Personalized Focus

Personalized Focus

Adventuring Gear (Arcane Focus, Variable), Rarity (Variable), Requires Attunement by a Spellcaster

“They say the wand chooses the wizard, but that’s not expressly true. Many practitioners of the arcane find themselves drawn to specific materials, or fields of study for a reason, and these things have shaped the way they interact with the weave of magic itself.”

The different materials used to craft a focus determine its nature and abilities. Classically, high-end focuses consist of 3 specific parts. The wood (or sometimes other natural material) to make the focus, a channeling stone (typically a precious gem) to focus the magical energies, and an arcane catalyst (often something harvested from a supernatural creature). 

Wood - While some magic foci are made from other natural materials, wood is by far the most common. Over years of research, mages have determined different types of wood that excel at channeling different schools of magic, when carved with the proper runic symbols. By choosing one of the types of wood listed below, it bestows on you a +1 to your Spell Attack rolls and Spell Save DCs with its linked school of magic.

• Oak - Abjuration

• Maple - Conjuration

• Alder - Divination

• Hawthorne - Enchantment

• Hickory - Evocation

• Willow - Illusion

• Yew - Necromancy

• Fir - Transmutation

Channeling Stone - An additional component to many high-end focuses, a channeling stone is a precious stone that has been imbued with specific elemental energies to enhance the wielder’s ability to channel that element. By choosing a stone below, you gain the ability to add additional damage dice whenever casting a spell or cantrip that deals damage of the type associated with your stone. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency bonus and regain all uses on a long rest. 

• Acid - Fluorite

• Cold - Aquamarine

• Fire - Carnelian

• Force - Quartz

• Lightning - Topaz

• Necrotic - Bloodstone

• Poison - Torbernite

• Psychic - Spinel

• Radiant - Opal

• Thunder - Tanzanite

Arcane Catalyst - The most powerful and well made focuses have been anointed in, infused with, or otherwise empowered by an arcane catalyst. These catalysts vary greatly, as does the method for combining them with your focus. One might soak their focus in the blood of a powerful demon you have summoned and slain, intentionally bathe their focus in the breath weapon of a dragon, or beseech a powerful celestial for it to bless the focus. Whatever the methodology, gaining an Arcane Catalyst for the focus grants great and powerful boons to the caster.  Once per long rest, upon casting a spell, you can call on the power of your Catalyst to perform a powerful and unique ability. Below are a list of the typical enhancements, based on creature type.

• Aberration - Upon activating this ability, you gain Telepathy out to a range of 120ft. and can communicate with any creature this way, as long as they understand a language. This effect lasts a number of minutes equal to 1 + the level of the spell slot spent to cast the spell to activate the ability. While under this effect, you can use a bonus action to force any creature within range of your telepath to make a Concentration save against your spell save DC. 
  

• Celestial - Upon activating this ability, you may divide a number of temporary hit points equal to 10 times the level of the spell slot spent to cast the spell that activated this ability. You may choose to divide these temporary hit points however you see fit between any number of creatures within 60ft of you. 
  

• Construct - Upon activating this ability, your body shifts into a living non-organic material of your choice (stone, steel, etc…). While in this form you no longer require food, water, sleep, or oxygen. Additionally, you gain resistance to all non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. This effect lasts a number of hours equal to 1 + the level of the spell slot spent to cast the spell to activate the ability.
  

• Dragon - Upon activating this ability, each creature of your choice within 120ft. Must make a Wisdom saving throw vs your Spell Save DC or become Frightened for 1 minute. They may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. Additionally, for the next 1 minute, you may call upon the breath weapon of the dragon type used for your catalyst as a Bonus Action. This attack deals 4d10 of the appropriate type and uses your Spell Save DC. 
  

• Elemental - Upon activating this ability, you gain resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage for the next 1 minute. Whenever you are damaged by one of these damage types, your next attack deals an additional 1d6 damage per level of spell slot used to activate this ability. The damage type is the same as the type that damaged you last. 
  

• Fey - Upon activating this ability, each creature of your choice within 120ft. Must make a Wisdom saving throw vs your Spell Save DC or become Charmed for 1 minute. They may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success. Additionally, for the next 1 minute, you may use your Bonus Action to teleport up to 30ft. 
  

• Fiend - Upon activating this ability, for the next 1 + level of spell slot to cast the spell round(s), any creature who attempts to deal damage to you must make a Charisma saving throw against your Spell Save DC. On a failure, the creature enters into an unwilling pact, sharing the damage it deals to you. Whenever this creature deals damage to you, they take half the amount of damage dealt. Each time a creature attempts to deal damage to you they must make this saving throw. On a success, the creature becomes immune to this ability for the duration.

• Giant - Upon activating this ability, for the next 1 + level of spell slots to cast the spell round(s), your creature size becomes large, you gain temporary HP equal to 5 times your Proficiency, you may use your Spell Casting Ability Score in place of Strength for melee attacks, and whenever you take the Attack action, you can cast a Cantrip in addition to your attack. 
  

• Ooze - Upon activating this ability, you create a strange symbiotic ooze that completely covers your body. While covered in this ooze, you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and may move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free. Additionally, while covered in this ooze you gain Blindsight out to a range of 60ft, cannot be grappled or restrained, and can move through spaces as small as 1 foot wide without squeezing. This effect lasts a number of minutes equal to 1 + the level of the spell slot spent to cast the spell to activate the ability.

• Undead - Upon activating this ability, you enter into the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane. You are  visible on the Material Plane while  in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.  This effect lasts a number of minutes equal to 1 + the level of the spell slot spent to cast the spell to activate the ability. While in the Ethereal Plane you may attempt to possess another creature as an action, by forcing them to make a Charisma saving throw.
  
  On a success, you are unable to possess the creature and the ability immediately ends. On a failure, you disappear, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. You now control the body but don't deprive the target of awareness. You cannot be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and you retain your alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma. You otherwise use the possessed target's statistics, but don't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies.

  The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, you end it as a bonus action, or you are turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, you reappear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to this possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends.