[Kato]

I'm making a *very* custom weapon for a runner. Essentially, it is a spear that has a power cell with a one shot stun charge (think of a cattle prod that only has one big shot). Is it possible to put a foci on this thing for the character to bond with? Just curious...combining tech and magic type of questions.

[Kato]

And...follow-up question...can a weapon have more than one foci? I'm very new to magic weapons and all that in Shadowrun. Thanks!

[GuardDuty]

The particular rules might vary by edition, but yes, anything can technically be enchanted.  Generally speaking, the more technological or "less natural" the material/item you are enchanting is, the harder it is to enchant.

It is possible for a focus to have multiple enchantments.  These are called "stacked" foci.  Examples might be a staff that is both a power focus and a weapon focus, or an amulet that aids in casting fireball (specific spell focus) and summoning fire elementals (spirit focus).  The rules are likely to be in the magic supplement for whatever edition you are using, but I think you've always had to specify a specific force for each enchantment (e.g. power focus 2/weapon focus 4).

[Tecumseh]

A couple points:

1) A weapon focus must be handheld. So a spear would work as a focus if you hold it, but not if you throw it. Thrown/projectile weapons can't be foci. (Well, they can, but they lose their bonus once they leave your hand.)

2) Technological items are much harder to enchant than natural items. During the enchanting process, the focus "resists" you as you try to create it. A natural wooden spear would be a 3, while a shock glove or a stun baton might be a 9. That means that, on average, the technological version will roll 2 extra hits to resist you, making it 2 points of Force weaker than the non-technological version. So, yes, this can be done, but there's a price (of effectiveness) to be paid.

[Kato]

Nice explanations, thanks! I'm just starting to get heavy into the magic part of the game. I'll probably house rule some magic items as side quest items. Maybe something sparkly that won't be powerful, but add some flavor to the campaign.