Metamagic Quicken on at one time?

[Beta]

Would the effect of a Power Focus stack with a Spellcasting Focu or would I only get one of them? 

How many spells can I use the Metamagic Quicken on at one time?

Only one foci can modify a given dice roll.

As far as I know you can quicken any number of spells, but each requires it's own karma expense.

[Mercy Merchant]

So the Power Focus works all the time to raise the effective magic level, but the cost is pretty high.  Is it better to suck up the cost of one focus or spread the karma around and get a few spellcasting foci?  I think the raw cost and karma cost are less if I get the several instead of the one.

[Aria]

Thanks a lot.  Now, questions about Foci.  I am not sure that I understand the difference between a weapons focus and a different sort of focus.  I am using Hero Lab and it seems to not let me bind the weapons focus.  Is that correct?  Also, how do I use a sustaining focus?

You could try using the excel file that Jack, Adam and others have helped me work up?! Tried to add as much rule clarification as we can...

[Mercy Merchant]

So is the new game using 2K karma as from scratch or is it build a normal runner and then add 2K karma?

Where do I find the excel file?

[Jack_Spade]

Take a look at Aria's signature 

[Beta]

So the Power Focus works all the time to raise the effective magic level, but the cost is pretty high.  Is it better to suck up the cost of one focus or spread the karma around and get a few spellcasting foci?  I think the raw cost and karma cost are less if I get the several instead of the one.

Depends on the character.   Gorman if they are pretty specialized then maybe a couple of specific foci are better, but if you are fairly diverse then a power focus is probably a decent investment.

Alternatively a specialized focus at quite high force, and a more moderate power focus for everything else.

[Beta]

re: the proposed Song of Patterns game, a background question since I'm not familiar with earthdawn and wasn't a SR player during that time that the links were being made.  The intro contained this passage:

All of you were alive during the peak of the last mana surge. You need to decide how you survived the horrors:
-   In a kaer (underground massive cave systems warded by magic)
-   In the elven wooden kaers, which became the blood woods. This means you lived around 500 years in agony
-   In a secret dragon lair as a dragon servitor (need relationship 4+ with that dragon)
-   Some other way that you think is credible

Just before magic left the world, you all took part in a ritual of hiding. You vaguely remember something went wrong with the ritual, but it was so long ago, you cannot quite remember what. Elves and drakes morph into human appearance (duration: until magic returns).

Can someone point me to any source material on the web, or explain on here:
- were all the elves and drakes back them potentially immortal, but most died?  Or would these characters have been unusual even 'back then'?  And was that specialness something that was known widely (this caste of elves was immortal, but that one wasn't), or more random?
- Are there meanings or associations presumed from having been in a stone or wood cair?  Were these more like isolated habitats (where people lived and interacted), or more like suspended animation?  And what is the story with wooden cairs becoming blood woods?
- What was the standing of dragons back then?  As in, were they generally regarded as foes of the elves, or just particularly powerful beings that were part of the wider structure of society? (i.e. was an elf serving a dragon betrayal of elf kind, was a drake staying in a cair a betrayal of dragons?  Or was that all business as usual?)
- how many people/beings were in these cairs, and are they still largely (or at least potentially) around, or were most more mortal, or was there disastrous kill-off of them at the end?
- magic left the wold after the time in the cairs/blood-woods, or before?

Sorry for all the questions, but as I work through character ideas I keep coming up against my ignorance of his beginnings.

[Ennui]

Ooh that sounds like fun are you recruiting or is it full up?  I have an idea for an immortal dwarf if you'd allow it but I can make it an elf if you'd prefer.

[Aria]

Ooh that sounds like fun are you recruiting or is it full up?  I have an idea for an immortal dwarf if you'd allow it but I can make it an elf if you'd prefer.

Ennui, please check out the recruitment post on the OoC over on DS!

Beta, will get to your queries when I can but in the meantime there's lots of stuff in the Secret History bit on this forum and worth doing a search for the 'Ancient Files' for crossover info!

[Ennui]

I wish I could.

[Mercy Merchant]

I would like to be an archaeologist, but there does not seem to be a skill for that.  Perhaps a Day Job quality and some knowledge skills?